Weather forecasters talked about rain on Saturday all week, but when the city of Garland’s April 11 Heritage Celebration rolled around, the weather was perfect and young and old alike had a great time.
One of the main events was the rededication of the 1910 Pullman Coach Car which recently received an exterior renovation. The railcar, which is now located at Heritage Crossing beside the Santa Fe Depot, is believed to be one of about a dozen still in existence in North America. It served as a passenger coach from 1910 to approximately 1930 and played an important role in the transportation of troops during World War 1. In the 30s and 40s, the car provided connections between small Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas towns. It became living quarters for a Santa Fe employee in 1949, which is the reason it was saved from demolition. In 1976, Santa Fe donated the railcar to the city of Garland.
In addition to viewing the railcar and hearing about its history, attendees enjoyed music by C.B. Luce, The Gypsy Playboys and others, a model train exhibit and story time at the library, bounce houses, walking tours, cowboy shootouts, food booths and more.
The afternoon portion of the event featured the unveiling of a Texas Historical marker that recognizes the Travis College Hill Historic District. United States Congressman Pete Sessions, along with State Representatives Angie Chen Button and Cindy Burkett were on-hand to congratulate the city on the accomplishment. They also expressed gratitude for Louis and Kay Moore, owners of the newly relocated and renovated Pace House and organizers of the effort to get state historic designation, for their hard work and resulting success. The designation marker for the neighborhood was placed in front of the Pace House.
The
crowd also enjoyed entertainment by the Austin Academy Jazz Band and an ensemble choir from various area churches.
Attendees were treated to tours of several of the historic homes in the Travis College Hill Historic District, and many held special memories for longtime Garland residents who recalled visiting friends in these homes during their childhood. There were also tour participants who had lived in the homes as children.
Mayor Douglas Athas, along with Council Members Anita Goebel, Scott LeMay, Tim Campbell, Stephen Stanley, B.J. Williams, Billy Mack Williams and Jim Cahill celebrated both the marker dedication and rededication of the railcar.
Bryan Bradford, who will assume the role of city manager after Bill Dollar’s retirement, said that historic preservation is important to the city of Garland and that he was glad that the two houses faced with demolition last year were saved.
“We are all very, very grateful that people in our community stepped up and said that they did not want to see their heritage disappear…They want to honor and bring focus to it…It’s been a long and winding road, but by golly, we did the right thing,” Bradford said.
“What I think is so neat about Garland is that while we are focused on growth, we haven’t lost sight of our roots. That’s what makes Garland so unique and so special to so many people,” he continued.