Author Archives: Paul

Thoughts and Ramblings: Thanks, Susie; An Old Building off Highway 90; T. J. Chambers’s House; The Intracoastal Waterway; Photographing the Moon and Being Spotlighted by the Coasties

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My shout-out to Susie for stepping in last week. Her Weekly Letter reigned from 1926 to 1938, and I intend to have her take my place every three months to explain what was going on during the times of her writings because her take on what was happening more than 100 years ago will make you think. It will also show you how nothing changes. The fact that my disappearance from the blog last week coincided with the UEFA Nations League Finals is just a coincidence because England or Wales weren’t playing. But I will give kudos to Croatia for hanging tough in the final with Spain, though they eventually lost, as well as for losing to everyone else except when they play England. Again, I digress.

Susie mentioned that they had broken ground on her new home on McFaddin Avenue. The house was constructed using some of the bricks from the old 1893 Jefferson County Courthouse, which was demolished around the same time to pave the way for the current 13-story structure that was finished in 1931. The fireplace bricks were from her grandfather’s Woodlawn Plantation, which he acquired in 1861 and his heirs sold in 1885. This land originally belonged to John McCroskey—actually, it belonged to Stephen F. Austin (SFA), but we may get into that at a later date because due to a marriage of a descendant to a nephew of the Bryan family, which is related to SFA, Florence is technically related to the latter (trust me, it’s an “I’m My Own Grandpa” scenario). Anyway, McCroskey’s log cabin, built in 1824, still stands today. It is the second oldest log cabin in Texas, and Susie talked about this regularly in her weekly letters. She even visited it occasionally because most of her family still resided in Brazoria County.

I need to get back to Brazoria County to do more research on the Stratton family. The help that the Brazoria County Historical Commission has given me has been fantastic.

Two weeks ago, we solved the mystery of where the Florence switch was located. Another mystery that has haunted a few of us is a building located on Highway 90 between Devers and Nome. If you’re driving west from Beaumont, it is just past the rice dryers along the highway. When you see them, look to the left for a building covered in vines. Historian Bill Quick once said that this was where they made munitions during World War I, but he has now passed, and I have found no one else who knows this story. At the time, this piece of information was not known because of the war, but the structure itself stands out, and I want to know more about it. I’ve asked a few people from Liberty County, but they knew nothing about it. Sometimes in these cases, time needs to simmer before we get an answer. So, I will keep watch.

One thing that requires no simmering is the Chambers House. It’s widely known that my favorite museum is the Chambers House Museum in Beaumont. However, back in 2012, I discovered another Chambers House by accident. I was working in Anahuac when I took a wrong turn and came upon T. J. Chambers’s house. The window enchanted me because it was different from other structures. I’ll leave a link to this house’s history and another one about T. J. Chambers’s story and fate.

This week, I was driving down Woodworth Boulevard in Port Arthur when I saw a scene that I’d witnessed many times before but had forgotten about. As I drove closer to Lakeshore Drive, I could see the little flags from a barge passing just over the levee. This is a regular sight if you live near the Intracoastal Waterway, but when you see a tanker passing by, it’s still awesome. Heck, in 2006, I even saw an aircraft carrier there, the Oriskany. A past director of the Museum of the Gulf Coast once told me the sight is one of the many perks of that job, and I believed him!

I wouldn’t say that this extraordinary maritime beauty is limited to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. That little ditch that Arthur Stilwell expanded from the pass when the people in Sabine Pass did some real estate-related price gouging is also lovely. Having worked in this area for many years, my favorite memory is that of a shrimp boat exiting a fog bank, but that was before I had a phone with a camera. I may or may not have been working on the land that the Coasties inhabit, but the scenery was beautiful, especially when looking at the Sabine lighthouse.

When I began my photography journey, I spent many hours practicing taking different types of photos. Shout-out to a few folks at the Beaumont Camera Club for teaching me the art of fireworks photography, but photographing the moon was different. I spent two years taking pictures of the full moon, whatever the weather. It is a good thing that I learned how to photograph fireworks because taking pictures of lunar eclipses is somewhat similar, and boy did we have a few of those between 2014 and 2019 (photo links at the bottom of the page).

These were interesting adventures, and a few were more memorable than others. At the time, I wanted to photograph the moon over the Cheniere LNG Terminal. I planned to park at the Keith Lake Cut Bridge, set up my tripod, and take a few photos before the mosquitoes sucked all the blood out of me. Before I could jump out of my truck and hurriedly set up the tripod, I was spotlighted by a Coast Guard boat. Unbeknownst to me, a car carrier ship had passed through at the same time that I drove up. In this area, car carriers mean military. I guess I was lucky not to arrive a few seconds earlier, or I might have had to explain why I was setting up a tripod in complete darkness while a car carrier was passing. Glad they weren’t trigger happy! I did get the photo though.

Until next week, Semper Paratus!

McCroskey-Stringfellow House:

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=173103

General Thomas Jefferson Chambers’ House:

http://www.anahuactexasindependence.com/house.htm

Rediscovering Anahuac / Wallisville:

Rediscovering Anahuac / Wallisville

USS Oriskany:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Oriskany

Museum of the Gulf Coast:

https://www.museumofthegulfcoast.org/

Mark Wiess, Not Brownies, Told Stilwell Where to Build (August 2014): https://www.sfasu.edu/heritagecenter/9328.asp

Eclipse Photos 2019:  https://flic.kr/s/aHskQS3gxh

Lunar Eclipse Photos 2014:   https://flic.kr/s/aHsk4pnSod

Semper Paratus:

Thoughts and Ramblings: Susie Spindletop Edition

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It’s been a busy week here, Under the Oakes on Ye Olde Block Farm. So I’ll be back next week with more nonsense and shenanigans. In the meantime, Susie is here to guide you through some SETX life in 1929.

