Military
Fort Manhassett
To protect Texas against Federal invasion during the Civil War, Confederate General John B. Magruder ordered the construction of a fort at this site on September 4, 1863, four days before the famous Confederate victory won by Dick Dowling and his small company against Union ships and gunboats at Sabine Pass (7 mi. NE).
History
Fort Sabine
During the Civil War, the Sabine Pass Channel was a strategic gateway to the interior of eastern Texas and western Louisiana, control of which was vital. Fearing a possible Union invasion, the citizens of Sabine City (later Sabine Pass) formed a 'Committee of Safety' in April 1861.
History
Francis John (Frank) Trost (June 24, 1868 - August 4, 1944)
Francis John (Frank) Trost (June 24, 1868 - August 4, 1944) Frank Trost, the photographer of record on the day the Lucas Gusher erupted in the Spindletop Oil Field, came to Port Arthur in 1895 from Kansas City, Missouri, where he had been involved in real estate. He opened a photography studio at this site and turned his hobby into a successful business.
History
French Trading Post
Built 1845 by John J. French (1799-1889), merchant and tanner who came from Connecticut and New York to Texas in 1830s. Served as home and store, with tannery nearby. Early settlers came to "French Town" to trade tallow, hides, corn, and beef for shoes, harnesses, tanned skins, salt, coffee, tea, cloth, and everyday items. Home remained in French family for 95 years (until 1940).
History
Gates Memorial Library
John Warne "Bet a Million" Gates (1855-1911), a native of Illinois, was instrumental in the early growth of Port Arthur. A prominent businessman and financier noted for his promotion of barbed wire, he became a leader in the development of the city founded by Arthur Stilwell, the president of the Kansas City Southern Railroad.
Architecture
Gates Memorial Library
John W. Gates (1855-1911), a noted financier and philanthropist, set aside land at this site for a public library. In 1917, through the efforts of his widow Dellora (1855-1918), this classical revival library was completed. It was designed by the New York firm of Warren & Westmore, Architects of several New York landmarks, including Grand Central Station.
History
Grigsby's Bluff
(1834-1902) Joseph Grigsby (1771-1841) and family migrated from Kentucky to the Sabine area in 1827. He is said to have been the first grower of cotton in East Texas. In 1834 he received a grant of 17 labors (3,009 acres) of land on the Neches. Here he built a wharf for sidewheel steamers and founded town of grigsby's Bluff. He served in 2nd, 3rd and 5th congresses of the Republic of Texas.
Architecture
Hamshire House
On land patented to William H. Smith, who died at the Alamo. Of Louisiana cypress, style is typical of ranches of the time. Built 1859 by A. Mobray for Emil Broussard. He sold to Eloi and Azema Broussard. Here grew up a son, J. E. Broussard, who built first rice mill in Texas. Widowed, Azema married Lovan Hamshire. They donated land for area's first Catholic church.
History
Harry Henry Choates
Noted musician Harry Henry Choates, whose career was shortened by an early death, was born in Louisiana in 1922. During the 1930s, he moved with his mother to Port Arthur, where as a child he began to develop and shape his gift of music. Known for playing the fiddle and singing in French and English, Choates also played the accordion, acoustic guitar and steel guitar.
History
Harry James' Childhood Homesite
Henry Haag "Harry" James was an American musician who became famous as one of the most popular bandleaders during the "Big Band" or "Swing Band" era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was born in 1916 in Albany, Georgia. When Harry was eight his parents settled in Beaumont, where his father, Everette, was a music teacher.
History
Henry Millard
A native of Saratoga County, New York, Henry Millard moved to Missouri with his family while still a child. As a young man he moved to Natchez, Mississippi, where in 1826 he married Mary Warren Beaumont. While living in Natchez they became the parents of two sons, and Millard opened a mercantile business with his brother-in-law, Franklin Beaumont.
Architecture
Holmes Duke House
A native of Carthage, Texas, Holmes Duke came to Beaumont in the late 19th century and purchased property at this site in 1898. Construction on his home began shortly thereafter. Completed in 1899, the Holmes Duke house features influences of the Queen Anne and colonial revival styles of architecture.
History
J.P. Richardson, Jr: The Big Bopper
Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson, Jr. was born on October 24, 1930 to Jiles and Elsie Bernice (Stalsby) Richardson in Sabine Pass (26 mi. SE); the family moved to Beaumont when he was six. As a teenager, Richardson began writing songs with country and western influences.
