Horton Hill is located in extreme northeastern Jasper County, 30 direct miles north of Kirbyville. It is named after F. D. Horton, the general construction foreman of the Gulf, Beaumont and Great Northern Railroad, who put the line on the hill in 1902. The GB&GN was part of the empire of Houston lumber baron John Henry Kirby. During the sawmill boom era of the early 20th century, Kirby controlled 13 large Texas sawmills and various railroad interests. The GB&GN was leased to the Santa Fe in 1903 and eventually absorbed.
 
Horton is at the summit of the three-mile 1.44-percent grade at an elevation of approximately 425 feet. (Nearby hilltops reach as high as 560 feet.) The sign formerly said "HORTEN" on both sides, but has been corrected with paint-scraping and electrical tape to read "HORTON." Logs were once loaded on the siding here, but the switches have been taken out.
This is the north end (bottom) of the Horton Hill grade. From this crossing of Farm Road 1007 at the south end of the 5,995-foot Browndell siding, the railroad crosses a trestle on Mill Creek, then begins its climb. The elevation here is 229 feet.
Between these two points lies one fine piece of "mountain" railroading, just 95 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and 22 miles from Louisiana! This view of one of several "S" curves is from a dirt county road that paralles the railroad through the area.

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