Historical Markers in Sabine Pass, Texas

Richard Dowling · 1936

In memory of Lt. Richard W. Dowling and his men. Texas remembers the faithfulness and valor of her sons and commends their heroic example to future generations. The men who fought Second Lt. N. H. Smith - Dr. Geo. H.…

Site of Fort Griffin · 1969

(1863-1865) Renowned for brilliant Civil War victory, Sept. 8, 1863. Confederates in this form repulsed a fleet seeking to land thousands of Federal soldiers. Lt. Richard W. Dowling (1838-1867), in civilian life a…

Benjamin Johnson · 1972

(1815-1872) Born in Louisiana; settled in Texas in 1832. Fought in victorious Texas Army at Bexar, Dec. 1835; in Capt. James Gillaspie's company, 2nd Regiment, Battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 1836. Married (1) 1838,…

Federal Fatalities at the Battle of Sabine Pass · 1980

Federal Fatalities at the Battle of Sabine Pass The battle at Sabine Pass on September 8, 1863 was a victory for Lieutenant Richard W. Dowling and his troops, which numbered fewer than 50. Dowling and his Davis guards…

United States Forces at the Battle of Sabine Pass · 1980

United States Forces at the Battle of Sabine Pass Federal forces in the Civil War failed in most of their early efforts to capture Texas. In the fall of 1863, after taking New Orleans and Vicksburg, their leaders…

Spanish-American War Fortifications · 1983

As tension mounted between the United States and Spain during the late 1890s, U. S. Representative Samuel Bronson Cooper of Texas recommended the War Department begin plans for the defense of the strategic Sabine Pass…

City of Sabine and Sabine Pass · 1989

The first known settlers in this area were John McGaffey and Thomas Courts, who arrived in 1832. Sam Houston assisted Manuel de los Santos Coy in acquiring a land grant here in 1833. Two years later Houston and two…

Kate Dorman · 1990

Georgia native Kate Dorman and her husband, Arthur Magill, owned and operated the catfish Hotel at Sabine Pass as early as 1847. Arthur Magill was killed in an accident in 1859, and the following year Kate, a widow with…

Spaight's 11th Battalion · 1990

Commanded by Col. Ashley W. Spaight, the 11th Battalion of Texas Volunteers, Confederate States Army, was nicknamed the "Swamp Angels." Tracing its origins to the "Sabine Pass Guards" militia formed in 1861, the…

Fort Manhassett · 1991

To protect Texas against Federal invasion during the Civil War, Confederate General John B. Magruder ordered the construction of a fort at this site on September 4, 1863, four days before the famous Confederate victory…

Jacob Harmon Garner · 1993

(1814-1887) Louisiana native Jacob H. Garner, son of Bradley and Sarah Harmon Garner, settled in Jefferson, a village on Cow Bayou in present-day Orange County, Texas, in 1825. In 1835 he took part in the Grass Fight…

Niles F. Smith · 1994

A native of New York, came to Texas with Robertson's colony in 1834. He served as a soldier in the Texas Revolution. In 1839 he moved to Jefferson County, and settled in Sabine Pass in 1841. He held many official…

Kate Dorman · 1997

(1828-1897) Georgia native Kate Dorman and her husband Arthur McGill owned the Catfish Hotel at Sabine Pass as early as 1847. McGill died in an accident in 1858, and in 1859 Kate married John Dorman. In 1862 the Catfish…

Sabine Pass Cemetery · 1999

The oldest continually used cemetery in Jefferson County, This graveyard has served the citizens of the Sabine Pass area since the 1840s. The earliest documented grave is that of a 12-year-old John A. Dashiell, son of…

1886 Hurricane at Sabine Pass · 2001

In October 1886, Sabine Pass was the second largest town in Jefferson County, boasting a new rail line and an optimistic outlook on continued growth as a major coastal port. On the afternoon of October 12, just two…

World War II Coastal Defenses at Sabine Pass · 2003

The natural coastal cut of Sabine Pass has long been an important military strategic point, as evidenced by the battle that took place here during the Civil War. It was no less significant in World War II, when it…

Commodore Leon Smith · 2004

Capture of the USS Morning Light and USS Velocity · 2006

After Texas seceded from the Union at the onset of the Civil War, the state's ports were included in a Union blockade of the South. The proximity of Sabine Pass to Galveston made it a strategic point for both the Union…

Beach Road · 2007

The Beach Road is the coastal section of the Texas Highway 87 system. Stretching along the Gulf of Mexico from Sabine Pass through Chambers County to Port Bolivar in Galveston County, it follows a historic route that…

Fort Sabine · 2013

During the Civil War, the Sabine Pass Channel was a strategic gateway to the interior of eastern Texas and western Louisiana, control of which was vital. Fearing a possible Union invasion, the citizens of Sabine City…