Experience Southeast Texas 

                                                          

Native Americans settled along the shores of Sabine Lake in what was to become East Texas more than 1,500-years ago. In 1528 Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca and three of his men, including Estevanico an African, became the first Europeans to travel into the interior of Texas. They were followed, nearly 200-years later, by transient Spanish, French and Englishmen. In the 17^th-century the lake became a draw for traders of legal and illegal goods, settlers and pirates like John Laffite. 

Some settlers moved from the southern states to SE Texas to establish plantations. They brought their slaves with them. By 1860 25% of Texas families owned slaves, usually fewer than a dozen. The largest slaveholder held 300 people in bondage. Free blacks were discouraged from living in Texas by an 1840 law stating that any free black caught attempting to enter Texas would be captured and required to post bail. Failing to do so would result in one year of enslavement. At the end of the year continuing not to post bail he would result in lifetime enslavement. Free blacks already residing in Texas were given 2-years to leave or the 1840 law applied. 

                                                                               

The region generally remained sparsely settled until 1840 when a community named Aurora was settled. Aurora failed but in 1895 Arthur Stillwell, a railroad entrepreneur, founded Port Arthur. Stillwell created the Port Arthur Channel and Dock Co. opening a channel to the sea in 1899 and precipitating an influx of colonists and businessmen. Spindletop Gusher in 1901 jettisoned Port Arthur into a new era. Large petrochemical companies moved to the city and it quickly became an international hub for oil refining. The Port of Port Arthur is 19-miles from the Gulf of Mexico and has the ability to handle both civilian and military cargo. 

                                                                             

Situated on the Central and Mississippi Flyway migration routes, Port Arthur is a prime location for birdwatching. Spring Migration: March 1-June 15; Peak: April 19-May 7. Fall Migration: August 15-November 30; September 5-October 29. #birdportarthur

                                                                               

The nationally renowned Museum of the Gulf Coast should be your first stop in Port Arthur. This 2-story museum manages to completely capture the story of Southeast Texas. The 1^st-floor displays the area’s history from prehistoric times. The 2^nd-floor features the Music Hall of Fame and the history of the music and the artists of the Gulf Coast. A 125-ft. mural, the largest in the region, is showcased in the first gallery and should be closely examined.

The second level is a music lovers’ wonderland. A self-guided tour filled with 55” touchscreen audiovisual stations, interactive displays, sculptures, memorabilia and artifacts winds you through the history of Gulf Coast music and its incorporation of blues, Cajun, country, gospel, jazz, rock, soul, western swing and zydeco. Port Arthur is located 30-miles from Louisiana and is musically influenced by being a cultural crossroads. Nearly 100 musicians are showcased in the Music Hall of Fame. 

    

One of the most notable showcases contains the ‘Vest Frottoir” owned by Cleveland Chenier. He and his brother Clifton Chenier, “King of Zydeco”, created the metal instrument because they felt the washboard on a rope instrument that hung around the neck was heavy. It has the distinction of being the only North American created instrument.

The museum honors the life and legacy of Janis Joplin, a Port Arthur native.  The display includes an outstanding sculpture, personal items, photographs and a replica of her 1964, mural-painted, Porsche 356C Cabriolet. She originally paid $3,500 for the gray car and then $500 to add the mural, The History of the Universe, painted by an artist. It sold to a private owner for $1.76 million in 2015.

Janis was born here on January 19, 1943 in the city. A driving tour begins at the museum and includes 15 sites. Her birth home, childhood home and schools are on the route. Tour brochures are available in the museum.    

Westside was the city’s African American community that flourished during segregation as a self-sustaining neighborhood. Blacks entered the area from the rural surroundings, some descendants of the enslaved from area plantations, to find work.

The Varner-Hogg plantation, the oldest in the state, is located in Southeast Texas and is a State Historic Site. The plantation features the main house, slave cemetery and several outbuildings, including slave quarters that interpret the lives of those who lived and toiled there. Visitors can rent a cottage for longer stays. 

Stephen Austin granted 4,428-acres to Martin Varner in 1824. Varner, a Virginian, brought several slaves with him to help establish a farm and distillery. Ten years later he sold the homestead to the Pattons of Kentucky. They founded Patton Place Plantation. Their 40-60 enslaved workers built the plantation structures, house, sugar mill and their own homes, with bricks made on-site.

 

Columbus Patton, a successful sugar mill owner, openly lived with an enslaved woman he brought with him from Kentucky. Rachel was treated as the mistress of the house, had servants of her own and charged her clothing and accessories to the Patton account. She was well dressed and acted as a “white woman”. The family and community were outraged that they lived in “disgraceful intimacy” and in 1854 the family had him declared insane and removed to a South Carolina asylum where he expired 2-years later.

In his 1853 will he singled out 4 enslaved individuals, Rachel being one of them. She was to receive an annual income and the freedom to live where she pleased. His family contested the will and probate lasted until the 1870s. In the end Rachel was granted an annual payment of $3,205 ($109,555 in 2022) and freedom to move among Patton properties. By 1860 she had been persuaded to move to Cincinnati for the plantation’s morale but in 1869 she returned to the area. She is listed in the 1880 census as Rachel Patton, a 60-year old Black female widow. The plantation was sold in 1869.

The plantation museum features photographs, artifacts, oral testimonies and legal documents to enhance the story. 

A road trip through Southeast Texas is a unique experience you don’t want to miss!

#PortArthurTexas   #Varner-HoggPlantation   #MuseumoftheGulfCoast   #JanisJoplin