Murphy Depot
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In 1888 the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railroad Company lay
track through J.T. Murphy's property. The tracks ran north in Decatur, swung south across FM 544, and crossed Rowlett Creek into Plano. The land adjacent to the tracks belonged to J. T. Murphy and was the site his gin and store. When the depot was built, J.T. Murphy became the first depot agent, and the name Murphy was given the depot. Don Williams stands in front of the first depot in the photograph. The depot had a room for a ticket agent, storage, and two segregated waiting rooms. The Onion Shed and Cotton Shed stand on the northeast side of the railroad track. By the 1940s, automobile and bus transportation became more accessible, and train travel became less popular. The larger depot was replaced with a smaller depot. Some of the wood was taken from the larger depot to finish the smaller one, and the smaller depot was painted dark yellow or orange with green trim. All that remains today is the broken concrete slab. For many years the train served the farming community transporting cotton, corn, onions, and animals to market, and citizens were able to travel to Wylie, Plano, and Dallas. |
