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History in
a Pecan Shell
By Clint
Skinner
Located in the northwestern section of Galveston
County along State Highway 3, the city of Dickinson lies 19 miles
northwest of Galveston
and and 28 miles southeast of Houston.
It was named after John Dickinson, one of Stephen
F. Austin's Old Three Hundred. In 1824, he purchased a land grant
from Mexico and moved to an area north of current-day Dickinson. Around
1850, Dickinson Bayou became the site for the first settlement.
The railroad eventually made its way to the town in a quest to link
Henderson to Galveston.
In 1859, a depot was built on the property once owned by John Dickinson
for the purpose of serving the Galveston, Houston, and Henderson Railroad.
Because of its location, everyone called the building Dickinson Station
and the area it served by the same name. This practice continued,
despite efforts to use other names in refering to the region.
During the Civil War, the Nolan Home of Dickinson served as a hospital
for the Confederacy. General John B. Magruder traveled through the
region using the GH&H Railroad to move troops in preparation for the
defense of Galveston Bay. The resulting success of the campaign in
1863 meant that the Texas coast would remain in Confederate hands
for the rest of the war. Not much happened in Dickinson after the
state rejoined the Union until 1890, when a post office opened its
doors to the public.
Sometime during the 1890s, Fred M. Nichols, the son of prominent railroad
director Ebenezer B. Nichols, met with eight businessmen and formed
the Dickinson Land and Improvement Association. The founders wanted
to use the organization as a way to market unused land in the region.
To appeal to farmers, they emphasized the land's rich soil. For the
middle and upper classes, they took a different approach. Ebenezer
Nichols converted forty acres of his summer estate on Dickinson Bayou
into a public park. Called the Dickinson Picnic Grounds, it was used
for public gatherings and holiday celebrations.
In 1900, a large number of Sicilians were forced out of their homes
in Bryan by a series of massive floods. Clemente Nicolini, the Italian
consul stationed in Galveston,
helped them find refuge in Dickinson and other parts of Galveston
County. That same year, the railroad depot burned to the ground,
later to be replace by a new one.
In 1905, Italian ambassador Baron Mayor des Planches was traveling
through Texas, hoping to find a place for 150 immigrants who had arrived
from Eastern Italy. The warm welcome he received from the Sicilians
of Dickinson convinced him that the town was the perfect spot for
the new arrivals.
Industrialization. the oil business of Houston,
and the shipyards of Texas City
contributed to Dickinson's growth. Tourism and gambling also played
a part, thanks to the efforts of the Maceo Crime Family. Salvatore
"Sam" Maceo wa a mobster who had gained control of Galveston's
underbelly by the 1920s. Casinos and resorts emerged throughout the
county. Gambling continued in Dickinson until 1957. Attorney General
Wil Wilson endd all gambling venues in the region that year with the
help of the Texas Rangers.
Dickinson continued growing during the 1960s, thanks to the opening
of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Clear Lake City. Although
Dickinson had surpassed 12,000 by 1970, it faced the danger of annexation
from its two neighbors Texas City
and League City. To eliminate
this threat, the citizens voted to incorporate the city in 1977.
Dickinson started hosting the Red, White, and Bayou Crawfish Festival
in May 2009, a tradition which would last for ten years. A new town
hall and library opened just one month after the first festival. In
August 2017, Hurricane Harvey flooded ninety percent of the city.
Despite the devastation, the population remained steady and reached
20,881 in 2019. |
Bibliography
Ci.dickinson.tc.us
City-data.org
Dickinsonhistoricalsociety.org
Tshaonline.org
Wikipedia.org
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Galveston
County 1907 Postal Map
showing Dickinson on the railroad, & Galveston Bay
Courtesy Texas General Land Office |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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