Texas Historical Marker #00337
Bay City Library. Organized in 1912, the Bay City Public Library was first housed in the J. P. Keller Insurance Company office. The non-profit Bay City Library Association, also formed in 1912, spearheaded community fund raising efforts to operate the library. Land was purchased in 1913, and a library building was completed in 1914. The first librarian was Miss Josephine McCullough. A new library building was constructed in 1958, and a friends of the library organization was formed in 1977. The Bay City library became part of the Texas state library system in 1987. (1989) #337
1900 Fifth St, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00388
Bethel Baptist Church. Lacking church facilities in their "North-end" African American neighborhood, Harris and Maria Anderson began to hold lay services in their home about 1904. They built a brush arbor and in 1905 organized the Bethel Baptist Church with the Rev. Joe Wren as its first pastor. The church met in a building relocated to this site in 1906. The congregation erected its first sanctuary here in 1910. It was eventually razed and replaced with a brick church building in 1954. The church has maintained a tradition of pride in its facilities and continues to serve the community. (1993) #388
1200 Ave C, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01728
First High School in Bay City. Site of the first high school in Bay City, Texas Jefferson Davis High School named by the E. S. Rugeley Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy. Front side: Bay City High School Dr. B.E. Simons D.P. Moore A.D. Hensley J.L. Gartrell Trustess G.B. Harris W.E. Harris W.S. Holman Left Side: Erected 1905 C.H. Page Jr., Architect; J.W. White and O.E. Hatchett, Builders #1728
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #02511
Holman House. Spanish-American war veteran and Matagorda county judge (1908-1914) William Shields Holman and his wife Louise (Kaulbach) built this house in 1908-09. Designed by A.W. Large and constructed by contractor H. Speckles, the house is an excellent example of queen anne styling. It features asymmetrical composition, an elaborate roofscape, corner tower, wraparound porch, and varying textures on its wall surfaces. It remained in the Holman family until 1978. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1994 #2511
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #15246
Rugeley Building (Old City Bank). #15246
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #13452
Holy Cross Catholic Church. In May 1847, the Catholic church established a new frontier diocese in Galveston. During the next several years, many Polish Catholic immigrants moved to Matagorda County, and priests from nearby towns visited their small community, known as St. Francisville. In the latter part of the 19th century, Louisiana Thompson Bowie was instrumental in bringing the priests to deliver Mass to area residents. Born to Anna Taliferro and Elbert A. Thompson in 1848, Louisiana grew up across Caney Creek from Harris Walker Bowie, whom she married. On April 13, 1895, while in New Orleans, she was baptized into the Catholic faith at Immaculate Conception parish. Back in Texas, at her home on the Bowie Plantation, she arranged for priests to stay with her family and traveled with them to the church in St. Francisville. Bay City became Matagorda County's seat of government in 1895, and visiting priests held Mass in the courthouse or in private homes. Monsignor Jacob B. Schnetzer became priest for the Bay City area in 1907, by which time the Bowies lived in the growing town; Schnetzer stayed in their home. In March 1907, he bought lots at Avenue M and Fifth Street to build a sanctuary for the Bay City parish. Designed by prominent Galveston architect Nicholas Clayton, the structure served the congregation for many years. As the church grew during the 20th century, it built new facilties, including a rectory, school, new sanctuary and other facilities. Today, Holy Cross Catholic Church offers worship and education programs and connects its members to their faith and to their history. #13452
2001 Katy Ave, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #05320
Daily Tribune and Matagorda County Tribune. Publication of this newspaper, one of the oldest in the state still in operation, began about 1845 in the nearby town of Matagorda (22 miles south). The business was moved to Bay City in the 1890's, soon after the town was named the new county seat of Matagorda county. Major events covered by the paper include several hurricanes and a yellow fever epidemic of the 1870's. A list of the publishers is inscribed on the reverse of this marker. The present owners, Bay City Newspapers, Inc., assumed ownership in 1958. (1981) #5320
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00339
Bay City Post Office. An election in the fall of 1894 resulted in the relocation of the Matagorda county seat from the city of Matagorda to Bay Prairie (now Bay City). D. P. Moore, the postmaster at the nearby small town of Elliott, owned property in the new town and moved his dry goods store to Bay City in 1894. His nephew, Joseph D. Moore, became Bay City's first postmaster. In 1912 D. P. Moore sold his property to the United States government for a new post office building. Contractor W. B. Lovell broke ground for the post office in 1917 and the building opened to the public on May 15, 1918. An addition built in 1958 provided extra working space and a loading dock at the rear of the structure. This building continued to serve the Bay City community as a post office until 1989. During that time it also served as a town meeting place, the site of the Selective Service Board during World War II, a Civil Defense fallout shelter, and a place of refuge from storms and hurricanes. On October 30, 1990, after several months of negotiations with the United States Postal Service, the Matagorda County Museum Association purchased the building to house the Matagorda County Museum. (1992) #339
