Sabine, Texas. (original) (raw)

Map showing City of Sabine
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

History in a Pecan Shell

The town of Sabine Pass was well-established by 1878. Investors from New York decided to start a new town and dug a six foot channel to connect their new town to the Gulf. A resort hotel opened and the town was the terminus for the Sabine and East Texas railroad. Storms were taken in stride, but particularly destructive ones in 1886 and 1900 hit the area hard and discouraged investment.

Beaumont and Port Arthur offered better docking and maritime amenities, to say nothing of the entertainment options, so arriving ships sailed right past Sabine to the brighter lights.

A post office opened in 1899. The Texas and New Orleans Railroad came in to use the existing rails and there were 300 people who mostly made a living fishing, mining sulphur, or engaging in what limited commerce was there. By 1925 the population had increased to 400.

In 1933 the railroad was dismantled.and by the late 40s the population had declined to 250. By 1960 it had declined to only 100 with one business reported. Latest population estimate was 75 from 1972 to 1988.

The 1856 Sabine Pass Lighthouse
TE photo, March 2007

Old postcard of Windsor Hotel in Sabine

Sabine before Hurricanes Rita and Ike
Photo courtesy Bryan D Reynolds, 2005

Sabine before Hurricanes Rita and Ike
Photo courtesy Bryan D Reynolds, 2005

	Vintage area map showing railroad terminus at Sabine "City" Courtesy of Museum of Gulf Coast

	Residents of Sabine TE Photo

The Old Sabine Pass Lighthouse is included in this oil painting that now hangs in Port Arthur's Museum of the Gulf Coast
TE Photo 2003

| Sabine is featured in T. Lindsay Baker 's "More Ghost Towns of Texas."Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history and vintage/historic photos, please contact us. | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | |