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Bay Shore Park In La Porte


brucesw

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In the 1920s, Bay Shore Park in La Porte advertised itself as Houston's Finest Playground. There was a pier extending into the bay, a dance pavilion, bandstand and an inn on the premises, plus other amenities. The park had it's own orchestra and singers. The ads for Bay Shore Park sometimes appeared adjacent to ads for Sylvan Beach Park in the newspapers but there was no suggestion the two were connected in any way.

Anybody know anything of this or have any pictures? Where was it and what became of it? Are there any remnants?

Edit: April 21, 1922

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I have heard of it but there is really very little of it left anymore. What is left has been incorporated into Sylvan beach The rest was sold off and developed years ago. There us to be a book about both places but I have not seen it in ages.

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I have heard of it but there is really very little of it left anymore. What is left has been incorporated into Sylvan beach The rest was sold off and developed years ago. There us to be a book about both places but I have not seen it in ages.

So it was close to Sylvan Beach? Was the book a local history or what? I'd like to look for it.

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From the on-line index to the Baytown Sun at Sterling Municipal Library:

11/22/1949, Happy Harbor in LaPorte, home for the aged, sponsored by Rev. J. H. H. Ellis and, Page 10 (24728) ar

Happy Harbor in LaPorte, home for the aged, sponsored by Reverend J. H. H. Ellis and daughter, Mrs. Rosa Lee Brown. Building was once the Bayshore Park Hotel. Its 27 rooms are being remodeled and equipped for the benefit of elderly people. Nurses will be on duty

Current listing: Happy Harbor Methodist Home, 1106 Bayshore Drive, La Porte, one of the places that had to be evacuated for Rita.

Probably looks little like the place in the 50s much less the 20s, if its even the same building.

Not a bad resource for researching history in the area:

http://www.sml.lib.tx.us/cgi-bin/database/..._sun/sun_ind.pl

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  • 2 years later...

St. Mary's seminary was located just north of Bayshore Park. The old buildings remained vacant for years after the seminary relocated to it's new digs on Memorial Dr. in the late 1950's. If I rememebr my history right, the seminary building was once a hotel before the Galveston Diocese acquired it early in the 1900's. I'm almost positive that some of the seminary property is now part of Sylvan Beach Park. The chapel is still standing and is an active church. (at least it was the last time I was up that way).

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St. Mary's seminary was located just north of Bayshore Park. The old buildings remained vacant for years after the seminary relocated to it's new digs on Memorial Dr. in the late 1950's. If I rememebr my history right, the seminary building was once a hotel before the Galveston Diocese acquired it early in the 1900's. I'm almost positive that some of the seminary property is now part of Sylvan Beach Park. The chapel is still standing and is an active church. (at least it was the last time I was up that way).

It has been about 2 years since we cruised thru to see the grounds. I wondered what org created or restored some of the fine little Victorian structures in that little area? Houston needs to "tell the public" of these hidden little places for beach lovers and nostalgia buffs. Movies could/should be filmed here. Seriously. :)

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I went to a few dances at Sylvan Beach in high school. For an interesting treat, drive down the road to see Ross Sterling's mansion on the bay. It's a small replica of the White House. A buddy of mine used to know the caretaker of the place and we were able to go inside once. It was in sad shape and that was 20-plus years ago.

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I went to a few dances at Sylvan Beach in high school. For an interesting treat, drive down the road to see Ross Sterling's mansion on the bay. It's a small replica of the White House. A buddy of mine used to know the caretaker of the place and we were able to go inside once. It was in sad shape and that was 20-plus years ago.

Its interesting to note one of the links I attached about "Saving the Pavilion". There are photos of the detereoration underneath and well all around. I wonder if fundraising has been going on or what? Pretty soon it could be declared unsafe.

My last visit was a wedding about 10 years ago in the late evening. Most times we arrived was always at night so it was kind of mysterious driving up to and leaving in a fog. :ph34r::)

That specific marriage dissolved after about a mere 2 yrs and ironically the same bride is remarrying in 2 weeks ...to another guy of course...and not here. :lol:

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  • 3 weeks later...

Bay Shore Park was a little north of Sylvan Beach on land that was part of the old Beasley estate, and later, the site of Happy Harbor a nursing home which was originally sponsored by the Methodist Church. (That was told to me by a member of the Beasley family.) As recently as the late 1990s, two wooden one story buildings still sat side by side on the Happy Harbor property. These appear to have been cottages for the park. They are gone now. I have heard that Happy Harbor, too will soon be gone. The land has been sold to the City of LaPorte for a hotel and the nursing home will be relocated much further inland, on much cheaper land.

Erna Foxworth wrote the Romance of Old Sylvan Beach in 1986. It has wonderful photographs dating back to the late 1890s. It documents the development and ownership of the park that was at one time a famous, sensational playground for Houstonians young and old alike.

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Erna Foxworth wrote the Romance of Old Sylvan Beach in 1986. It has wonderful photographs dating back to the late 1890s. It documents the development and ownership of the park that was at one time a famous, sensational playground for Houstonians young and old alike.

People need to take note and buy this book!

It has been years since I personally saw any historic pics of the area but I do recall they were great! Hundreds of model T cars & what seemed like a thousand people. It was just really cool. :P

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  • The title was changed to Bay Shore Park In La Porte

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