2100 Ave F, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00774
Cedarvale Cemetery. The Cedarvale Cemetery traces its history to 1896, when Rufus A. Mathis was killed in a hunting accident and buried on land owned by D. P. Moore. At the time of his death, Mathis and other community leaders were in the process of establishing a cemetery for the community. Moore officially deeded four acres of land for a cemetery on March 14, 1896. By 1906 the Cedarvale Cemetery Association was established to care for the cemetery and subsequent purchases were made to enlarge the burial grounds. Many of Bay City's early settlers are buried here. (1992) #774
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01145
D. P. and Louise Moore House. Dolph Phenias (D. P.) Moore (1852-1928) moved to Matagorda County in 1869. He married Louise Wendel in 1879 and together they reared ten children. A successful merchant, rancher, and landowner, Moore sold the land on which the town of Bay City was platted in 1894. He moved his family to Bay City that year. Local contractors Hatchett and Large built this 15-room Queen Anne style house for the Moores in 1902. A prominent civic leader, Moore was instrumental in bringing railroads to Bay City and in the development of the area's rice industry. He donated land for Cedarvale Cemetery and park. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1995 #1145
5th Street, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01461
Elliott's Ferry. During the early days of Anglo-American colonization in Texas, the Matagorda Bay Prairie area was an important route for people traveling between settlements. A convenient river crossing was a necessity, and a ferry was established on the Thomas Cayce league of land near this site. Known as Cayce's Ferry, the site was garrisoned by a small army post. In January 1839 George Elliott (1806-1862) purchased land on the west bank of the Colorado River from Thomas Cayce, and from that time the ferry crossing was known as Elliott's Ferry. George Elliott was assisted in his endeavors by two nephews, William Elliott and John Elliott, who continued the ferry business after George Elliott's death. By 1863 a small settlement had grown up around Elliott's Ferry. A small mercantile business and a post office known as Elliott's Ferry, Texas, were in operation in 1872. In 1893 the post office name was changed to Elliott, Texas, and a year later was moved to Bay City. In 1902 a bridge was built over the Colorado River two miles northwest of Bay City. Known as the "Old River Bridge", its completion resulted in the demise of Elliott's Ferry. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986 #1461
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01868
Ira Ingram, First Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. Born in Vermont. Came to Texas in 1824. Worked to establish the Republic. Represented Matagorda in the First Congress of the Republic where he served as speaker, Oct. 1836 to April 1837. At his death in Sept. 1837 left $70,000 to schools in Matagorda. Since Ingram's term, 62 men have served Texas as speaker. Five have gone on to become governor. One, Sam Rayburn, became Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and served 21 years in that office. The speaker, elected from the 150 members of the house, is one of the most powerful men in state government -- being third in line of succession to the governorship. Through his power of appointment of the 41 standing committees, and a presiding officer, he directs the course of legislation. He is chairman of the Legislative Audit Committee; vice-chairman of the Legislative Budget Board; and vice-chairman of the Texas Legislative Council. He signs all legislative acts and resolutions, appoints conference and interim committees, and performs many administrative duties spanning his two year term. (1965) #1868
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #14571
City Hall and Fire Station, 1928. #14571
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #02938
Kilbridge - Barkley House. Prominent ranchers, merchants, and civic leaders Edward John and Ann Elizabeth (Holt) Kilbride built this classical revival style house in 1910-11. The house is a good example of large scale residential properties built in the early 20th century. Its elaborate rear porch design resulted from its proximity to the bay. The Kilbrides' daughter, Margaret Kilbride Barkley, inherited the house in 1939. The site of many social events, the house remained in the Barkley family until 1992. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1994 #2938
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12067
M. S. and Cora Alice Perry House. An architectural hybrid incorporating colonial revival and Queen Anne style elements, the M. S. (1872-1919) and Cora Alice (1883-1970) Perry House was erected in 1917 and 1918. A prominent community leader, Perry was the principle owner of Le Tulle Mercantile Co. The Perrys designed the home with their builder, George Schultz. The home, intended to resist turbulent coastal weather, was constructed of layered 1" x 12" boards and concrete stucco. After years as apartments, it was restored in the 70s. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1997 #12067
