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.