Baytown, Texas, Chambers/Harris Counties. (original) (raw)

Baytown's 50th Anniversary commemorated in a handsome tile design in front of the former post office, now the Baytown Historical Museum
Photo by John Troesser, 2003

History in a Seashell

Nathaniel Lynch set up a ferry crossing at the San Jacinto River and Buffalo Bayou in 1822. The ferry is still running today - across what is now the Houston Ship Channel. Lynch's Ferry was burned by Sam Houston just prior to the Battle of San Jacinto to prevent retreat. An embryo community consisting of a store and sawmill was formed under the name Bay Town.

Later settlers included Doctor Ashbel Smith, Mrs. Anson Jones, David G. Burnet, and Sam Houston.

At the outbreak of the Civil War the Bayland Guards were formed by Dr. Smith and the unit saw action at Shiloh and Vicksburg.

For the later part of the 19th century the area was remote and isolated. The most popular entry into the area was by boat. With the discovery of oil - the isolation was about to change.

A timeline of Baytown significant events after the discovery of oil

1908: Oil is discovered near Tabbs Bay.
1916: Goose Creek oilfield becomes famous as the first offshore drilling operation in Texas.
1917: The towns of Pelly and Goose Creek develop.
1919: The Humble Oil and Refining Company is born. Company names the site Baytown.
1923: Streets laid out and utilities furnished.
1947: Pelly and Goose Creek merge and choose the name Baytown. Population - 20,958
1948: On January 24, 1948, the city of Baytown is officially established.

See
Baytown is so refined by Wanda Orton
On April 16, 1919, Humble Oil & Refining Co. engineers arrived in Baytown, armed with boots and blueprints

Those boots were made for walking in soggy, muddy, marshy ground while blueprints were for a construction project envisioned by Humble Oil president Ross S. Sterling and the company directors. What better place to build an oil refinery, they decided, given the proximity to the Goose Creek oil field, Houston Ship Channel and the corporate headquarters in Houston... more

Tunnels Baytown was served by two tunnels:
The Washburn and
the Baytown-La Port Tunnel.

Baytown Hotels - Book Here

Baytown, Texas

Landmarks / Attractions

Spaning the Houston Ship Channel
Photo courtesy Ken Rudine, October 2007

Vintage photo courtesy Wooster Family Files

The former Goose Creek Jail
Photo by John Troesser, 2003
More Texas Jails

Baytown's Brunson Theatre
Photo by John Troesser, 2003
More Texas Theatres

Mementos of the oil industry are still present
Detail on the Brunson Theatre
Photo by John Troesser, 2003