2504 Ave. I, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #03689
Old Bay City Bank. Established 1898, four years after founding of Bay City. Private bank. Owners: Henry Rugeley, Frank Hawkins. This building erected 1903, site of many investment transactions important to Texas Gulf Coast development. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1965 #3689
2044 Ave F, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #13113
Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church. Tradition holds that slaves from nearby plantations once gathered together in worship in the Lower Caney Creek area. These men and women continued their services after the close of the Civil War and by 1885 acquired land at this site. Under the Rev. Anthony Morton (Martin), church members built a sanctuary here. For the next several decades, the building served as a place of worship, as well as a community school until circa 1930. Although area population declined during the 20th century, the congregation remains a symbol of the community's religious history. Its sanctuary and cemetery are visible links to generations of area families. (2005) #13113
FM 457, CR 151, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #15346
Saint Mark's Episcopal Church (Bay City). #15346
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12066
Morton House. Designed by San Antonio architect Addis Noonan and built by local contractor O. E. Hatchett in 1927-1928, the Morton House is an unusual brick house with mission and Spanish influences. The structure's distinctive features include a brick parapet, tile awnings, classical columns at the main entry door with sidelights, a flat roof and a second-floor covered porch. This was the home of Dr. Albert S. Morton and his wife, Genevieve (Sharpless), a nurse. The family owned the house until 1982. In 1989 it was purchased by the Methodist Church, in which the Mortons were active. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1999 #12066
2317 Avenue G, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12070
Vine Grove Christian Church. After the 1865 Emancipation Proclamation, many of the more than 100 slave who once farmed cotton and sugar cane for John L. Thorpe remain on former plantation land, forming the Live Oak community. In 1867 Joseph Yeaman, a white schoolteacher helped organize the Grapevine church, serving as its first pastor. The first church building was a log cabin with a dirt floor. By 1895 the church was known as the Mission Home School, later becoming the Vine Grove Christian Church. The congregation continues to uphold the values and traditions of its founders. (1998) #12070
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #15555
Lukefahr School Community. In 1910, Casper Lukefahr came with family to this area from Nebraska. He donated property (1 mi. W) for a community school, which was named for him. The school was open until 1939, when the common school district of which it was part consolidated with Van Vleck School District. A rural community developed around the building, which housed primary school students and also functioned as a community center. Residents came to the schoolhouse regularly for church and revival services, and social activities. By 1939, the school districts across the county consolidated into five independent school districts, leading to the decline of this and other rural communities. #15555
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12050
Bay City U.S.O. Building. Erected in 1941 on land loaned by the Pierce Estate to serve both local citizens and World War ll military personnel at Camp Hulen in nearby Palacios, this is one of 16 United Service Organization (U.S.O.) facilities built that year in Texas, Arizona, and Oklahoma. A coordinating council was formed that year to create a community center; Bay City citizens and businesses generously contributed to the U.S.O. project. Dedicated in 1942, the center hosted groups such as the Women's Auxiliary and Girls Service Organization. Records showed 11,289 civilians served as leaders and program assistants; programs were attended by 150,230 service personnel and 222,509 civilians. The facility was operated by the Y.M.C.A. and a local committee under the auspices of the U.S.O., which terminated its operations in 1945. The property on the north side of the block and the building were deeded to Bay City Post No. 11, the American Legion that year. Post No. 11 initiated long-term leases with the city of Bay City to maintain the building and continue its operation as a community center of the five Gulf Coast U.S.O buildings constructed early in the war, this is the only one left standing. A meeting place and city center, the building continues to be an active and vital part of the community. Constructed according to standardized plans and finished in a brick veneer through the generosity of the Bay City Gas Company, the buff brick building features a u-plan wing housing meeting rooms, a refreshment area, locker room, darkroom and a large auditorium. The building reflects the influences of the international style with banded windows, industrial sash, cantilevered overhangs and a flat roof of articulated massing. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark -1999 #12050
2105 Ave M, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00295
Bandstand. Built by subscribed funds, about 1907. Stage for city's patriotic, political rallies, entertainments, concerts by city band, made up of music lovers of all ages, talents. Once on southeast, then southwest corner of court square. Moved here in 1963. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1967 #295