                              Susie Spindletop’s Weekly Letter Snipetts 1929

Dear Della:

   Rumor is telling it around that some doctors are going to build a clinic right alongside of Stratton’s flat in Magazine street. Della, if this is true I DO hope they won’t throw all amputated legs, arms, tonsils, adenoids and appendixes out of the back window into the front yard of the flat. You know I’m in debt for that flat. However, that mortgage I have plastered all over the place may keep this human debris out. Guess I had better ask Miss Pearl Brock—she is the yes-and-no man for the building company.

   So with a clinic next door, it looks like I will inherit the burden lifted from Mrs. Sol Elisha’s shoulders when the baseball park was moved. Mrs. Elisha had a tub full of baseballs which had fallen into her yard after inflicting damage to the roof of her home. Well, Della, I’ll promise you not to carry the burden that far. I’m not going to save things in my yard until I get a tubful.

                                                          May 19, 1929

                 *                                                      *                                           *

DELLA, the passing of the old homes of Beaumont brings many heartaches. But there are heart throbs along with the aches, for as in the case of the old Keith home on Willow street, recently sold, it awakened sweet memories… carries the mind and heart back to yesteryear.

   Mrs. Bucklin once kept a boarding house in the Keith home and I recall the days when Seawillow and Will Keith, Marjorie and “brother” boarded with Mrs. Bucklin. It was from there that Marjorie Bucklin Solinsky finished school.

   Eleanor Ives (now Eleanor Wiggins) was born in one of the big old rooms.

   No one thought then that the place where hospitality reigned supreme, where infants with their cooing songs were romping on the floor, where youth was spending its evenings in innocent merrymaking would one day give way to the pounding of the machinist’s hammer as he worked over automobiles, something almost unknown at that time.

                                                           July 7, 1929

   *                                                     *                                               *

DELLA, my boy friend, I mean one of them, left the Shawnee high and dry on the flood waters of the Neches river when he heard that about the only spirits he would find on the West Indies cruise would be those that might slip out of Davy Jones’ locker for a peep at what was going on on the surface. But there were a lot of fine fellows aboard who only thought of flowers, good wishes from their friends and the pleasures of a cruise among tropical islands.

  That reminds me that the dearest folks on earth are the thoughtful ones, the ones who think about the happiness of people who might otherwise be overlooked—maybe jump overboard in despair. Acting upon this impulse Sadie Wiess sent Jim Edwards a bouquet to take to his state room. Said she knew nobody else would send one.

SINCE the flood I am strong for short skirts and natural stockings. Really natural shoes would come in handy.

   Truth is, the Neches river and all of its little rivers up the country have been cutting up like a seashore party. Motor boats and airplanes have been about the only means of transportation in some sections but Beaumont is high and dry with the exception of a little water around the hem on a skirt.

  The Enterprise delivered papers by airplane and I expect you got my last letter that way. Carried yeast up the country too, saying that the people wanted to make some bread.

                                                June 9, 1929

*                                                    *                                                     *

SOMEHOW, my dear, we can’t get ahead. For geographic prominence we started out with Spindle Top which seemed to carry an impression that we had a mountain that looked like a spindle top until somebody discovered that there was a Spindle Top gulley because some boy lost his top there.

  Then Captain Plummer caught a whale down on the beach and somebody came along and wrote “Down to the Sea in Ships,” showing more whales somewhere else than the average person has advice when you have a bad cold. Then we produced our Big Hill which at least sounded big, but it hardly got on the map before Sour Lake came along and produced a crater.

  Just why they didn’t ask my advice about it I don’t know, but it promises to be constantly widening until it gets up where I can afford to give it a little attention.

                                              October 20, 1929

   *                                               *                                                      *

 MARY AUTRY HIGGINS came along with the epitaph she found somewhere:

Here lyeth the body of WILLIAM STRATTON

buried May 18, 1734

Age 97

Who had by his first wife 28 children

By his second, 17

Own father to 45,

Grandfather to 86,

Great-grandfather to 97,

great great- grandfather to 23…in all 251

A gravestone in Yorkshire, England

                               June 16, 1929

*                                         *                                             *

LAST Sunday the printer made an error in the last paragraph of my letter. I was worried until a member of my family pulled this: “Why worry? Nobody ever reads to the last paragraph of your letter anyhow.”

  Yours for more and longer miles between relatives, SUSIE

                                     October 13, 1929

                       *                                      *                                              *

Must leave you now. The ground is broke for my new home and so am I

                                             September 29, 1929

                                  Florence Stratton, aka Susie Spindletop

Born in Brazoria County in 1881, Florence moved to Beaumont in 1903. She was a newspaper reporter for both the Beaumont Journal and the Beaumont Enterprise. She is credited with starting both the Milk and Ice Fund (1915) and the Empty Stocking Fund (1920), charities of the Beaumont Journal. Florence authored The Story of Beaumont, published in 1923, which was the most successful of her five books. In 1929 Florence built her home at 1929 McFaddin Avenue, using plans from a New England cottage and brick from the 1892 Jefferson County courthouse. She also wrote a weekly column for the Beaumont Enterprise under the pen name Susie Spindletop from 1926 until her death in January of 1938.

