Tomball Tx - What's in a name!

Shortly after moving to the Tomball area I had heard that the town was named after a gentleman named Thomas Ball. At the time I remember thinking he was probably a resident of the town. As Tomball celebrated their Centennial year 2007 I learned a more complete history about Thomas Ball and how Tomball got its name. Thomas Ball was never a resident of the Tomball area; he was a prominent attorney and congressman from Houston who helped to bring the railroad to Tomball. The area that we now know as Tomball became the freight center for the new Trinity and Brazos Valley Railroad with the help of Thomas Ball. The town's growth really took off when a maintenance facility used to repair steam engines was located in Tomball. Initially it was going to go about two to three miles south of Tomball but the Tomball location was decided upon because that was the beginning of the flat land. As you go north to Zion the land starts to become hilly.

The railroad facility helped to spur the economic prosperity of the area. The railroad brought a strong economy and many jobs to the area. There was a train depot, five-stall roundhouse, telegraph office and water station. Along with the railroad businesses, including a general store, hotels and of course saloons thrived. The freight station being strategically placed in the middle of a cattle and agricultural area was a major boost to the railroad.

Prior to the name of Tomball the area was called Peck. On December 2, 1907 the Peck Train Stationname was dropped and the town of Tom Ball was constituted and dedicated to the public. This was done to honor Thomas Ball who was so dedicated in his efforts to bring the freight station to the area. On a side note even though it is Tomball that honors his name Thomas Ball is best known for his contribution to the construction of the Houston Ship Channel in 1914.

The town's busy railroad era ended before World War I when the Tomball freight reloading point was discontinued. The railroad era in Tomball may have ended but to this day Tomball remains an incorporated town. Somewhere along the line the town became Tomball rather than Tom Ball. The City of Tomball has a local government, city ordinances, a public works department, a city council, and a community center. It is actually the only incorporated city in Northwest Harris County. I can also tell you that those trains may no longer stop in Tomball but they are still busy productive tracks. I can attest to that in all the times that I sit waiting for the trains to pass.

Amazingly the old Depot survived and again resides beside the track; not in the exact location as before but just two blocks from its original location. The Depot was without a home for quite a number of years but through the generosity of Burlington Northern Railroad, Commissioner Jerry Eversole Harris County Precinct #4,A-1 House Moving Company and a handful of generous donors, it was saved and moved to Burroughs Park on February 2, 1993. Almost 10 years later in 2002, it was returned to the City. On January 27, 2007 the Tomball Depot was re-opened and dedicated by the Tomball City Council in honor of Tomball's Centennial Celebration. Many groups were involved in the revitalization from the local citizens who fought to save it in the early 1990's to the contractors who most recently finished the revitalization.

The Depot has been refurbished both inside and out. The interior restoration includes a ticket office and waiting room along with the largest room in the building that was used for baggage handling, shipping and receiving. The exterior color is painted a yellow gold color which closely resembles the original color of the depot. This was done by scraping a sampling of the original paint. An exterior deck surrounds the Depot and a restored caboose from the Depot's era resides beside the Depot. The City has purchased land next to the Depot so it will be interesting to see what they have in mind for the area's future.

As the railroad era came to an end Tomball might have faded in to obscurity had it not been for the discovery of a large reservoir of oil floating under its soil. That's for another post though, so stay tuned.

For all your Tomball TX Real Estate needs, contact me today!
Marchel Peterson
Results Realty
Cell: 832-721-8332

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church - Tomball TX

Residing in the Museum Center of Tomball is Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. I'm guessing you might not have realized that Tomball had a museum district but they do. It is located at 510 Pine Street. The museum is open on Thursday from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM and on Sunday from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church dates back to either 1901 or 1905 depending on which history you are looking at. The original congregation dates back to 1876. The Church was originally located at the Neudorf Community, southwest of Tomball over close to the subdivision of Stone Lake off of Mueschke Rd. It was an active Church community until sometime in the 1960's. It was abandoned for several years and then was moved to the Tomball Museum Center around 1972. Luckily several members of the congregation removed the organ, baptismal and other items that were used in the services and when it came to rest as a historical site those items were restored to the Church for the benefit of its visitors.

As I said the congregation of this church dates back to the mid 1800's when German settlers first settled the area aroune what is now Tomball. At that time they built a couple of different schools but they were burnt by prairie fires. They use to us a school and a church interchangeably. Around 1900 they decided it was time to build a Church. Each member spent about 18 days building the Church. The majority of the lumber that was used in building the Church was provided by the local saw mill.