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01614
First Baptist Church of Bay City. Members of Trespalacios Baptist Church, a Matagorda County congregation established in the early 1850s, organized a Baptist church in the nearby community of Red Bluff in 1889. In 1895 they moved the church to the new county seat of Bay City, changed the name to First Baptist Church of Bay City, and joined the Colorado Baptist Association. In its early years the congregation met in a commercial building and the Methodist Church building and participated in a Union school with other local denominations. The Rev. J. H. Thorn became the first full-time pastor in 1903, the year the congregation erected its first sanctuary. The building, destroyed in a 1909 hurricane, was replaced with a tabernacle and later with a brick structure at this site in 1915. The congregation completed an auditorium in 1941 and an education addition to its sanctuary in 1947. First Baptist church was instrumental in the establishment of Cavalry Baptist Church in 1947 and Emmanuel Mexican Mission which it sponsored from 1930 to 1989. Active in community outreach programs, the church opened a child development center in 1979 and an educational center in 1987. First Baptist Church continues to serve the community with a variety of ministries.(1994) #1614
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01828
First Presbyterian Church of Bay City. Within a year of becoming one of Bay City's original settlers in 1894, Alexander D. Hensley organized an interdenominational Sabbath school with the help of Gilford M. Magill. Early religious services were held in the county courthouse and in a community center. In 1898 Hensley, Magill, and others drafted and signed a Presbyterian Church covenant to formally organize this congregation. First Presbyterian was enrolled as a member of the Brazos Presbytery later that year. Hensley is also credited with the organization of the Mexican-American Presbyterian Church in Bay City. Actively interested in that congregation, he taught Sunday School classes in Spanish there for many years. Pastors assigned to First Presbyterian Church by the Brazos Presbytery held few services in Bay City, and in 1903 the relationship was dissolved. The congregation built its first church building nearby in 1903 with the Rev. George Wallace Story serving as pastor. The frame sanctuary served the congregation until 1936 when a new brick sanctuary was constructed at this site. Church facilities have expanded over the years to meet the demands of a growing congregation. First Presbyterian continues to provide religious guidance for members of the community. (1994) #1828
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #02455
Hensley - Gusman House. Alexander D. Hensley (1859-1947) purchased land at this site in January 1898. With his wife Maggie (1875-1960), he asked his brother, architect Henry Hensley, to design this house to catch breezes from any direction. Built in 1905 by the Alamo Lumber Company, the house is a fine local example of a Victorian-era residence, with stylistic influences of the Queen Anne period. It features a distinctive octagonal plan, with porches providing additional spaces to complete the octagon. Because of its unusual floor plan, the house's central living room contains eight doors but no windows; four of the doors open onto the corner porches. Prominent features include a cross-gable roof with wood shingled gable ends, and decorative wood brackets at cutaway corners above corner windows. The original wooden porch floors were replaced with concrete in the 1930s, but the decorative wood columns and doors remain. Retail salesman James Robert Gusman (1862-1944), his wife Bettie Amanda Harrington (1864-1948) and their children moved to Bay City from Weimar in 1911. They bought the house from the Hensley's in 1919, and it remained in their family for generations. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1993 #2455
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #03481
Mother Zion Missionary Baptist Church. The Rev. Basil Tolson, an African American farmer in eastern Matagorda county, joined with his neighbors in 1887 to form a Baptist congregation which they named Mount Zion Baptist Church. Tolson was elected pastor, and served the congregation until he moved to Bay City in 1905. In 1906 Tolson led a small group of people in organizing mother Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Bay City. Charter members of the church included Isaac Wiggins, Manuel Mills, Simon White, Martin Hardin, Allen Frazier, John Tolson, Birdie Tolson, Harriet Peters, Nellie White, George Edward McNeel, and Amanda Tolson. The Rev. Basil Tolson served as first pastor of the congregation, and his brother, John Tolson, was elected superintendent of the Sunday School. The Congregation's First Sanctuary, built in 1907 by the Alamo Lumber company, was destroyed in a 1909 hurricane. The members quickly rebuilt, however, and eventually erected larger structures to house church programs. Throughout its history, the church has been active in community and foreign outreach programs, including aid to the poor and educational programs for youth. The church continues to play an integral role in the religious life of Bay City citizens. (1994) #3481
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #04750
Site of Caney Post Office. In its vicinity members of Austin's colony established pioneer sugar plantations. #4750
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12731
