Poth Train Station

Poth was first named "Marcelina Swith", but it was renamed when A.H. Poth became the postmaster in 1901. The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad, also called the S.A. & A.P., was a 600 mile railroad built through South Texas. The first 90 miles of the railroad were given by Captain Mifflin Kenedy. He got rich from a previous railroad from Corpus Christi to Laredo. They finished the S.A. & A.P. railroad on August 28, 1884.

In 1894 there was a robbery. One fireman was shot during the robbery. The train robber was caught and hung in the courthouse of Helena.

In 1898, The S.A. & A.P. was used to carry Teddy Roosevelt's "Rough Riders" from their training grounds in San Antonio to Corpus Christi on their way to Puerto Rico to battle. There, they achieved fame in the Battle of San Juan Hill in the Spanish American War.

In 1921, the train station burned to the ground. However, it was rebuilt immediately because it was so important to Poth and other places that used the railroad.

People had named the trains very oddly like '' Davy Crockett'' and ''Sam Maverick". In 1925, the S.A. & A.P. line was sold to the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Now in the year 2000, it is still owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad. However, the railroad is all ripped up except for a little turn in Poth called The Curve. The remains of the railroad are overgrown with grass and some bluebonnets. The building is all locked and has very few keys to open it. Inside are some remains of some of the items left by passengers.

We give thanks to our parents and Mr.C. for helping us with our research. We also got information from The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway, The Story of the Famous ''SAP'' Railway of Texas by John W. Hedge and Geoffrey S. Dawson., published by J. W. Hedge, Waco TX, 1983 (AMA Graphics) and from Wilson County Centennial, 1860 - 1960 (Official Centennial Program and History of Wilson County, a Souvenir)