A Brief History of Florence Stratton Part 1:    

https://www.rediscoveringsetx.com/2017/03/21/a-brief-history-of-florence-stratton-part1/

A Brief History of Florence Stratton Part 2:

https://www.rediscoveringsetx.com/2017/03/28/a-brief-history-of-florence-stratton-part2/

Thoughts and Ramblings: Rediscovering Florence Switch; Brisket Room; Texas Rising; Whitford St. Holmes Band; Did We Call It A Mixed Tape?

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A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the ongoing search for the location of what was a train stop or a “township” in Hardin County named after journalist Florence Stratton. I received some excellent historical details from a couple of folks at the Museum of Hardin County on the article that a friend and fellow researcher found on the completion of the Beaumont, Sour Lake, and Western Railway in 1907. It was assumed that the train stop was most likely in Liberty County, so our next plan was to reach out to a few friends there to see if they knew anything about the history of the railroad and its stops in the area.

Last Sunday, I was about to veg out from my recliner on yet another session of YouTube videos on the Battle of Midway when a ping on my phone alerted me that I had an email with the subject line “Florence Stratton.” It was my friend. While doing research on another subject, she saw a mention of a camp located on the Frisco Railroad near Florence Switch. The term “switch” is railroad speak, so we both began doing a search for railroad maps of Hardin County. Come to think of it, I had already searched for this before but had found nothing. This time it was different. When you type in “Texas railroad maps from 1908,” you get a lot of stuff that isn’t from that period. Some are close, but it doesn’t do me any good if the map is from 20 years before the township was founded or after it went kaput. Luckily, this time there was a link to a 1912 map for sale on some website. I’m sure it is a fine map and worth every penny of the price, but I noticed that you could enlarge the image and move to the region you wanted. Screenshot, send to paint, and voilà, we can see that the train stop along the Beaumont, Sour Lake, and Western Railway was on the border between Hardin and Liberty Counties.

Mystery solved, thanks to multiple people working together. And I appreciate every one of them! I guess I’ll have to eat crow and give kudos to Eunice, but that is all right with me. For those that don’t know, Eunice Stephens was Florence’s niece; she passed in January 1982. In her later years, she was interviewed and stated that Florence had a town named after her. According to my research, Florence in Williamson County, north of Austin, Texas, was founded in 1858, so this wasn’t it. I thought that Eunice was misinformed, but reading the article from 1907, I learned that R. C. Duff, the president of the railroad, definitely named this stop/township/switch after Florence. It wasn’t there for long, nor did it have a post office, but it was a thing. In the end, Eunice and I want the same thing. We want Florence’s history to live on.

One thing I’ve come to appreciate is the contribution of different groups of people, whether in the Jefferson County Historical Commission, Hardin County Historical Commission, Liberty County Historical Commission, Chambers County Historical Commission, or any other commission, as well as the role of independent researchers. This is the era of helping out regular people trying to find information about their history. No one has all the answers, but some of us may have a grain of knowledge to help you out in your search. I’m truly thankful for those who have helped me during my journey, and I am ready to reciprocate if possible.

I passed the Brisket Room this week, as I usually do every other week. The Brisket Room was our go-to place for chipped beef sandwiches. For those not in the know, the restaurant is gone nowadays, but the building is still there and has the sign out. I think it is a rental for parties and such. Unlike the loss of Monceaux’s, Hartman’s, and Pie Face from my Port Arthur foodie history, I still have Billy Joe’s Bar-B-Q in Port Neches to bring an epic chipped beef sandwich. Truth be told, I’ve also been enjoying the sausage links for over 40 years. It’s almost the 50th anniversary of Billy Joe’s existence, and I will say that the sauce should be labeled as a food group, just like Aunt Meg’s gravy! And if you don’t know this reference, you might want to watch that epic movie called Twister. I still miss Bill Paxton’s weather reports. He was the Extreme! He was also related to Sam Houston “somehow” and played him in the miniseries Texas Rising in 2015. Not to nitpick, but there were definitely a lot of mountain paths in what was meant to be Baytown, Texas, in that film.

This is an odd question, but I will bring it up all the same: Did we ever use the term “mixed tape” in the ‘80s? I think not, but my better half was watching Stranger Things, and someone mentioned that they made a mixed tape. I have many recordings on cassette from that time, and most were filled with music from the radio, but we never called them “mixed tapes.” What we did in 1982–83 was find a way to manipulate a walky-talky and a radio to broadcast like a radio station. The signal was weak but could be heard within a five-block radius. Of course, the music you would have heard was Rush, ACDC, or Iron Maiden, although I did have a double promotional record from Warner Brothers that I bought for two dollars at Ted’s Record Shop in Jefferson City. The only group I remember was the Whitford St. Holmes Band, and I can’t recall a single song it made. But kids do what they do, and we broadcast for mostly no one to hear our shenanigans. Well, there were a few followers and one adult, but she dug the music. Looking back, “Whiskey Woman” was a damn good song! There you go. Whitford St. Holmes Band. Rock on!

But I digress.

Until next week, you can “Exit Stage Left,” “Ride On,” or “Run to the Hills,” but think back and ask yourselves: Did we say “mixed tape”?

Texas Rising:  https://youtu.be/tUVRoQYHVAo

Aunt Megs Gravy:  https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx1iNOUuVPlnXUFL0qZYT3YfZu0DQQlOgp

Whitford St. Holmes Band:  https://youtu.be/v0f_F9ZeW5k

Evening Edition: We Meet at Midway!

