Port Bolivar in Galveston County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Port Bolivar
Photographed By Richard Denney, November 5, 2011
1. Port Bolivar Marker
While this marker indicates it was first erected in 1995, this one appears to be new and may be a replacement for one lost (either at this location or some other location) in Hurricane Ike in 2008 which devastated much of Bolivar peninsula.
Inscription.
Port Bolivar. . Surveyor Samuel D. Parr claimed a league of land extending 5 miles eastward from Point Bolivar and in 1838 became the area's first permanent settler. That year developers Archibald Wynn and William Lawrence purchased about 1000 acres of Parr's land and surveyed a townsite name Ismail (Ishmael). When the first post office was established in 1876 the community's name became Gabion. The community was renamed Port Bolivar in 1893., In 1896 developers L.P. Featherstone and Fox Winnie constructed a railroad line connection Point Bolivar to Galveston and Beaumont. Featherstone was instrumental in dredging a channel and building a wharf, where the first cargo ship landed in 1909. The town prospered and by 1911 contained a schoolhouse and a Methodist church. Business activity at the wharf continued to expand and Port Bolivar's economy surged., Shipping worldwide slowed at the outset of World War I and use of the wharf declined. In 1915 the town and wharf were severely damaged by a storm and many facilities were never rebuilt. The community turned to commercial fishing and tourism to successfully revitalize its economy. Regular ferry service to the mainland, which began in 1930, continues today.
Surveyor Samuel D. Parr claimed a
league of land extending 5 miles
eastward from Point Bolivar and in
1838 became the area's first
permanent settler. That year
developers Archibald Wynn and
William Lawrence purchased about
1000 acres of Parr's land and
surveyed a townsite name Ismail
(Ishmael). When the first post
office was established in 1876 the
community's name became Gabion. The
community was renamed Port Bolivar
in 1893.
In 1896 developers L.P. Featherstone
and Fox Winnie constructed a
railroad line connection Point
Bolivar to Galveston and Beaumont.
Featherstone was instrumental in
dredging a channel and building a
wharf, where the first cargo ship
landed in 1909. The town prospered
and by 1911 contained a schoolhouse
and a Methodist church. Business
activity at the wharf continued to
expand and Port Bolivar's economy
surged.
Shipping worldwide slowed at the
outset of World War I and use of the
wharf declined. In 1915 the town and
wharf were severely damaged by a
storm and many facilities were never
rebuilt. The community turned to
commercial fishing and tourism to
successfully revitalize its economy.
Regular ferry service to the
mainland, which began in 1930,
continues today.
Location. 29° 24.912′ N, 94° 42.649′ W. Marker is in Port Bolivar, Texas, in Galveston County. Marker is on State Highway 87. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Port Bolivar TX 77650, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. Marker sits just outside the Port Bolivar cemetery
Photographed By Richard Denney, November 5, 2011
3. Port Bolivar Cemetery marker
This marker describing the Port Bolivar cemetery is located just inside cemetery outside of which the Port Bolivar marker is located.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 6, 2011, by Richard Denney of Austin, Texas. This page has been viewed 680 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on November 6, 2011, by Richard Denney of Austin, Texas. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.