A reader stopped by on Monday, October 2, 2023 with this picture of the demolition of the former Woody’s Cafe on North Highway 75 in Fairfield, Texas. He shared memories of the restaurant from his childhood, before it was turned into apartments.
The first freeway in Texas was a several mile stretch of U.S. Highway 75 in Houston. The north-south cross country route ran from Galveston, Texas up to the Canadian border near Noyes, Minnesota.
The two-lane paved highway was a popular throroughfare during the 1940’s and 1950’s, bringing visitors through many small towns along the route between Dallas and Houston.
Highway 75 was eventually by-passed by travelers with the building of Interstate 45, which began in the 1960’s. The section running through Freestone County was one of the last to be completed, marking the decline of the unique motels and home-country cafes on the once-popular highway.
(courtesy photo)
