Sabine Pass, Port Arthur, Texas

Last updated

USA Texas location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Sabine Pass

Sabine Pass [1] is a neighborhood in Port Arthur, Texas. It had been incorporated in 1861 before being formally annexed by Port Arthur in 1978. However, Sabine Pass retains its own distinct identity with its own school district, post office, and port authority. The Port Arthur Convention and Visitors Bureau stated that Sabine Pass is "often regarded as" being a "self-contained" community. [2]

Contents

Sabine Pass was the site of two naval battles, the First Battle of Sabine Pass, and the Second Battle of Sabine Pass, as well as land skirmishes that occurred around the historic Sabine Pass Lighthouse during the Civil War.

History

In 1832, Thomas Corts (of England) and John McGaffey (of New Hampshire) were among the first settlers of the Sabine Pass area. [3] Stephen Hendrickson Everitt (1806–1844) [4] wrote a letter to Republic of Texas President Mirabeau B. Lamar on March 11, 1839, seeking to establish a post office in the area. There was already a Republic of Texas custom's house, established in 1837, as well as a United States customs house at Garrison Ridge, [5] and the nearest post office was 40 miles away. On October 19, 1839, Everitt, representing John Bevil, [6] filed an intention with Chief Justice Palmer in Jasper County, to form a city to be known as City of the Pass with 1600 acres and 2500 lots, but was unsuccessful. There is some confusion as to if this was Sabine Pass that he had previously written about or an intended city to the south. Records also indicate that in 1839, Sam Houston, along with Philip Sublette and associates, laid out what is referred to as "the first townsite of Sabine", containing 2,060 lots with Niles F. Smith [7] as the agent. [8] Niles was appointed collector of revenue for the port of Sabine 1842. [9] Philip Sublett and Houston were friends and associates. Houston stayed with Sublett while recuperating from wound received at San Jacinto. In 1836, Sublett nominated Houston for president of the Republic of Texas. [10]

According to the Adams-Onis Treaty the Louisiana boundary was "to landfall" on the west bank of the Sabine River but there was still a border dispute between the United States and the Republic of Texas. The US claimed jurisdiction down the Sabine River to the Gulf of Mexico and Texas claimed it ended at the Sabine River delta. By 1838 the U.S. assigned the revenue cutter USRC Woodbury (1837) to patrol the Sabine Lake as part of the Gulf of Mexico patrol. By 1844, the Republic of Texas had the Santa Anna patrolling the area. There was one instance that could have led to war between the United States and the Republic of Texas. The Santa Anna had instructed two schooners loading cotton to stop at the custom house to pay a tonnage fee. The customs house had two cannons and when the schooners attempted to run the customs port the agent fired a warning shot across the bow of each ship and then six more as an attempt to sink them. Both schooners weighed anchor and settled the matter.

Community name

The name of the community evolved over time from City of Sabine, to Sabine City, and then to Sabine Pass. Although requested in 1839, and there was a steam lumber mill in the community in 1846, a post office was not established until 1847, as the Sabine City Post Office. In 1841, William Kennedy, in The Rise, Progress and Prospects of the Republic of Texas (published in London in 1841), mentioned the settlement of the area and wrote, "Taylor's creek, a small stream that enters Sabine Bay from the west, a few miles above the city of Sabine ...", By not capitalizing "city" it appears that the city was named Sabine. No records indicate that the settlement was ever called just "Sabine" so this might have been referring to the name of the place as "City of Sabine". [11] There is reference that General J. B. Magruder, "ordered construction of a major fortification of five redoubts seven miles west of Sabine City ..." in 1863, [12] but Sabine Pass was incorporated on June 15, 1861. [13]

The expectations of the earlier settlers, as well as the founders of Sabine Pass, never materialized. Arthur Stilwell had original plans for the southern terminus of the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad Company to be Sabine Pass. But the Kountze brothers, who owned the land Stilwell needed for the railroad, refused to make a deal so Port Arthur was born. [14]

Sabine Pass and the Civil War

During the American Civil War, Fort Manhassett, Fort Sabine, and Fort Griffin (not to be confused with the later frontier fort) were built by the Confederacy to protect the waterway of Sabine Pass, the Sabine River, and the Neches River [15] under General J. B. Magruder.

Two battles, the First Battle of Sabine Pass, and the Second Battle of Sabine Pass, both occurred around the Sabine Lake estuary, in Sabine Pass, between the southern end of the current community of Sabine Pass, Texas and the Sabine Pass Lighthouse on the Louisiana side. In 1970, construction crews attempting to repair SH-87 accidentally dug up Civil War era ammunition. The following is an excerpt from Texas State Highway 87:

In 1970, road machinery used in its construction accidentally dug up several cannonballs and crumbling kegs of black powder about 10 miles west of Sabine Pass. Further excavation eventually produced more kegs of black powder and several hundred cannonballs. The ammunition had been buried there by Confederate soldiers in what were the diches of Fort Manhassett in 1865. Fort Manhassett was a series of earthworks constructed by the Confederacy in 1863 to defend the western approaches to Sabine Pass.

Geography

The community lies along State Highway 87 at Sabine Pass, thirty miles southeast of Beaumont in extreme southeastern Jefferson County. Sabine Pass is outside of the Jefferson County levee system, which protects other communities in the county. [16]

Hurricanes

Church and building severely damaged by Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike Sabine Pass TX church and building.jpg
Church and building severely damaged by Hurricane Ike

Because of the short distance separating Sabine Pass from the Gulf of Mexico, the city has suffered greatly from numerous hurricanes since its founding. After hurricanes in 1886, 1900, 1915, and the devastating Hurricane Audrey in 1957, economic development moved north from Sabine Pass to the cities of Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange, which still dominate the area's economy today.

On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita came ashore over Sabine Lake—the surge from the storm destroyed more than 90% of the structures in Sabine Pass. In February 2006, the team from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (EM: HE) visited the town and rebuilt the Firehouse (which included a new Firetruck worth $400,000), the High School Auditorium and gave dozens of families $350 gift cards from Sears to replace items such as clothes, space heaters, blankets etc., lost due to Hurricane Rita. This town was featured in the EM:HE - After The Storm Texas Special which aired on the ABC on April 14, 2006. [17] [18] Adam Saunders, a spokesperson for the City of Port Arthur, said that of the 225 houses in Sabine pass, 20% of them were livable after Rita hit Sabine Pass. [16]

In September 2008, Hurricane Ike struck Galveston and managed to generate the highest surge ever recorded at Sabine Pass. [19] [20] Saunders said that a fewer number of houses remained livable after Ike than after Rita. Cindy Horswell of the McClatchy - Tribune Business News said that Sabine Pass was "among those hardest hit" by Hurricane Ike. [16] 225 families lived in Sabine Pass pre-Ike, and in January 2009 Steve Fitzgibbons, the city manager of the City of Port Arthur, estimated that at that time, half of the families had returned to Sabine Pass post-Ike. [16] Fire station #4, the one built by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition , was destroyed by Ike, and FEMA provided funding for a new fire station. The new station, built 12 feet above sea level and able to withstand 150 mile-per-hour winds, was dedicated in August 2013. [21]

Arts and culture

Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site is an outdoor sculpture park that covers the history of the Sabine Pass Battleground during the Civil War. The park features an interpretive pavilion and walkway, a 14-foot statue and monument, ADA-accessible sidewalks and restrooms, covered picnic tables and grills, 4-lane boat ramps with ADA-accessible dock, 1/4 mole of shoreline with safety railing.

Wildlife habitats

Sabine Pass is known for its wildlife. Sea Rim State Park and McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge lie at the end of Highway 87. The two provide excellent wildlife and especially bird watching venues. Camping on the Gulf of Mexico beach at Sea Rim State Park is a popular attraction.

