|
|
|
|
The
USS Orleck
Photo by John Troesser |
Orange,
is considered a point of what is known as the "Golden Triangle" -
the other points being Port Arthur
and Beaumont
History in a Seashell
Orange had several names before 1858 - the year it officially became
Orange. Originally called Green's Bluff after an early Sabine River
boatman, it was renamed Madison in 1840, but it sometimes delayed
mail - which was sent to Madisonville (Madison County) in error.
The town's post office was granted in 1850 and two years later, Orange
County was organized with Madison as county seat.
The final name change took place in 1858 when it finally became Orange
- to the great relief of postmasters and the mail-receiving public.
The name reportedly comes from a local orange grove owned by a man
named George Patillo.
Outlaws used Orange as a temporary residence while they waited for
the heat to cool down in Louisiana. The town became a major port on
the Sabine from the 1840s through the 1890s.
The railroad (Texas and New Orleans) arrived in 1860, but service
was disrupted when the rails were torn up during the Civil War. After
the war the town was occupied by troops from Illinois.
At the peak of East Texas lumber production, Orange was the center
of the Texas lumber industry - having seventeen sawmills within the
city limits. It was Orange's zenith. |
A timeline
of selected or significant events in Orange's history
1897: The Kansas
City Southern Railroad reaches Orange
1902: Six large lumber companies acquire ownership of 17 smaller lumber
mills
1914: Population reaches 7,000
1916: port dredged - making Orange a deep water facility.
WWI: Orange serves as a major shipbuilding center for both world wars
1920s: East Orange becomes famous for its 1920s nightclubs - crime
rampant between wars.
1938: Rainbow Bridge opened across the Neches River between Orange
and Port Arthur.
WWII: Shipyards increase population to 60,000 people. After the war,
ships were mothballed on the Sabine River and the population decreases
to a manageable 21,100 in 1950.
In August, 2000 the USS Orleck, after having served in the Turkish
Coast Guard returned to the port where she was built in 1945.
|
The
Hanging Tree of Orange Texas
by W. T. Block ("Cannonball's Tales")
Cross-cut Saw Thwarted Judge Lynch
"On the afternoon of July 7, 1892, two men wielding a cross-cut
saw hurried to fell the mighty pin oak tree which shaded the front
entrance of D. Call and Sons Grocery at Fourth and Front Streets,
on the waterfront at Orange, Texas." more
|
|
|
The former
depot in Orange
Photo by John Troesser |
|
|
The
W.H. Stark House
Photo by John Troesser |
Of Architectural
and Historical Interest in Orange, Texas:
Orange
County Courthouse
USS Orleck
(DD-886) On Front Avenue on the water
W. H. Stark
House c. 1894: 610 West Main Street
The Stark Museum
of Art: 712 Green Avenue
First Presbyterian
Church: 902 W. Green Avenue
Heritage House
Museum: 905 West Division Street
Mileage Marker
(On I-10 in Orange County): The largest numbered marker in the U.S.
(880)
|
|
|
First
Presbyterian Church
Lutcher Memorial Building
Photo by John Troesser |
Orange
Tourist Information
Orange
Convention & Visitors Bureau
803 W. Green Avenue Orange, Texas 77631-0520
P.O. Box 520 Orange, Texas 77630
409-883-1011 or 1-800-528-4906
http://www.org-tx.com/chamber/ |
|
|
