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COLLEGEPORT CENTENNIAL 1908 - 2008 Driving Tour
Pioneer Memorial Dedicated May 29, 2004 Mopac House Foundation |
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The Collegeport Centennial Driving Tour will help you visualize developments in the early years of this community. Beginning at the Mopac House and Library, use the numbered townsite map at the center of this brochure as your guide to tour the “Town of Opportunity.” Numbered markers correspond to the list of photos, ads and descriptions. Enjoy!
1(a.) Collegeport Public Library - Organized by Woman's Club on January 11, 1912; The J. H. Adams cottage was purchased and moved to this site in 1923.
1(b.) Mopac House - Built of materials salvaged from the Collegeport Depot and joined to the Library; Opened as the community center on May 4, 1935.
2(a.) Gulf Coast University of Industrial Arts (North of Mopac House) - The town's developers dedicated the site for the college that was organized by William H. Travis and opened in 1909. The dream was short-lived as the college closed in about 1915.
2(b.) Home of Lester & Agnes Liggett (North end of Mopac Road) Artesian Wells Flowing Water Guaranteed—L. E. Liggett (Ad)
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3. Homesite of Robert Price (right) - L. A. Duffy; M. A. Ellis. 4. Homesite of Matt Pierce (right) - Carl Boeker. 5. Ward Clements Home (right) - A. Wade Blackwell. 6. W. R. Cobb Home; (right) - V. L. Bowers; Robert Lonis. 7. Burton D. Hurd Land Co. (right) - Local office of developer Burton D. Hurd who brought landseekers mainly from the mid-western states beginning in 1908. 8(a.) Hotel Collegeport (right) - Collegeport Pavilion was built in conjunction with the Hotel to host prospective buyers. The Hotel was billed as a Pleasure Resort for Hunting, Fishing, Boating & Salt Water Bathing. After closing, the building was sold to Mrs. Clarence Doman, dismantled and rebuilt as her home at El Maton. Geo. A. Lake, contractor and builder, had his office at the hotel in 1910. 8(b.) Collegeport Livery, Feed and Sale Stable (north of Hotel) Owned and operated by John L. Logan & Son, who also operated the Star Meat Market.
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7. Burton D. Hurd Land Co. Office (right)
Located East of Hotel Collegeport
8 (a.) Hotel Collegeport from West
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9.Collegeport Pagoda Pavilion - site of First Collegeport Day--1910, dances, concerts, dinners, picnics, church services, meetings, parties, fishing, swimming; Industrial League raised money and purchased the pavilion and docks after the developers moved away. 10. Home of Theo. & Emma Smith who owned and operated Theo. Smith & Son Lumber, Hardware & Implements. They also had a location in Citrus Grove. Longtime owners of the house were Ben and Mae Mowery and current owners are Frank & Betty Canfield. 11. Home of Burton D. & Dena D. Soekland Hurd - Hurd was the town’s developer. The Woman’s Club of Collegeport was organized here on May 19, 1910. Mrs. Hurd was the first President of the organization. Both are buried at Collegeport Cemetery; their graves face West. 12. Homesite of Edwin A. & Helen M. Holsworth - Home was damaged by Hurricane Carla in 1961; Miss Margaret Holsworth lived here until her death in 1964; House no longer exists. 13. Grace Chapel of St. Mary's Mission - Grace Theodora Smith raised by personal solicitation more than 90 per cent of the cost; first service August 13, 1911; congregation dwindled and by 1922 was no longer meeting; |
building was disassembled, moved to Palacios and rebuilt where it was consecrated as St. John's Episcopal Church.
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 9. “Pagoda” Pavilion in Tres-Palacios Bay |
 13. Grace Chapel of St. Mary’s Mission |
 10. Home of Theo. & Emma Smith |
 14 (a.) First Church of Collegeport -Federated |
 11. Home of Burton D. & Dena D. Hurd |
 14 (b.) South Wing of Federated Church |
 12. Homesite of Edwin Arthur & Helen Manners Holsworth. |
 15. Harry Austin & Louise Van Ness Clapp |
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16(a.) Home of Elgin C. & Phoebe W. Van Ness; Willie Korn 16(b.) Home of Melvin L. & Emma H. Herbage; Burt Hunt; R. L. Wells, G. W. Franzen; House ravaged by Hurricane Carla in 1961; relocated to present site Southwest of Collegeport by R. L. Wells 16(c.) Homes of John L. Woodhouse & Irwin M. Glasser and son, William M. Glasser 17. Turnerville was a company rice-growing town, founded in 1922 by the Turner Rice and Irrigation Company (also called the E. W. Turner Irrigation Company), and its residents consisted largely of rice farmers brought in by the company to work the land near DeMoss. Turnerville included a number of houses built for black workmen; it also had at least six businesses, including a blacksmith shop, a bakery, a general store, and a rice warehouse. After Turnerville was abandoned, a lunch stand, a drugstore, and a home for senior citizens stood at the site until Hurricane Carla destroyed them in 1961. 17(a.) Collegeport Pharmacy - Owned by Hugo & Hattie Haisley Kundinger; (Believed to be the former Oneth Store); It was moved to Turnerville in the late ‘20’s |
when the town
center shifted to the South. The building was destroyed by
Hurricane Carla in 1961. Miss Hattie rebuilt on this site but
later moved to El Campo. The home was lost to fire when owned
