Coastal Town Lore

[Mayhem]

Along those lines...

I had an old timer tell me during prohibition they had a club on the Matagorda Peninsula where wealthy guys would go for drinking, gambling and prostitution. I don't know that it is true or not. I never have seen anything that would substantiate it. It would have been the perfect location since you had to go by boat and there wasn't any law enforcement around.

I grew up hearing lots of stories about smugglers and smuggling. One about a local guy who disappeared and his plane turned up in South America with bullet holes in it. I also use to hear lots of stories about different shrimpers awho were running drugs. But then that is sorta the way of the coastal town. Always were refuges for those who live on the fringe of society.

Another story was about a painter named Forrest Bess. He lived in Chinquapin as a hermit. He was pretty out there. The story goes that he operated on himself to make himself a hermaphrodite in an attempt to become immortal. You can look up Forrest Bess, he became pretty famous as an artist. It's the other stories about him that are out there.

The link I posted was about Forrest Bess. Yeah, dude was a space cadet. The old piling from his old place were there for years while I was spending my summer in chinquapin.

I could only imagine living there in those days with the mosquitoes and no AC. [emoji51]


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[Mayhem]

My Paw daddy had a old picture that he took after hurricane Carla of Chinquapin. Man it was a awesome photo, but was lost in a flood in 94. I would give anything to have that picture right now.


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[Preacher Man]

The story of the Toddville Mansion comes to mind.

A friends Dad told me that the Navy, during WW2, used barges for target practice down in either Christmas or Drum Bay. Can't remember which. He asked me if I knew where the barge moorings were, cause the fishing was good around them. When I told him no, he said, "Oh I better not tell you about that then". I've actually none that man my whole life and he wouldn't tell me his fishing spots! Not even one of them!

[Mayhem]

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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[Brazos Hunter]

Tagged to add information later

[Leemo]

Matagorda.......hmmmmmmmm
I guess I should remain silent, Lol

[Mayhem]

Matagorda.......hmmmmmmmm
I guess I should remain silent, Lol

No, please speak up.


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[highspeed]

Matagorda.......hmmmmmmmm
I guess I should remain silent, Lol

You.......silent??

[Quackerbox]

Along those lines...



I had an old timer tell me during prohibition they had a club on the Matagorda Peninsula where wealthy guys would go for drinking, gambling and prostitution. I don't know that it is true or not. I never have seen anything that would substantiate it. It would have been the perfect location since you had to go by boat and there wasn't any law enforcement around.



I grew up hearing lots of stories about smugglers and smuggling. One about a local guy who disappeared and his plane turned up in South America with bullet holes in it. I also use to hear lots of stories about different shrimpers awho were running drugs. But then that is sorta the way of the coastal town. Always were refuges for those who live on the fringe of society.



Another story was about a painter named Forrest Bess. He lived in Chinquapin as a hermit. He was pretty out there. The story goes that he operated on himself to make himself a hermaphrodite in an attempt to become immortal. You can look up Forrest Bess, he became pretty famous as an artist. It's the other stories about him that are out there.

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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[Snowflake Killa]

High island is highest elevation between Mobile Alabama to the Yucatan Peninsula


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[Snowflake Killa]

Concrete ships at seawolf park

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[CaptainDave]

Galveston obviously has a lot of history. If I'm not mistaken, but at the time of the hurricane of 1900, Galveston had a larger population than Houston.

I've heard stories that Rollover pass on the Boliver peninsula got it's name from rum runners up through prohibition that would roll barrels through there as it was the narrowest area of the peninsula in order to avoid customs. Not sure how true that is. Obviously, that was well before the "man-made" pass was dug, but apparently, before even then, bull high-tides could push water from the gulf into the back of East bay.

One random is the Bandido's MC club was apparently founded in San Leon, TX, which is about half way between Kemah and Galveston. I agree with the poster above that said these coastal towns have historically been refuges for the fringes of society.

[RifleBowPistol]

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.

[SwampBuck]

My mom has a house down in magnolia right near indianola. That place has always interested me. There’s a few old photos on the wall of that house of saw fish and big jewfish (grouper) that came from the matagorda Bay Area around there.

I bought them a book on indianola. When they’re done with it I plan to read it.

Matagorda is an interesting one to me also, being as I find myself around there a lot. Thanks for sharing that.

[wickll]

I haven't been to Seadrift or Port O'Connor lately, but I used to pick up copies of Dolphin Talk. I do not remember the name of the column, but it usually contained some cool articles on history of the area.