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Historic train robbery celebrated in Allen
Photo courtesy of Tom Keener - Allen High School Students pose with prop rifles prior to their performance portraying the first train robbery in Texas at the Allen Heritage Guild Feb. 26.
By Conner Hammett, chammett@acnpapers.com
Motorists traveling down Main Street near the Allen Heritage Guild Depot were witness to a most unusual sight on Saturday.
A gang of armed, bandana-faced robbers was huddled in the grass, talking among themselves hurriedly. Soon after, the group split up, with one of the robbers hiding behind a tree and the rest disappearing into a nearby crowd. A train conductor and his passengers walked by and paused for a moment before the robbers leapt out, aiming rifles and revolvers and demanding money, along with the train’s precious cargo.
The dastardly hijinks were a re-enactment staged by Allen High School students for attendees of Sam Bass Day, an afternoon celebration of the historic train robbery committed by the 19th-century outlaw and his gang in Allen on Feb. 22, 1878 – the first of its kind in the state of Texas.
Leigh Ann Unkenholz, a theater teacher at Allen High School, said the students’ participation gave them an opportunity to learn how close the history of the city is to modern life – the play’s narration mentions both Main Street and a nearby saloon, the building of which is still said to exist, where the robbers asked for the train’s schedule.
Caitlin Coghlan, a 17-year-old Allen High School senior, was participating in the re-enactment for the third time and portrayed one of Bass’ gang members.
“I grew up in Allen, so it’s really interesting to learn about Allen’s history … The little kids love it,” she said.
Sam Bass was born in 1851 in Indiana. In his 20s, Bass became an outlaw, robbing stagecoaches with his gang. In 1877, the Bass gang robbed its first train in Big Springs, Neb., making off with $60,000 in gold and four gold watches from passengers. By 1878, Bass had made his way to Texas, robbing four Dallas-area trains with a new group of outlaws he met in the Lone Star State.
Bass was killed in Round Rock in July of that year, but his legend continued to live on. In a historical presentation the afternoon of the celebration, historian and library arts coordinator Tom Keener said Bass gained folk-hero status among locals following his death, becoming known as a “Robin Hood” figure who would share what he stole with the needy. He also earned big points with anti-railroad locals and was said to tip big at local service establishments.
The legend, Keener said, did not necessarily match the reality: Bass was still a cold, ruthless criminal, no matter how well liked. The celebration, Keener said, is meant to commemorate the historical significance of the robbery – not the robber.
“The fact that he helped the poor, that’s great,” Keener said. “But on the other hand, he victimized people to do it.”
The celebration also featured blacksmith and leather-tooling demonstrations, food, refreshments and mini-train rides outside the depot. After the last re-enactment, winners of the Allen ISD Sam Bass Day coloring contest, a new addition to the event, were announced and honored in the depot, with Heritage Guild President Ann Gifford presenting certificates to student winners.
Keener said the addition of the coloring contest, which asked students to complete a rendering of the train station as it appeared in the 1800s, added a new twist to the event that improved it as a whole.
“Ann Gifford, given her background as a teacher, has brought to the Sam Bass program an educational experience,” he said.
For information on Allen’s history, visit the Allen Heritage Guild, 100 E. Main St., or visit the guild’s website at www.allenheritage.org.
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