LA PORTE, HOUSTON AND NORTHERN RAILROAD. The La Porte, Houston and Northern Railroad Company was chartered on October 7, 1892, with $300,000 worth of capital stock; its headquarters were in La Porte. The members of the first board of directors were A. M. York, T. W. Lee, J. H. York, I. R. Holmes, A. O. Blackwell, and C. G. Woodbridge, all of La Porte; and R. R. Greer of Kearney, Nebraska. The company was chartered to build a line from La Porte to Houston, twenty-two miles. By 1894 twelve miles of track had been laid from Harrisburg to a point near Thayer. That year the line owned one locomotive and one passenger car. The earnings were $320 in passenger revenue and $180 in freight revenue. On January 30, 1895, the line was consolidated with the North Galveston, Houston and Kansas City Railroad Company under the name of Galveston, La Porte and Houston Railway Company. In 1899 the unprofitable road became part of the Southern Pacific system under the name Galveston, Houston and Northern Railway Company.
