Sabine Pass, Texas
Encyclopedia
Sabine Pass is a neighborhood of Port Arthur
, Texas
, United States
. It lies on the west bank of Sabine Pass
, near the Louisiana
border.
Originally known as Sabine City, the original date of settlement of Sabine Pass is unknown, but is estimated at 1836. During the American Civil War
, Fort Sabine and Fort Griffin
were built by the Confederacy to protect the waterway of Sabine Pass and the Sabine River
and Neches River
, which it leads to.
Although the city was formally annexed by Port Arthur in 1978, Sabine Pass has continued to maintain a separate identity.
, and the Second Battle of Sabine Pass
, both occurred around the Sabine Lake estuary in Sabine Pass. In 1970, construction crews attempting to repair SH-87 accidentally dug up Civil War era ammunition. The following is an excerpt from Texas State Highway 87 :
Because of the short distance separating Sabine Pass from the Gulf of Mexico
, the city has suffered greatly from numerous hurricanes since its founding. After hurricanes in 1886
, 1900
, 1915, and the devastating Hurricane Audrey
in 1957, economic development moved north from Sabine Pass to the cities of Beaumont
, Port Arthur, and Orange
, which still dominate the area's economy today.
On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita
came ashore over Sabine Lake—the surge from the storm destroyed more than 90% of the structures in Sabine Pass. In February 2006, the team from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
(EM: HE) visited the town and rebuilt the Firehouse (which included a new Firetruck worth $400,000), the High School Auditorium and gave dozens of families $350 gift cards from Sears to replace items such as clothes, space heaters, blankets etc., lost due to Hurricane Rita
. This town was featured in the EM:HE - After The Storm Texas Special which aired on the ABC
on April 14, 2006.
In September 2008, Hurricane Ike
struck Galveston and managed to generate the highest surge ever recorded at Sabine Pass.
and McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge lie at the end of Highway 87. The two provide excellent wildlife and especially bird watching venues. Camping on the Gulf of Mexico
beach at Sea Rim State Park is a popular attraction. However the park has not been well kept and suffered extensive damage due to hurricane Rita and hurricane Ike.
operates the Sabine Pass Post Office.
serves the community.
The section of Port Arthur within the Sabine Pass School District is assigned to Galveston College
in Galveston
.
Port Arthur, Texas
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It lies on the west bank of Sabine Pass
Sabine Pass
Sabine Pass is the natural outlet of Sabine Lake into the Gulf of Mexico. It borders Jefferson County, Texas, and Cameron Parish, Louisiana.Two major battles occurred here during the American Civil War, known as the First and Second Battles of Sabine Pass....
, near the Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
border.
Originally known as Sabine City, the original date of settlement of Sabine Pass is unknown, but is estimated at 1836. During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Fort Sabine and Fort Griffin
Fort Griffin
Fort Griffin was a Cavalry fort established in the late 1860s in the northern part of West Texas, specifically northwestern Shackelford County, to give settlers protection from early Comanche and Kiowa raids...
were built by the Confederacy to protect the waterway of Sabine Pass and the Sabine River
Sabine River (Texas-Louisiana)
The Sabine River is a river, long, in the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana. In its lower course, it forms part of the boundary between the two states and empties into Sabine Lake, an estuary of the Gulf of Mexico. The river formed part of the United States-Mexican international boundary during...
and Neches River
Neches River
The Neches River flows for through east Texas to its mouth on Sabine Lake near the Rainbow Bridge. Two major reservoirs, Lake Palestine and B. A. Steinhagen Reservoir are located on the Neches. Several cities are located along the Neches River Basin, including Evadale, Tyler, Lufkin, Silsbee,...
, which it leads to.
Although the city was formally annexed by Port Arthur in 1978, Sabine Pass has continued to maintain a separate identity.
Sabine Pass and the Civil War
Two battles, the First Battle of Sabine PassFirst Battle of Sabine Pass
The First Battle of Sabine Pass or the Bombardment of Fort Sabine was a naval and land battle during the American Civil War in Sabine Pass, Texas...
