Stone Dam at Allen Station

In 1874, the Houston and Texas Central Railway Company was expanding north from Houston to Denison, Texas. Water stops were necessary along the route at 7 - 10 mile intervals to keep the steam locomotives going. At this location Irish immigrants constructed the stone dam you see, and later German immigrants maintained the water stop. The purpose of the water reservoir was to fill the water tower located along the railroad tracks just to the west. The foundation of the tower and the foundation of the pump house are still visible today. The section house where the workers lived is long gone.

In 1912, the railroads needed more water, and a larger dam was constructed just to the south on Cottonwood Creek, submerging this dam. In the 1960’s, the 1912 dam was breached, majestically revealing the original 1874 dam.

This railroad water reservoir dam is thought to be the only one left in the United States. The citizens of Allen are proud of the role Allen Station played in the development of North Texas.