Historical Houston Streetcars

[enviromain]

A friend sent this picture to me because it is the Capitol Hotel on the corner of Texas and Main (prior to Rice Hotel). She said the picture was taken in 1892 and was saved somewhere from the web. It's the streetcar that I am interested in. I can see the electric cable on top of the car. Does anyone know the name of this streetcar?

Edited December 21, 2006 by enviromain

[gnu]

A friend sent this picture to me because it is the Capitol Hotel on the corner of Texas and Main (prior to Rice Hotel). She said the picture was taken in 1892 and was saved somewhere from the web. It's the streetcar that I am interested in. I can see the electric cable on top of the car. Does anyone know the name of this streetcar?

i can't seem to locate my copy of Steve Baron's book, Houston Electric but from his webpage here: http://members.iglou.com/baron/photos.htm

the caption to the picture you posted reads:

Here's one of the earliest known photos of an electric streetcar operating in Houston. Car 8 was built as one of the original 12 cars to inaugurate electric service in June of 1891. This view was made in January, 1892 as the car rounded the curve in front of the Capitol Hotel at Texas & Main. The Rice Hotel was later built at this corner.

Looks to me like the sign on the car reads Congress, Franklin, & Main Sts.

[sevfiv]

from the book, the picture is a little more clear - it is the congress, preston & main sts. car on January 29, 1892.

according to the roster, car 8 (which was later renumbered to 77 maybe?) was built by the St. Louis car company in 1891 and was probably an ex-Boston horsecar.

perhaps they were sold to another city, but i can't seem to find what exactly happened to the original fleet

[Hunter]

Most of the early records were destroyed or lost over the years but most of the orginal fleet was sold for scrap metal a long time ago. You can see a replica of one of the early cars and a station on Bellaire Blvd in Bellaire. Very little of the orginal electrical rail road exists today except for a few of the right-a-ways here and there throught the inner city. The most well preserved in the Harrisburg bike trail running parallel between Harrisburg and Canal st. It runs from the Ship channel Turning basin almost to down town Houston.

[FilioScotia]

Vestiges of Houston Street Car era

This is the same website posted above by Gnu, but it's to the front page where there are links to other pages, including one with some fascinating photos of places where faint traces of the street car era are still visible. Someone went to a helluva lot of trouble to track down this collection of photos.

The last remaining Houston street car is still in existence, and is being preserved in -- of all places -- Highlands. http://members.iglou.com/baron/

[enviromain]

Thanks for the info and Happy Holidays!!! Does anyone know how many streetcars did Houston originally have?

[nmainguy]

Thanks for the info and Happy Holidays!!! Does anyone know how many streetcars did Houston originally have?

Somewhere among my family's photos there is a picture of my somewhat bohemian Grandma hanging out of a Heights Blvd. streetcar. I'll have to canvas my sisters and see if I can locate it. It was taken near 11th and Heights.

[plumber2]

Somewhere among my family's photos there is a picture of my somewhat bohemian Grandma hanging out of a Heights Blvd. streetcar. I'll have to canvas my sisters and see if I can locate it. It was taken near 11th and Heights.

Both of my parents rode street cars to school as kids. My father from the Heights to St. Thomas downtown and my mother from Southmore to St. Agnes Academy on San Jacinto.

They also told me about riding the Interurban from downtown Houston to Galveston. The right of way for this train/streetcar is still visible between Highway 3 and the Gulf Freeway for most of the line. League City actually has a street named Interurban that parallels the ROW. The bridge pilings can still be seen at the Clear Creek and Dickinson Bayou crossings.