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FREEPORT, TEXAS
Brazoria County,
Texas
Gulf Coast
16 Miles S of Angleton
57 Miles S of Houston
3 Miles from the Mouth of the Brazos River
Population:
12,708 (2000)
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Brazos
River Flood Gate
Photo courtesy Ken Rudine, July 2007 |
History in
a Pecan Shell:
The city now includes what had once been the site of Old Velasco,
a historic port that was devastated by the hurricane of 1900. Freeport
was planned by the Freeport Sulphur Company (a mining operation) and
has a founding date of November, 1912.
An industrial town from its very beginning, Freeport shipped sulphur,
provided oil storage tanks and was headquarters for the Houston and
Brazos Valley Railroad. The town had a school in 1913, albeit a one-room
building. In 1914 the town shipped oysters and had built a bank, hotel
and printed a newspaper.
Incorporated in 1917, the town had a population of 3,500 just before
the Great Depression. The strength of the town's industry allowed
it to gain population during the 30s - rising to over 4,000 residents.
Expansion of the Dow Chemical Company and formation of the Brazosport
industrial area increased the population to 6,008 by 1952.
Old Velasco was incorporated into
Freeport in 1957 and in the early 1960s, Freeport's population was
over 11,0000. Freeport is also home port to one of the Gulf's largest
commercial shrimp fleets. The population was listed as 12,708 for
the 2000 census. |
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Photos
courtesy Ken Rudine, July 2007 |
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