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Lynch's
Ferry Texas Centennial Marker
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, May 2012 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
The place dates
from 1822 when one Nathanial Lynch launched his ferry for anyone
willing to pay his modest rates. Known first as Lynch’s Ferry,
it became Lynchburg in 1834 or 1835 when Nat Lynch platted
his land in hopes of a permanent settlement.
Future Governor David G. Burnet built a home at Burnet Bay just
above Lynch’s Ferry In 1831 he invested in a steam engine at Lynchburg.
A few years earlier, (1824) on the opposite bank of the San Jacinto
River, Stephen
F. Austin and Baron de Bastrop were issuing titles to land.
The settlement there was known as Midway.
Would-be settlers always seemed to be on their way someplace else,
and Lynch’s burg remained a dream. During the Texas Revolution,
Sam Houston
had Lynch’s Ferry burned – as a measure to prevent retreat of his
forces. A post office did open in 1835, although it was discontinued
seven years later.
From a population of 205 in 1840, it slowly grew to where a post
office was again needed. It opened in 1870. This latest incarnation
lasted until 1927. Thereafter, the mail was sent through Pasadena.
In 1892, Lynchburg consisted of two general stores and a saloon,
although it remained on maps. From the late 1920s through the mid
1960s, the population remained at around 100.
Today, powerful ferries bring visitors across the Houston Ship Channel
to the San
Jacinto Battleground. In his wildest dreams, Nat Lynch couldn’t
have envisioned the State-operated service that continues to use
his name as the Lynchburg Ferry.
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Lynchburg,
Texas Chronicles:
Lynchburg
Ferry: Baytown had it first by Wanda Orton
Just when it seemed local history held no more surprises, I read
that the original Lynchburg Ferry was not in Lynchburg. It was on
Crystal Bay in present-day Baytown.... more
Boat
races in bay area go back to the 1800s by Wanda Orton
Pioneers of this bay area around Baytown and La Porte sailed through
the 1800s, with nearly all residents owning boats or having access
to them. There was no other way to get around - boating was a matter
of necessity. The waterways were the highways.
more
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| "This
1936 pink granite Centennial sits totally hidden in plain site. It
is doubtful that more than a handful of people of the thousands who
cross this intersection daily would even take a glance at it. Possibly
the only way to really notice it would be if someone were to accidentally
back into." - Barclay
Gibson |
Harris
County 1907 postal map showing Lynchburg (E of Houston)
Click on image to enlarge
From Texas state map #2090
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office |
| 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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