Beaumont Enterprise Vertical Files
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of newspaper clippings, booklets, and photographs. The bulk is from the 1970's and 1980's, although other decades are also represented. Historical articles written for the Enterprise Anniversary editions in the 1930's and 1950's are included. The articles and photographs are largely about Beaumont, but cover surrounding cities and counties as well as state and national legislatures and politics.
The booklets or publications were possibly used for research purposes, and kept with the subject's newspaper clippings. The photographs were originally with their respective articles, but they have been removed for preservation purposes and arranged separately using corresponding subjects.
The first series contains newspaper clippings and booklets spanning the first 49 boxes, while the second series contains the original photographs and wire images, ranging from boxes 50 through 64.
Dates
- 1906-1999
Creator
- Beaumont Enterprise (Organization)
Language of Materials
Materials are in English.
Access Restrictions
Some restrictions may apply.
Copyright
The Beaumont Enterprise retains copyright. The researcher must secure permission to publish. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the Tyrrell Historical Library. The researcher assumes full responsibility for complying with copyright, literary property rights, and libel laws.
Historical Note
The Beaumont Enterprise was founded in 1880 by John W. Leonard as a weekly paper, its first issue being November 6 of that year. Advertising had not yet emerged as the newspaper's chief financial revenue source, and at a quarter per month from subscribers, it was difficult to make a profit. Other papers had begun and failed in the years previous but by this time the population of Beaumont had reached approximately eighteen hundred from the growth of the lumber industry.
From meager beginnings, Leonard built the Enterprise until illness forced him to leave the area in 1882, at which time he left his interests to his brother-in-law Tom A. Lamb. Lamb continued the business until 1895, when he also sold his interests in the Beaumont paper.
A rival paper, The Beaumont Journal, was founded in 1889 by Robert Emmett Kelley, Secretary of Texas-Louisiana Lumber Manufacturing Association on the ground floor of a building on Crockett and Main Streets. After about a year, the Journal moved to the John N. Gilbert Building on Pearl and Bowie Streets. Early in 1896, the Enterprise began publishing as a daily newspaper and by June of the same year, the Journal followed suit, publishing six days per week.
In 1880, the Beaumont Enterprise was located in the Langham Building east of the Crockett and Pine Streets triangle. By 1885, the subscribership had grown enough to warrant building a wooden structure at Pearl and Bowie Streets, and after another five years, a "hollow" tile structure on Mulberry and Pine Streets was added to its property. In 1915, an annex was built on the Pine Street property, and the Enterprise bought the Decker building on Walnut and Mulberry Streets, which, in 1928, was demolished to make room for the three story Beaumont Enterprise building.
James L. Mape joined the Beaumont Enterprise in 1908 as Circulation Manager and is given credit for increasing circulation by 50%. By 1921, he had risen to Associate Publisher and Business Manager, and arranged the deal to purchase the Journal and its properties. The two papers continued together as the Beaumont Enterprise and Journal, with the Enterprise a morning paper and the Journal an evening paper. In 1983, the Journal was discontinued. The Hearst Newspaper Group purchased the Beaumont Enterprise in 1984 and continues its operation today.
Extent
32 Cubic Feet (32 cubic feet in 64 boxes)
Abstract
Founded in 1880, the Beaumont Enterprise newspaper has served its local community for over one hundred and thirty years. This collection contains newspaper clippings and photographs from the paper, organized by subject. The bulk of the materials were created in the 1970's and 1980's.
Organization of Collection
This collection is organized into 2 series and 18 subseries, with the subseries' topics repeating in each series. The series are Newspaper Clippings and Photographs, while the subseries include:
- Beaumont, City of
- Business (Beaumont)
- Communities (outside of Beaumont)
- Government and Elections (local, state, and national)
- Law Enforcement and Accidents (Beaumont, other communities, and counties)
- Performing Arts (Beaumont and Port Arthur)
- Politicians (state and national)
- Schools (Beaumont and other communities)
- Special Interest Stories
Acquisition Information
Donated by the Beaumont Enterprise, 2005.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
Processing Information
Processed by Tyrrell Historical Library staff, 2005.
Finding aid revised and encoded by Tyrrell Historical Library staff, 2013 June.
- Accidents Subject Source: Sears
- Beaumont (Jefferson county, Texas : inhabited place) Subject Source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
- Beaumont Enterprise
- Booklets Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Brooks, Jack, 1922-2012
- Business Subject Source: Sears
- Clippings (information artifacts) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973
- Law Enforcement Subject Source: Sears
- Newspapers Subject Source: Sears
- Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994
- Parker, Carl A., 1934-
- Performing Arts Subject Source: Sears
- Photographs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Politicians - United States Subject Source: Sears
- Schools Subject Source: Sears
- Texas - Politics and government Subject Source: Sears
- Tower, John Goodwin, 1925-1991
- White, Mark Wells, 1940-
- Title
- Finding Aid for the Beaumont Enterprise Vertical Files, 1906-1999
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Tyrrell Historical Library Archives Repository
