Slaton: Find Hotels for Culture and Railway Heritage

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Tatjana Herzegova, Kiew, Ukraine

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Sustainable Travel

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Markus Lenk, Düsseldorf, Germany

The AT&SF 1809 currently stands on Slaton’s Town Square; the Slaton Harvey House tells the story of the railroad’s role in the town. Together, they highlight a defining theme of the city: railroad history. Museums, Compress Lake Park and the Texas Banana Pudding Festival add other reasons to plan your stay around your own interests.

Railway Heritage in Slaton

The Slaton Harvey House was built in 1912 as a dining house for the Fred Harvey Company along the ATSF (Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe) railway line. In 2006, the original building was saved from demolition, restored and opened as a museum, event venue and bed and breakfast. It is one of six surviving Harvey Houses in Texas; there were originally 18.

The AT&SF 1809 is also part of Slaton’s railroad history. It currently stands on the Town Square and was one of 57 Class 1800 locomotives built by Baldwin Locomotive Works. The Harvey House and the locomotive highlight different aspects of that history: one reflects the building’s former use as a dining house, while the other is a specific example of a locomotive class.

Museums with Different Perspectives

The Slaton Museum features curated exhibits about life in the early 20th century. The Slaton Model Railroad Studio focuses on the South Plains: it recreates the railway lines as they run through the region’s smaller towns. The studio is open by appointment only, so arrange your visit in advance. The two venues therefore have different focuses: the museum shows life in a particular era, while the studio presents the region’s railway lines in miniature.

Another focus on technology lies near Slaton: the Texas Air Museum – Caprock Chapter is located at Slaton Municipal Airport. The museum has an outdoor area with static aircraft displays. Its coverage of aviation history ranges from World War I through modern aviation to spaceflight. This adds aviation history to the story of Slaton’s railway heritage.

A Park and Festival as Other Highlights

Compress Lake Park has a walking trail and fishing piers. This offers a different experience from the historical exhibits, with a walking path and piers for fishing taking center stage. These two specific amenities give you an alternative to a stay focused entirely on museums and railway heritage.

The Texas Banana Pudding Festival is a seasonal reason to visit. It takes place annually in late summer on Slaton’s historic Downtown Square and falls on Labor Day weekend. Check the specific festival dates before your trip. The festival includes tastings and competitions centered on banana pudding; individual offerings may vary from year to year. The idea for the festival came from The Slaton Bakery.

Different timing considerations apply when planning: a visit to the Slaton Model Railroad Studio is possible by appointment only, while a festival trip should be planned around the dates of that year’s event. This distinguishes a prearranged studio visit from a trip to the annual event.

Discover more destinations: Lubbock, Wolfforth.

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