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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. |
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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
Hotels › Book
Here |
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
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1920s map showing
Kemah and Galveston Bay
From Texas
state map #10749
Courtesy Texas General Land Office
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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,
landmarks and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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