November 22, 2006

Port Arthur, Texas

Bolivar Lighthouse

Rode the 2.7 mile, 18 minute ferry ride from Galveston to Port Bolivar, destination: Port Arthur. Why? I wasn't exactly sure. All I knew was that I needed to take some pictures.....

Arghhh, crayons!

I don't think this little girl went to school there. No, she went to school in Port Arthur.

I was looking for Proctor Street. Here's what it looked like back in the 1920s:

familyoldphotos.com

It doesn't look like that anymore. Surprise! Here are some places just on the outskirts of the old Proctor, downtown area:

There are houses like this on Galveston.

I liked this because of the tacky mural and the cool, Yellow Submarine-esque 7-UP sign.


This building, circa 1929, was on its last leg:


And there it was. Empty as a pocket with nothing to lose.

It was like my experience in Timpson, writ large.



According to this plaque from 2002:
Frank Trost was the photographer of record on the day the Lucas Gusher erupted in the Spindletop Oil Field. On January 10, 1901, Trost was notified of the events at Spindletop, just south of Beaumont. With his unwieldy camera equipment in tow, he mangaged to take at least one photograph of the gushing oil before sundown.



Hotel Sabine

Across the street from Hotel Sabine:

This is the back of the World Trade Building (must have been heady times). Here's the other side (yes, it's the same building):


Onward, down Proctor:

The Port Arthur Savings Building, complete with a piano to the front of the entrance

Keyhole Klub - where you walked in swingin'


Looking back from where I'd come while in front of Keyhole Klub. The Hotel Sabine is the large building in the distance on the right, the World Trade Building on the left. Not a soul around. I felt like I was on one of those Star Trek sets where the story took place on some post-apocalyptic, earth-like planet (say, like "Miri").
Coca-Cola - _______ and Refreshing





The 1916 Federal Post Office Building

Greyhound Bus station - you'd wait a long time for a bus.


Conveniently located a mere two blocks away from the World Trade Building:
And within easy walking distance of:

5 comments:

Becca said...

Great pics as usual, I love that box of crayons and the 7UP sign. There are treasures everywhere!

Chris said...

Thanks, becca. That's exactly how I felt about them!

marty finestone said...

Oh my, there is something rather unsettling about the East Chambers school sign.

Marty (activitybook.org)

Chris said...

Marty, how so???

Chasrich said...

The "little girl" wound up attending UT Austin for awhile, while at the same time singing at Threadgill's, a restaurant that's still in business. Then, she headed West. The rest is history...