Site of Hilliard High School. Site of Hilliard High School The Bay City African American community established a school in the 1890s, and A.A. Deleon served as its first teacher. Three others, A.G. Hilliard, A.P. Allen and J.J. Grundy, began shortly after the school opened. By 1904, the school's enrollment had outgrown the first building, so the community attained a larger one. The new school, a two-story frame structure, was named after noted educator Booker T. Washington and was adopted by the Bay City School District in 1905. By 1926, there were 225 students and only four teachers. Hilliard continued as teacher and later as principal at the school. Born in Georgia in 1863, he came to Texas in 1871 with his parents, Bunk and Mary, former slaves who strongly valued education. After his graduation from the Oakland Normal School, which opened in Gonzales in 1882 to train African American teachers, Mary encouraged her son to continue his education at Prairie View State Normal College. He taught in Bay City for 28 of his 48 years in education. He died in 1936 and is buried in Bay City's Eastview Cemetery with his wife Pearl. Recognizing Hilliard's contribution to the school, the board of trustees renamed it Hilliard High School after he died. His son A.G. Hilliard II (d. 1983) then became principal. The ever-growing school needed a new buidling by the 1940s. Acclaimed architect Wyatt C. Hedrick designed a new facility, finished in 1948 at this site, where it served as Hilliard High School until 1967. The district then used it for two years as a junior high. Over the years, the school produced two state champion football teams and many other award-winning students, reflecting the community's pride and goals for its children. (2002) #12731
1300 LeTulle Street, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12716
First Berean Missionary Baptist Church. First Berean Missionary Baptist Church The congregation of the First Berean Missionary Baptist Church began formally meeting after emancipation in 1865. Members held worship services in homes, under trees and in a local school before building their first house of worship. The church grew around the community known as Van, African, King Vann and Vann Settlement, located in Buckner's Prairie, which was named for Aylett C. "Strap" Buckner (d. 1832), an old three hundred colonist and Texas folklore hero. Church members also came from the nearby sugar land community on Buckner's Prairie. The congregation built its first sanctuary in 1896 on land sold for five dollars by Odo and Fatuma Van (Vann), both born in Africa before being captured and sold into slavery. The church's first pastor was the Rev. Anthony Martin. At this same time, congregational members named themselves Berean Missionary Baptist Church for a mission site in Greece. After purchasing an acre of land for a new sanctuary in 1951, the Berean Baptist Church, as it was often known, held its first service in the new structure in 1953. The congregation incorporated in 1993 as the First Berean Missionary Baptist Church. For more than 100 years, the church has provided the area with an assembly site, a school and a place for community communications. At the turn of the 20th century, the congregation had new facilities and continued its mission through its outreach, educational programs and music ministries. (2002) #12716
approx. 16 mi. SE of Bay City to FM 457, then W on FM 521 to Hawkinsville Rd., Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12504
First Christian Church of Bay City. In 1894, the Bay City Town Company established the town of Bay City on Bay Prairie between the Colorado River and Caney Creek. As families moved to the new townsite, religious institutions, businesses and schools were established to serve the growing population. On April 4, 1904, trustees W. T. Goode, J. E. May and William Cash purchased several lots in town on which to construct the first permanent house of worship for the First Christian Church of Bay City. The First Christian Church building served as sanctuary, church school and social center for the new congregation until its destruction in a 1909 hurricane. Members of the church rebuilt their sanctuary and continued their traditions of worship and evangelism, including sponsoring an inter-denominational revival meeting in 1912. In 1939, they purchased and relocated a chapel and community center formerly owned by The Texas Gulf Sulphur Company in Old Gulf (16 mi. S) for their use. A period of growth in the 1940s-50s led to the purchase of additional land in 1954 and the construction of a larger sanctuary in 1960. Members of the First Christian Church of Bay City have included civic leaders, leaders in the Disciples of Christ denomination, talented musicians, and several who have gone into the ordained ministry. The congregation provides assistance to those in the community in need, as it continues to reflect the ideals and traditions of its founders. (2001) #12504
3920 Doris St., Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #03251
Matagorda County. Organized March 6, 1834, into the Mexican municipality of Matagorda created a county of the same name in 1836, organized in 1837. Named for the Bay on which it fronts. County seat, Matagorda 1837-1894 Bay City, since. #3251
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #03254
