CLANG, CLANG, CLANG WENT THE TROLLY! DING, DING, DING WENT THE BELL! THUS WAS THE SOUND  HEARD ON HIGHLAND, WOODROW,BRANDON AND ELGIE AS THE ELECTRIC STREET CARS CARRIED ITS PASSENGERS FROM SOUTH PARK TO DOWNTOWN, OR TO THE END OF MAGNOLIA AVENUE, AND EVEN TO THE MAGNOLIA REFINERY (NOW MOBIL OIL). FOR MANY YEARS ON WOODROW THERE WERE VISIBLE SIGNS WHERE THE TRACKS CARRYING THESE TROLLYS ONCE EXISTED.

    FOR OVER 20 YEARS BEAUMONT TRIED TO ESTABLISH A RELIABLE TROLLY SYSTEM, WITH SEVERAL
COMPANIES COMING AND GOING. JOHN HENRY KIRBY, TIMBER BARON, BEING ONE OF THEM.

    AN ELECTRIC STREET CAR OR TROLLY WAS AN URBAN ELECTRIC RAILROAD WITH 1/2 OR MORE
OFITS MILEAGE INSIDE AN INCORPORATED TOWN. HOUSTON IN l868 AND AUSTIN IN 1874 WERE TWO OF THE FIRST CITIES TO OPERATE STREET CARS IN TEXAS. HOUSTON HAD OPERATED A HORSE POWERED STREET CAR UNSUCCESSFULLY. WHEN BEAUMONT BECAME INTERESTED IN AN ELECTRIC STREET CAR SYSTEM, FRANK SPRAGUE HAD ALREADYSUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATED AN ELECTRIC SYSTEM IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA IN 1888, SO IT WAS BEAUMONT'S DECISION NOT TO USE HORSE DRAWN CARS

    IN AN ORDINANCE TO GRANT A STREET CAR FRANCHISE, THE CITY COUNCIL AS ITS FIRST CONDITION STATED THAT STREETCARS TO BE OPERATED IN THE CITY WOULD BE OPERATED OR RUN BY ECTRICITY.

    BRIAN WEATHERSBY DID EXTENSIVE RESEARCH OF THE BEAUMONT CITY COUNCIL RECORDS FOR
INFORMATION REGARDING THE ELECTRIC STREET CARS, AND MOST OF THIS INFORMATION IS TAKEN
FROM HIS RECORDS.

   RECORDS SHOW THAT ON JANUARY 6, 1891, CITY COUNCIL ISSUED AN ORDINANCE GRANTING
BEAUMONT STREET RAILWAY COMPANY (BSRCo) A  FRANCHISE TO ERECT AND OPERATE AN ELECTRIC STREET CAR SYSTEM, ADVISING THE COMPANY THAT THEY MUST GRADE AND PAVE THE STREETS BETWEEN THE RAILS - MOST OF THE STREET SAT THIS TIME STILL BEING DIRT STREETS.THE FRANCHISE STATED THAT THEY HAD 6 MONTHS TO START THE WORK AND 2 YEARS TO COMPLETE, AND THAT STREET CAR FEES WOULD NOT BE EXCESSIVE, WITH A CHARGE SIMILAR TO OTHER CITIES. THE CORPORATION WAS ORIGINALLY COMPOSED OF J. R. LEGION AND ASSOCIATES, BUT IT IS NOT CLEAR JUST WHO THE OWNERS OF THIS COMPANY WERE.

    ON MAY 5, 1891 THE RAILWAY COMPANY ADVISED THE CITY THAT IT WAS TOO EXPENSIVE TO BUILD AND OPERATE AN ELECTRIC STREET CAR SYSTEM, AND ASKED PERMISSION TO USE HORSE DRAWN CARS. CITY COUNCIL VOTED 2 IN FAVOR AND 2 AGAINST, WITH THE MAYOR VOTING FOR THE RESOLUTION, AND A FRANCHISE AMENDMENT WAS GRANTED GIVING THEM THE RIGHT TO USE
HORSES.

