Established on May 24, 1838, the Brazos and Galveston Railroad Company was one of four railroad companies instated by the Republic of Texas. With a capital of $500,000 from 5,000 shares, the company planned to build railroads from Galveston Bay to the Brazos and Colorado rivers, later changing its primarily route from San Luis Island to Velasco. Four years after its founding, the company left the railroad business, changing its focus to the construction of a canal between the Bastrop and Buffalo bayous, which it never finished.
Source:
Werner, George C.
Comprising correspondence, financial and legal documents, and a plat, the Brazos and Galveston Railroad Company Records, 1838-1842, chronicle the founding and business activities of the company. Correspondence relates to meetings, the appointment of directors, and the company’s capital stock, while legal papers include the company’s charter, a statement by Emily M. Austin Perry concerning railroad construction near her property at Peach Point, and power of attorney. Additionally, the collection contains financial documents such as bills of sale as well as an account book tallying the company’s stockholders and shares; a plat of the railroad; and a list of the company’s stockholders.
This collection is open for research use.
Brazos and Galveston Railroad Company Records, 1838-1842, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s