Coastal Town Lore

[CentralTXHunter]

There’s some wild tales from old-timers in Seadrift that I’ve heard. Apparently when Vietnamese refugees arrived in the late 70s, the locals were none too pleased. Lots of racial tension and the grand dragon of the KKK even showed up. Wild Wild West with several murders and other crimes. The way they tell it, it’s hard to believe things like that happened only 40 years ago.


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[Strummer]

There’s some wild tales from old-timers in Seadrift that I’ve heard. Apparently when Vietnamese refugees arrived in the late 70s, the locals were none too pleased. Lots of racial tension and the grand dragon of the KKK even showed up. Wild Wild West with several murders and other crimes. The way they tell it, it’s hard to believe things like that happened only 40 years ago.


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There is a movie about it . Can’t remember the name . Pretty crazy stuff .

[bobc]

Coastal Town Lore

Back in the 1800s Indianola and Galveston both were places that mostly German emigrants. At one point Indianola was the big landing point for the new German emigrants. My family came to Texas in 1840, they landed in Indianola, stayed there through both of the big hurricanes that hit Indianola. The first storm wiped out much of the town and drove many people out of the town, the second one finished off Indianola. Sometime after the second hurricane, the town became a ghost town, my family left and moved south.

Other things about the Texas Gulf Coast, if you look, there were many Spanish ships that wrecked on the Texas Gulf Coast. La Salle was one of them.

I know Cabeza de Vaca, also wreck his ship on the Texas Gulf Coast. Most of his men died of disease and starvation, if I remember the story correctly.

Then you have the Karankawa indians. They only lived on the Texas Gulf Coast, they were the tallest off all of the indians, commonly they were over 6 ft. tall. They were feared by the other tribes. One because of their size, but also they were known as cannibals.

Then the last battle of the civil war, was fought on the Texas Gulf Coast. We kicked some ***, from what I have read, that is something I just recently learned about.

Also there was the deal where the Mexican Army got bogged down in the mud somewhere not far from the coast, between two rivers. Don't remember the area. I am pretty sure north of Victoria. That event helped the Texans win the war. I am pretty sure someone on this site, posted up a bunch of info on that subject. I had not heard of that deal before either.

Then there was the dispute between Texas and Mexico for many years, where Mexico decided that the Nueces River was the boundary between Texas and Mexico. Where Texas claimed The Rio Grande to be the boundary.

Then if you search the two big freezes. Twice, once around 1900 and then I think in the 1920s, it froze with temperatures below zero. The bays froze over, people actually were ice skating on the bays. Chickens froze on the roost, cattle died. There are stories out there, from the Corpus area.

There is a lot more interesting history that happened along the Texas Gulf Coast, but I have forgotten most of what I have been taught or heard about. You can check Texas history books, or you might look on places like facebook, for Texas history book. Traces of Texas, and Texas Historical Commission, are two I know of and have read many stories on both. Traces of Texas, has some good stories, many about events on the coast.

For some good reading about the Nueces, you should check out the book about Texas Ranger, Lee Mcnelly.

https://americanwestreview.wordpress.com/tag/nueces-strip/

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[CentralTXHunter]

There is a movie about it . Can’t remember the name . Pretty crazy stuff .

Had no idea there was a movie about it. It’s called Seadrift btw, lol. I may have to rent it and give it a watch.


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[Robertt]

Growing up I was told Portland, Texas is the highest point above sea level on the gulf in Texas. President Taft and even Mark Twain hunted ducks out of a train over what is known as Gum Hollow just outside Portland.

[SoTXAg06]

There is a historical marker at Sunset lake just outside of Portland about a mass grave in the area from the 1919 hurricane.

Also, I remember reading a story that an inhabitant of North Beach had buried a stash of gold there in the late 1800s.


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[DawgOnIt]

Couple of old towns that had potential but fell to bad luck: El Copano across Copano Bay from Rockport, and Saluria City which between Port O'Conner and the Gulf.

[Robertt]

"Then if you search the two big freezes. Twice, once around 1900 and then I think in the 1920s, it froze with temperatures below zero. The bays froze over, people actually were ice skating on the bays. Chickens froze on the roost, cattle died. There are stories out there, from the Corpus area."

In the 70's I saw the bay frozen out 15' off the bank below Starlight and Moore Avenue. Fish froze or were stunned in the bay.

[Robertt]

There is a historical marker at Sunset lake just outside of Portland about a mass grave in the area from the 1919 hurricane.

Also, I remember reading a story that an inhabitant of North Beach had buried a stash of gold there in the late 1800s.


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I have been to the cemetery on what is called White Point where the dead were buried from the 1919 Hurricane. I was a teenager and followed my future father in law there.

[DaveC]

Coastal Town Lore

The story of the Toddville Mansion comes to mind.

We (my whole family) snuck into the Toddville mansion a few times when I was in jr high or high school.
I remember slipping around the fence where it juts out into the bay , the covered pool area and dusty cars in the lower garage area.
It’s gone now.

I recently read the book suggested on TBH about the Cabez De vaca’s landing and such- man what a prehistoric existence the early Texas Indian tribes were portrayed as. I’ve read plenty of nonfiction books related to Native Americans and the tribes he is enslaved by are described to be darn near cave man like compared to others.

A last note- when recently leaving Tookies seafood in Kemah I noticed pictures on the wall of light houses that were out in the bays on stilts. Big light houses. There was one on redfish reef once upon a time in Galveston bay. Pretty neat history lesson on the walls and good food too.


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[DaveC]

For those who haven’t watched it give this Amazon Prime documentary a spin-

“Broken Waves Origins of a Texas Surf Cult”

It’s 1h13m long and worth the watch imo.


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[Leemo]

There is a movie about it . Can’t remember the name . Pretty crazy stuff .

Alamo Bay

Ed Harris is the main character

[Snowflake Killa]

I guess mine wasn't lore [emoji1787][emoji1787]

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[Capt Glenn]

This place is cool history. I would love to tour the house, but it’s not available.

https://www.baycitysentinel.com/articles/2017/07/12/hawkins-lake-house-completed-1854

http://carolctaylor.com/wordpress/?p=400

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I know/knew some of the family pretty well. A couple of them I knew have passed on.

[Capt Glenn]

What about the plane that crashed on the beach that ended up being a house for some goats.

I'll never forget goin to the beach and seeing a goat standing on the wing of a crashed plane.

Not mentioned but there was a crazy lady that lived on dimi john island that would run around nude. I don't think she ever owned a razor

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When I was a kid we had planes get ditched on the beach pretty regularly. Some fairly good sized ones even. There was a pretty good sized twin prop that was landed and was ditched on the beach back in the 80's that they drug up to the mouth of the river and set outside the Cracker Box where it sat for a long time.