In 1874, to ensure the railroad would come to Farmers Branch, Dr. Gilbert and other local settlers sold rights-of-way through their land.  Around 1877, the Dallas and Wichita Railroad built this depot. The rail line, which runs from Dallas to Denton, was sold to Jay Gould and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad in 1881. The Interurban Railway electrified the line in 1924 and until 1931 ran as many as 50 scheduled trains per day. The Depot was relocated to the Historical Park and restored in 1985. The Depot is used to display artifacts that demonstrate the impact different modes of transportation had on early Texas.  The 1890's all-wood Caboose includes original bunks, sink, icebox, hardware and pot belly stove.

Marathon Gas Station

A Marathon Gas Station was the first such business in the Farmers Branch area in the 1930s. This replica structure incorporates many of the architectural features of that first gas station. Gas Stations were the first businesses in America to begin the age of mass marketing that we are all familiar with today.  We can travel across the country and eat identical hamburgers, drink the same soft drink, and put the same gas in our vehicles, and that trend was introduced to America through gas stations such as the one that our building represents. Inside the gas station, you will find a 1936 Cab Over Engine Ford truck that was originally used here in Farmers Branch at the Glad Acres Farm, located just off of present day Marsh Lane. The Glad Acres Truck underwent significant restoration and was placed in the Historical Park in 2001.

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