Baytown, Texas History / People

• Memories of Preston L. Pendergrass by Wanda Orton
• Like Zelig, Ashbel Smith was everywhere by Wanda Orton
• Summer of '52 at The Baytown Sun by Wanda Orton
  The newly dedicated state historical marker at The Baytown Sun seems to be recharging my memory battery, so fasten your seat belts - here I go again... more
• Baytown Sun Roots by Wanda Orton
• Boat races in bay area go back to the 1800s by Wanda Orton
  Pioneers of this bay area around Baytown and La Porte sailed through the 1800s, with nearly all residents owning boats or having access to them. There was no other way to get around - boating was a matter of necessity. The waterways were the highways. more
• Lynchburg Ferry: Baytown had it first by Wanda Orton
  Just when it seemed local history held no more surprises, I read that the original Lynchburg Ferry was not in Lynchburg. It was on Crystal Bay in present-day Baytown... more
• Ups and downs of write-ups by Wanda Orton
  From 17 to 82. That's my age range for writing columns for The Baytown Sun, from a senior in high school to a senior in retirement... more
• From Boom Town to Baytown by Wand Orton
  ...Go back to a hot summer day a century ago in the Goose Creek oil field, where contractor Charlie Mitchell is drilling on John Gaillard's land... more
• USS Indianapolis sank 70 years ago by Wanda Orton
  July 30 will be a date to remember in World War II-- the 70th anniversary of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, the worst sea disaster in U.S. history. Casualties included a Baytown man, Marvin Baker, after whom Baker Road is named... more
• Nagasaki Bombardier Worked in Baytown by Wanda Orton
• Three Civil War vets were doctors in Baytown area by Wanda Orton
• The death of a subdivision by Wanda Orton
  The death of subdivision Brownwood in Baytown. The killer was Hurricane Alicia in '83.
• Safe haven in a hurricane by Wanda Orton
• Be it ever so �umble by Wanda Orton
  It�s not just a name. Humble Oil & Refining Co. is our link to the past, a reminder not only of a refinery but of its community house, tennis courts, golf course, dorm, commissary, hospital, health clinic, credit union, semi-pro baseball park and an entire neighborhood called the Company Addition. It was �umble that built Baytown...
• Hughes Who in Oil Field by Wanda Orton
  How did Hughes Tool Co. evolve into an icon in industry? The Goose Creek oil field at Baytown had something to do with it.
• La Tipica by Wanda Orton
  An all-girl orchestra composed of talented and well-trained students from Baytown�s Mexican community -- played an important role in local musical entertainment from here to California.
• Retired Seed Company Exec Remembers Mentor by Wanda Orton
  While attending high school and during summer breaks from Texas A&M University, Bernard Selensky had yet another school of learning. The late Neil Burnside, a Baytown rice farmer, was his educator out in the field... more
• Joe Tex by Clay Coppedge
  "A singer that critic John Morthland of Texas Monthly called 'by far Texas' greatest contributor to soul music.' ...
  Joe Tex belongs, in the mind of most Texans, to either Baytown, where his music career began, or Navasota, where it ended." more
• Cliff notes on �Perils of Nyoka� by Wanda Orton
  Hadn�t thought of �Perils of Nyoka� in years until a friend mentioned that �Jurassic Park 2� reminded her of the riveting serial that drew us to the picture show every Saturday. So taken were we kids with these cliffhangers that we relived them every school day during recess...
  
• Keeping Up with the Anson Joneses by Wanda Orton
  The Jones family moved to Goose Creek before the Civil War in the wake of a tragedy. Suffering from severe bouts of depression after Texas became a state, Anson Jones committed suicide in 1858 at the Capitol Hotel (site of the future Rice Hotel) on Main Street in Houston.
  Survivors included wife Mary and four children, Charles Elliott, Sam Edward, Cromwell Anson, and Sallie.... more
• Island Hogs a Lot of History by Wanda Orton
• Hog Island Dream by Wanda Orton
• Gary Busey
  "Did you know that movie actor Gary Busey is from Baytown? In case his name doesn't ring a bell he won an acadamy award for his portrayal of Buddy Holly. He was totally believable and he even learned to play a pretty good guitar while researching his part. He and the movie band did several concerts after the movie was made. His Texas accent came naturally." - George Lester

Baytown Tourist Information
Baytown Chamber of Commerce - 281-422-8359
4721 Garth Road, Suite C, Baytown, TX 77521
http://www.baytownchamber.com/ Book Hotel Here › Baytown Hotels

Baytown, Texas Forum

• Subject: Washburn Tunnel
  The Washburn Tunnel is still in use. I frequently drive thru going to I -10 from Pasadena....Hwy 225. It still has the same cleaning hours it did when I was a child. You would have to wait till they were finished to get thru.
  I also remember when I was a child my Dad would always buy us candy at the local ice house on the Pasadena side. I am a native Houstonian. Have lived in Baytown for the last 35 yrs. Thank You. I have enjoyed your website greatly. - Jody McDonald, March 21, 2004
• Subject: Baytown tunnel not same as Washburn Tunnel
  I grew up within several miles of the Baytown tunnel. As I recall, the Washburn Tunnel was NOT the same as this one, but ANOTHER tunnel further upstream, under the Houston Ship Channel or some bayou connecting to it -- i.e. the latter was known as the Pasadena (or Galena Park?) Washburn tunnel. The Baytown / LaPorte tunnel was roundish in cross-section, while the Washburn tunnel was rectangular in cross-section. - Paul Comeaux, July 16, 2003

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