www.txrrhistory.com - Tower 108 - Houston (Bonner's Point)
Crossing of the Houston & Texas Central, the Galveston,
Houston & Henderson, and
the Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroads
Tower 108 was established on April 6, 1918 near the confluence of White Oak
Bayou and Buffalo Bayou north of downtown Houston. At the time, this area was known as Bonner's Point, but few references to this geographical name have been
found. The Galveston, Houston & Henderson (GH&H) Railroad reached Houston in
1859, but a series of financial problems and court battles eventually resulted
in two other railroads, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT, a.k.a. "the Katy") and
the International-Great Northern (I-GN), having equal joint ownership of the
GH&H. When the MKT reached Houston from the west in 1893, it connected to the
GH&H after crossing White Oak Bayou onto Bonner's Point. The GH&H crossed
Buffalo Bayou to the east into downtown Houston, and crossed White Oak Bayou to
the west on a bridge shared with the Houston & Texas Central (H&TC) railroad.
The H&TC had started in Houston as one of the earliest railroads in Texas and
became part of the Southern Pacific (SP) system. The H&TC line
served a major H&TC rail yard and passenger station west of Bonner's Point,
and provided a connection to the east with other SP yards in Houston. It appears
that the GH&H track on the White Oak Bayou bridge was a transfer track that
allowed GH&H to access the H&TC yard. The Katy passenger station
was also located nearby, just northwest of the Katy bridge onto Bonner's Point.
Bonner's Point was undoubtedly a busy rail junction for many years, but the proximity
of the two passenger stations and the H&TC rail yard meant that trains passing
through this area most likely operated under "yard limits" rules. The impetus for
building Tower 108 is unknown; there is no illuminating correspondence in the
DeGolyer Library files. One possible explanation would be a reduction of H&TC yard activity in favor of other SP
yards in Houston, or perhaps the closing of the Katy passenger depot when passenger
service was moved to Houston Union Station (constructed in 1911). Either of
these situations would have led to trains passing through Bonner's Point without
needing to stop, and the uncontrolled crossing would have become a
delay point. The original plan for Tower 108 called for it to be operational by
April 18, 1917, but steel shortages caused by World War I delayed the tower a
full year. A map in the files of DeGolyer Library shows that the tower was
located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Allen St. and N. San
Jacinto St. (Willow St.).
According to Sanborn Fire Insurance Co. maps of Houston, a GH&H tower existed
at the west end of the GH&H bridge over Buffalo Bayou, approximately 800 ft.
east of Tower 108. This GH&H tower is depicted on the 1907 Sanborn map ten years
before the construction of Tower 108. The function of this tower has not been
determined, but its proximity to the bridge and the lack of any other obvious
purpose (e.g. yard tower) implies an association with operations over the
bridge. If you have any information about the GH&H tower or Tower 108,
please contact us.
Historic Maps, Bonner's Point and Tower 108
Above: The 1907 Sanborn map shows both the shared H&TC/GH&H bridge
(lower) and the Katy bridge (upper) across
White Oak Bayou immediately north of its confluence with Buffalo Bayou. Where
the railroads cross in the middle of Allen Street, a one-story "R R Flagman"
structure is shown (magnification at right). The flagman apparently served the
function that was later incorporated into the Tower 108 interlocker. Willow St.
was renamed North San Jacinto sometime between 1907 and 1924 when it was joined
with San Jacinto St. via a street bridge over Buffalo Bayou. The Bonner's Point Hotel
(far right) was located at the southeast corner of Willow St. and Allen St. This
is the only geographic reference to Bonner's Point we've been able to find that
is not from a railroad source. Note that Willow St. is shown as "Brick Paved".
Below left: Continuing east along Allen St., the 1907 map shows a 2-story "GH&H
RR Signal Tower" at the west end of the GH&H bridge over Buffalo Bayou
(magnification at right). We have no other references or information about this
structure. It also appears on the 1924 Sanborn map.
Below: The 1924 Sanborn map shows that Tower 108 had been constructed at the northeast corner of
Allen St. and N. San Jacinto St. in the lower left corner of the image. The
mapmaker depicted the tower as a 2-story office (magnification at right).
Neither Tower 108 nor the GH&H Signal Tower have survived to the present and
their fates are unknown.
Satellite Image, Bonner's Point
This overview image of Bonner's Point shows the confluence of White Oak Bayou
and Buffalo Bayou, and the double right-angle bend in Buffalo Bayou to the east.
All three railroad bridges remain intact, but the Katy line is abandoned, so
only the H&TC bridge (originally shared with GH&H) is still used. The large building complex on the west
bank of White Oak Bayou is the University of Houston - Downtown. The Katy depot
was located just above the upper left corner of the image, along the Katy
right-of-way (which is visible directly below the word "Image" in the above
title).
Site Photos, Bonner's Point (click to enlarge) -
photos by Jim King
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SP bridge facing west: the bridge sits off-center (to the south) on the concrete support because the GH&H bridge was originally on the north side.
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The SP (left) and Katy (right) bridges seen from Bonner's Point facing west, with UH-Downtown in background.. John Davis overlooks White Oak Bayou.
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The Katy bridge appears to have been modified for pedestrians at one time. In 1907, the Katy depot would have been visible in the distance.
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East on Allen St., the GH&H bridge over Buffalo Bayou is visible at distance. Tower 108 would have been behind the two utility poles.
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John Davis examines the foundation of the GH&H tower at the west end of the Buffalo Bayou bridge. The small retaining wall is on the 1907 Sanborn map
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Access to the GH&H bridge is closed to the public.
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Another view of the GH&H bridge.
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