Tales from The Brazos

Freeporters remember hectic boom town days
Dan Kessner, who is a native of Freeport, remembers before Dow’s arrival, Freeport was a small town. Although it had indoor plumbing and other amenities, some streets were dirt, so “when it rained people left their cars and walked home or spun their wheels through the mud.”
November 16, 2009

Sudden prosperity burdened county
Merchants benefited from the growing number of residents brought to the area by jobs offered by Dow in the 1940s — and from the overall increase in the county’s prosperity — and many new businesses opened to meet the demands of increased population and affluence.
November 09, 2009

Doctor had ‘cure’ for what ailed ’40s workers
In his book, “Episodes: Texas Dow,” Bill Colegrove remembered that when the construction of Dow Chemical Co. began in Brazoria County, the entire county was “dry,” with only beer allowed.
November 02, 2009

Single men made their own fun in early 1940s
Roads were in poor shape and Freeport could be reached by only one that led from Angleton and one from West Columbia when Dow arrived in Brazoria County.
October 26, 2009

Writer recounts Brazoria County ‘boom’ times
In a tongue-in-cheek article called “Boom Comes to Town,” printed in the nationally distributed weekly Collier’s magazine for Dec. 28, 1940, J.D. Ratcliff featured the impact Dow’s arrival had at Freeport — which he describes as being 50 miles below Galveston on the Gulf Coast.
October 19, 2009

Camp Chemical cramped, chaotic
The changes Dow brought to Brazoria County were no greater than those newcomers faced when they arrived in what they considered an alien atmosphere.
October 12, 2009

Rough, rowdy times at Camp Chemical
Built to house construction and plant workers when Dow moved to Brazoria County, Camp Chemical’s 3,000 housing units, along with a post office, grocery, drug store, beauty parlor, barber shop, variety stores, a self-service laundry, and even a jail, formed a brand new town.
October 05, 2009

War production expanded Dow, area population
When Dow Chemical Co. began to build its first plant in Brazoria County in 1939-40, and for several years afterward, it triggered a population explosion much like the one that occurred in California during gold rush days some 90 years earlier.
September 28, 2009

Simpler times, pleasures once prevailed here
In the late 1930s Brazoria County was a sleepy area in which agriculture had always been — and still was — the main source of livelihood for the majority of its residents.
September 21, 2009

‘Fignolias’ not enough to save Angleton plant
Searching for additional products to keep their canning factory busy during the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Angleton Fig Plant developed a product it called Fignolias.
September 14, 2009

Fig plant expanded Angleton-area economy
The Angleton Fig Plant was a communitywide endeavor, involving just about everyone in one way or another.
September 07, 2009

Bounty of figs doubles size of plant
Before designing the Angleton Fig Plant back in the 1920s, Frank K. Stevens visited similar operations in a number of other area towns.
August 31, 2009

‘Figitis’ takes root in early Angleton
No one who lived in Angleton in the mid-1920s and early 1930s was unaware of the Angleton Fig Plant. It was the town’s only industry, and was something that touched every resident’s life in one way or another.
August 24, 2009

Storm-battered teen drifts to safety
Even though she was finally on the shore after so many hours floating from Surfside during the fury of the 1915 storm, Minnie Florea’s ordeal was not over.
August 17, 2009

Nightmare nears end for teen afloat in Gulf
Still floating in the Gulf for what seemed a lifetime after the 1915 storm destroyed the Surfside lifesaving station, Minnie Florea opened her eyes for what she felt was the first time in hours.
August 10, 2009