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Painting by R. G. Smith

Today is the 81st anniversary of the Battle of Midway. Some say that this battle was the turning point of the Pacific theater. However, in my opinion, the battle that took place a month earlier in the Coral Sea was the game changer because of the damage inflicted on the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku. Both vessels were unable to participate in the Midway campaign. The allies also suffered a great loss when the carrier Lexington was scuttled and the Yorktown was heavily damaged. Amazingly, though, the Yorktown managed to limp back to Hawaii and spent 72 hours in drydock getting patched up in order to participate in the showdown in the Pacific.

Overall, the IJN had ten carriers total to the United States three carriers based in the Pacific. Six had participated on the attack at Pearl Harbor in December 1941. With that said, the Kidō Butai, which was down to four carriers instead of the six of the main force, was sent to Midway. Obviously, this would have been enough to ensure victory, but unbeknownst to Admiral Yamamoto, the Americans had cracked the IJN’s code used for the target they referred to as “AF.” Joseph Rochefort and his fellow cryptanalysts figured out that “AF” was Midway Atoll.

The main intention of the Kidō Butai was to sink the American carriers. They failed at Pearl Harbor, but after the Doolittle Raid on Japan’s home front, they decided to set what they thought was a trap in Midway. However, the sacrifice of many American pilots manning torpedo planes allowed the dive bombers to sink three carriers in less than ten minutes: the Kaga, the Soryū, and Admiral Nagumo’s flagship the Akagi. The fourth carrier, the Hiryū, kept fighting, and its planes took out the Yorktown. However, ironically, the Yorktown’s dive bombers disabled the Hiryū, leaving a great victory at hand. Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi and Captain Tomeo Kaku chose to go down with the Hiryū as it was scuttled with two torpedoes from an IJN destroyer.

Realizing that the United States had won a great victory, Admiral Spruance pulled back for the night because he didn’t want to risk his ships in a night battle. Yamamoto’s occupying force and reserve fleet retreated. The many losses of pilots, mechanics, and carrier personnel hampered the IJN’s ability to wage a counterattack in later battles. Those who survived the Battle of Midway were transferred to different areas and were told not to talk about it. The IJN treated the survivors as failures, which led to its downfall in the end.

Many books have been written on this historical episode; even a few movies have been made about it. I will leave the links at the bottom of this blog.

Shattered Sword by Jon Parshall and Anthony Tully:

http://www.shatteredswordbook.com/

Joe Rochefort’s War by Elliot Carlson:

Joe Rochefort’s War: The Odyssey of the Codebreaker Who Outwitted Yamamoto at Midway

Battle of Midway Tactical Overview – World War II | History:

Torpedo Squadron No. 8:

We Meet At Midway:

Thoughts and Ramblings: ChatGPT Lies; Susie Spindletop Wasn’t Anthony Lucas’s Wife; Hooks Cemetery; the Mayumi Child

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After receiving many “I’m sorry” and “I apologize” from the ChatGPT bot/Terminator wannabe in reply to my questions, I think this technology is probably only ready to replace politicians. It is vague and just gives out nonsense. To be fair, I asked it to do a bio of myself and a few friends or to provide information about some Southeast Texans. I get it, most of us are not famous, and the internet is where it gets its content, but I did put in a few names of authors and academics that it should have recognized but didn’t. It kept apologizing and telling me it hadn’t been updated since September 2021. Even our technology has been neutered. So, the moral of this story is that I do not need to quit my day job and that AI chatbots lie! No, ChatGPT, Susie Spindletop wasn’t the wife of Anthony Lucas! I’m beginning to hate technology more and more. To all those in college: some professors would love to bring back oral tests because of this new technology. I can only imagine the terror that writing in cursive would bring to their students.

Last week, I forgot to mention that I visited Hooks Cemetery on my journey to Hardin County. I wanted to pay my respects to Bessie and Bruce Reid. Bessie coauthored When the Storm God Rides, a textbook on Native American tribes, with Florence Stratton. She also wrote Legend of Kisselpoo, which was published in the Port Arthur News in July 1923. It was a historical fiction article based on her research on Texas’s Indian tribes and their lore. Bessie was also an avid birder and naturalist.

I’ve written about the Kishi family of Orange County and their role in SETX history. They were not the only ones to farm in this area. Yoshio Mayumi, a prominent banker and landowner in Japan, purchased 1,700 acres near Taylor’s Bayou, where he began to grow rice and raise cattle. Like Kichimatsu from Orange County, Yoshio was not initially trusted by the locals. Still, in time, they got to know him and respect him.

Yoshio Mayumi

Yoshio eventually brought over his brother Yasuo to help manage the farm. In 1915, their father died, and Yoshio returned to Japan. Yasuo took over the farm and did well for a while, but mismanagement, dwindling crops, and a rice market crash after World War I made its future bleak. Finally, in 1924, Yasuo sold the farm to the Burrells and left for Japan. Unlike the Kishis, none of the Mayumi clan stayed behind—none of the living, that is.

If you walk among the rows of section X at Magnolia Cemetery in Beaumont, you may come upon a small cement slab with a headstone that reads Mayumi. In December 1917, Toshiko, Yasuo’s wife, bore her and Yasuo’s first child; unfortunately, the baby was born premature and lived only for one day. In a Beaumont Enterprise article, Gwendolyn Wingate wrote the following:

Yasuo Mayumi

“One evening in early December Mayumi rode horseback up to the Bailey Wingate home. For days it had been raining a cold drizzle, and the roads were under water.  Apologizing for what he said was an intrusion, Mayumi explained that his first child, a son, had been born, but after only one day of life, the baby was dead.  Mayumi needed help.