Matagorda, C.S.A.. Near the mouth of the Colorado River, 20 miles to the south, is the town of Matagorda, the second most important Port of entry in early Texas. In the Civil War, center for rich farmlands and one of 8 Texas ports that blockade runners used for taking out tons of cotton while delivering to the confederacy guns, munitions, clothing and other vital goods. By reason of the declared blackade, the federals claims to hold Matagorda, yet their own ships had to refuel (even to supplies of drinking water) in New Orleans. When a blockader's crew went ashore near Matagorda, on November 20, 1862, confederates captured every man. By hit-and-run tactics, federals destroyed salt works and other propert, but found Matagorda Peninsula impossible to occupy. On December 30, 1863, C.S.A. cottonclads (ships bulwarked with cotton bales in which guns were set) moved men out of Matagorda to expel a federal unit from a beach below confederate works at Caney Creek. When troops were trying to land, a sudden norther lashed the bay and swamped their skiffs. Before the ships could pick them up, 22 men died by drowning or freezing. In the tragedy, the troop commander, Capt. E.S. Rugeley lost his own 17-year-old brother. #3254
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #04635
Selkirk Island. William Selkirk (1792-1830), one of Stephen F. Austin's original "Old three hundred" settlers, came to Texas from New York in 1822. Selkirk was a surveyor for the Austin colony and served in the colonial Militia. He was part of a group sent (1824) by Austin to make a treaty with the Waco and Tawakoni Indians. His grant of land, known as Selkirk Island, was among the first issued by the Mexican government to American colonists in 1824. Ownership of the property has remained in his family since that time. Selkirk's descendants have been prominent civic and business leaders in Matagorda and Galveston counties. Originally Selkirk's land grant consisted of several islands formed by the branches and channels of the Colorado River. When the grant was surveyed in 1824, a log raft (fallen trees) blocked the river near Selkirk's property. This raft hindered navigation inland for many years. Recent dredging closed the channels so that the land is no longer divided into islands. In the 19th century a sawmill stood where Mill Creek once emptied into the now dry east bed of the Colorado River. According to legend, one of jean Lafitte's Pirates hid a treasure at the northern end of Selkirk Island. #4635
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00338
Bay City Methodist Church. The origins of this congregation date to 1870, when circuit-riding ministers visited people living along the Colorado River at Red Bluff. Norman Savage (1826-1879), a church elder, served the small congregation, and the first minister was Thomas W. Rogers. When the town of Bay City was surveyed in 1894 the Methodist congregation relocated and bought one of the first town lots. By 1897 they had built Bay City's first church structure, a frame building with a steeple and bell. The building also served as a Union church for other denominations in the town. The congregation purchased land at Fourth Street and Avenue H in 1904, and the original church building was later sold to the Bay City school system. Services were held in the courthouse and a building on the square until a temporary open-air tabernacle was built. Additional land was acquired in 1906, and a new sanctuary was completed in 1909 during the pastorate of A. S. Whitehurst. The church's fifth building was erected in 1958 and dedicated on March 30 of that year. A part of Bay City and Matagorda county history for over a century, the Bay City Methodist Church continues to serve the community. (1987) #338
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #04773
Site of Early Bay City School. In 1901 this land was a pastoral scene of trees and a strawberry field outside the city limits. That year the Bay City Independent School District purchased most of this block for $300. A two-story, eight-room frame school was erected here, and classes were transferred from a two-room schoolhouse at Avenue D and Eight Street, which had been used since 1895. One of the teachers, Miss Tenie Holmes (1874-1952), began her career in 1896 at a private school in Bay City. From 1898 she taught public classes at Avenue D, then moved to the first school on this site, which served from 1901 to 1905. She retired from Bay City schools in 1936, then conducted a private school until her death. An elementary school was named for her in 1952. Additional lots and a second block were acquired here in 1930, and "Bay City High School" was built on this site. The one-story structure was designed by architect Harry D. Payne, and exhibited Spanish colonial revival details in brick, cast stone, and tile roofing. The campus expanded in 1937 with the purchase of a third block. The 1930 building was converted to a junior high school in 1949, and in 1962 it became "John H. Cherry Elementary School". The structure was demolished in 1986. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986 #4773
?, Bay City, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #05057
St. Mark's Episcopal Church. This congregation traces its roots to Christ Church, Matagorda, from which parish many of its early members had come following the relocation of the Matagorda county seat to Bay City in 1894. Formally organized in 1895 under the leadership of the Rev. John U. Graf, St. Mark's held early worship services in the two-story frame building that also served as a temporary courthouse. The first church building was completed in 1901 during the ministry of the Rev. John L. Sloan. Over the years, the congregation has placed an emphasis on community service and outreach. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986 #5057
?, Bay City, TX, United States