Pasadena, The Early Years

Historical Timeline by C. David Pomeroy, Jr.


Initial Settlement (1890-1899)

1890 	- JHB buys land.  Houston pop. 27,000.  Pas pop. 0. Dallas  38,000.  San Antonio 	37,000.  Galveston 29,000.
1893 	- Jan. 30, 20 Ac. to John Richey (First land sale in new  community).
1894 	- First school house was built, "the Academy."
1895 	- Feb 14.8 deg., 20" snow in Houston, 24" in Deer Park.
1896 	- May, plat filed. Methodist organized in Deepwater. 
1897 	- Bailey, Coolidge & Ben Williams families arrive.
1898 	- First school census, 24 white & 3 negro.  
       - Mar. 26, Pasadena Independent School District (PISD)  election 23 for, 0 against.
       - Methodist move to Pasadena, Baptist organize in Deepwater.
1899 	- Feb. 8 degrees, Snow drifts 10' in Galveston,  Galveston  Bay froze over.
       - June 15,  final official formation of PISD.

Community Development, Churches and Retail Businesses (1900-1909)

1900 	- Pasadena pop. approx. 200 (20 families). Houston pop.  44,000. Galveston pop. 36,000.  La Porte pop. 537.
       - Sept. "Galveston Hurricane," 7,200 die (6,000 on  Galveston Island). 1.5 million strawberry plants  introduced by 
               Clara Barton of the American Red Cross.
1901 	- Pomeroys move to Pasadena.
1902 	- First telephone (located at Guinn's Post Office).
1903 	- Baptist Church built (cost $600, value $1,000).
1904 	- Methodist buy land for church.
1905 	- School moved to Broad Way (facing Shaver) from Wafer at Shaw (5th).
       - Two mercantile stores open (Dickerson and Tilley)
1906 	- Crown Hill Cemetery established (Payson Pomeroy first  person buried).
1907 	- Methodist Church built, cost $2,300.
1908 	- June 12 - Aug. 2, Pomeroy House built
1909	- Clyde McMaster (later mayor) moves to Pasadena.

Introduction of Mechanical Devices (1910-1919)

1910 	- Pasadena pop. approx 500.  Houston pop. 78,800.
      - Brick school house built, now facing Broad Way street.      	
      - Assembly of God organized (Apostolic).
      - South Houston platted
      - First Airplane flight in Texas (S. Houston, Louis Paulham).
1914	- Houston Ship Channel established, Port of Houston (1841).
1915	- Hurricane in August.
      - hand pull ferry across Buffalo Bayou (future Houston Ship Channel.)
1917	- Allen Ranch sold to Sinclair interest for refinery (now  Lyondell-Citgo)
      - Ellington Air Base built.
      - First service station in Pasadena (Hargrave's)
      - Nov. - World War I over
1918	- Sinclair refinery begins construction.
1919	- Crown Refinery groundbreaking.
      - June, Pasadena State Bank and Guaranty State Bank both  open in Pasadena
      - construction begins on Humble (now Exxon) Refinery in Baytown

Struggle to Incorporate

1920	- Pasadena pop. approx 1,000.  Houston pop. 138,276.
      - June, first incorporation map proposed, includes  new industries.
      - First brick commercial building, Guaranty State Bank, still standing, corner 225 feeder & Munger..
1921	- Motorized ferry replaces hand pulled one (current location of Washburn Tunnel).
      - Hoof & Mouth disease (1921-22)
      - Pasadena State Bank consolidates Guaranty State Bank in.
1922	- electricity comes to Pasadena.
1923	- Pasadena incorporated with a vote of 50 vs. 0.
1924	- Pasadena High School built.
      - Aug, H L & P Deepwater plant built.
      - Nov, city unincorporates.
      - Dec 1, worst freeze in 20 years, 80,000 cattle froze.
1927	- Natural gas comes to Pasadena.
      - Dec, Vote to incorporate again, fails 63 v. 71.
1928	- Aug, telephone exchange established in Pasadena, listed as separate section in Houston telephone book.
      - Dec, vote to re-incorporate passes, 102 v. 94.
1929	- Conrad elected mayor, speed trap reputation, $10,700 in  fines.
      - First city newspaper.
      - First bond issue, $120,000 for water, sewer, street & city hall.
      - Jun, Phillips Petroleum plant construction starts.
      - Aug, Shell Refinery opens in Deer Park.
      - Sept, Whoopee built .
      - Oct. 29, Stock Market Crash, Great Depression begins.

