COLLEGEPORT DAY
1920s
 

1921

Collegeport celebrated her 12th birthday Wednesday when some 300 people from the neighborhood gathered for a day's outing. A free barbecue was one of the features, horse racing and other sports helped to make the day a success.

Palacios Beacon, May 27, 1921
 

         
COLLEGEPORT DAY
MAY 25, 1925

May 25th, 1909 , town site of Collegeport was declared open. Many citizens from Bay City , Palacios, Blessing, Markham, Matagorda and other communities were present. The Bay City Rice Growers Band supplied the music. The principal speakers were County Judge W. S. Holman and Thomas H. Lewis, followed by several others. The Burton D. Hurd Land Company erected an auditorium opposite the new hotel with a seating capacity of several hundred. Boat races, horse races, baseball and other sports filled the day and at night a splendid ball was held in the hotel dining room and the spacious galleries. About 125 homeseekers from Northern states were present. The hotel was crowded to capacity. The following Sunday the Dena H. and several other boats conveyed all who wished to go to Portsmouth, where a dinner such as the O’Neils are noted for was served, bathing, walking on the beach and return by moon light completed the day.

Shortly after the citizens organized the Collegeport Industrial League with something like 80 members. This League was incorporated under the laws of the state and ever since has asked the citizens to gather together on May 25th in memory of the establishment of the community. This year is no exception, for at the meeting of the League held on the last day of April, the matter was taken up and it was agreed that a community dinner would be held. Other citizens are co-operating and quite a pretentious program has been arranged which is in charge of Judge S. W. Corse, who is chairman of the League’s House Committee.

This program includes not only a community dinner but races of various kinds, swimming matches, base ball, and other sports. The officers of the League and the citizens of Collegeport extend a cordial invitation to everyone, everywhere, to attend this 1925 Collegeport Day.

Has Collegeport made progress? Comparison is a pretty good yard stick. In 1909 we had a school in a tent, one teacher and four pupils. Today we have a fine four room brick school house, a consolidated rural school teaching eleven grades, employing four teachers, with 100 pupils and operating a truck into surrounding country bringing in each day something like 30 pupils. This week the first class graduates from the Collegeport High School . In 1909 the first church services were held in the store room of Mr. Mott, and the first Sunday School was organized by Mrs. Elmer. Today we have a fine church building, employing a permanent pastor, with a Sunday attendance of from five to six hundred. The Woman's Club, the original woman’s organization, had built up a library of 1400 volumes and owns its own building which is located on a block of ground purchased by the Collegeport Industrial League.

Yes, we have made some progress, but there is room for more.

The Matagorda County Tribune, May 22, 1925
 

May 27, 1926
COLLEGEPORT HAS BIG DAY
About 250 Gather for Barbecue and General Get-Together Meeting.

COLLEGEPORT, Texas , May 27.--The eighteenth observance of the birth of Collegeport has "came and went." The morning dawned "brite and fare" and all the day was full of sunshine and joy. Many stated that of all the past occasions this day will stand out as the best. Primarily the day is observed for the purpose of getting together, renewing old and forming new friendships, so the community dinner had been made the central attraction. Tuesday the tables were loaded with everything from barbecued beef to ice cream and it is estimated that about 250 were served. Credit for this service is due the committee consisting of Mesdames Sims, King and Boeker.

After dinner horseracing and a baseball game, Markham vs. Collegeport, occupied the time. Markham has defeated the home team two times and today the Collegeports were out for blood but did not succeed in drawing the rosy fluid until the eighth inning, when good plays enabled the home to pass to the lead and the game finished with a score of 7-8.

And the night! "How silvery sweet sound lovers' voices at night." There were plenty of lovers at the ball given under the patronage of Mesdames Sims and Boeker. Lovers of the dance crowded the floor and danced the hours through and all went home after a pleasant and happy evening. It was one of the finest affairs of the time ever held in Collegeport, sweet girls, manly boys, handsome matrons, beautiful gowns and gentlemen galore.