, and the Second Battle of Sabine Pass
Second Battle of Sabine Pass
The Second Battle of Sabine Pass took place on September 8, 1863, and was the result of a Union expedition into Confederate-controlled Texas during the American Civil War...
, both occurred around the Sabine Lake estuary in Sabine Pass. In 1970, construction crews attempting to repair SH-87 accidentally dug up Civil War era ammunition. The following is an excerpt from Texas State Highway 87 :
In 1970, road machinery used in its construction accidentally dug up several cannonballs and crumbling kegs of black powder about 10 miles west of Sabine Pass. Further excavation eventually produced more kegs of black powder and several hundred cannonballs. The ammunition had been buried there by Confederate soldiers in what were the diches of Fort Manhassett in 1865. Fort Manhassett was a series of earthworks constructed by the Confederacy in 1863 to defend the western approaches to Sabine Pass.
Hurricanes
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, the city has suffered greatly from numerous hurricanes since its founding. After hurricanes in 1886
Indianola Hurricane of 1886
The Indianola Hurricane of 1886 destroyed the town of Indianola, Texas. It was one of the most intense hurricanes ever to hit the United States.-Meteorological history:...
, 1900
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on the city of Galveston in the U.S. state of Texas, on September 8, 1900.It had estimated winds of at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale...
, 1915, and the devastating Hurricane Audrey
Hurricane Audrey
Hurricane Audrey was the first major hurricane of the 1957 Atlantic hurricane season. Audrey was the only storm to reach Category 4 status in June. A powerful hurricane, Audrey caused catastrophic damage across eastern Texas and western Louisiana. It then affected the South Central United States as...
in 1957, economic development moved north from Sabine Pass to the cities of Beaumont
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
, Port Arthur, and Orange
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...
, which still dominate the area's economy today.
On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
came ashore over Sabine Lake—the surge from the storm destroyed more than 90% of the structures in Sabine Pass. In February 2006, the team from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a reality television series providing home renovations for less fortunate families and community schools etc...
(EM: HE) visited the town and rebuilt the Firehouse (which included a new Firetruck worth $400,000), the High School Auditorium and gave dozens of families $350 gift cards from Sears to replace items such as clothes, space heaters, blankets etc., lost due to Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
. This town was featured in the EM:HE - After The Storm Texas Special which aired on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
on April 14, 2006.
In September 2008, Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
struck Galveston and managed to generate the highest surge ever recorded at Sabine Pass.
Wildlife Habitats
Sabine Pass is known for its wildlife. Sea Rim State ParkSea Rim State Park
Sea Rim State Park is a state park in southeast Texas.The park is located on the Gulf of Mexico in southern Jefferson County, south of Port Arthur and just west of Sabine Pass. The park was closed for several years due to extensive damage from Hurricanes Rita and Ike . The park has recently...
and McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge lie at the end of Highway 87. The two provide excellent wildlife and especially bird watching venues. Camping on the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
beach at Sea Rim State Park is a popular attraction. However the park has not been well kept and suffered extensive damage due to hurricane Rita and hurricane Ike.
Government and infrastructure
The United States Postal ServiceUnited States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates the Sabine Pass Post Office.
Education
Sabine Pass Independent School DistrictSabine Pass Independent School District
Sabine Pass Independent School District is a public school district in Sabine Pass, a community in Port Arthur, Texas . The school serves sections of Port Arthur and unincorporated Jefferson County....
serves the community.
The section of Port Arthur within the Sabine Pass School District is assigned to Galveston College
Galveston College
Galveston College is a comprehensive community college located on Galveston Island in Galveston, Texas, United States. GC is led by a president who answers to nine member publicly elected Board of Regents....
in Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
.
See also
- First Battle of Sabine PassFirst Battle of Sabine PassThe First Battle of Sabine Pass or the Bombardment of Fort Sabine was a naval and land battle during the American Civil War in Sabine Pass, Texas...
- Second Battle of Sabine PassSecond Battle of Sabine PassThe Second Battle of Sabine Pass took place on September 8, 1863, and was the result of a Union expedition into Confederate-controlled Texas during the American Civil War...
- Beaumont-Port Arthur metropolitan area