According to oral tradition, the Methodist Episcopal Church of Old River was already located on this site when Mrs. Emily Brown, a midwife and mother of seven who had been born a slave in 1845, inherited the land from her employer. Emily deeded an . . . — — Map (db m190790) HM
Born in Hartford, Connecticut, this prominent physician, statesman, soldier, and educator received his degree from Yale Medical College in 1828. After a period of study in France, Smith returned to the United States to practice medicine in the . . . — — Map (db m156619) HM
Established in 1866 by Texas Confederate veterans for children of deceased soldiers. Had capacity for 250. Rev. Henry F. Gillette was first superintendent. C.S.A. Col. Ashbel Smith, diplomat, soldier and statesman, was staff doctor. Trustees . . . — — Map (db m53616) HM
The Civil War shattered many families, leaving orphans, destitute widows, and children whose stepfathers were unable or unwilling to support them. Motivated by such conditions, Henry Gillette led a group who met in 1866 to form an orphanage for . . . — — Map (db m169001) HM
Chartered June 18, 1870, with 13 members. Opened its own hall July 7, 1876, donating quarters (1876-1911) to the first public school in east Harris County.
On June 24, 1879, initiated an event that still continues-- the annual barbecue . . . — — Map (db m158934) HM
This congregation was organized in 1844 at the home of early settler Hance Baker, under the direction of the Rev. Robert Alexander, a noted Methodist missionary during Texas' frontier period. with twenty-seven members by its second meeting, the . . . — — Map (db m158955) HM
In 1854, brothers Thomas and John Chubb bought land in the William Scott League on the east bank of Goose Creek at the mouth of Tabbs Bay. On this site, they established the Chubb Shipyard prior to the Civil War. At the time, Texas shipbuilding was . . . — — Map (db m53618) HM
Ashbel Smith was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1805. Recieved his M.D. degree from Yale in 1828, and came to Texas from South Carolina in 1837. He established a plantation called Headquarters on Goose Creek in 1840 and in 1847 purchased property . . . — — Map (db m61316) HM
The first public school for African American children of this area was Goose Creek School for Coloreds. Founded in 1921 as a grade school, it served the children of the Baytown area, as well as those in La Porte, Cedar Bayou, and McNair. Classes . . . — — Map (db m168793) HM
The name Goose Creek was originated by Indians because in ages past it was a gathering place for huge flocks of geese. On map used by the LaSalle expedition (1684-1687) carries the label Goose Creek on this small stream. During the Civil War (1863) . . . — — Map (db m53685) HM
Built 1875-1876, largely by labor of members. Lumber, cut to order in Florida, arrived here by schooner in nick of time to escape havoc of 1875 hurricane.
The 1883 Worshipful Master, J. H. Kipp, made and gave (1889) the carved and inlaid . . . — — Map (db m158936) HM
A native of Virginia, William Scott (1784-1837) was a planter, merchant, and stockraiser in his native state and in Kentucky, where he relocated about 1806. He and his family moved briefly to Louisiana in the early 1820s before coming to Texas with . . . — — Map (db m65243) HM
Ross S. Sterling entered the oil business in 1909, when he invested in the Humble oil field north of Houston. Two years later he formed the Humble Oil Company with five partners: Walter W. Fondren, Charles B. Goddard, William Stamps Farlish, Robert . . . — — Map (db m64396) HM
In 1934, during the Great Depression and after several years of planning, the residents of the Goose Creek Independent School District voted to establish Lee Junior College, stressing the importance of higher education opportunities for area . . . — — Map (db m168711) HM
After a population increase due to the discovery of oil in 1908, local residents realized the need for permanent school facilities and formed the Goose Creek Independent School District in 1919, encompassing the cities of Goose Creek, Pelly, and . . . — — Map (db m168792) HM
On April 27, 1861, Dr. Ashbel Smith organized a group of volunteers from Bayland (now Baytown) and Cedar Bayou in Harris County, and Barbers Hill in Chambers County. The group, known as the Bayland Guards, drilled on Smith’s Evergreen Plantation and . . . — — Map (db m53617) HM
Constructed in 1895-96 by Quincy Adams Wooster and Junius Brown, this building originally served as a schoolhouse and community gathering place for the Wooster community. It became a part of the Goose Creek School System in 1919. The structure was . . . — — Map (db m50136) HM
Once located southwest of this site was the home of Henry Falvel Gillette (1816-1896). A native of Connecticut, Gillette came to Texas in 1840 at the urging of his cousin, Ashbel Smith. He became a noted educator in Harris, Washington, and Polk . . . — — Map (db m53615) HM
Built in 1936-37 as the Goose Creek Post Office, this structure served as the area's main postal facility for almost fifty years. Designed by architect Louis A. Simon, the Early International style building features an interior fresco mural . . . — — Map (db m201780) HM
In response to area population growth following the early 20th century Goose Creek oil field boom, twenty incorporating members formed the K'Nesseth Israel congregation in 1928 to serve the area's Jewish residents. They hired Houston architect . . . — — Map (db m53608) HM
A young Swede who came to America in 1871 to earn a living had, before he died, become famous as "The Sage of Cedar Bayou," folk poet for a generation of Texans.
Educated by his mother, Sjolander learned Swedish, German, and English by . . . — — Map (db m156620) HM
