THE SCARS ON THIS STONE WERE CAUSED
IN THE GERMAN AIR RAIDS OF THE SECOND
WORLD WAR. DESPITE SEVERE DAMAGE
TO THE BUILDING. THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH
WAS PUBLISHED WITHOUT INTERRUPTION

Submitted by @jucopel

Before 1881 Methodists in Port Neches, then known as Grigsby's Bluff, were served by occasional circuit Riders who preached in private homes. On Sept. 6, 1881, the Rev. W. H. Crawford conducted a meeting to organize the first local Methodist church which began with a membership of sixteen.

Worship services continued to be held in members' homes until 1885. In that year a house, damaged in the process of being moved, was repaired and given to the church for its use. There the community held school classes as well as worship services by the light of coal oil lamps. A new building was erected in 1894 which served as both church and school until 1911 when a separate schoolhouse was built. A growing membership soon created the need for a larger building. Money was raised, and a new church was built in 1919 on the corner of Main and Nall streets where the congregation worshiped for thirty years.

In 1920 the Rev. W. E. Hassler became the first full-time minister.The sanctuary on this site was erected in 1950. A new wing and an education building were During his pastorate, the church grew rapidly and a Vacation Bible School was started. The sanctuary on this site was erected in 1950. A new wing and an education building were 

This Baptist church, the first in Port Neches, organized in October of 1910. Twelve charter members held Baptist services in a one-room schoolhouse. These church founders were Mr. & Mrs. John Livingston, Mr. Horace Livingston, Mr. & Mrs. R.E. Rachford, Mr. & Mrs. D.A. Bibbs, Mr. & Mrs. Gillie Peveto, Mr. Arthur K. Peveto, Mrs. Abbie Block and Mr. Ollie Williams. In 1914, Mrs. R.E. Rachford donated property at the corner of Dearing Street and Avenue B for the construction of the church’s first building, which was completed in 1917. W.H. Fortney became the church’s first full-time pastor in 1918, and during his tenure, the frame building was removed from the property to make way for a newer, larger brick sanctuary that was completed in 1927. A devastating fire destroyed the 1927 structure on January 10, 1940, and all early church records were lost. A replacement frame building was constructed on the site in 1941, but the congregation voted to purchase property on Magnolia Avenue in 1946; services were first held at the new location in June, 1957.

Church programs include Sunday school, vacation bible school, youth activities and bible study. Expansion and renovations to the church plant have allowed the church to continue its mission in the community. Adult and student mission trips, sponsorship of Woodcrest Mission (1969-1983), and support of new churches are part of the mission emphasis of the church. Today, First Baptist Church of Port Neches continues to serve as a spiritual and social beacon to its congregants and to others in Port Neches and surrounding areas.

Originally named Jefferson County Airport, this facility has served area residents since the World War II era. Jefferson County commissioners purchased land to build the airport in 1841, and its development, which included three runways, a taxiway system and apron facilities. began the following year, with initial construction completed in early 1944. Eastern Airlines conducted the first scheduled flight in March of that year. During the war. the airport also served U.S. Marine Air Corps Dive Bomber Squadron No. 931 as a base for advanced training. Pilot trainees used floating targets in the Gulf of Mexico off Sabine Pass for gunnery and divebombing practice.

The airport has accommodated developments in air technology through enhancements of its facilities, Improvements in the 1925s and 1960s included additional land, buildings and taxiways, and installation of runway lighting and instrument landing system. In the early 1980s, when Texas International, Southwest Airlines, Air Texana and Metro Airlines all operated out of the airport, additional improvements were made including completion of a new terminal. In 1999, county commissioners approved a name change for the facility to the Southeast Texas Regional Airport.

As chemical and petrochemical industries, paper and pulp manufacturing and other area businesses grew, the airport became an increasingly important transportation center. In 2005, it was the site of one of the largest civilian airlifts in U.S. history, when the U.S. military evacuated thousands of local residents with special needs during the landfall of Hurricane Rita. Today, the airport continues to play a vital economic role in southeast Texas.

This marker is property of the State of Texas

Settled by Dutch immigrants in 1897; named for their native Netherlands, which in the 1890s suffered overcrowding, worn-out soil, and scant hope for prosperity. Thus when the Port Arthur Land Company (joined by Dutch businessmen) advertised the abundance of America, many families eagerly moved to this region. The new colony thrived, although torrid summers, frigid winters, and swamps prompted a few to return to Holland.

Those who remained built a sound economy of farming and ranching, now largely replaced by rice-growing and industries.

This congregation grew out of a revival held by a Baptist minister in the local Dutch Reformed Church. Seven charter members met in March 1907 to organize the First Baptist Church in Nederland, and the Rev. George Montgomery was called to serve as their first pastor. In the early days of the church, new members were baptized in the Neches River. Known until 1925 as Peveto Baptist Church, after faithful member Gille Peveto, First Baptist Church of Nederland has grown in numbers, and over the years has provided significant service to the community.

Incise in base: Given by 1982 Silvertones Senior Adult Choir

Son of Charles H. and Mary Stilwell, was born on October 21, 1859, in Rochester, New York. Young Arthur was greatly influenced by his grandfather, railroad builder Hamlin Stilwell, and according to family tradition vowed to be a railroad builder himself one day. He married Virginian Jennie A. Wood in 1879 and after many business successes set his sights on building a railroad system from the farming region of the midwestern U.S. to the Texas Gulf Coast.

Stilwell established the town of Port Arthur here on 4,000 acres in 1895. He later extended the Kansas City, Pittsburg, and Gulf Railroad from Shreveport south through western Louisiana to its terminus at Port Arthur. To promote settlement of the area Stilwell established a successful experimental farm, drilled water wells, and built a hotel, indoor swimming pool, and pleasure pier. In 1897 Port Arthur contained about 1,100 inhabitants. By 1900 Stilwell had completed a canal from Mesquite Point (7 miles south at Sabine Pass) to substantial port facilities at Port Arthur.

By fulfilling a childhood dream Arthur Stilwell not only founded the town of Port Arthur but in large measure laid the foundation for its future prosperity. Stilwell died on September 26, 1928, and was cremated. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845 - 1995 A significant historical date for this entry is September 26, 1928.

  Frederick Shepherd, who helped the Rev. Napoleon Harris establish an African Methodist Episcopal (A. M. E.) mission in nearby Sabine in 1902, founded this church at his Port Arthur home in 1903 with the Rev. Harris serving as pastor. The first sanctuary, built here in 1904 on property donated by the Port Arthur Townsite and Land Company, also housed the area's first public school for African Americans. As membership expanded successively larger sanctuaries were built. the name Israel Chapel A. M. E. Church was officially recorded in 1959. The church continues to serve the community.

aux etoiles
inconnues
disparues
dont les
explosion
repandirent
dans le milieu
interstellaire
tous les
noyaux
atomiques
dont nous
sommes
constitues




To the unknown vanished stars
whose explosions spread in the interstellar medium
all the atoms of which we are made

Submitted by @summerbrennan

Western singing star Woodward Maurice ("Tex") Ritter was born in Panola County, Texas. After attending college, he began singing cowboy ballads on a Houston radio station in 1928. He advanced to Broadway, where he was nicknamed "Tex", and in 1936 began a series of popular western movies. Ritter performed later for television and the Grand Ole Opry and was named to the Country Music Hall of Fame. His best-known recording is the title song from the film "High Noon".