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Waterford
Harbor in Kemah
Photo courtesy Keith Hatton, 8-04 |
Kemah
by Keith Hatton
If you’re a Texan who is serious about boating, you already know about
Kemah. Home to the third largest fleet of recreational boats in America, Kemah
is unique. This is where boots, jeans, and longneck beer meets flip flops, cut-offs,
and well… longneck beer. Like the offspring from a Maui and Ft. Worth marriage,
Hawaiian shirts and pickup trucks dot the parking lots of the bars, restaurants
and marinas throughout town. But the rich Kemah history makes it much more than
just another Texas coastal town.
Kemah is located on the south side of
Clear Creek Channel. The Channel connects the briny Clear Lake with Galveston
Bay. About twenty-five miles northwest of Galveston,
and thirty-two miles southeast of Houston,
Kemah is easily assessable by State Highway 146 and Farm Road 518.
Kemah
History Legend
has it that one of Kemah’s first inhabitants was the pirate Jean
Lafitte. It is even rumored that he buried much of his stolen treasure around
this horseshoe shaped section of Galveston Bay. There are still some long time
residents who profess that some of Lafitte’s
treasure was used to fund much of Kemah’s illegal and notorious gambling days
shortly after World War II.
The town began as a result of the Southern Pacific railroad passing
through this small section of Gulf property. Then, around 1898, the largest landowners
in the area, the Bradford Family (headed up by James H. Bradford) and Kipp Family
(with John Henry Kipp as the head of the household), created the township of Evergreen.
It was also called Shell Siding at times because of the huge amounts of seashell
hauled by the railroad from the Bradford family property.
Evergreen grew
to point where J.H. Kipp wanted citizens to have their own post office. However,
he was told there was already a town with that name. If they wanted a post office,
they would have to come up with a new name. Eventually, Kemah was chosen. It means
“wind in the face” in Indian, which, if you’ve ever been to Kemah, you can appreciate
how easy it was to come up with that name. The population of Kemah remained around
100-200 citizens for the first third of the 20th century. It began to grow in
the late 1930s and early 1940s to over 500 and held steady until 1965. Since then,
the boating industry has taken off as well as Kemah. With easy access to the Gulf
of Mexico, the construction of dozens of new marinas, and numerous Houstonians
anxious to spend their weekends on the waterfront, Kemah has sextupled in size
to a population of about 2700.
Kemah
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Kemah
Channel
Photo courtesy Keith Hatton, 8-04 |
Kemah Today
Kemah, once a slow coastal town is now more upscale chic. Waterford Harbour,
the gem of marinas along the Texas
coast, is a focal point in the development of this town. There is also the
Kemah Boardwalk.
A 14-acre complex, the Boardwalk is complete with themed
restaurants, hotels, amusement rides, marinas, and even a miniature train ride.
But, Kemah’s more lasting attributes are less tangible. The warmth and friendliness
of the residents completes the picture. And this may be the real reason why Kemah
is a true Texas paradise.
© Keith Hatton
Kemah
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Kemah
Broadwalk
Photo courtesy Keith Hatton, 8-04 |
Kemah
Tourist Information Clear
Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
1201 E. NASA Road 1 Houston Texas 77058-3391
281-488-7676
http://www.clearlakearea.com
The
City of Kemah
1401 State Hwy. 146 - Kemah, TX 77565
281-3341611
Kemah Hotels
> Book
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Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, and vintage/historic
photos of their town, please contact
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