Government and infrastructure

While Port Arthur annexed Sabine Pass in 1978, the census of the two began to be enumerated together since the 1990s. While Sabine Pass has a separate school district, post office, [22] water district, and port authority, it is incorporated into the city of Port Arthur. Police and fire protection is provided by the Port Arthur city government.

Legislative Districts

Education

Galveston College Galveston College Regent Hall.jpg
Galveston College

Sabine Pass Independent School District serves the community. The Sabine Pass School District is assigned to Galveston College in Galveston. [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and these are known as the Gulf States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galveston, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Galveston is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of 211.31 square miles (547.3 km2), with a population of 53,695 at the 2020 census, is the county seat of surrounding Galveston County and second-largest municipality in the county. It is also within the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area at its southern end on the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolivar Peninsula, Texas</span> CDP in Texas, United States

Bolivar Peninsula is a census-designated place (CDP) in Galveston County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,769 at the 2020 census. The communities of Port Bolivar, Crystal Beach, Caplen, Gilchrist, and High Island are located on Bolivar Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Arthur, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Port Arthur is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, 90 mi (140 km) east of Houston. Part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, Port Arthur lies primarily in Jefferson County, with a small, uninhabited extension in Orange County. The largest oil refinery in the United States, the Motiva Refinery, is located there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabine Lake</span> Estuary on the Texas–Louisiana border

Sabine Lake is a bay on the Gulf coasts of Texas and Louisiana, located approximately 90 miles (140 km) east of Houston and 160 miles (260 km) west of Baton Rouge, adjoining the city of Port Arthur. The lake is formed by the confluence of the Neches and Sabine Rivers and connects to the Gulf of Mexico through Sabine Pass. It forms part of the Texas–Louisiana border, falling within Jefferson and Orange Counties in Texas and Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabine Pass</span> Watercourse in United States of America

Sabine Pass is the natural outlet of Sabine Lake into the Gulf of Mexico. It borders Jefferson County, Texas, and Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast Texas</span> Region of Texas

Southeast Texas is a cultural and geographic region in the U.S. state of Texas, bordering Southwest Louisiana and its greater Acadiana region to the east. Being a part of East Texas, the region is geographically centered on the Greater Houston and Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan statistical areas with a combined population of 7,662,325 according to the 2020 U.S. census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galveston Bay</span> Estuary bay near Houston on the Texas Gulf Coast

Galveston Bay is a bay in the western Gulf of Mexico along the upper coast of Texas. It is the seventh-largest estuary in the United States, and the largest of seven major estuaries along the Texas Gulf Coast. It is connected to the Gulf of Mexico and is surrounded by sub-tropical marshes and prairies on the mainland. The water in the bay is a complex mixture of sea water and fresh water, which supports a wide variety of marine life. With a maximum depth of about 10 feet (3 m) and an average depth of only 6 feet (2 m), it is unusually shallow for its size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Bolivar, Texas</span> Unincorporated community in Texas, US

Port Bolivar is an unincorporated community located on the northern shore of the western tip of the Bolivar Peninsula, separated from Galveston Island by the entrance to Galveston Bay. The Bolivar Peninsula itself is a census-designated place, in Galveston County, Texas, United States, and part of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The entire peninsula was severely damaged during Hurricane Ike on September 13, 2008; re-building efforts were still continuing as late as 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Rita</span> Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 2005

