Collegeport Day

May 30, 1970
 

Collegeport Day To Be Observed Saturday, May 30

The Woman's Club of Collegeport Day birthday celebration at the Mopac House Saturday, May 30.

Former residents and friends are invited to attend this annual homecoming.

A covered dish dinner will be served 12 noon, meats and drinks will be furnished. Those attending are requested to bring a covered dish.

Palacios Beacon, May 28, 1970
 

Collegeport News
By D. Bullington

Collegeport held its annual dinner Saturday, May 30, and even with all the rain a good crowd came out. It was good to see old timers Mrs. Mollie Chiles, Mrs. Ellen Franzen, Sr. and "Mom" Nelson among the crowd.

Palacios Beacon, June 4, 1970
 

Rains And Wind Fail To Dampen Collegeport Day

Although the rains fell and the wind blew, over 200 friends gathered at the Mopac in Collegeport on Saturday, May 30, to celebrate the 61st birthday of the founding of Collegeport.

Pioneer residents of the 1909-10 era registered were: Mrs. Roy Nelson, Mrs. Gust Franzen, Mrs. H. I. (Susie Hoffman) White, Mr. and Mrs. R. K. Legg, Mrs. J. F. Kilpatrick, Mrs. C. E. Wilson, Mrs. R. McRee, Mrs. M. Jack Martin, Gerald and Dean Merck, Mrs. Dean (Dorothy Franzen) Merck and Dale Welsby.

Mrs. Oscar (Mary Louise Clapp) Crain of Lubbock and Howard Pfeiffer of Florida sent their best wishes and regrets that they could not be present.

Collegeport was founded on May 25, 1908. For a number of years the Collegeport Day celebration has been held on the last Saturday in May so that more of the former residents could attend this annual annual homecoming.

Collegeport Day is sponsored by the Woman's Club, among one of the first affiliated clubs in the county. The club members wish to express their appreciation to all for the wonderful team work of everyone who worked so hard to make this another memorable occasion. For many years it has been the custom, started by the late M. S. Holsworth who donated the first beef, to serve barbecue with the covered dish dinner. Meat donors this year were Mr. and Mrs. U. S. McMillan and Mr. and Mrs. Dean Merck.

Palacios Beacon, June 4, 1970
 

Collegeport Day

May 29, 1971
 

Last Sat. In May Collegeport Days

The Collegeport Woman's Club, Mrs. Fred Law presiding, held a called meeting at Mopac House to formulate plans for the annual Collegeport Day, which is observed on the last Saturday in May. This year it will be on May 29 at Mopac House.

Club members are looking forward to the homecoming when former residents, their families and friends join the local residents for a day of reminiscing.

Dinner will be served at 12 noon. Meat, beans and drinks have been donated. Those attending may bring salads or desserts.

Collegeport was founded by Burton D. Hurd Land Company, May 25, 1908, at which time a tract of land was deeded to W. A. Travis for the building of a college of industrials arts and sciences, and for the opening and developments of waterways.

The year 1912 found a town of 496, a Business Men's League of 90 members, a Federated Church of 14 denominations, a Woman's Club of 86 members and the first free library and Boy Scout Troop in Matagorda County.

The Collegeport Woman's Club was organized May 19, 1910, when 36 ladies of Collegeport assembled in the spacious parlors of Mrs. Burton D. Hurd's home. (Now the home of Mr. and Mrs. R. E. "Bob" Smith of Houston.)

The club sponsored many of the civic activities of the community. The most important event sponsored by the Club throughout the years, has been Collegeport Day. It still maintains the library, which has been housed in the local building since 1923,when the building was purchased from Mr. J. H. Adams and moved to the present site. This site was given by the Industrial League.

Mopac House in Collegeport, where the annual celebration is held, was opened on May 4, 1935. On May 9, 1935, the following resolution presented by Mrs. Burton D. Hurd, resolved that: We, the Collegeport Woman's Club express our appreciation and sincere thanks to Mr. H. A. Clapp, secretary of the Industrial League, for his untiring efforts in presenting Mopac House to the Community, also the gift of the reading room. The Reading Room and the Mopac House were attached to the west side of the library on ground owned by the Industrial League. When the Missouri-Pacific had no further need for the depot in Collegeport, the depot was given to the Industrial League which had it torn down to build the Community House and Reading Room. The Mopac stands in the vicinity of the Academy of Gulf Coast University [Gulf Coast University of Industrial Arts] of 1908-12.

Today, as you drive through the Collegeport area, you will find no business houses of any kind. As you drive down Farm to Market Road 1095 you will see the library, the Mopac House and Fire Station on the right side of the road. Near the bay you will find the Post Office. The Presbyterian Church manse is south of the Mopac House and the Baptist Church is on the road to Oyster Lake.

Mrs. Roy Nelson, who celebrated her 89th birthday March 17, is the oldest pioneer citizen residing in the area. Mrs. Earl Hill, whose husband operated a meat market in the early days, lives here, too. The smiling face of Mrs. Gust Franzen, another pioneer who attended last year's celebration, who passed away suddenly in her home June 5, 1970, will be missed.

A small nucleus of descendants of the early pioneers making their homes in Collegeport are:

Fred King, whose father, Frank King, was employed on the Shanghai Pierce Ranch south east of Collegeport. King was one of the earliest residents of the area. His widow resides in Bay City.

Jimmy Murry and Mrs. Mamie Murry Pennington, whose father, Bob Murry, was employed by John Pierce on Slough Ranch.

Mrs. W. L. (Rosalie Nelson) Ellis, daughter of the late Roy Nelson. Her mother, Mrs. Nelson resides with her.

Dean Merck, who came with his late parents, Mr. and Mrs. B. V. Merck in 1909.

Thomas and Mason Holsworth, sons of the late M. S. Holsworth.

Mrs. Gerald (Mamie) Wells, Gustave Franzen, Alex Franzen and Mrs. Dean (Dorothy) Merck are members of the Gust Franzen family who arrived in Collegeport on Christmas Eve, 1909.

Many stalwart families have made Collegeport their home for many years. They, too, have contributed much to make this a community to live in.

Daily Tribune, May 26, 1971