History
Jacob Harmon Garner
(1814-1887) Louisiana native Jacob H. Garner, son of Bradley and Sarah Harmon Garner, settled in Jefferson, a village on Cow Bayou in present-day Orange County, Texas, in 1825. In 1835 he took part in the Grass Fight and Siege of Bexar while serving one of two enlistments in the Texas Army for which he later received land and bounty grants. He married Matilda Hayes in 1838.
History
Janis Lyn Joplin
(January 19, 1943 - October 4, 1970) A native of Port Arthur, famed blues and rock and roll singer Janis Joplin lived here with her family. She graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1960 and attended Port Arthur College and Lamar State College of Technology (Lamar University) in Beaumont.
History
Jean Baptiste Chaison
(August 7, 1745 - July 20, 1854) Jean Baptiste ("Jonas") Chaison was born in Nova Scotia, of French parents. After imprisonment by the British during the French and Indian War, he and his parents fled in 1763 to France, where he was soon orphaned. He returned to North America, and joined the Colonial Army in 1775 at Quebec, to take revenge against the British.
History
Jefferson County Courthouse
The first county building constructed at this site was a jailhouse completed in 1838, two years after the organization of Jefferson County. Located on land acquired from Nancy Tevis, a pioneer settler of the area, it also housed county offices and courts. When the commissioners court outgrew the facility, sessions were held in private homes. The first courthouse here was completed in 1854.
Architecture
Jefferson Theatre
Built in 1927 by the Jefferson Amusement Company, this theatre quickly became a landmark in downtown Beaumont. Emile Weil, Inc., a New Orleans architectural firm, designed the structure. The interior is a showcase of fine materials and workmanship, with marble staircases and Spanish-style decoration.
History
Kate Dorman
(1828-1897) Georgia native Kate Dorman and her husband Arthur McGill owned the Catfish Hotel at Sabine Pass as early as 1847. McGill died in an accident in 1858, and in 1859 Kate married John Dorman. In 1862 the Catfish Hotel became a temporary hospital, and Kate nursed victims of a yellow fever epidemic. A strong supporter of the Confederacy, Kate Dorman assisted Lt.
History
Kate Dorman
Georgia native Kate Dorman and her husband, Arthur Magill, owned and operated the catfish Hotel at Sabine Pass as early as 1847. Arthur Magill was killed in an accident in 1859, and the following year Kate, a widow with two young daughters, married John Dorman. In 1862 the Catfish Hotel became a temporary hospital, where Kate nursed victims of a yellow fever epidemic.
Nature
Lakeshore/Lions Park
The Port Arthur Townsite Company, planning the layout of Port Arthur in 1898, set aside Lakeshore Park along the Sabine Lake shoreline. In 1920 a portion of the park was named Lions Park in honor of the Lions Club members who made numerous improvements there.
History
Leo Edward Craigen
(1845-1910) During the Civil War, Leon Edward Craigen joined the Confederate Army of the Mississippi and was wounded at Shiloh. Following surgery to remove his leg, he served with the Cavalry until the end of the war. In 1879 he became a teacher at Taylor's Bayou School near Hamshire. One year later he married Ellen Aurelia Schneider, one of his students.
History
Magnolia Cemetery
The Magnolia Cemetery Company was granted a charter by the State of Texas on August 3, 1887. The following month the company's five trustees purchased thirteen acres of land on which to locate the graveyard, and burials were soon taking place in the cemetery.
Architecture
McFaddin-Ward House
This classical revival mansion was erected on the homestead of William McFaddin (1819-1897), who received land from the Republic of Texas for service at the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto. He later acquired more property and built a ranching empire. Architect Henry Conrad Mauer designed the house in 1906 for McFaddin's daughter, Di (Mrs. W. C.) Averill. Occupied (1907) by her brother, W. P. H.
History
Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias
(June 26, 1914 - Sept. 27, 1956) At 18, set two world records in the 1932 Los angeles Olympic games-- in 80-meter hurdles and javelin throw. Excelling at all sports, became a professional athlete and won 5 major titles as a championship golfer. Was nicknamed after famous baseball player Geo. "Babe" Ruth. Married George Zaharias, 1938.
Elsewhere in Texas
Hear it from the road
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