Caching in Beaumont Texas 4/14/2010

Today we drove into Beaumont to do some caching and see if we could find any kind of history. Well one thing we can tell you we have never seen a downtown area so devoid of cars and people in the middle of the day in the middle of a work week in our lives. There was absolutely no traffic whatsoever in the downtown area, but of course that made it easy for caching. You could find a place to park wherever you wanted to. We guessed it was because of the Hurricane Rita that went through here about 2 years ago as we could still see signs of damage and of empty lots all around. Our first cache was in the Oaks Historic District in a small park. Not much of a historic district though as it was made in 1993 to keep tabs on what people do and the way they keep their homes.
Next cache was also in a small park adjacent to a street that all it had on it was empty and damaged houses. Next was a cache in Martin Luther King Park near downtown. A lovely small park with a statue of King and 12 tablets with the story of his life and some of his speeches and sayings. Next was a cache in a downtown park that had a stage and tables for eating. Next was a cache in a parking lot surrounded by law offices.
Next cache was outside the Tyrrell Historical Public Library which was made possible when, through the philanthropy of Captain W. C. Tyrrell, who in 1923 purchased the First Baptist Church and donated the building for library purposes to the City of Beaumont. This church was built in 1903 in a modified Gothic style of architecture with rough gray ashlar being used in the construction. The library officially opened its doors to the public on September 16, 1926. It served as the main public library for the City until 1974 when the new library was opened. At that time, it became the Tyrrell Historical Library with a Texana collection and genealogical collection. In 1987, restoration of the Tyrrell was adopted as a high priority and the restored Tyrrell reopened on July 19, 1990. In addition to the Texana and genealogical book collections, it contains outstanding archives centering on Southeast Texas. The Tyrrell Historical Library Archives contain many rare documents. Included are materials from the Jefferson Beaumont family; the George W. O'Brien diaries from the Civil War and the O'Brien family papers; and, an autograph album which belonged to Captain Randolph Owen of Alabama which included autographs of Confederate military leaders imprisoned by Union Forces at Johnson's Island, Ohio after the War Between the States.
Next cache was a virtual cache located outside the front entrance to the Texas Energy Museum. It was a seismometer which is a instrument that measure motions of the ground, including those of seismic waves generated by earthquakes, nuclear explosions, and other seismic sources. Records of seismic waves allow seismologists to map the interior of the Earth, and locate and measure the size of these different sources. This seismometer is sitting on a 8" concrete slab which is connected to a 24" diameter pier extending 32 ' deep into the clay formation below the ground. The seismometer detects the motion and in turn, through cables sends the information to a seismograph inside the museum which in turn uses a stylus to record the information on heat sensitive paper.
Next 2 caches were in the Riverfront Park in downtown Beaumont. This spacious park overlooks the Neches River and is the traditional site for the City’s annual Fourth of July Celebration, on-the-water boat shows, weddings, receptions, and scenic photo shoots. A miniature amphitheater seats fifty and there is a fully equipped play area for children, an observation deck, plus a small covered pavilion.The park has accessible boat docks for pleasure craft and a scenic view of the Neches River. You can bring your family and picnic baskets to the park and enjoy a serene afternoon by the river.
Next was a nano cache on a fence running along Crockett Street which is a variety of bars, restaurants and entertainment places in downtown. Five historic and beautiful buildings have been wonderfully restored and host Southeast Texas' best restaurants, a beautiful formal banquet facility, and an array of unique and exciting bars and nightclubs for you to enjoy. There is Spindletop Steakhouse, Panch Villa Mexican Kitchen, Star Bar, Dixie Dance Hall, Scout Bar Beaumont, The Neches Room, The Hub Bar & Grill, Drink Nightclub, Hog Wild Feed-N-Fuel and Ten Lounge. It really wasn't a large area and only covered one side of the street as the other side was parking and they had some tables and chairs for eating and drinking.