The Great Depression and Great Changes

1930	- Pasadena pop. 1,647.  Houston pop. 292,352.
1933	- Feb, record cold 17 degrees.
      - June, record high 101 degrees.
      - July, Mexican Baptist Church organized.
      - Bank Holiday.
1935	- South Houston & Genoa school districts consolidates into PISD.
1936	- Cullinan leases land to Champion Paper Co. (now Simpson Paper).
      - Memorial Baptist Church organized, builds first brick  sanctuary in Pasadena.
      - Texas Centennial.
      - Construction begins on San Jacinto Monument.
      - Oct, Pasadena Rotary Club organized.
1937	- Presbyterian church organized.
      - Feb 14, Champion Paper mill opens.
      - Jackson Jr. High built.
      - First hospital, Pasadena Clinic & Hospital opens  (Dr. E. E. Conners).
      - First movie house (Rita/Pasadena Theater, now  Norman Furniture).
      - Methodist build new brick sanctuary ($12,000 with 400 members).
1938	- Episcopals organize.
1939	- Lighted new football stadium built behind high school.
      -  San Jacinto Monument completed ($1.5 million).  Also Sun Dial dedicated.

World War II and Industrialization

1940	- Pasadena pop. 3,436.  Houston pop. 384,514.
1941	- Library moves to City Hall.
          - John Campbell buys Baldwin property on Southmore.
          - Dec, US declares war on Japan after Pearl Harbor raid.
1942	- First Rodeo.
          - Houston Shipbuilding hires 20,000 employees.
          - Brown Shipbuilding.
          - San Jacinto Shipbuilding  (Todd Shipyard, Pasadena side, sold to Phillips in 1948).
          - Lutherans organize.
1943	- Goodyear opens.
          - July, Hurricane hits La Porte.
1944	- 
1945	- Dec, Jensen Arcade opens, first public auditorium.
          - First home mail delivery (or 1946?).
          - Mathison Chemical opens.
1947	- Sam Hoover elected Mayor (serves one 2 yr term).
          - April 16, Texas City Disaster (500 killed)
          - Dec, Pasadena Citizen begins.
          - Pasadena Savings & Loan started (Bank United today).
          - Pasadena State Bank builds new brick building on Shaw  at Munger.
1948	- Washburn Tunnel work begins (opens 1950).
          -  Battleship U. S. S. Texas docked permanently at San Jacinto Battlegrounds.
          - Corrigan Center opens. 
1949	- Sears buys land from John Campbell.
          - Nov. 19, Capitan Theater opens at Corrigan Center.

Post War Industrial Growth

1950	- Pasadena pop. 22,483.
          - May, Washburn Tunnel opens.
          - Sears opens.
1952	- First National Bank opens on Shaw.
1953  - March 2nd.  Shell Oil and Shell Chemical gave the city a new library.  The building cost$100,000 and contains 4,500 
           sq. ft.of space. Also a 200 person meeting space.  Drs. Dorothy Steidtmann became the librarian.  
1954	- First Baptist Church moves to Tatar Street south of Southmore.
          - South Main Baptist is formed and occupies the old First Baptist Church building on Main at Broadway..
1956	-

Pasadena Grows Southward

1960  - Pasadena Pop. 58,737
          - Houston tried to surround Pasadena, but failed.
1962	- JFK announces Space Center project for Houston.
1969  - Houston again tried to surround Pasadena, but  Pasadena annexed to Galveston Bay and Clear  Lake.
          - July 20: Neil Armstrong lands on the Moon.    
1970  - Pasadena Pop. 89,720
1973 - Pasadena Annexed Bayport Industrial District in its last annexation move.  See 1969. 

Pasadena Redefines Itself

1980  - Pasadena Pop. 112,560 
          - The movie, Urban Cowboy, released, feturing Gilley's Club in Pasadena.
1990  - Pasadena Pop. 119,608
1993  - Pasadena Centennial
1994  - Pasadena, The Early Years published.
2003  - May 1:  Pomeroy Homestead becomes a National Registry of Historic Places property. 

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9.20.03