Freeport Texas and Freeport Hotels Motels. (original) (raw)

Brazos River Flood Gate
Photo courtesy Ken Rudine, July 2007

History in a Pecan Shell

The city now includes what had once been the site of Old Velasco, a historic port that was devastated by the hurricane of 1900. Freeport was planned by the Freeport Sulphur Company (a mining operation) and has a founding date of November, 1912.

An industrial town from its very beginning, Freeport shipped sulphur, provided oil storage tanks and was headquarters for the Houston and Brazos Valley Railroad. The town had a school in 1913, albeit a one-room building. In 1914 the town shipped oysters and had built a bank, hotel and printed a newspaper.

Incorporated in 1917, the town had a population of 3,500 just before the Great Depression. The strength of the town's industry allowed it to gain population during the 30s - rising to over 4,000 residents. Expansion of the Dow Chemical Company and formation of the Brazosport industrial area increased the population to 6,008 by 1952.

Old Velasco was incorporated into Freeport in 1957 and in the early 1960s, Freeport's population was over 11,0000. Freeport is also home port to one of the Gulf's largest commercial shrimp fleets. The population was listed as 12,708 for the 2000 census.

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