Our last cache was a virtual cache at the World's (3rd) Largest Fire Hydrant. A scant two years after the city erected a 24-ft. tall black and white spotted hydrant in front of the Fire Museum of Texas, a taller hydrant was unveiled in upstart Elm Creek, Manitoba. And artist Blue Sky erected his 39 ft. tall "Busted Plug" in Columbia, South Carolina! In 1999, to promote the re-release of the animated 101 Dalmatians, Walt Disney's Home Video division constructed the World's Largest Fire Hydrant. Assembled at Disney Land, Anaheim, CA, the hydrant weighed 4,500 lbs. and could blast 1,500 gallons of water a minute. They found a willing permanent venue in front of Beaumont's venerable Fire Museum of Texas, a 1920s-era fire station where vintage trucks, historic nozzles and firebells are exhibited. The blatantly promotional monolith was dedicated in a media ceremony with much fanfare on March 9, 1999. The fire museum marching band kicked off with the movie's signature song, "Cruella De Vil," while 101 Texas firefighters danced around the hydrant, climaxing as it sprayed firefighters with water and confetti. They shielded themselves with Dalmatian-spotted umbrellas. Then the firefighter families headed off to a complimentary screening of the film.
We were done with our caching and drove over to St. Anthony Basilica Catholic Church. This was one of the most beautiful churches we have seen to date and has quite a histroy. Although St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica was built as the first Catholic Church of Beaumont, Texas in 1903, its roots reach back into the nineteenth century. Early history notes that priests riding on horseback or traveling by buggy braved the inclement weather, mud and mosquitoes to minister to the Catholics living in the small community that had grown up around the sawmill and port of Beaumont, Texas. After the railroad came through Southeast, Texas, these missionary priests often used it for travel to Beaumont. The historical records of these itinerant missionary priests reach back to 1853. Saint Anthony’s baptismal register testifies to the first baptism recorded in Beaumont on June 6, 1875. In 1879, Rev. Vital Quinon encouraged the Catholic community in Beaumont to build St. Louis Church at the corner of Bowie and Orleans. This was the first Catholic Church in Beaumont and was a wooden frame structure that could accommodate about three hundred people. In 1894, St. Louis Church was moved to the square block of property bounded by Forsythe, Jefferson, Wall and Archie. The Catholic history of Beaumont slowly developed until January 10, 1901, the date when the Lucas Oil Gusher burst forth. The economy grew and Beaumont’s population swelled; the small wooden church building could no longer hold the great number of people who lined up to celebrate Mass each Sunday. Rev. William Lee came to the parish in May 1897. In 1901 he drew up plans for a new brick church, the present building. The cornerstone was laid June 1903, but the structure was not completed until 1907. On January 27 1907 Most Reverend Nicholas Gallagher, Bishop of the Diocese of Galveston dedicated Saint Anthony Church. The church building has undergone many changes through the leadership of several Bishops and pastors. The first major interior restoration took place under Bishop Christopher Byrne, of the Diocese of Galveston and Monsignor E. A. Kelly in 1937. Stained-glass windows were installed throughout the church and symbolic oil paintings were added behind the altar. With the inception of the Diocese of Beaumont in 1966, St. Anthony Church was elevated to the rank of a Cathedral by Pope Paul VI and Bishop Vincent Harris was installed as the first Bishop of Beaumont. In 1972 Bishop Warren Bopudreaux, second Bishop of Beaumont, and Monsignor M. F. Enderle began the second major renovation of this sacred site in conformity with renewal of the Sacred Liturgy following the Second Vatican Council. A sacrificial altar was introduced facing the people, an appropriate bishop’s chair became a permanent fixture in the sanctuary, the art in the sanctuary and throughout the Cathedral was renewed, the pews were refinished, kneelers replaced, carpeting installed, and new acoustical and lighting systems added. Extensive landscaping to the grounds was introduced, the exterior was renewed, the copper dome restored and a 2,500-pipe Wicks organ installed.
After we looked in the church we drove back toward the campgrounds and stopped to look at Ford Arena and Pavilion. The Ford Arena is a 7,736-seat multi-purpose arena in Beaumont, Texas, USA. Formerly home to the Beaumont Drillers indoor football team and Texas Wildcatters ice hockey team, currently it home to the Southeast Texas Mavericks, a basketball team playing in the American Basketball Association's current incarnation. It is part of a larger suburban municipal complex called Ford Park. In late 2005, the arena and park complex was closed for a time due to Hurricane Rita. Next door to the Arena is Ford Pavilion which is a outdoor and indoor entertainment venue. It has enclosed seating and an outdoor venue with seating in chairs as well as lawn seating.
Then it was back to the coach for our usual afternoon routine. Well that's it for today so until tomorrow we love and miss you all. Mom & Dad Dori & Dick