diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Format/Text.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Format/Text.js
index 13310364c8..3277fbf78d 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers/Format/Text.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Format/Text.js
@@ -20,6 +20,25 @@
  */
 OpenLayers.Format.Text = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Format, {
     
+    /**
+     * APIProperty: defaultStyle
+     * defaultStyle allows one to control the default styling of the features.
+     *    It should be a symbolizer hash. By default, this is set to match the
+     *    Layer.Text behavior, which is to use the default OpenLayers Icon.
+     */
+    defaultStyle: null,
+     
+    /**
+     * APIProperty: extractStyles
+     * set to true to extract styles from the TSV files, using information
+     * from the image or icon, iconSize and iconOffset fields. This will result
+     * in features with a symbolizer (style) property set, using the
+     * default symbolizer specified in <defaultStyle>. Set to false if you
+     * wish to use a styleMap or OpenLayers.Style options to style your
+     * layer instead.
+     */
+    extractStyles: true,
+
     /**
      * Constructor: OpenLayers.Format.Text
      * Create a new parser for TSV Text.
@@ -29,6 +48,19 @@ OpenLayers.Format.Text = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Format, {
      *     this instance.
      */
     initialize: function(options) {
+        options = options || {};
+
+        if(options.extractStyles == true) {
+            options.defaultStyle = {
+                'externalGraphic': OpenLayers.Util.getImagesLocation() +
+                                                                "marker.png",
+                'graphicXSize': 21,
+                'graphicYSize': 25,
+                'graphicXOffset': -10.5,
+                'graphicYOffset': -12.5
+            };
+        }
+        
         OpenLayers.Format.prototype.initialize.apply(this, [options]);
     }, 
 
@@ -59,9 +91,12 @@ OpenLayers.Format.Text = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Format, {
                     var vals = currLine.split('\t');
                     var geometry = new OpenLayers.Geometry.Point(0,0);
                     var attributes = {};
-                    var style = {};
+                    var style = this.defaultStyle ? 
+                        OpenLayers.Util.applyDefaults({}, this.defaultStyle) :
+                        null;  
                     var icon, iconSize, iconOffset, overflow;
                     var set = false;
+                    var styleSet = false;
                     for (var valIndex = 0; valIndex < vals.length; valIndex++) {
                         if (vals[valIndex]) {
                             if (columns[valIndex] == 'point') {
@@ -78,20 +113,27 @@ OpenLayers.Format.Text = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Format, {
                             } else if (columns[valIndex] == 'title')
                                 attributes['title'] = vals[valIndex];
                             else if (columns[valIndex] == 'image' ||
-                                     columns[valIndex] == 'icon')
+                                     columns[valIndex] == 'icon' && style) {
                                 style['externalGraphic'] = vals[valIndex];
-                            else if (columns[valIndex] == 'iconSize') {
+                                styleSet = true;
+                            } else if (columns[valIndex] == 'iconSize' && style) {
                                 var size = vals[valIndex].split(',');
                                 style['graphicWidth'] = parseFloat(size[0]);
                                 style['graphicHeight'] = parseFloat(size[1]);
-                            } else if (columns[valIndex] == 'iconOffset') {
+                                styleSet = true;
+                            } else if (columns[valIndex] == 'iconOffset' && style) {
                                 var offset = vals[valIndex].split(',');
                                 style['graphicXOffset'] = parseFloat(offset[0]);
                                 style['graphicYOffset'] = parseFloat(offset[1]);
+                                styleSet = true;
                             } else if (columns[valIndex] == 'description') {
                                 attributes['description'] = vals[valIndex];
                             } else if (columns[valIndex] == 'overflow') {
                                 attributes['overflow'] = vals[valIndex];
+                            } else {
+                                // For StyleMap filtering, allow additional
+                                // columns to be stored as attributes.
+                                attributes[columns[valIndex]] = vals[valIndex];
                             }    
                         }
                     }
@@ -99,7 +141,8 @@ OpenLayers.Format.Text = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Format, {
                       if (this.internalProjection && this.externalProjection) {
                           geometry.transform(this.externalProjection, 
                                              this.internalProjection); 
-                      }                       
+                      }
+                      style = styleSet ? style : null;
                       var feature = new OpenLayers.Feature.Vector(geometry, attributes, style);
                       features.push(feature);
                     }
diff --git a/tests/Format/Text.html b/tests/Format/Text.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..84b50f0694
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Format/Text.html
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+<html> 
+<head> 
+    <script src="../../lib/OpenLayers.js"></script> 
+    <script type="text/javascript">
+    function test_basic(t) {
+        t.plan(5);
+        var format = new OpenLayers.Format.Text({extractStyles: true});
+        var features = format.read(OpenLayers.Util.getElement("content").value);
+        t.eq(features[0].style, null, "style is null if no style props set");
+        var features = format.read(OpenLayers.Util.getElement("contentMarker").value);
+        t.eq(features[0].style.externalGraphic, "../../img/marker.png", "marker set correctly by default.");
+        
+        var features = format.read(OpenLayers.Util.getElement("content2").value);
+        t.eq(features.length, 2, "two features read");
+        t.eq(features[0].style.externalGraphic, "marker.png", "marker set correctly from data.");
+        // t.eq(format.defaultStyle.externalGraphic, "../../img/marker.png", "defaultStyle externalGraphic not changed by pulling from data");
+
+        var format = new OpenLayers.Format.Text();
+        var features = format.read(OpenLayers.Util.getElement("content2").value);
+        t.eq(features[0].style, null, "null default style results in null style property, even with style properties used");
+    }
+	function test_extra(t) {
+        t.plan(1);
+        var format = new OpenLayers.Format.Text();
+        var features = format.read(OpenLayers.Util.getElement("content3").value);
+        t.eq(features[0].attributes.whee, "chicken", "extra attributes are stored for later use");
+	}
+    </script>
+</head>
+<body>
+<textarea id="content">
+point
+5,5
+</textarea>
+<textarea id="contentMarker">
+point	iconSize
+5,5	8,8
+</textarea>
+<textarea id="content2">
+point	icon
+5,5	marker.png
+10,10	marker2.png
+</textarea>
+<textarea id="content3">
+point	whee
+5,5	chicken	
+</textarea>
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/tests/list-tests.html b/tests/list-tests.html
index 7ca7aae739..52b23c84de 100644
--- a/tests/list-tests.html
+++ b/tests/list-tests.html
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@
     <li>Format/JSON.html</li>
     <li>Format/KML.html</li>
     <li>Format/OSM.html</li>
+    <li>Format/Text.html</li>
     <li>Format/SLD.html</li>
     <li>Format/SLD/v1_0_0.html</li>
     <li>Format/Filter.html</li>