The construction of the railroad in 1856 through Cypress Top was a catalyst for future development.[/caption]

A look at the history of Cypress reveals one moment that stands out from the rest as the single biggest catalyst for growth: the arrival of the rail line.

The Houston Texas & Central Railway came through the area—known as Cypress Top at the time—in 1856. As with many early farming cities in western America during the settlement period, commerce shortly followed.

"It was the first northern extension out of Houston and was a big deal because it would put farmers' produce in the Houston market and even on the barges in Galveston much faster," said Fred Collins, director of Cypress Top Historic Park.

The first few attempts to get a railroad built were made as early as 1839, but the dream never took off until a businessman named Paul Bremond stepped in. Bremond, an entrepreneur who moved to Galveston from New York, was the financier who took the Galveston and Red River Railroad—which later became the Houston Texas & Central Railway—and continued its construction north from Houston into Hempstead.

Bremond partnered with William R. Baker, who owned the tract of land where Cypress Top Historical Park sits today. Baker made a crucial investment in Bremond's railroad company and built the commercial center in Cypress where the first train arrived in 1856.

The completion of the railroad to Cypress was celebrated with a barbecue and a ball hosted by Bremond. Creed Taylor, an attendee at the event, recalled in his memoirs the noted Texans in attendance as well as the "throngs of fair women and brave men."

Over time, more buildings were constructed, including several hotels that are known today as Juergen Home and Juergen Store, named after early Cypress settler E. F. Juergen. Roads were built through Cypress over the next few decades as well, leading to other parts of the Greater Houston area.

The rail line was extended even farther north into Dallas and Sherman by 1872. By this time, Cypress was well on its way to becoming a major commercial and residential hotspot.

"Cypress Top was just one of many stations along the line," wrote Bill Willits with the Gulf Coast Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. "Who would have known it would become such a booming place today?"