Wingate’s sturdy widowed mother, Artemise, who had borne nine children and had seen three buried, bundled up against the cold and rode back to the Mayumi place with the men. She found Mayumi’s wife with the dead child in her arms rocking back and forth in mute grief. She tried to comfort the woman who spoke no English and helped prepare the baby for burial.”

The Mayumi child was buried at Magnolia Cemetery, and Toshiko moved back to Japan, while Yasuo stayed behind. I’ll leave a link to the full article at the bottom of this blog.

Speaking of Magnolia Cemetery, October will soon be here, which means that the Historic Magnolia Cemetery Tour will take place again on Museum Madness weekend. The dates are Thursday, October 19, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Saturday, October 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We’ll have more information soon!

Until next week!

Southeast Texas Rice Beckoned Japanese:

https://hirasaki.net/Family_Stories/Mayumi/Mayumi.htm

History of the Kishi Colony:

http://hirasaki.net/Family_Stories/Kishi_Colony/Kishi.htm

History of the Mayumi Colony:

http://hirasaki.net/Family_Stories/Mayumi/Mayumi_History.htm

Thoughts and Ramblings: The Museum of Hardin County; Evergreen Cemetery; Memorial Day

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On Wednesday, I made a pleasant visit to the Museum of Hardin County. I’d been meaning to get up there for a while, but my work schedule and the museum’s hours didn’t match, so I had to put it off. My main reason for going was to find out all I could on the train stop/depot/newly erected township called “Florence” along the Beaumont, Sour Lake, and Western Railway. The Beaumont Enterprise article that refers to this new stop was published on July 19, 1907, after the railroad’s president R. C. Duff, W. H. P. McFaddin, and B. R. Norvell drove in the last spike to finish the railroad connecting Beaumont to Houston. I hope to get into more of this in the coming weeks, but there is more sleuthing to do.

The museum is top notch and full of content about different eras of our history. Whether it’s the sawmills, early Texas history, or an abundance of family histories spanning Hardin County, it is worth a visit. And I’ve been told that they have a new schedule.

New Museum Hours

Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or by appointment.

409-209-5377, 409-755-7313, 409-658-4712

It’s Memorial Day weekend, and this has different meanings for different people. For me, it’s about remembering those who fought and died serving their country. For some of you, it probably means getting in your Jeep and heading to the beach only to get arrested for DWI, PI, or just for being the idiot who doesn’t realize that Maria Maria La Policia doesn’t take any crap. Oh, sorry, that was last weekend, but I digress.

Memorial Day does have multiple origins and means different things to different people. Despite the nitpicking of most of these people (who have their own agenda), I see Memorial Day as a day to honor and remember those who gave all. And with war, there have been many. Race, creed, color, and religion don’t matter to me, and they shouldn’t matter to those looking at the headstone of someone who died serving their country. Now I’ll get off my high horse and look at this weekend’s services.

Memorial Day weekend in SETX is well attended, and there are memorial services in the cemeteries of every town. Beaumont had two on Saturday. One was at Magnolia Cemetery, and the other at Evergreen Cemetery, further up Pine Street. Both began at ten in the morning; I wish I could have gone to both, but there was a scheduling snafu. I was glad to attend the Evergreen one because of the newly placed headstones for two veterans. Shout-out to Magnolia Cemetery for receiving these military headstones and having their people set them for Evergreen Cemetery because Evergreen did not have the resources to do this.

The two new headstones were for Sargent George Shaw, who died in France during the Great War (WWI), and Jerry Lloyd, who fought in the Indian wars and was a Buffalo Soldier. The replacement headstone for George Shaw was necessary because the original one stated that he was a private. However, thanks to the research done by a member of our Jefferson County Historical Commission, they were able to send a headstone with the correct information, which Sargent Shaw deserves. The situation with Jerry Lloyd’s headstone was a bit different because, as far as we know, he never received one. If there had been a regular one marking his grave, then it had disappeared. Research has shown that he was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, but we are unaware of his location.

It was great to see how many people turned out to honor the veterans who have passed. It was quite a diverse group. Some came from as far away as Houston. Some placed flags on the graves, while others placed flowers. Many Beaumonteers showed up after seeing a Friday night report on 12 News Now; they felt compelled to be present and support the event in any way they could. They left with the knowledge of these two heroes and some other stories from this hallowed ground.

That’s it for this week. I would like to leave you with a poem written by Clare Harner.

Do not stand

By my grave, and weep.

I am not there,

I do not sleep—

I am the thousand winds that blow

I am the diamond glints in snow

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle, autumn rain.

As you awake with morning’s hush,

I am the swift, up-flinging rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight,

I am the day transcending night.

Do not stand

By my grave, and cry—

I am not there,

I did not die.

                                    The Origins of  Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a time to reflect on peace and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our country. The origins of this holiday go back to the Civil War, when it was known as Decoration Day.

The official National Decoration Day is said to have begun on May 5, 1868, when General John A. Logan declared the date would be observed as a national holiday. In the South, however, many local ceremonies had already begun in 1866. For example, I found one reference to a group of women from Columbus, Mississippi, who on April 25, 1866, visited a cemetery to honor and decorate the graves of the Confederate soldiers who had died at the Battle of Shiloh. When they saw the bare graves of the Union soldiers, these women decided to place flowers also upon them.

Through the years, people used this day to tend to their family’s plots. They would clean their area since most cemeteries back then were not cared for by staff. They had picnics and spent time remembering their loved ones, which is a tradition I love.

In 1966, Lyndon B. Johnson declared Waterloo, New York, as the birthplace of Memorial Day because on May 5, 1866, people there honored “local veterans who had fought and died in the Civil War.”

