Description:

The tale of robber baron J. Gould coming to Jefferson Texas in the late 1800’s is a story best left to the experts; who by the way still argue about these facts. However his signature and curse on Jefferson remain in the guest register at the Excelsior Hotel dated Monday January 2, 1882.

J. Gould was well known in the train world, you see he owned controlling interest in four railroads back in the 1800’s. He traveled in a plush, fabulously appointed private railroad car he named “Atalanta”. The car served as his home on wheels while he traveled around the country for business. He even carried aboard the train a cow and his private doctor and sometimes his children because he was away from his home in New York for so long. Once the railroad car was no longer needed it sat in a railroad yard for many years, then was commissioned as housing during and moved to East Texas during the Oil Boom in 1935, the Davies family lived in it until 1953. The story told is that the railroad car was spotted in a field overgrown and rotting and in 1954 Mrs. Ruth Lester negotiated the sale to the Jessie Allen Wise Garden Club. It was then moved to Jefferson Texas and restored.

Today the railroad car is a stunning artifact of the time. It has Gould family treasures that were donated for display, beautiful wooden walls, gorgeous copper bathrooms and stained glass throughout. As you take the tour and walk through the train you can almost hear it running down the rails; imagining sitting in the small but very comfortable cabins which doubled as bedrooms at night. When I take the tour I always find something I had missed before and I am carried back to that time.

Set up your tour with one of the Garden Club ladies by contacting them at jgoulds@aol.com.