DEPOT DEDICATION
Eagle Project Restores Depot
Tuesday, June 8, 2010 Lauren Chiodo of the Taylor Daily Press
The last time anyone took an interest in the Coupland Depot was in 1976, when the then-named Coupland Community Club (now known as the Coupland Civic Organization) decided to rescue it and move it to it’s current location in downtown Coupland.
This past weekend saw the area abuzz with activity as Hunter Matysek and the members of Boy Scout Troop 167 ripped up the bricks leading up to the Depot to clean and replace them.
“It was so wonderful to get here this morning and see the Scouts here and such a flurry of activity and see the youth working...contributing and doing community service,” CCO President Barbara Piper said. “We’re just so excited to finally get our project under way and see some results after some hard work.”
The CCO has had restoring the depot, planning and raising funds, for many years. When Matysek heard about the project, he decided to use it for his Eagle Scout project. The Eagle Scout is the highest rank a member of the Boy Scouting program can achieve.
“(The Coupland Depot’s) pavers were all messed up and you couldn’t walk straight,” Matysek said, explaining why he chose this project. “With these new pavers in there, you can walk...and not fall down.”
Fundraising chair Barbara Franklin is the one who got the idea for personalizing the pavers with the names of people in and around Coupland who want to be a part of Coupland’s history. So far, approximately 100 pavers have been ordered. The money will go straight back into the restoration project.
Rebecca Newman, a mother of two boys in Troop 167 and an Eagle Scout from the troop, also came to help work on the Depot.
“(The adults in charge) have the education and the background to get (the restoration) done,” Newman said, mentioning that many of the men working were in construction and engineering. “Kids are exposed to technology... (that can) help them get jobs.”
To order a paver, contact the CCO fund raising chair Barbara Franklin, at (512) 856-0039 or Barbara Piper, president, at (512) 856-2635.
Coupland Depot Ready For Visitors
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 Lauren Chiodo of the Taylor Daily Press
Downtown Coupland was full of community pride Saturday as the community held the dedication of the Historic Coupland Depot and Museum with a picnic and speakers.
The Coupland Community Organization (CCO) has spent many years preparing and fundraising for this restoration and dedication event with the work for this restoration beginning in August of 2009. The personalized brick paver project was completed last week by Boy Scout Troop 167.
“What we basically did was try to recover, restore and try to clean a lot of the artifacts that were in here,” CCO president Barbara Piper said. “Most of the articles, the majority of them, were from when the Depot was restored in 1976, when they did that for the bicentennial.”
Coupland local and train enthusiast Bradley Nelson donated train memorabilia from various eras to round out the collect at the Depot.
“When we decided the restoration was really going to become a reality, that we had sufficient funds,” Piper said. “We came in here and packed up stuff that was in that freight room and it was just nasty, filthy, dusty. There had been a family of cats that lived in here. It was really a mess when we first started this.”
Fundraising efforts included the Choo Choo Fest, the Coupland Country Cookin’ Cookbook and the personalized pavers that were added to the pathway leading to the Depot.
The speakers at the dedication, Irene Flordia, Loretta Patschke and Ruth Thiele, have been a part of Coupland and its history for many decades. During her speech, Patschke traced her lineage back five generations in Coupland.
“I was delighted when Barbara (Piper) invited me to speak about the days of growing up in Coupland and how important it is to me and the deep roots that I have in this area,” Patschke said. “It was an honor...I love this town.”
“We were very pleased with community participation and the turn out,” Piper said. “We were excited to complete the dedication and the facility. We’re ready to use it.”
The depot will now be used for community gatherings and organization meetings.
CCO Dedicates Newly-Restored Depot
Sunday, June 27, 2010 Taylor Daily Press
June has been a busy month for the Coupland Civic Organization (CCO). CCO volunteers assisted Boy Scout Troop 167 of Taylor June 5 in redoing the brick sidewalk in front of the historic Depot and in laying down the first batch of personalized pavers. The pavers are an ongoing fundraiser to benefit the Depot and caboose.
The CCO is very grateful to Hunter Matysek, his fellow Scouts and their families for their work on the sidewalk. They removed and cleaned the old pavers, leveled the site, re-installed the old pavers and added the new personalized ones. The CCO directors provided lunch to all the volunteers.
The personalized pavers are still available for a donation of $35. For information, call fundraising chair Barbara Franklin at 856-0039 or CCO President Barbara Piper at (512) 856-2635. As more pavers are acquired, they will be added to the sidewalk.
The CCO directors met June 8 to finalize preparations for the dedication ceremony for the newly restored Depot. Plans and fundraising for the restoration began several years ago. Actual work on the structure began in summer of 2009 and was completed in time for a community Halloween party.
June 19 marked the official Depot dedication. CCO President Barbara Piper introduced three long-time Coupland residents, who presented some history of the community and the significance of the Depot. Ruth Thiele spoke of rescuing the Depot, moving it to the center of Coupland and restoring it as the 1976 Bicentennial project of what was then the Coupland Community Club.
Irene Florida explained the change from the Community Club to the current Civic Organization, which is a non-profit organization. She recounted the beginning of the planning and fundraising for the current restoration during her tenure as CCO president. Loretta Patschke told some entertaining stories of growing up in Coupland, talked about the generations of Coupland families and discussed the meaning of the Depot. She concluded with a heartfelt plea that current Coupland residents do what they can to preserve the valuable and traditional way of life. Board member Bradley Nelson demonstrated working crossing lights and bell, from his railroad memorabilia collection, that he has installed in front of the Depot. Attendees enjoyed a barbecue sandwich lunch and seeing the Depot and its collection of artifacts. Mickie Ross brought a display of literature and antique toys from the Williamson Museum. Francis Smith of the Elgin Depot Museum also attended.
Family members of Eldridge and Deanna Tidwell offered rides in their horse-drawn wagon around Coupland. Fire Chief Tracy Gardner displayed some of the latest trucks from the Coupland Volunteer Fire Department.