No matter when it started or who started it, we all know the meaning of this day: to honor those who fought and died for our freedom. Thanks to their sacrifice, we stand here today and celebrate them on the beaches, at BBQs, and in many other places. They are our family and our heroes, and we remember them now and forever.

https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/local/two-black-fallen-soldiers-receiving-headstone-evergreen-cemetery/502-872d65aa-a1a9-4ec4-b621-529bf8d3d6de

Thoughts and Ramblings: Historic Homes Tour Is a Wrap; Archie Wallace; Griffing Park; the Company Store; Howard’s Grocery; The Oilers Blew it; Some Guy with Nice Hair Didn’t

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Edmund and Lorena Toebelman House

The 49th Annual Galveston Historic Homes Tour has wrapped up. Unfortunately, due to the inclement weather, we had to end it at three in the afternoon instead of at six, the usual time. I know there were a few disappointed souls out there, but when the streets flood, it may not be a good idea to let wet booties or bare feet walk through a house. Overall, the tour went well, but it did have its moments. As I wrote last week, I volunteered at the Edmund and Lorena Toebelman House. The morning was nice and cool, and we had a steady stream of people. I was a porch docent by choice. We didn’t have any issues other than the fact that the group had to wait a few minutes after I spoke because of the house’s layout. We didn’t want a traffic jam from the staircase to the living room. Everyone was fine with that, and the wait was worth it, in my opinion. It’s a beautiful house, and the woodwork is amazing.

Kudos to my fellow volunteers who, unlike me, usually volunteer on Mother’s Day. I have done so a couple of times, but the outside chairperson told me this was his 20th year. Generally, on Mother’s Day, it’s hard to get people to volunteer, and that’s why I did it and probably will do it next year. A little insight into the 50th anniversary: the Galveston Historical Foundation is planning something special, so follow them for updates as we get close. As far as I am concerned, despite the tiring drive, it is worth it. If you’re interested in volunteering, I’ll leave a link at the bottom of this blog post.

Unfortunately, I’ve lost another friend and fellow Jefferson County history lover. Archie Wallace was a client of mine, but we would end up reminiscing about Port Arthur, the interurban, those rich people in Griffing Park, our mutual friend Roy Temple, and Port Arthur Mayor Bernis Sadler’s annexing quests. When asked how the city would pick up the offshore rig’s garbage, Bernis said, “Just leave it on the curb; we’ll pick it up.”

Archie was one of the few people I asked about their life during World War II. He was a child then, and the main thing he remembered was the sugar rationing; also, he had no idea where Pearl Harbor was. I’m sure those rich folks in Griffing Park had encyclopedias, but I digress. In his younger years, he worked on the streets in Griffing Park, so he knew the answer to my question. Back in 2015, I found a photo in the Beaumont Enterprise, taken where it is now, 32nd Street and Twin City Highway. It was a then-and-now photo. The first was taken in 1929, while the second was from 1959. It was nothing special, but it did show that looking south in 1929, you saw nothing, and the road curved to the right instead of making a 90-degree angle like it does today. In 1959, you could see the newly constructed auditorium and gymnasium in the background. Again, there were no trees, and the road curved to the right. If you stand at the stoplight on 32nd today, you don’t see the school, but if you glance to your right, you notice a street leading into Griffing Park that was blocked off by a barrier long ago. Since 32nd Street runs west to east, and Twin City Highway runs north to south, you really couldn’t have a fifth road there. Hell, most drivers in Port Arthur can’t figure out a four-way stop.

I will state that the roads in Griffing Park are different for a reason. Another client/history lover who has since passed told me they are the way they are because this area was a nursery and you can’t turn a wagon at a 90-degree angle. Mrs. Thibadeaux was full of information, and I loved our conversations. I haven’t been to Rose Hill Manor in a while, but the dolls on the second floor were hers. She was also a friend of my neighbor Roy Temple and his wife.

Archie also mentioned trips to the company store on Saturdays. Whether it was Texaco or Gulf, most people did this. I know my grandfather did. Unlike nowadays, it seems that Saturday morning was the day back  then—now I’m in HEB five days a week. I remember my father going to Howard’s Grocery every Saturday morning. Howard Hatfield made sure there was more stuff to buy in the 1970s than in the ‘30s, and we appreciated this. JPOTS (Just Part of the Store) was much better than Howard E. Butt’s flaming bird! I remember how excited we got in the ‘70s about the National Football League stickers on the loaves of bread. Unfortunately, it was usually a Seattle Seahawks or a Kansas City Chiefs sticker that no one cared about, but we still stuck it on our school books. The Houston Oiler sticker was nonexistent as far as I know—I never saw them. I guess the NFL dropped the ball on that one, but I was only a fan of Earl Campbell and could not care less about a disgruntled team that would eventually end up in Tennessee. Shout-out to Bum, though. He knocked on the door; then, the following year, he banged on it. He then broke his foot trying to kick the door in because the iron curtain took no crap from any team.

Now that I’ve ticked off all the Houston Oiler fans, I will add that I knew about Washington Huskies quarterback Warren Moon because he was QB with the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League before he came to Houston when Hugh Campbell, the Eskimos coach, took the head coaching job for the Oilers and lasted one year. Warren stayed a bit longer, but they never really played forward in the end. I won’t even mention those Buffalo Bills people who had the audacity to come from behind and make it to a Superbowl, where they lost to some Port Arthur native coaching the Dallas Cowboys. I remember he had nice hair and a few rings. Shout-out to Don Beebe for never giving up. Sorry, Leon.

Until next week!