Hurricane Rita was the most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Gulf of Mexico and the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. Part of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, which included three of the top ten most intense Atlantic hurricanes in terms of barometric pressure ever recorded, Rita was the seventeenth named storm, tenth hurricane, and fifth major hurricane of the 2005 season. It was also the earliest-forming 17th named storm in the Atlantic until Tropical Storm Rene in 2020. Rita formed near The Bahamas from a tropical wave on September 18, 2005 that originally developed off the coast of West Africa. It moved westward, and after passing through the Florida Straits, Rita entered an environment of abnormally warm waters. Moving west-northwest, it rapidly intensified to reach peak winds of 180 mph (285 km/h), achieving Category 5 status on September 21. However, it weakened to a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall in Johnson's Bayou, Louisiana, between Sabine Pass, Texas and Holly Beach, Louisiana, with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). Rapidly weakening over land, Rita degenerated into a large low-pressure area over the lower Mississippi Valley by September 26th.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnson Bayou, Louisiana</span> Unincorporated community in Louisiana, United States

Johnson Bayou is a small unincorporated community located on the Creole Nature Trail along the Gulf Coast in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is named after Daniel Johnson, who came to the area circa 1790. The village is a barrier island spread across coastal chenieres which were formed by deltaic sedimentation by the shifting of the Mississippi River. This geologic formation, the coastal cheniere, is found only in a few locations across the globe. The population of the community was approximately 400 before Hurricanes Laura and Delta devastated the community in August and October of 2020. By September of 2021 the population had recovered to almost 300.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crystal Beach, Texas</span> Unincorporated community in Texas, United States

Crystal Beach is an unincorporated community in the Bolivar Peninsula census-designated place, in Galveston County, Texas, United States. Also known as Patton, Crystal Beach stretches 7 miles (10 km) along Texas State Highway 87 in the middle of Bolivar Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas State Highway 87</span> State highway in Texas

State Highway 87 runs for 249.4 miles (401.4 km) between Galveston, Texas to U.S. Highway 59 and U.S. Highway 84 in Timpson, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilchrist, Texas</span> Town in Galveston County, Texas, United States

Gilchrist, Texas is an unincorporated residential community and beachfront resort along State Highway 87, located seventeen miles east of Bolivar Point in the Bolivar Peninsula census-designated place, in Galveston County, Texas, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Battle of Sabine Pass</span> Battle of the American world War

The First Battle of Sabine Pass, also known as the Bombardment of Fort Sabine, was the first American Civil War bombardment by the United States Navy of a Confederate fort below Sabine City It was the apex in a series of naval and land skirmishes around the mouth of the Sabine River, Texas, and preceded by four weeks the Union Navy's first armed entry into Galveston Bay called the Battle of Galveston Harbor. Besides strengthening the Union naval blockade of the Texas coastline, the shelling and capture of Sabine Pass was to deter Confederate ground forces from moving southwestward on the Texas coast to augment Galveston's defense. It was intended to open the way for the Union invasion of Texas, which almost a year later, was attempted by a combined force of Union naval and army forces at the Second Battle of Sabine Pass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas</span>

Hurricane Ike caused major destruction in Texas with crippling and long-lasting effects, including death, widespread damage, and impacts to the price and availability of oil and gas. Hurricane Ike also had a long-term impact on the U.S. economy. Making landfall over Galveston as a Category 2 hurricane, at 2:10 a.m. CDT on September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike caused extensive damage in Texas, with sustained winds of 110 mph (180 km/h), a 22 ft (6.7 m) storm surge, and widespread coastal flooding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ike Dike</span> Proposed Galveston Bay, Texas storm surge protection project

The Ike Dike is a proposed coastal barrier that, when completed, would protect the Galveston Bay in Texas, United States. The project would be a dramatic enhancement of the existing Galveston Seawall, complete with floodgates, which would protect more of Galveston, the Bolivar Peninsula, the Galveston Bay Area, and Houston. The barrier would extend across Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula and would provide a barrier against all Gulf surges into the bay. The project is primarily the suggestion of Dr. Bill Merrell of Texas A&M University at Galveston. The Ike Dike would be able to withstand a 10000 year storm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Galveston, Texas</span> History of a city in Texas, US

