HOUSTON

NAME: Houston
COUNTY: York
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 8
CLIMATE: Cold winters, hot summers
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Spring and fall
COMMENTS: Nothing left here: I-80 to York, Nebraska exit. North on Highway 81bypass to the Eastbound Highway 34 exit.  Travel 2 miles East on Highway 34, turn North and go 1 mile, turn east and go 3/4 mile to the northbound angled road.  Houston was located along the angled roadway and the Koons elevator still stands as its landmark.
REMAINS: Koons Elevator

1920's had a general store, post office and rr depot, blacksmith shop, elevator which remained standing until just a few years ago, 30 pupils in school, not nothing left, has been taken over by farms Submitted by: Carol McKenzie

Abandoned elevator-Koons Brothers, Homer & Elsie KoonsSite of New York TownshipFormer site of one room school District 42 (last class was 1957)Former blacksmith Lou JoursFormer resident William (Bill) Floors Submitted by: Phyllis J. Bryant (nee Francies)

The Northwestern Railroad track ran through the town of Houston with the Koons Elevator sitting to the West side of the tracks.  The 15,000 bushel elevator operated from 1919 when it was built by Melvin and Homer Koons, until the mid1940's when the tracks were removed and the elevator was abandoned.  There were also stock yards located to the south of the elevator and the depot located south of that. Those were dismantled in 1942 and 1943.  After the railroad abandoned the rail line through Houston, the 80 acres around and including Houston was owned by Bill & Tom Floors except for town lots owned by private individuals.  Eugene Samson moved his family to the farmstead owned by his father, Frank X Samson, west of the Floors property in 1942.  Later in 1976, Eugene bought the Floors land at Houston and the site of the Koons elevator to add to the 160 acres inherited from his father.  Samson Farms continues to be owned by the children of Eugene as of 2011.    Contributed by David L Samson, York, March of 2011. David Samson.

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