Galveston Historical Foundation:

Home
GHF Volunteer Opportunities

Bum Phillips Kick that SOB in/Higlights Houston Oilers Pep Rally 1980 :

“The Comeback” (Oilers vs. Bills 1992 AFC Wild Card) :

https://youtu.be/u1lgLXsO2Ag

Thoughts and Ramblings: Hillebrandt Bayou; ChatGPT; Bolivar Peninsula; the Beach Road

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905 Edmund and Lorena Toebelman House | 1113 Church Street

Despite the many years I’ve spent running the roads of Beaumont, I never realized that Hillebrandt Bayou ran through the city. I always thought it was a ditch. And before some of you get all huffy about me calling Hillebrandt Bayou a ditch, parts of it are paved. Paved = ditch. I guess you wouldn’t be the first to be irritated by my choice of words this week. Earlier, a docent became pretty arrogant when I called the City National Bank Building in Galveston a house after I found out they were going to make it a rental.

Docent: “Oh no, this will be a residence.”

Me: “No, it’s a bank! Maybe event rental?”

Someone else on the tour: “When was it built?”

Docent: “I’m not sure.”

Me: “In 1920. Our book and your script say 1920.”

Docent: “Probably 1921.”

I’m not blaming the Galveston Historical Foundation for this melee with the suspected realtor with the clipboard. Still, unfortunately, you get Wanda’s family when the pickings are slim for volunteers, but I digress.

I’ve meant to do this for a while, and this week I managed to try out ChatGPT. For those who don’t know, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) engine used to create content. You type in what person or subject you want to write about, and the bot does the rest. Yes, I’m playing with Terminator-type stuff, but it’s not the liquid metal one at this point. The Florence Stratton essay was interesting but very vague, almost like a political speechwriter wrote it. A friend noted that ChatGPT made Florence sound like a combination of Ida Tarbell and Erin Brockovich. I’ll post the essay unedited, but THIS IS NOT A SOURCE OF ACCURATE INFORMATION, so don’t use it as such.

The 500-word essay describing Rediscoveringsetx.com was better but still a bit off. Finally, I typed my name and asked it to do a bio. Boy, this was interesting. I think it just wrote my obituary! I’ll have to tweak it a bit because I don’t have a degree in AI, but I could replace that with my elf spotting certificate. Yes, I have one, and I didn’t have to pay $4K for it. I’ll leave a link at the bottom of the blog so you can see how I got it.

Today is the last day of the Galveston Historic Homes Tour, and I couldn’t leave them hanging. They need volunteers, and I’m still fed up with work, so it’s a win-win situation. I’ll be at the 1905 Edmund and Lorena Toebelman House at 1113 Church Street. With air conditioning, I might add. I have my script, in case someone from Wanda’s family is around. However, in some weird way, I can coexist with people from her family because they are just there for the shiplap, the plaster, and the pretty flowers at Old City Cemetery.

I look forward to my Mama Teresa’s pizza while parked in the parking lot known as Ferry Road. For all you newbies, don’t cut in line or Maria Maria la Policia WILL get you. She has no patience for idiots, and that’s a good thing.

I heard that they are building multitudes of rentals and possibly also an airport on the peninsula. I guess this is a good thing because an airport would be another way to get off the peninsula during the next hurricane. Hurricane Ike really sucked. At that time, everyone thought that all their properties would be lost and there would be no beach for them. Well, the powers that be have rebuilt, and kudos to all of you Parrot Heads for making my drive to Galveston always interesting. Y’all will never let this line in the sand fail, and I’m happy about that. I guess we need to get our beach-road lobbyist going because we need this back. We just need to put it more inland because I don’t want to pass the nudist beach. Sorry, I am not a fan and don’t care for your struggle. Google Maps won’t even go down that road.

I would really love the beach road back for one reason—it would be twenty minutes to High Island! Not an hour of driving on Highway 73, Highway 124, and Highway 87. I’m not reminiscing about sandy hotdogs on McFaddin Beach; I want less driving time! I’m getting old and can’t afford to live with you Parrot Heads. I doubt this will get fixed soon, but at least the Whataburger in Winnie is my one great breakfast stop.

What is the equivalent of Aloha in Karankawa? Lunch? Until next time and hope to see you on the tour.

Thoughts and Ramblings: The 49th Galveston Historic Homes Tour!

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Saturday was the day, and we were ready for the lineups, requirements to wear booties, and technology fails along the way – those who have taken the tour or volunteered for it know the struggles. After an early arrival by ferry, I was giddy in the knowledge that this year I wouldn’t have to take the ferry home only to drive back on Sunday, thanks to a friend’s Airbnb. I was impressed not just by the home’s 600 square feet of greatness, but by its driveway and location just two blocks from the seawall. Driveways are worth big money in Galveston County, but I digress.

Our first stop was my volunteer house for the day, the 1901 James and Mary Prindiville House. James Prindiville was a New Orleans native and plaster contractor. The Prindiville’s original home built on this site in 1898 was destroyed by the storm of 1900, and this home was built to replace it. While small, it is quite beautiful. Its open concept and easy access certainly make it a must-see.

Our next stop was meant to be the house pictured on the cover, the 1890 McKinney-McDonald House, but oh, the lines! We decided to put this jewel off until after lunch. So, it was onto the 1905 Edmund and Lorena Toebelman House. While it also had a line, the docents did a good job of moving visitors through quickly. Some features of note were the home’s gas lamps at the doorway (not original), the interior light fixtures, and the many original windows. Wavy glass is always a plus.

