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CRYSTAL BEACH, TEXAS


Galveston County, Texas Gulf Coast

29° 27' 26" N, 94° 38' 23" W (29.457222, -94.639722)

TX Hwy 87 on the Bolivar Peninsula
8 miles NE of Port Bolivar,
a free ferry ride from Galveston
19 miles SW of High Island
70 miles SW of Port Arthur (via Hwy 124 and 73)
Population: 800 Est. (2010) 787 (2000, 1990)

Book Hotel Here › Galveston Hotels

Bolivar Lighthouse, Texas
"Waiting for Rita"
Infra-red photography by Robert Vahle, September 2005

History in a Seashell

Now an unincorporated city, Crystal Beach was originally named Patton and was the terminus of the railroad on the Bolivar Peninsula. It is the largest community on the peninsula.

Bolivar Peninsula History/Related Stories



Bolivar Peninsula Attractions

  • Galveston-Port Bolivar 24 hour free ferry service

  • Miles of sandy beaches

  • Birding - Spring and Fall

  • Bolivar Lighthouse - Near Hwy 87, Six miles SW of Crystal Beach

  • Fort Travis Seaside Park - 60-acre park
    Hours: 7:30AM - 9PM. 409-766-2411

  • Galveston Hotels › Book Here

  • Bolivar lighthouse, Galveston, Crystal Beach, Texas
    Bolivar lighthouse, Galveston, Crystal Beach, Texas
    Bolivar Lighthouse -
    6 miles SW of Crystal Beach near Hwy 87

    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, 2005
    Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/

    Bolivar Peninsula History/Stories

    Bolivar Peninsula: Scene of Slaving, Smuggling, Filibustering and Farms

    by W. T. Block ("Cannonball Tales" Column)
    Very few areas of Texas can claim a longer time span of written history than can that thirty-mile sliver of sand known as Bolivar Peninsula... more


    Texas Storms & Related Stories:


  • The Longest Train Ride by C. F. Eckhardt
    "Train #1 of the Gulf & Interstate Railroad, which left Beaumont, Texas, at 7:00 AM on September 8, 1900, to make the run to Port Bolivar, about 85 miles away by modern highway, arrived at Port Bolivar at 11:10 AM, September 24, 1903—three years, sixteen days, and ten minutes late. Some of the original passengers were still aboard..."

  • Galveston 1900 by Mike Cox

  • The Galveston Storm by Archie P. McDonald, PhD
    The hurricane that struck Galveston on September 8, 1900, still reigns as the worst natural disaster in United States history because an estimated 10,000 people lost their lives.

  • Hurricane 1900 Cartoon by Roger T. Moore

  • Hurricane Carla by N. Ray Maxie
    She was ferocious, deadly and destructive; a Category 5 hurricane at one time, with 175 MPH winds. She slowly came ashore September 11, 1961

  • Indianola A poem by Jeff McLemore published in 1904.

  • Indianola "Queen city of the West" turned ghost town, devastated by storms

  • The Story of Indianola by Maggie Van Ostrand

  • Indianola Remnants by Mike Cox

  • Ghostly Chalk Children of Crystal Beach by Frances Giles



  • Bolivar Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
    1760 Highway 87
    PO Box 11700
    Crystal Beach, Texas 77650
    409-684-5940, 800-386-7863
    http://www.bolivarchamber.org/

    Galveston County Texas 1920s map
    1920s Galveston County map showing Patton, Galveston & Port Bolivar
    From Texas state map #10749
    Courtesy Texas General Land Office

    Take a road trip
    Texas Gulf Coast

    Crystal Beach, Texas Nearby Towns:
    Galveston the county seat
    High Island
    See Galveston County

    Book Hotel Here:
    Galveston Hotels | More Hotels

    Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact us.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


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