Waters Park, Texas
Waters Park(also known as Waters and Watters) was a village located eight miles north of downtownAustin, Texasdefined by the boundaries ofFarm to Market Road 1325,MoPac,and theSouthern Pacific Railroad.[1]It is now part of the City of Austin.
Name
[edit]The village was originally known as Summers' Grove, and the origin of the name Waters Park is unknown.[1]
History
[edit]The land at Waters Park was originally owned by Silas and Parthenia Summers who purchased the land in 1872.[1]Right-of-way was sold toAustin and Northwestern Railroadin October 1881. The railroad built a park with a swimming pool, gazebo, baseball field, picnic grounds, and concessions stands in the summer of 1882.[1]The area's railroad tracks were used to transport pinkgranitefromGranite Mountainto theTexas State Capitolin Downtown Austin.[1]Due to a bend in the tracks, trains would occasionally derail, accidentally dumping some of the pink granite.[2]The rocks which remain are a local point of interest. The local post office opened in 1883 and closed in 1905.[1]
The town was a popular vacation spot as it was easy to access via train from Austin.[1]An advert in the June 14, 1882 edition of theAustin Daily Democratic Statesmanread:
GRAND EXCURSION AND PICNIC to the town of WATERS
Fifteen miles by rail from Austin, on the NORTHWESTERN N.G. RAILWAY on Wednesday, June 21, 1882
Lots will be Sold on that Day–Terms Cash.
Waters is onWalnut Creek,seven miles from Round Rock, five from Pflugerville, in one of the richest parts of Travis County.
Trains leave Austin at 7:00 o'clock a.m. returning in the afternoon
Round trip tickets 59 cents only
— June 14, 1882, Austin Daily Democratic Statesman[2]
The town proved historically to be Austin's fourth most popular day trip destination after theAustin Dam,Seiders Springs,and the then existent lake atHyde Park.[2]