Local history

Abstract John Thomas ("Tom") Arrington grew up in Fayette County, West Virginia. While attending high school he met his future wife, Sandra Ray Beck. The couple soon dated and then in 1960 married. Tom Arrington went on to graduate with a chemistry degree from West Virginia University. In 1967, the Arrington family moved to Beaumont, Texas, where Tom assumed a position as chemist with the Goodyear Chemical Plant and then later with the Valspar Paint Plant. The family papers consist of photographs,...

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The Beaumont branch of the Young Men's Christian Organization was formed in 1901 following the discovery of oil at Spindletop and the subsequent population boom. Throughout the 20th century, the Beaumont YMCA served as an important community center and continuously fundraised in order to open new locations and complexes. This collection consists of organizational records and historical materials related to the Beaumont chapter of the YMCA dating from the years 1903 to 1999.

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Emmett A. Fletcher was a Beaumont businessman and elected official. He was elected as mayor of Beaumont in 1906 and served two terms over 12 years. He was involved in the creation of Beaumont's infrastructure, business, and city development. This is a small collection consisting of photographs, newspaper clippings, funeral remarks, and licenses for steamboat inspection and operation belonging to Emmett A. Fletcher.

Abstract Joan and Norman Lowrey were both Southeast Texas natives. Joan was a descendant of the French family, one of the earliest families to settle in Beaumont, and her husband Norman served in the National Guard and the Army in World War II and the Korean War, respectively. After graduating from Beaumont High School in 1944, he attended Lamar University and afterwards worked there as Coordinator of Adult Education until his retirement. Their collection features mixed material related to Beaumont...

Abstract John Henry Phelan made his fortune with the Spindletop oil discovery before setting about to build the most spectacular house in Beaumont. The house was designed by Atlanta architect, Owen James Trainor Southwell, a childhood friend of Phelan. The $500,000 mansion designed was a nine-bay, two story house of limestone brick with a gabled, tile roof and sat on 28 acres of property. The estate was given to the Sisters of Charity in January of 1957 and served as a convent house. Today the city...

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Wilber C. Looney was a prominent businessman in Beaumont, Texas. When he retired he was a manager in southeast Texas for Westinghouse Electric Corp. He and his wife, Thyrza, a well-known local interior designer, resided at a now-historic home on North Eleventh and Toccoa Streets. Known then as the Vaughn House, the couple restored this Victorian cottage into a plantation-style mansion in 1948.

Abstract Morris Cloninger graduated from the University of Texas in Austin and taught English at both Conroe and South Park High Schools. Concetta (nee Mazzagatti) Cloninger became interested in theatre while a student at South Park High School and then attended Lamar Junior College, where she studied under Irene Arnett. She later won a scholarship and did post graduate work at the Pasadena Playhouse College of Theater Arts in Pasadena, California. Upon leaving California, Concetta took the stage...

Abstract The Scottish Society of Southeast Texas is a community organization honoring Scottish heritage and culture in the southeast Texas region. The Society holds regular meetings, develops programs, and hosts an annual "Burns Dinner" featuring aspects of Scottish culture including traditional poems and songs. In the 1990s, a "tartan committee" was established to create a colleciton of clan tartans. Ms. Dorothy Callaway designed and constructed two tartan books featuring samples of tartan patterns,...

Abstract Theodric E. "Ted" Moor, Jr. (1932-2015) was an insurance agent in Beaumont, Texas who spent his career expanding the insurance business which was co-founded by his father, Theodric E. Moor, Sr. He later purchased the Amarillo Gold Sox baseball team and relocated them to Beaumont in 1982, changing the name to the Golden Gators. This collection consists of Ted Moor, Jr.'s genealogical and historical research. He kept notebooks of his research, with materials including pedigree charts,...