Port Arthur in Jefferson County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
John Warne Gates
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, May 22, 2020
1. John Warne Gates Marker
Illinois native John Warne Gates (1855-1911) arrived in Port Arthur in 1899 at the urging of his business partner and town promoter, Arthur Stilwell. Gates' time here as a financier, entrepreneur and philanthropist left a significant legacy to the city in the form of numerous charitable bequests, businesses and educational institutions. Prior to his arrival in Port Arthur, Gates had gained fame as a barbed wire salesman and earned his fortune as a steel magnate. Soon after his arrival on the Gulf Coast he helped finance Patillo Higgins' endeavor to drill for oil, which resulted in the discovery of oil at the Spindletop field in January 1901. Gates founded the Port Arthur Rice Milling Company and promoted the recognition of Port Arthur as a United States port of entry, which was achieved when President Theodore Roosevelt signed the congressional act to that effect in 1906. Other endeavors included the Gates model dairy farm, the Mary A. Gates Memorial Hospital and the Gates Plaza Hotel. He founded and endowed the Port Arthur Business College (now Lamar State College - Port Arthur) in 1909, and set aside land for what became the Gates Memorial Library after his death.
Gates' Classical Revival mansion, built near this site in 1909, epitomized his social and economic position in the city. Boasting 18 rooms and numerous outbuildings, it took nine months to build at a cost of $500,000. The house later became the home of Dr. Murff F. Bledsoe, who developed the Bledsoe Place addition, and was razed in 1960.
Erected 2001 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 12501.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #26 Theodore Roosevelt series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1901.
Location. 29° 53.025′ N,
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Regionally, this marker is in Texas’ Golden Triangle. It is also in the American South, on the Gulf Coast, and in the Piney Woods. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Ellwood - Craig House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Pompeiian Villa (about 400 feet away); Clubhouse of the Federated Womens Clubs of Port Arthur (about 700 feet away); Federated Women's Clubs Of Port Arthur (about 700 feet away); Vuylsteke House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Trinity Lutheran Church (approx. Ό mile away); Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, May 22, 2020
2. John Warne Gates Marker
More about this marker. Located in the cul-de-sac on Bledsoe Place
Credits. This page was last revised on December 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 14, 2020, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 1,240 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 14, 2020, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana.