    WORK ON THE TRACKS STARTED, AND ON NOVEMBER 8, 1892 THE FIRST CARS STARTED RUNNING. THE FIRST HORSE CARS WERE OBTAINED FROM THE HOUSTON BAYOU CITY RAILWAY,AND WERE SECOND HAND CARS. THE COMPANY RAN OUT OF MONEY BEFORE THEY COULD PURCHASE HORSES FOR THE CARS, AND TWO MEXICAN JACKASSES WERE PURCHASED FROM WILLIAM MC FARLAND. A GRAY MARE WAS PURCHASED FROM A SAW MILL IN BEAUMONT, AND RUMOR HAD IT THAT ALTHOUGH THE INAUGURAL TRIP WAS UNEVENTFUL, AT NOON WHEN THE WHISTLE BLEW AT THE RELIANCE LUMBER COMPANY, THE MARE PROCEEDED TOWARD THE LIVERY STABLE FOR HIS LUNCH, DRAGGING THE CAR WITH IT.

    ON JUNE 5, 1987, THE BEAUMONT ELECTRIC RAILWAY COMPANY PETITIONED THE CITY FOR AN
ELECTRIC RAILWAY FRANCHISE, STATING NON-COMPLIANCE BY THE BSRCo, ALTHOUGH THERE IS
NO RECORD THAT THE BSRCo WAS STILL OPERATING. THE FRANCHISE WAS GRANTED NOVEMBER
6, 1987.

    L. P. FEATHERSTONE OF GALVESTON PETITIONED FOR A FRANCHISE FOR AN ELECTRIC RAILWAY
SYSTEM ON MARCH 1, 1898, AND PUT UP A $2,500.00 BOND. BUT ON JUNE 7,1898 THE FRANCHISE WAS
FORFEITED. THERE HAD NOW BEEN 3 ATTEMPTS FOR ELECTRIC STREET CARS.

    ANOTHER GROUP OF INVESTORS HEADED UP BY JOHN HENRY KIRBY, ON NOVEMBER 6, 1900
APPROACHED THE CITY FOR A FRANCHISE FOR THE RAILWAYS. THE CITY IN GRANTING THE FRANCHISE STATED THAT THE FARES WOULD BE .O5 CENTS AND WOULD RUN FROM 5:30 AM UNTIL MIDNIGHT, ON 10 MINUTE INTERVALS. THE STREETCARS WOULD START AT PEARL STREET, AND 20 MILES OF TRACK INSIDE THE CITY AND A SPUR TO THE SPINDLETOP OIL FIELDS WOULD BE LAID.

    RECORDS INDICATE THAT ON OCTOBER 1, 1901 CITY COUNCIL FORFEITED THE FRANCHISE DUE TO
NON-COMPLIANCE. A FRANCHISE WAS THEN GRANTED TO ED KENNEDY AND A. C. RUSH, AND THEY
ALSO AGREED TO CONSTRUCT AN INTERURBAN STREET CAR SYSTEM CONNECTING BEAUMONT TO
NEDERLAND AND PORT ARTHUR.IN SEPTEMBER, 1902 THE COMPANY APPLIED FOR RECEIVERSHIP.

    HARRY JOHNSON & ASSOCIATES BOUGHT THE COMPANY UNDER RECEIVERSHIP ON OCTOBER
7, 1902, CALLING IT BEAUMONT TRACTION COMPANY.     STONE AND WEBSTER WAS AN ELECTRICAL
ENGINEERING CONSULTING FIRM, AND RECOGNIZED AS A LEADER IN ELECTRIC TRACTION AND
LIGHTING. THIS COMPANY OPERATED AS MANY AS 26 DIFFERENT COMPANIES AT ONE TIME, ONE
BEING BEAUMONT ICE, LIGHT AND REFRIGERATING COMPANY, WHICH OPERATED THE BEAUMONT
TRACTION COMPANY, LATER NAMING IT JEFFERSON COUNTY TRACTION, AND IN 1913 EASTERN TEXAS ELECTRIC COMANNY. IT OPERATED THE STREET CAR SYSTEM UNTIL 1937 WHEN IT WAS PLACED IN RECEIVERSHIP, CITING CHEAP TAXI SERVICE, AUTOS AND THE DEPRESSIONAS A REASON FOR ITS DECLINE.

    ON AUGUST 30, 1937, THE ELECTRIC STREET CAR SYSTEM WAS PURCHASED BY NALLCITY LINES, AND THE CONVERSION TO BUS WAS MADE SHORTLY THEREAFTER.