The church was completed somewhere around 1901 or 1905. Shortly after the Church was completed the Ladies group decided they needed an organ and raised money to buy one. They raised $50 and bought an Organ and had it shipped from New Jersey. The organ that you see in the picture is the original organ that they bought back in the early 1900's for $50.

The Wooden hymn board is also the original board. The wooden numbers were put on to show the selection of Zhymns they would be singing for that particular Sunday. You can also see the infant baptismal that is sitting beside the organ. They would bring warm water in and put it in the baptismal so they didn't shock the baby.

At that time the men would sit on one side of the congregation and the women and children would sit on the other side. The long handle you see at the back of the Church was the offering plate and the offering was only taken from the men's side. Widows were not expected to pay anything.

At this time all the sermons were in German. It wasn't until the 1940's during World War II that the sermons started being done in English. This was also at the same time that the families started sitting together. This was an active church until the 1960's when two churches came together as one and this little church set abandoned until it was moved to the Tomball Museum Center.

It is now a vibrant little Museum Church. When I was there a local elementary was having a field trip. The Tomball Museum Center actually encompasses several other structures such as a school house, an oil camp house etc. The students would spend about 10 minutes in each building getting some history of that building by a volunteer of the Spring Creek Historical Society. There was another volunteer who rang a bell when the 10 minutes was up so the students could go to their next building. It appeared to me that they went through about 5 different buildings. I happened to be in the Church taking pictures when a couple of the school groups came through and was able to learn this additional history of the Church that I have presented here.

100 years later this little historic Church has an active congregation meeting there on Sundays. This is now where Ascension Lutheran Church meets. Ascension's goal is to share the good news of Jesus Christ with everyone. They have one service at 9:30 Am on Sunday followed by Sunday School. For more information on Ascension Lutheran Church click here.

Additionally this Church is available to be used for weddings and funerals for a modest fee.

To visit Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church go down Main Street (FM 2920) and turn North on Pine; at the curve of the street you will see the Tomball Museum Center.

For all your Tomball TX Real Estate needs, contact me today!
Marchel Peterson
Results Realty
Cell: 832-721-8332

THINKING OF BUYING NEW?....

If owning a home is the American Dream, then building your own home is the epitome of that dream. If you are seriously considering building in the near future, you have a lot of homework to do.

Fortunately, we are here to help you. All of us have incredibly busy schedules, but you need to plan time to research builders, neighborhoods, schools, and any other factors that may affect your personal situation.

Once you have decided that you will probably build, and before you go wandering around model homes, take the time to select a competent Realtor who is familiar with new construction! The majority of people we meet are surprised that you NEED a Realtor to help you if you are going to build. Most people assume because there is a sales person at the model to answer your questions and complete the paperwork that they do not need a Realtor working on their behalf.

The FACT that most people DO NOT KNOW or DO NOT UNDERSTAND is that the nice agent in the model is representing the seller. Most people also assume they can get a better deal if they do not use a Realtor since they understand that the builders would be paying their Realtor and they ASSUME the builder will reduce the price of the house or cut them a deal if they don't use a Realtor.

Two important facts you need to be aware of:

•(1) The builder pays the commission no matter what. If you have a Realtor, the commission gets split between your Realtor and the builder's sales agent. If you walk into their model with no Realtor, when you sign the contract, the builder's sales agent will get the entire commission. Any compensation given to the Realtor is built into the seller/builder's marketing budget.

•(2) No matter what field you are in or how competent you are, you may not have the knowledge and background you need to protect yourself when writing the contract and the other millions of details which go with building a house, unless you have real estate and legal background and know the real estate laws, building codes, building trends, etc.

Many builders' agents will say "You don't have to have a Realtor." That is true; you do not have to have a Realtor. YOU NEED TO HAVE A REALTOR. The law allows you to have a buyer's agent. Your Realtor can help you with the building of a home, just as though you were buying an existing home. The law allows for your Realtor to be paid from the commission the seller/builder MUST pay when the home sells. Using a competent Realtor is more likely to save you money. It will certainly save you headaches.

REALTORS CAN HELP YOU WITH THE FOLLOWING WHEN BUILDING A NEW HOME:

•1. Select a builder who meets your needs.

