Haunted Belton: Belton Train Depot Haunted by Temple Police Officer

Our final post of the Haunted Belton series finds us exploring the city's old railroad station.

The folklore states the station is being haunted by a Temple Chief of Police who had been shot and killed by a Bell County Police Officer as he exited a train at the depot in Belton.

I have to ask the question: did this event ignite the Belton-Temple rivalry?

As we dig deeper, there actually might be a different reason all together.

According to www.xtraworx.com, in 1881 the Santa Fe Railroad invited Belton, the largest city in the county at the time, to be home to the railroad as it passed through Belton.

The City of Belton met the demands of Santa Fe Railroad representatives by raising $75,000 to be paid to Santa Fe. But the representatives of Santa Fe reneged and used the money to build their own city. That city became known as Temple, named for a Santa Fe executive. Belton sued Santa Fe and eventually won but so much time had passed nothing could be done about it.

In the meantime, The Missouri, Kansas, and Texas (MKT) Railway was built at the corner of First and East Streets in Belton in 1899. The MKT Railway also established a bridge across the Leon River, making Belton a shipping center for area cotton growers.

Tell us what you think!

For more information on Ghost Wagon Tours or to schedule a tour please visit their website at www.ghostwagontours.com.