Architecture
Morris-Booz-White House
(White Haven) Built in 1915 for Dr. Harvey D. Morris, this has also been the home of the C. E. Booz and Carl White families. The home underwent major renovations about 1923, including the additions of the wraparound porch and the massive pedimented portico supported by paired Ionic columns.
History
Niles F. Smith
A native of New York, came to Texas with Robertson's colony in 1834. He served as a soldier in the Texas Revolution. In 1839 he moved to Jefferson County, and settled in Sabine Pass in 1841. He held many official positions in the Republic of Texas government, including the first banking commissioner, collector of customs and land agent.
History
Opelousas Trail
Named for one of several Atakapan-speaking Native American tribes originally connected by this trail, the Opelousas ran from La Bahia (later Goliad) to the Mississippi River in Louisiana. Evidence of cultural interchange between tribes indicates the presence of such a trail for hundreds of years. Spanish explorers, soldiers, and vaqueros employed this route.
History
Pivoto-Robinson Cemetery
Joseph Pivoto (1811-1876) came to Texas in the 1830s and worked as a rancher. He married Seraphine Anna Dubois (1797-1901) and moved his family here in 1848, building a house nearby. This small family cemetery began with the death of Joseph Pivoto in 1876. The Pivotos' granddaughter married Frank Robinson in 1901. Pivoto and Robinson family members are buried here along with friends.
Architecture
Pivoto-Robinson House
A pioneer area cattleman of the 1830s, Joseph Pivoto (1811-76) wed Seraphine Anna (Dubois) (1797-1901) of Louisiana and brought her here in 1848. Their family residence was constructed soon after using native cypress and materials manufactured on the site. Because of the Pivotos' hospitality, the house was a popular place for travelers and for social functions.
History
Police Chief Reid Tevis
(April 1, 1878 - April 15, 1925) Began lifetime career as a police officer at age 19. Was chief of detectives for Beaumont Police Department many years; chief of police, 1923 to 1925. Started police benefit fund, increased staff from 20 to 50, and reorganized department. Famed among lawmen for his uncanny ability to detect thieves and pickpockets.
Architecture
Pompeiian Villa
The last remaining landmark of the "dream city" planned by the founder of Port Arthur, railroad magnate Arthur E. Stilwell (1859-1928). The house was built in 1900 as the winter resort home of Isaac L. Ellwood (1833-1910), the developer of barbed wire. The same year financier John W. "Bet-A-Million" Gates (1855-1911) had a mansion built nearby. It was razed in 1960.
Transport
Port Arthur-Beaumont Interurban Railway
Port Arthur-Beaumont Interurban Railway Electric railways known as Interurbans existed in Texas from 1901 until the 1940s to provide frequent opportunities for the public to travel between urban centers. Interurban service between Beaumont and Port Arthur began on December 16, 1913, lasting until competition from automobiles and buses caused passenger use of the rail line to decline.
History
Port of Beaumont
The city of Beaumont, 41 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, was served from its founding in 1837 by schooners and sternwheelers navigating the Neches River. The three-foot depth of Sabine Lake between the river's mouth and the Gulf limited passage to shallow-draft vessels.
History
Prater Cemetery
Prater Cemetery is a small family cemetery in what was once known as the Rosedale community of north Jefferson County. Edwin Prater, founder of the cemetery, bought a half acre of land for $10 from his daughter Theodosia and her husband John Jackson Ballard in 1894 to be 'used as a grave yard for himself, his children, his grandchildren and all his legal descendants forever.
History
Rainbow Bridge
The rapid growth of the petrochemical industry in Jefferson and Orange counties in the early 20th century led to increased population in this area. In order to serve escalating transportation needs, plans began in the 1920s for the construction of a bridge to span the Neches River.
Military
Richard Dowling
In memory of Lt. Richard W. Dowling and his men. Texas remembers the faithfulness and valor of her sons and commends their heroic example to future generations. The men who fought Second Lt. N. H. Smith - Dr. Geo. H. Bailey - Patrick Abbott - Michael Carr - Abner R. Carter - Pat Clair - James Corcoran - Thos. Daugherty - Hugh Deagan - Michael Delaney - Dan. Donovan - Jno.