•2. Select a location and lot that you can be happy with.

•3. Thoroughly understand the contract.

•4. Explain the need for an independent home inspector.

•5. Be with you during the actual writing of a purchase contract.

•6. Carefully cover important details about the selection process.

•7. Attend the meeting when you review and sign the blueprint for your house.

•8. Coordinate the independent inspection and builder walk through so you can respond to repairs that are needed.

•9. Be involved in handling the closing and needed follow-up.

•10. Act as your representative should any problems arise before, during or after the closing.

Loretta Blendermann and The Texas Hometown Team can work with all builders in the area and can get all the information you need to help you make any decisions.

One important note, in order for your Realtor to get paid by the builder, he/she will need to accompany you to the property or model on the initial visit.

By allowing your Realtor to help you with building, you get all of the services offered in this presentation and those offered by the builder as well.

YOU WILL GET MORE, BUT YOU WON'T PAY MORE FOR IT!

Building a home is a timely process, but with a Realtor's help, they can provide you with the knowledge that can make the difference between a successful building experience and the TRAUMA OF YOUR LIFE!

Tomball German Heritage Festival March 28-30 2008

Tomball German Heritage Festival will be taking place on March 28^th through the 30^th. The 19^th Century saw a big influx of immigrants from Germany and Austria to the Tomball area. They created a community and this is the time to come and celebrate the German heritage that flows through the area. The celebration is always held the last weekend of March and is becoming a tradition.

The event will take place in the historic downtown section of Tomball, near the 200 block of Main street (FM 2920) and Market Street. The wonderful thing about his celebration is that it is FREE!! Admission to the event and parking are both free of charge.

There will be 5 stages of live musical entertainment, a number of food booths, 120 street vendors, dealers of antiques, a German heritage center and of course a selection of beer. The carnival will open on Thursday evening March 27^th and remain open through Sunday. The actual festivities will start on Friday at 6:00 PM. The festivities will stay open until 10:00 Friday evening.

Performers will include Alpenfest and Chris Rybak. Alpenfest is the busiest German band in Texas. The bands instruments include four 13-foot Swiss Alphorns, a tuned set of Austrian cowbells, a German xylophone, tuned musical handsaws, and yodeling vocalist.

The festival resumes at 10:00 Saturday morning and will last until 10:00 that evening. Saturday evening will end with a fireworks display that will start at 9:00 PM. This will take place at the historic and newly restored Tomball Depot; next to the railroad tracks along Elm Street.

On Sunday morning at 10:00 AM; Brother Christian Tiews of St. Louis (formerly a Tomball resident) will conduct a German-language church service. This will begin another day of celebration which will end at 6:00 Sunday evening.

For all your Tomball TX Real Estate needs, contact me today!
Marchel Peterson
Results Realty
Cell: 832-721-8332

Silverado 19 Theatre with IMAX opens just to the south of Tomball TX!

This is the Santikos chain's eighth theater. This is the first one in the Houston area; all the rest are in San Antonio. This is the second IMAX they have made. The first was the Palladium in San Antonio. The Palladium is supposed to be the busiest theater in Texas and usually in the top 10 nationally.

It appears that most of the Santikos theatres have somewhat of a Greek or Hollywood theme but not so the one located near Tomball. It has a totally Western theme. The Silverado 19 is a 100,000 square foot complex and will seat 5000 with its 19 Theatres. The theatres are stadium style with digital projection. The seating is comfortable with rocker seats. There is a Cowboy Café restaurant, a Rough Rider bar, Gelato Café and the Wild Game Ranch Arcade. This is a perfect place to take the whole family. You can enjoy a nice meal, let your children play the arcades and then enjoy a movie, at the same location. Click here for information about showtimes!

The IMAX has reserved seating for Hollywood IMAX films. Additionally it is available to rent for catered events, fundraisers, seminars and celebrations. The Spiderwick Chronicles are now playing at the IMAX . I could not find what would be appearing next.

It was interesting reading about how the Santikos Theatres started. They have a long history in San Antonio in the theatre business going way back to Louis Santikos opening his first theater back in 1924. His son John expanded the company and now owns the seven theatres in San Antonio. This is their first foray in to the Houston market. They decided on the location just south of Tomball because of its close proximity to Houston and Tomball. I expect part of that decision also had to do with the remarkable growth in this part of Harris County.