In the early 20th century, there were many logging railroads in northern Mississippi. This particular line was built by the Southern Railway from the Mobile & Ohio Railroad at Okolona, first to Vandaman in 1904 then to Calhoun City in 1906. In 1936, the M&O closed it because it was not turning a profit. It was bought by some Houston investors, and operated as the Okolona, Houston & Calhoun City, hauling passengers and freight, until it went broke in 1939. In the summer of 1941, the father of the current owner bought the Houston depot along with its three acres. He moved his family into the passenger end, and opened a dry cleaners in the freight end.
In 1947, a new building was built on the east side of the property, and the dry cleaning service was moved into it, where it remains today. A house was built where a coal business had been on the west side of the property. The depot now houses a small equipment dealership.
This former line went from Okolona west to Van Vleet, then through Parkersburg to Houston. From Houston the line went west through Hall, Pyland, Vardaman, Derma and into Calhoun City. The ROW can still be made out on aerial photos and topo maps, and some of the old ROW has been used as dirt roads.