Fall 2023 Inside La Marque Volume 24

MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

Hello Friends,

What a summer! We have had our share of extreme heat and sweltering conditions. Alas, as we leave summer and welcome fall in our great community, we welcome the return of school, Cougar Pride, and our city's annual community celebration, Bayou Fest! But it's also our city's birthday! The great city of La Marque was incorporated in October 1953! You're invited to come on out and enjoy good food, live music, games, kids activities, and a spectacular fireworks display!

See you there!!

Mayor Keith Bell

Inside La Marque

La Marque: A Historical Evolution of Identity and Growth - Celebrating 70 years

and Texas, and the Interurban. A local railroad station and general store found their home within a private residence. This period marked a significant population growth, reaching 500 in 1914 and 1,500 by 1952, complemented by a thriving business landscape of ninety enterprises.

La Marque has gone by different names throughout its history. Known initially as Highlands due to its proximity to Highland Bayou, the town transformed in the 1890s when its residents discovered another community sharing the same name. Legend has it, led by Madam St. Ambrose, the postmistress, the town was reborn as La Marque, meaning "the mark" in French.

La Marque's identity evolved further during the Civil War when it was referred to as Buttermilk Station or Buttermilk Junction. This moniker stemmed from soldiers' habit of purchasing buttermilk during their journey between Galveston and Houston. The town's early days in 1867 saw six families: the Bakers, Dunigans, Reads, Bells, Brittons, and the Phillips.

By the late 19th century, La Marque's population increased from 100 in 1890 to 175 in 1896, boasting a Baptist church and fruit growers. By 1914, La Marque's accessibility expanded with the arrival of four railroads, including the International and Great Northern, GalvestonHouston and Henderson, Missouri-Kansas

Over the course of several years, little significant headway was made toward making La Marque an official city. By 1953, La Marque had become the largest city in Texas that remained unincorporated. The turning point arrived in August 1953 when the pro-incorporation group orchestrated a straw vote to gauge the community's shifting stance. With 1,280 individuals in favor and 544 against, the results reignited excitement among La Marque's inhabitants. The repercussions of this outcome extended beyond the town's borders, creating ripples of significance in nearby Texas City.

Few residents of La Marque had even entertained the notion that their neighboring city might annex them. Yet, on September 4, 1953, this unexpected scenario became a reality. Grafton Austin, a longstanding local business figure, and who would later become La Marque's first mayor, received information from a few members of the La Marque Chamber of Commerce that Texas City was on the brink of annexing La Marque in an upcoming city council meeting.

Austin promptly alerted the pro-incorporation group, and they swiftly initiated the preparation of a petition for another incorporation vote.

La Marque: A Historical Evolution of Identity and Growth - Celebrating 70 years

Back then, all you had to do was file a petition signed by fifty qualified voters of the area in question. The petitioning party was also obligated to submit a delineated map of the proposed incorporation area alongside the petition. Going off highway maps, Austin, along with fellow businessmen Gordon Muir, M. K. McDaniel, and Bill Crowley, commenced the signature collection around 7 p.m. on September 4, having to explain to every person signing exactly what they were petitioning for.

Remarkably, Austin's group managed to gather fifty-eight signatures shortly after midnight on September 5 and proceeded to wake County Judge Theodore Robinson up at 1:30 a.m. to bear witness to the petition. However, before the ink had dried on these signatures, news arrived that Texas City had, regardless of the petition, annexed La Marque during an unscheduled city council meeting at 6 a.m. that day; Texas City officially annexed all of La Marque.

The disregard of La Marque's petition

swiftly transformed a politically charged situation into an intense blaze within hours. According to Austin, Texas City authorities enlisted additional legal counsel from Houston to advocate their stance. Texas City tried to invalidate La Marque's petition on the grounds of a technicality. Austin clarified that the accuracy of the boundary maps was crucial for their validity, and due to an oversight, they had labeled a street as '5th' instead of '3rd'.

For several weeks, La Marque lingered as an uncertain territory, a no man's land, as the courts decided the matter. After three weeks of careful consideration, the court dismissed the error in the boundary map, allowing the citizens of La Marque to chart their course. On October 10, 1953, the incorporation vote concluded with 902 in favor and 253 against. Had they been unsuccessful, they would have inevitably become a part of Texas City.

Austin attributed the victory primarily to the community's desire for selfgovernance, which eclipsed all other factors and secured the desired outcome.

La Marque's journey saw it serve as a residential hub for employees of Union Carbide and other plants in the region, as well as the Galveston Island Medical Center. In 1977, the town's population surged to 17,000 residents with 130 businesses. The City has grown from six families in 1867 to a population of over 19,000 today. Resources: The History of La

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT MARSHA RANDLE

◊ What is your favorite part about working for the City of La Marque?

My favorite part about working for the City of La Marque is meeting the people and governing boards.

◊ What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

I like to travel and see historic sites. I am currently working on my family history. I have gone to cemeteries and plan to visit the city court where they resided. This journey has been so interesting and I have a lot of work ahead of me.

◊ What do you do in your free time?

DEPARTMENT: LA MARQUE EDC

TITLE: RECEPTIONIST

START DATE: MARCH 2017

BRIEF JOB DESCRIPTION

I would like to finish some projects that I have started. I take one day at a time to see what will get done.

◊ Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In the next five years, I will be retired but not from working. I still have a lot of things I would like to finish.

Marsha is currently working as the receptionist for the La Marque Economic Development Corporation. The EDC takes care of the businesses in the city. She assists the department by keeping records of current and new businesses, answers the telephone and takes messages for supervisors. She also files records and orders office supplies and assists anyone coming to the door with any need.