    THE INTERURBAN STREET CAR SYSTEM WENT OUT OF BUSINESS IN 1932  THE ELECTRIC TROLLY
SYSTEM RUNNING TO SOUTH PARK BEGAN ON PEARL STREETS GOING DOWN PEARL TO MILAM,
THEN TO PARK STREET TO ELGIE, DOWN ELGIE TO BRANDON, BRANDON TO WOODROW AND WOODROW TO HIGHLAND AVENUE.THE STREET CAR STOPPED BETWEEN THE HIGHLAND AVENUE DRUG STORE AND THE BUILDING THAT IS NOW USED AS OUR SOUTH PARK POLICE SUB STATION. I UNDERSTAND THAT AT ONE TIME THE TRACKS STOPPED AT BRANDON AND WOODROW,BUT WAS LATER EXTENDED DOWN WOODROW TO HIGHLAND AVENUE.

    AS A CHILD OF 8 OR 9 YEARS OF AGE, I WAS QUITE IMPRESSED WITH THESE TROLLY CARS THAT CAME RUMBLING DOWN WOODROW AND STOPPED AT HIGHLAND AVENUE. THEY WERE REALLY QUITE NOISY AS THEY APPROACHED, WITH ALL THEIR CLAMOR AND CLATTER ANDTHE CLANG OF THE BELL, AND I DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW THEY STAYED ON THE TRACKS AND THE PURPOSE OF THE SHINY POLESON TOP OF THE CARS WHICH SEEMED TO BE ATTACHED TO WIRES THAT RAN ALONG THE STREET OVERHEAD.

    ATTENDING SOUTH PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (NOW PIETZSCH) AS YOUNGSTERS, MANY DAYS
GOING TO SCHOOL AND COMING HOME IN THE AFTERNOON, WE WOULD JUST STAND IN AWE AS
THE STREET CAR CAME DOWN THE STREET. AND THERE ALWAYS SEEMED TOBE NUMEROUS FOLKS GETTING OFF AND ON.SOMETIMES MY SISTER AND I WOULD JUST MAKE A TRIP TO THE CORNER TO WATCH ANOTHER TROLLY PULL UP AND START BACKTO TOWN. THERE WERE CONTROLS AT THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE TROLLY, AND WHEN THE STREET CAR GOT TO THE END OF THE LINE ON HIGHLAND AND WOODROW, THE CONDUCTOR JUST WALKED TO THE BACK OF THE TROLLY AND AWAY IT WENT BACK ITS MERRY ROUTE.

    I CAN ONLY RECALL ONE OR TWO TRIPS THAT WE MADE TO TOWN ON THAT TROLLY CAR, BUT
BELIEVE ME - IT WAS FASCINATING. THERE IS NO DOUBT IT WAS A SLOW TRIP, AS THE CARS DID NOT
TRAVEL VERY FAST --BUT IT WAS EXCITING TO SIT AT THE WINDOW AND LOOK AT ALL THE HOUSES
AND PEOPLE AS WE RODE BY.

    BUT I ALSO REMEMBER SEVERAL TRIPS WE MADE ON THE TROLLY OUT MAGNOLIA AVENUE TO MY
UNCLE HERMAN'S HOUSE. NOW THAT TOOK FOREVER!!!

    I UNDERSTAND THERE WAS A STANDING JOKE AMONG THE FOLKS ON THE MAGNOLIA AVENUE CAR LINE, THAT ONE OF THE BEAUTIES OF LIVING ON THAT MAGNOLIA CAR LINE IS THAT WHEN YOU MISS YOUR CAR YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT AN HOUR OR SO FOR ANOTHER ONE. YOU JUST WALK TO THE NEXT CORNER AND OVERTAKE THE ONE YOU'VE MISSED.

    ONCE AGAIN PROGRESS TAKES OVER! AND FOR THAT I AM THANKFUL. ALL THE DAYS I RODE THE BUS TO WORK, IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN FOREVER ON THAT TROLLY. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO RIDE A
STREET CAR JUST ONE MORE TIME.  AND BY THE WAY -- THE AFFLUENCE BROUGHT BY THE SPINDLETOP OIL FIELDS PERSUADED THE CITIZENS OF BEAUMONT TO VOTE A BOND ISSUE FOR PAVED STREETS IN DOWNTOWN BEAUMONT (MANY OF WHICH WERE BRICK), BUT I AM NOT SURE JUST WHEN PAVED OR BLACKTOP STREETS CAME TO SOUTH PARK. I DO REMEMBER THE BLACK TAR BEING POURED OVER THE STREETS IN SOUTH PARK, AND MANY HOT SUMMER DAYS THE BLACK TAR MELTING AND STICKING TO OUR BARE FEET. OUCH!!

WEREN'T THOSE "THE GOOD OLD DAYS?"

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