Architecture
Ruby Ruth Fuller Building
This building was constructed in 1915 as the new home of Port Arthur's First United Methodist Church, which had organized in 1897. The building was designed by C.W. Ward, and church member Warren McDaniel served as the contractor.
Transport
Sabine-Neches Canal
Situated between Port Arthur and Lake Sabine and drainages of the Sabine and Neches Rivers, the Sabine-Neches Canal is a vital route for commerce from the Gulf of Mexico to port facilities in Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange and other areas. Interest in development of the waterway increased after the success of the Port Arthur Canal, which was integral to the growth of the city.
Architecture
Saint Anthony's Cathedral
Traveling priests visited this area as early as the 1850s, conducting Catholic services outdoors, in homes, and later in the town Temperance Hall. The first church building was constructed in 1881 under the leadership of the Rev. V. Quinon. Located on the corner of Bowie and Orleans streets, the small wooden structure was dedicated as St. Louis Church.
Architecture
Sanders House
Tennessee-born Robert Washington Sanders (1850-1916), a master wood carver, was drawn to Beaumont in 1878 by the newly-emerging lumber industry. He worked in several local lumber mills until 1902, when he went into business for himself as a cabinet maker.
History
Site of First Mercantile Building
As agent for the Port Arthur Land Company, Dutch immigrant G. W. Kilsdonk, Jr., worked to encourage people from his native Holland to settle in this area in the late 1890s. He built a number of businesses to serve the developing community, including a two-story mercantile store at this site.
History
Site of Fort Griffin
(1863-1865) Renowned for brilliant Civil War victory, Sept. 8, 1863. Confederates in this form repulsed a fleet seeking to land thousands of Federal soldiers. Lt. Richard W. Dowling (1838-1867), in civilian life a Houston businessman, commanded fort during enemy assault. His men, mostly Irishmen from Galveston and Houston, had been comrades in arms since Feb. 1861.
History
Site of Santa Anna
The Santa Anna townsite was platted in 1835 by surveyor and land speculator David Brown of San Augustine County. It became the center of political and military activities for the area west of the Neches River to the present western boundary of Jefferson County, including southern Hardin County.
Civic & Local
South County Office Building
The growth of the petrochemical industry in the southern part of Jefferson County in the early 1930s resulted in the need for extended county government services. State legislation was required in order to enable the county to build a "subcourthouse" in Port Arthur.
History
South Park High School
Built by the South Park Independent School District in 1922-1923, this structure also housed classes of South Park Junior College for ten years. Renamed Lamar Junior College in 1932 and Lamar University in 1971, the college institution moved to its own campus in 1942.
Transport
Southeast Texas Regional Airport
Originally named Jefferson County Airport, this facility has served area residents since the World War II era. Jefferson County Commissioners purchased land to build the airport in 1941, and its development, which included three runways, a taxiway system and apron facilities, began the following year, with initial construction completed in early 1944.
Military
Spaight's 11th Battalion
Commanded by Col. Ashley W. Spaight, the 11th Battalion of Texas Volunteers, Confederate States Army, was nicknamed the "Swamp Angels." Tracing its origins to the "Sabine Pass Guards" militia formed in 1861, the battalion served during the Civil War to defend the Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana borders from Federal incursions.
History
Spanish-American War Fortifications
As tension mounted between the United States and Spain during the late 1890s, U. S. Representative Samuel Bronson Cooper of Texas recommended the War Department begin plans for the defense of the strategic Sabine Pass area. Maj. James B. Quinn of the Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans, was authorized to direct construction of two forts on land granted by Augustus F. Kountze.
History
Spell Cemetery
The land on which this graveyard is located was designated a family cemetery in 1873 by the Marble family. The earliest known burial is that of Martha Marble (d. 1864), whose husband John S. Marble was also buried here in 1873. Their daughter and son-in-law, Noley and David E. Spell, owned the land until 1924, when it was officially designated a cemetery in county deed records.
Elsewhere in Texas
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