The 1920 City National Bank Building was to be our grand finale, but we decided to visit it early since we were in the area. When it was put on the tour in 2017 it was one of the ongoing restorations. There were few lines because who wants to see a work in progress? Well I do, and I took some photos – see the link below. They did an excellent job of restoring the bank and I was anxious to find out what it would be used for. After hearing it would become a rental residence, I had many questions. Who? What? Why? Okay, to each his own. Stay in my Airbnb! It’s a bank! It has a table long enough to have Vlad Putin meet with his enemies! Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful property, but there are some things you just don’t do. However, I digress. I’ll move on.

And move on we did, to the 1890 Julius Lobenstein Tenant Cottage. If there was ever a property to rent on this tour, this is it! It’s known as a speakeasy because of the tiny door inserted on the front door to peek out and ask, mob fashion, what’s the password? If you visit this house and they ask you for the password, just say Jabberwalky. It is actually a rental, and the shiplap boards on the walls are many different colors. At this point on the tour, this was my favorite. See the link below for its rental information.

The 1899 Charles and Estelle Miller House and the 1905 Joseph and Frances Gengler House were also must-sees, along with the 1906 Nathan and Mary Spence House. The restorations are superb, and the lineups were not that bad because of the docents moving us through. But we still had three houses left, and I knew the lineups at the cover house would be long.

After lunch at Shrimp and Stuff, we set out to the 1892 George Bendixen Corner Store and Residence – or, as I call it, the Wednesday Adams winter home, because of its black exterior. This was my favorite of the tour and a must-see. It’s for sale – I’ll have to look through my change drawer, but I doubt I have enough to purchase this jewel for $1.1 million. However, one can dream.

This was the first tour I’ve been on, and I had not yet had to wear booties, but the ninth and tenth houses ended my winning streak. The 1928 Joseph and Edith Eiband House was a treat to tour, even with booties on, and so was the 1890 McKinney-McDonald House, but it had really long lines, and booties were also required. At the time I went through it, it was understaffed, but this was not the docents’ fault. If you volunteer at one of these properties then you need to show up! This is not the first time I’ve seen this problem and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Hopefully, the rest of the tours of this beautiful gem will be better. I first toured it in 2012 when it was a restoration in progress. I am glad to see that it has been returned to its true beauty.

If you are out and about today, I hope to see you at the 1901 James and Mary Prindiville House. I may have a clipboard, and I am not afraid to use it, but I’m pretty lenient when it comes to fellow shiplap lovers.

Until next week!

1890 Julius Lobenstein Tenant Cottage.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/39031320?source_impression_id=p3_1683430391_y4ZdZBnAwhzQkh7N

1920 City National Bank Building: Restoration in Progress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/25032584@N05/albums/72157683834011025

Galveston Historic Homes Tour:

Tour Homes : Galveston Historic Homes Tour

49th Annual Galveston Historic Homes Tour

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Today is the day, and I will post information all day on our experiences on the tour.

#ICYMI Here is what to expect on this tour and the dos and don’t’s. Hope to see you along the way!

When taking a historic homes tour, you should have a plan.

1.         Each ticket is valid for one visit to every house on both weekends. If you can go both weekends, taking the tour with family and friends is a great experience. However, if you only have one weekend or even only one day, then it is better to take the tour with no more than three people. Long lines can be an obstacle. One year I took the opening-day tour solo, and there was a point when I passed in front of 14 people because they only had enough room for one more person in the group.

2.         Some of the houses are in the same neighborhood, so have a plan to park centrally. You will be able to walk to multiple places without wasting time looking for a parking spot for the various destinations.

3.         NO HEELS! I should have put this up top. This is the one thing I’ve never understood. Why would someone wear heels on a home tour that involves walking upstairs and on lovely restored floors? If you do wear heels, you’ll end up walking through some stranger’s house shoeless. There was an instance when a homeowner had their beautiful restored floor damaged by someone who chose not to wear comfortable shoes. The money raised by the tour paid for the floor to be restored once more.

4.         Booties! Speaking of shoes, it is always inevitable to have one house on the tour that doesn’t want you, prancing around in heels or people walking on their newly restored floors. I get it, restoration is expensive! But then why have your home on the tour? Anyway, I digress. This will undoubtedly slow down the number of people taking the tour. So, there may be some waiting time.

5.         It may be better to visit popular homes, such as the cover house, at the opening, during lunchtime, or close to the last tour (six in the afternoon). I’ve found that these times have fewer lines.

6.         Volunteers. Most of the people checking your ticket, selling you the excellent wares that the Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF) has to offer, and who are stationed throughout the property are all volunteers. This means they are not getting paid. The white shirt-black pants army is there to keep the tour rolling and help you visit these beautiful homes. I say this because when you find yourself in a line, know that most of these people are doing the best they can to give you a great experience. Concerning the historical knowledge of these places, I am looking forward to seeing what the GHF will offer its volunteers. One year, I volunteered to be a docent on the front porch and all I got was a 3 x 5 index card of information. I will admit that it has finally gotten better!

7.         Visit the Old City Cemetery! The wildflowers are lovely and a great photo opportunity for photographers.

8.         Make sure to look for the cemetery tours hosted by Kathleen Maca. They sell out fast! The reason is that she is a great storyteller and has written several books on Broadway’s prominent cemetery.

See you on the tour!

2023 Galveston Historic Homes Tour:  

https://www.visitgalveston.com/blog/galveston-historic-homes-tour-locations/?fbclid=IwAR1kchD2PH3VW1Ixn9i_xwE1OTA59eWBjkydkMkieMghj7QLxmC2BKk1ha4