A large wooden, three-sectioned sign where the historical railroad walking trail (Katy Trail) intersects with Stone Street.
The sign will have three diverse sections on one side and a map of the park on the other side. There will be a pull over area for cars and other passerby. The sign will function as a western entrance sign to Iron Horse Square.
*Note – Sign at Stone St. will be independent & different from the basic historical signage for the walking trail. One of the sections will include information for nature lovers and another one will be about the minority community that pre-dates the founding of Mineola in 1873. A local sign company will produce the sign panels, local carpenter will be hired to build the structure with the help of local community volunteers, and a local metal fabrication company will be used to produce the metal roof.
Section 1 will describe the community established near this location south of the railroad around 1865. Local historians from this community will be included in the composition of this section. This section will acknowledge the many men from this area that worked for the railroad.
Section 2 will summarize the history of the Missouri Kansas and Texas Railroad ROW (right of way) from Mineola to Greenville (the sign’s location is on the MKT ROW). It will also entwine the history of the Texas & Pacific which ran parallel to it at that location.
Section 3 will give information about the plants along the MKT ROW. It will identify several plants as well as tell how the trees were used by the railroad to make crossties and burned to produce steam to power the early trains. Local knowledgeable nature enthusiasts as well as Texas Parks & Wildlife will be consulted on contents of this section.
