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GALENA PARK, TEXAS

Harris County, Texas Gulf Coast

29°44'20"N 95°14'14"W (29.738928, -95.237211)

E of Houston
S of Jacinto City

Population: 11,067 Est. (2016)
10,887 (2010) 10,592 (2000) 10,033 (1990)

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Galena Park TX - Welcome Sign
Galena Park Welcome Sign
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Galena Park

By Clint Skinner

Located in Harris County, the city of Galena Park lies east of Houston, north of Buffalo bayou, and south of Jacinto City. Ezekiel Thomas moved to the area in 1824 after securing a land grant from the Mexican government. The settlers from South Carolina died in 1835 and a thousand acres of his property was sold to Isaac Batterson. After settling on the land, Isaac called the area Clinton. On April 19, 1836, General Sam Houston arrived on the scene with his troops. He made a stop at Batterson's house and obtained permission to make rafts from the floorboards so his army could float down Buffalo Bayou. When the task was completed, Sam Houston used the property as a camp for the sick while the rest of his men advance toward Santa Anna's forces at San Jacinto.

the residence of Clinton heavily relied upon farming and ranching for their financial income since the beginning. Charles Morgan, the owner of the Morgan Steam Ship Company, changed all this with his actions, starting in 1876. He emptied and cleaned out Buffalo Bayou, then dug a canal near the town of Morgan's Point. They result was a new channel for Houston's port. Once this was accomplished, Charles established a railroad line from Houston to Sims and Buffalo Bayous. Cotton warehouses and compresses soon appeared along this area. By the 1880s, Clinton was a major shipping center.

The oil industry came to Clinton during the early 1900s with the construction of the first refinery by the Galena Signal Oil Company of Texas. Owned by C. D. Keen and W. C. Woolf, another refinery was built in the area and it provided some competition. The United States Steel Company built a warehouse and corporate office in Clinton during 1927, introducing the city to the steel industry.

On September 21, 1935, the city of Clinton was incorporated as Galena Park. It had trying to register the post office s Clinton, but the name was already taken. In response, the people decided to name it after the company which provided its first oil refinery. The matter was settled and Galena Park was born.

In 1936, the new city sported twelve businesses and a population of 300. Four years later, the number of residents shot to 1,562 and bolted to 7,186 in 1950. As Houston continued to prosper, Galena Park kept growing in size. The population reached an apex in 1960 with 10,852 people, but surpassed that number in 2014 when records indicated that there were 11,148 citizens calling Galena Park home.

Galena Park TX - City Hall
Galena Park City Hall
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Galena Park TX - High School
Galena Park High School
Wikimedia commons
© Clint Skinner
July 22, 2019
Bibliography

  • Cityofgalenapark-tx.gov
  • Tshaonline.org
  • Wikipedia.org

  • Take a road trip

    Galena Park, Texas Nearby Destinations:
    San Jacinto Monument
    Houston
    Baytown
    Galveston
    See Harris County | Texas Gulf Coast

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