Allen Water Station
Also known as: H& TC Railway Water Station
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Allen Water Station is a small railroad heritage district along Cottonwood Creek in Allen, Texas, now part of the city park system. The Houston & Texas Central Railway began the station in 1874 to refill steam locomotives on its line between Dallas and Denison. The most visible feature is a stone overfall dam, about 69 feet long in its central section, which created the water supply. Nearby are twelve stone piers that once supported a circular wooden water tank, the brick and concrete remains of a pumping facility, the railroad bed, and a steel plate girder bridge dated 1910. Southern Pacific expanded the system around 1912 with a larger concrete dam downstream, which was later breached and demolished, allowing the older stone dam to function again. The station was built at a remote spot before the town of Allen was platted in 1876. The surviving ruins and archaeological remains preserve evidence of how a rural railroad water station was arranged and operated.
Significance in brief: The district preserves the structures and archaeological remains of a late 19th century railroad water station on the Houston & Texas Central line between Dallas and Denison. It is described as a major water stop on that 70-mile stretch, built before the town of Allen was platted. The site retains enough remains to show the original layout and use, and the nomination treats it as locally significant.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 09000980, listed December 3, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | N. of Exchange Pkwy on Cottonwood Creek, Allen |
|---|---|
| County | Collin County |
| Listed | December 3, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000980 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Houston & Texas Central Railway Company (original construction, 1874); Southern Pacific Railroad (later expansion, about 1912); American Bridge Company of New York (1910 bridge) |
| Architectural style | Other: dam, bridge |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Open to the public as a local heritage park within the city park system; the 1912 dam has been demolished and the water tank and pumping facility survive only as ruins. |
| Acreage | 5.7 |
| Coordinates | 33.11845, -96.66578 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 09000980.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4731936
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.