The construction of Southern Pacific railroad depot in 1911, in many ways breathed new life into the city of Nacogdoches. Nearly a century later, the city was able to repay that favor by shaking off years, ripping out everything that didn't belong, restoring that which was missing, and finally, reviving the worn-down depot, to which much was owed. Thursday, the city opened the doors for an hour to showcase the newly restored structure. Local historian Dr. Archie P. McDonald noted that the train depot was a place between places, where people arrived and people left, and it was the lifeblood to Nacogdoches. According to McDonald, without the combination of the Houston East & West Texas rail line and state Hwy. 21, Nacogdoches might have remained a historic town that never grew.