The history of Galveston, Texas, begins with the archaeological record of Native Americans who used the island. The first European settlements on the island were constructed around 1816. The Port of Galveston was established in 1825 by the Congress of Mexico following its successful revolution from Spain. The city served as the main port for the Texas Navy during the Texas Revolution. Galveston was founded in 1836 by Michel Menard, Samuel May Williams, and Thomas F. McKinney, and briefly served as the capital of the Republic of Texas. The Battle of Galveston was fought in Galveston Bay during the American Civil War when Confederate forces under Major General John B. Magruder attacked and expelled occupying Union troops from the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas oil boom</span> Period of change and economic growth in Texas

The Texas oil boom, sometimes called the gusher age, was a period of dramatic change and economic growth in the U.S. state of Texas during the early 20th century that began with the discovery of a large petroleum reserve near Beaumont, Texas. The find was unprecedented in its size (worldwide) and ushered in an age of rapid regional development and industrialization that has few parallels in U.S. history. Texas quickly became one of the leading oil-producing states in the U.S., along with Oklahoma and California; soon the nation overtook the Russian Empire as the top producer of petroleum. By 1940 Texas had come to dominate U.S. production. Some historians even define the beginning of the world's Oil Age as the beginning of this era in Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Bay (Texas)</span>

East Bay also known as East Galveston Bay, is the eastern extension of Galveston Bay found in Chambers County, Texas. The bay is oriented northeast to southwest, and is approximately five miles wide and twenty miles in length. It covers the area north of the entire Bolivar Peninsula, and south of mainland Texas, including the small community of Smith Point at the western extreme. The bay's one extension is Rollover Bay, which is found to the extreme east near the town of Gilchrist.

References

  1. Sabine Pass community-Retrieved 2013-09-11
  2. Port Arthur history- Retrieved 2013-09-18
  3. WT Block: First settlers of Sabine Pass- Retrieved 2013-09-17
  4. Robert Wooster, "EVERITT, STEPHEN HENDRICKSON," Handbook of Texas Online - accessed September 18, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association
  5. Louisiana Sportsman; Garrison Ridge location- Retrieved 2013-09-13
  6. Robert Wooster, "BEVIL, JOHN," Handbook of Texas Online , accessed September 13, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association
  7. "First" Sabine Pass townsite- Retrieved 2013-09-17
  8. Old and New; Port Arthur- Retrieved 2013-09-18
  9. [Thomas W. Cutrer, "SMITH, NILES F.," Handbook of Texas Online - accessed September 15, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.]- Retrieved 2013-09-17
  10. tshaonline "Houston for president"- Retrieved 201309-18
  11. city of "Sabine" or "City of Sabine"?- Retrieved 2013-09-18
  12. Sabine City- Retrieved 2013-09-17
  13. Sabine Pass incorporated- Retrieved 2013-09-18
  14. Robert Wooster, "SABINE PASS, TX," Handbook of Texas Online , accessed September 18, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association
  15. Robert Wooster, "FORT GRIFFIN," Handbook of Texas Online , accessed September 13, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association-Retrieved 2013-09-17
  16. 1 2 3 4 Horswell, Cindy. "Holes left in wake of storms: Ike hit before some Texas communities recovered from Rita." McClatchy - Tribune Business News . January 19, 2009. Available at ProQuest, document ID 456273366 "This community was targeted for special help after Rita left only 20 percent of the 225 homes livable, and Ike left even fewer three years later, said Adam Saunders, a spokesman for Port Arthur, which annexed the community."
  17. TV.com; After the Storm- Texas, Extreme makeover- Retrieved 2013-09-13
  18. TV.MSN: Extreme Makeover; After-the-Storm-Texas Archived 2014-07-19 at the Wayback Machine - Retrieved 2013-09-13
  19. NOAA
  20. NOAA hurricane guide
  21. New fire station; the 3rd time- Posted 2013-08-07; Retrieved 2013-09-13
  22. "Office Location - SABINE PASS- Retrieved on August 22, 2010.
  23. Texas Education Code, Section 130.179, "Galveston College District Service Area Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ".