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Texas State Historical Association
link on Pelly.
Fredrick Thomas Pelly Document.
Fred T. Pelly news article complements of
Angie Middleton
Pelly and Baytown (Humble Refinery side) were separated by the Goose Creek
stream.
Pelly took it's name from Englishman Fred T. Pelly, an area pioneer and first
mayor.
Early Pelly was known as Middle Town and was a hastily constructed boom town
with wooden and canvas structures. Most of the residents were squatters.
Middle Town incorporated in January 1920 and became Pelly.
Pelly's business district was located on the Pelly-Baytown Road (currently West
Main).
Pelly named their Bank Goose Creek State Bank (never getting over the fact that
Goose Creek had stolen their Post Office). It fell on hard times
during the Depression and was taken over by a Goose Creek Bank and moved away.
Robert E. Lee High School was located in the Pelly city limits. Goose
Creek unsuccessfully tried to annex the complex.
Anson Jones, Horace Mann Junior, Sam Houston Elementary, and (what was then
known as) the colored schools were in Pelly.
In 1944 Pelly voted to remain independent of Goose Creek. In 1945, Pelly voted
itself a home-rule city with a charter.
The first Mayor of Pelly was Fred Pelly and E. D. "Eddie" Cleveland
was the top elected official in Pelly.
Wanda Orton
Read Wanda Orton's explanation on how Pelly came into being.
CLICK HERE
On Monday, January 26, 1948 the city of Pelly officially became the city of
Baytown...the second largest city in Harris County (Houston).
Pelly -
Home of the Pelly Rats as
told by Mrs. S.E. Iles of Old River, Texas
Much of the information on this page
comes from the excellent book 'Baytown Vignettes', or 'The History of Baytown'
available at Sterling Municipal Library and the Baytown Historical Museum
located at 220 W. Defee and Wanda Orton.
Pelly incorporated 96 years
ago by Wanda Orton
Wish the city of Pelly a happy
birthday next Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. Although Pelly is no longer a city unto
itself, it’s good to remember the birth date of its incorporation in 1920.
Fear can be an effective motivator, and the fear of being annexed by Goose Creek
motivated Pelly’s incorporation. The previous year – on Jan. 28, 1919, to be
exact – the city of Goose Creek was born, and this put the people of Pelly on
the alert. Meanwhile, Baytown stayed away from the fray, its citizenry content
to remain a company town – as in Humble Oil & Refining Co. – with no municipal
strings attached. Why bother to incorporate. The oil company that founded the
Baytown Refinery would take care of all its needs. Having no fear then of being
annexed by any city, Baytown was taken aback by a municipal maneuver in late
1945. While no one was paying attention, Pelly annexed the contented company
town. Kicking and screaming, Baytown had to change its name to Pelly. Anger,
they say, can be an effective motivator, and anger motivated Baytown finally to
join in the longtime talk about consolidating the Tri-Cities of Baytown, Pelly
and Goose Creek. Pelly’s annexation of Baytown was a blessing in disguise,
leading ultimately to consolidation in 1947. The following year voters approved
a charter and the name of Baytown for the city.
But we’re getting ahead of the tale of the original two cities, Pelly and Goose
Creek. Return now to January 1920 when Pelly incorporated a year after Goose
Creek did so in January 1919. Goose Creek, informally known as New Town, adopted
the name of the stream that ran through it. Though not documented, the story
goes that American Indians picked the name of Goose Creek for the meandering
waterway. Not long ago a Sun reader questioned the name of the Goose Creek oil
field, saying he always referred to it as the Pelly oil field. The development
of the oil field, however, preceded the naming of the city of the Pelly by
several years.
In another life, Pelly had been known as Middle Town. Why was the name Pelly
chosen? Well, everyone seemed to like this British chap, Fred T. Pelly, who came
to America in the late 19th century and married Lucy Alice Wiggins, member of a
pioneer family in this area. The locals not only named their city after Pelly,
but they elected him as their first mayor as well. Pelly’s father-in-law, Daniel
Wiggins, owned 350 acres, much of which was inherited by daughter Lucy. The
property had been purchased by Wiggins from Mary Jones, who moved here after the
death of her husband, Dr. Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of
Texas.
The discovery of oil on John Gaillard’s property, on the Tabbs Bay waterfront,
changed the landscape – and seascape -- of this entire area, setting the stage
for the development of the petroleum industry and the making of cities. By the
way, Fred T. Pelly heartily approved of the name Baytown.
Pelly - a.k.a. Utopia -
remembered
Wanda Orton | Posted: Sunday, March 6, 2016 12:00 am
Having
spent most of my childhood in old Baytown, with only a brief pre-school
sabbatical in Goose Creek, I’ve been history-challenged about the original city
of Pelly.
Fortunately, over the years, friends like Robert Floyd, Lou Floyd Elam and
Charlotte Ellis Pate, have come to my rescue, sharing recollections about
growing up in Pelly.
Another reliable source for Pelly history and personal
memories is Buck A. Young’s award winning article, “Remembering Utopia,”
published in 1982 in the East Texas Historical Journal. As Buck remembered it,
Pelly was Utopia, and his remembrances are invaluable to local history buffs. If you are one of those buffs and would like to read the
article, it’s just a computer click away. However, if you don’t have time to
look it up, I’ll try to summarize some of the things Buck wrote about.
Envision this: Two young brothers sitting atop fire
hoses in the Pelly fire station at city hall, devouring ice cream and doughnuts
until their stomach hurt. Against parents’ orders, the brothers wander over the
railroad trestle near Robert E. Lee High School. Every
Friday night they go
to the picture show at the Alamo Theater, avoiding the rowdy kiddie matinees on
Saturdays. Reading comic books at Leggett’s Drug Store, they have a
habit of putting the reading material back on the magazine rack instead of
making a purchase. Their family has to pick up their mail at the general
delivery window at the Pelly post office until the city finally recognizes their
home address.
The brothers spend hours at the library inside City Hall,
trying to read every book on the shelves. All that — and more — is the story of Buck Young and his
brother, Dick Young, growing up in the mid-century city of Pelly, population
5,000. “Welcome to Pelly,” said the huge sign on Main Street by
City Hall. “Our City Hall was much more than just a place where the
city council met and you paid your water bill,” Buck wrote. “The upstairs
auditorium was used by civic and church groups too, and downstairs a large room
housed a branch of the Harris County Library.” On the King Street side of the building was access to the
one- pumper fire station, and it remained there until a new station was built on
Nazro. Next to the post office on Main was the Miracle Store
where customers bought clothing and dry goods. Among other business places
downtown were the Ice House, Bush’s Cafe, Katz’s Grocery, Ledner’s Second Hand
Store, Sunbrite Bar, Modern Cleaners, Wainscott’s Five and Dime, Eat-A-Bite
Cafe, Stephenson’s Grocery, Kaiser’s Hardware, Good Luck Store and the Red Cab
station.
“Everyone’s favorite hangout was Leggett’s Drug Store
where Eddie and Sally Cleveland adopted every kid in town, and later, the kids’
kids,” Buck wrote. “Images of strawberry ice cream sodas, cherry phosphates,
root beer floats, and hand-packed, store-made ice cream placed in square
containers run through my mind when I remember that al1- American drug store.
The world moved slowly and unchangingly in that pharmacy.”
Buck frequented Creel’s Barber Shop next to the vacant
lot where the Nu-Gulf Theater once stood. A shoeshine man named Tamp worked
there, getting around on a low platform equipped with wheels. Tamp had lost both
legs in a train accident. With his shoeshine revenue, he put a niece and nephew
through college — an accomplishment Buck didn’t know about until he read Tamp’s
obituary in The Sun. Next to the barber shop was Stephenson’s Grocery Store,
the first business established in Pelly.
(Editor’s note: A retired Air Force major, Buck authored
the book, “The Making of a City,” a history of Baytown since consolidation of
Pelly, Goose Creek and Baytown.)
Wanda Orton is a retired managing editor of The Sun. She
can be reached at
[email protected], Attention: Wanda Orton.
History of Pelly, Texas (GROK)
Founding: Pelly was founded in the early 20th century, specifically in 1907. It
was named after Fred T. Pelly, a land developer who was instrumental in the
town's establishment. The town was part of an attempt to capitalize on the
growth of railroads and the oil industry in Texas.
Early Development: Initially, Pelly was a small community that grew around the
railroad. The town was incorporated in 1927, which led to the establishment of
local government, with Fred T. Pelly becoming the first mayor.
Economic Base: Early on, Pelly's economy was primarily driven by agriculture,
with cotton being a major crop. However, the discovery of oil in the vicinity in
the 1920s and 1930s significantly transformed the economic landscape, bringing
in more people and businesses.
Name Change: In a notable twist in its history, Pelly, Texas, changed its name
to Baytown in 1947. This was due to the merger of Pelly with the neighboring
communities of Goose Creek and Robert's Land. The name "Baytown" was chosen to
reflect the town's location near Galveston Bay and to signify the unification of
the three communities into one larger city.
Industrial Growth: Post-World War II, Baytown saw significant industrial growth,
particularly with the expansion of the petrochemical industry. ExxonMobil's
Baytown Refinery, one of the largest in the United States, became a major
employer and economic driver for the region.
Cultural and Community Development: Over the years, Baytown has developed a rich
community life with various cultural festivals, historical preservation efforts,
and the establishment of institutions like the Baytown Historical Museum, which
keeps the legacy of places like Pelly alive.
Modern Day: Today, Baytown continues to grow, balancing its industrial heritage
with efforts towards cultural and environmental sustainability. The legacy of
Pelly is remembered through historical markers, local museums, and the
community's narrative of growth from a small railroad town to a bustling city.
This history encapsulates Pelly's transition from a nascent town to being
absorbed into the larger identity of Baytown, reflecting broader themes of
growth, change, and adaptation in Texas history.
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