by the Ordonez family. 18. First Baptist Church – Organized in 1949; met at Mopac House for about a year while present building was constructed. 19. Missouri-Pacific Depot – (Rail Service (1911-1933.) Depot given to the community, dismantled and re-built as Mopac House in 1935. |
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Willie Korn. |
16 (e.) William V. Batchelder Store
16 (f.) Terminal Cafe
Commission Company |
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(TURN AROUND) |
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Snow on Christmas Day, 2004 |
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16. Turnerville
16 (b.) Blacksmith Shop; Burt Hunt 16 (c.) Home of Tom and Maud Fulcher 16 (d.) Bill Fitzgerald Home for the Aged |
18 (a.) Missouri-Pacific Depot |
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20. Collegeport Cemetery – located 1 mile north of FM 1095 on River Road. The cemetery was dedicated for use as a burial ground, under the charge of The King’s Daughters Organization. The cemetery overlooks the Tres-Palacios Bay. Town developer, Burton David Hurd and wife, Dena D. Hurd are buried here, their graves facing the West. The Collegeport Cemetery Association oversees the cemetery today. 21(a.) Savoy Hotel – Two-story rectangular wood frame structure 21(b.) Ice Plant - S. W. House
21(c.) Blacksmith Shop – A. W. LeCompte – Proprietor 21(d.) Pfeiffer Cement Plant – Wm. Pfeiffer
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22(a.) Theo Smith & Son Lumber, Hardware & Implements (left) - Owned and operated by Theo. Smith and his son, Karl Smith
22(b.) Telephone Office (left) – M. A. Nelson; Theo. Smith
23. Collegeport State Bank (right) - The officers in 1912 were A. B. Pierce, president; Theo Smith, vice-president; and J. B. McCain, cashier.
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Hardware & Implements |
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In this vicinity were also the following: |
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20 (b.) Pfeiffer Cement Plant |
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24.
Wilkinson Real Estate Office
(right) – Walter W. Wilkinson.
26.
Business Section
(north side of
Central Street)
26(b.) Thos. M. Clark Grocery Store (right) - C. E. Sterling joined the business and by June, 1910 the store was known as the Clark-Sterling Grocery. Later housed the Boeker & Mowery Stores; damaged by Hurricane Carla and never re- |
opened; the last remaining store building; razed in 1982
26(c.)
Collegeport Pharmacy
(right) - F. L. Hoffman, proprietor
26(d.)
Collegeport Meat Market
(right) - F. Ray Ross was the proprietor in 1914; also John
L. Logan & Son (see ad under 8(b.)); C. H. Judin
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26 (b.)
Clark Grocery; Clark-Sterling Grocery;
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26 (d.) Collegeport Meat Market |
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27(b.) Collegeport Post Office (right) - formerly Collegeport Fig Cannery; Post Office occupied the front of the cannery building in the 1930’s. The Lashbrook family had lived in the building at one point, but later Leo Duffy used it to store hay. 28. The Pioneer. Flour, Feed & Groceries. (left) - Possible original site of (#16a,) owned and operated by Daniel and Dora McKitrick Oneth and her mother, Sophia McKitrick; the family lived upstairs. The youngest son, Glenn was born here; later, possibly Yeaman’s Store
29.
Avenue Hotel
(left)
A. M. Weborg owned and operated the hotel, and when it closed in 1915, he dismantled it and moved it to Houston where it was rebuilt. $ 1 per day. Albin Drott, a building contractor in 1912 was located at the Avenue Hotel.
30. Mott Store – William Mott (left) - Possibly the earliest store in Collegeport. The Church Sunday |
School was started here; Collegeport Industrial League organized here as well; Collegeport Chronicle was possibly printed here. 31. Collegeport Public School (right) - Site of Bay View School completed in 1912. Consolidated with Palacios School District in 1947. Note the remains of old playground equipment. 1912-1947 - Collegeport Common School District No. 17; Consolidated with DeMoss in 1922 and was renamed Bay View Consolidated Common School District No. 26.
Bay View School in the 1930’s. DeMoss School building (right) was moved here after the districts consolidated. 32. Plat of Collegeport - H. A. Clapp wrote of asking G. M. Magill why the town of Collegeport was laid out a mile long and a half mile wide. “G. M. looked at me in amazement and replied, ‘No need to ask such a question if you could understand the plans we have made for a great town.’ Had I asked Burton D. [Hurd] he would have painted a picture of homes, business places, mills, parks, ship channels, warehouses, trolley lines, bathing beaches, amusement places, schools, conservatories of music, a happy and prosperous people, orange groves, fig orchards and I would have understood why.” |
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Streets run East and West Avenues run North to South |
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Tour Sponsored by Matagorda County Historical Commission History Appreciation Day May 31, 2008 Additional photos and a printable version of this guide can be found at
http://usgenwebsites.org/TXMatagorda/collegeport/collegeport.htm |