People from every town in the county were guests of the community and this included Sargent, and it was with genuine expression of regard that Mayor and Mrs. James O'Neil of Portsmouth were greeted. The ladies of the Woman's Club served ice cream and cold drinks during day and evening and at night the picture show enjoyed a good business.

Here is notice that on May 25, 1927 , Collegeport will again invite the people of Matagorda County to sit at their board.

Matagorda County Tribune, May 28, 1926 - from the Scrapbook of Harry Austin Clapp
 

Collegeport Day 1928
By Harry Austin Clapp

One hundred seventy-five people assembled Friday to observe the birthday of Collegeport. One hundred seventy-four had a delightful time--a happy, joyous day meeting old friends. The other one was wet all day, full of grumps, and enjoyed not one hour of joy. Too bad when there is so much of joy, gladness, charm, rapture, ecstacy in life. Just to illustrate the population change will say that probably one hundred fifty of those present never heard or saw Burton and Dena H[Hurd]. The other twenty-five, thought of them, talked about them, wished they were present to share the pleasures of the day. A table at least forty feet long was loaded with food of all kinds and description from meats to salads, pies and cakes and the important thing was that 99 per cent was home grown. Doctor and Mrs. Harkey with Eugene came over from the City by the Bay and joined in the festiverous time. Doc said he could not eat much as he was having trouble with his stomach, or maybe it was his pantage, but anyway, he could not eat. From the looks of his plate and the frequency of its refilling. I say, God help us if he ever comes down here when his internal organs are working normal.

The Daily Tribune, May 31, 1928

Collegeport Day Enjoyable Affair
By R. M. HARKEY

Twenty years ago on the 25th day of May, Collegeport Day was established, and each year since that time the citizens in that territory have met together in their annual meeting to celebrate the beginning of Collegeport, Texas.

History repeats itself. We understand from citizens who are now living in Collegeport that at one time at their celebration there were more than 2, 000 present at the annual dinner given by the people of that neighborhood. Many things have happened in the past twenty years and Collegeport has not derived a very great benefit out of a good many of these different matters. Many people used to live in and around this little town, but owing to circumstances and different calamities, many of these people have gone. But it is now a fact that Collegeport is coming back like many other towns in the Gulf Coast of Texas.

The writer has spent a great deal of time and has investigated the farm lands in the Gulf Coast . Matagorda county has as much, if not more, of these good lands as any other county we have visited. In the Collegeport territory we find land as good as any one would want to own. Men who bought this land quite a few years ago and have pioneered the game up to the present time are beginning to see a new life, and as the old adage says, "There is a silver lining in every cloud." Many of these people are now beginning to see this silver lining for Collegeport and her trade territory. No better cotton land, citrus fruit land, in fact, no better land can be found than all this land in the trade territory of Collegeport , including Citrus Grove, Simpsonville and other little places.

It has been just a little over a year ago since we first visited there, having been away for more than twelve years. We found the citizenship in a strained condition. No one seemed to know or care just how things were going, but during this wonderful dinner last Friday, May 25, we could not help but notice the different expressions on the faces of the ones attending Collegeport Day. The one great thought that was bringing about this pleasant feeling was the fact that a good road that will be of concrete and shell, is now an assured fact, and is being built at this time, so that the citizenship of Collegeport and this part of Matagorda county will have direct connection with the outside world.

Many of the people who purchased land years ago and have gone away, are contemplating moving back and putting the farms into cultivation, that have been lying idle all these years. In talking to one gentleman and land owner during the day, he said: "My farm has never brought me any revenue. I did not have any hopes of ever seeing a road built in Collegeport, therefore, I returned to the northern states where I could have some conveniences in life." This man is now back in Collegeport and arranging his affairs so he can return to the north and begin life over again.

It is a great pleasure for any one to associate themselves with a group of people who have the "do or die" spirit in them, and many of these people who are now living in Collegeport have gone through their darkest days and the time is not far distant when the population will increase; when farm lands will be cultivated and all properties will enhance in value.

Transportation facilities are being placed in the reach of all. We found one of the most wonderful spreads a man or woman could think of, partaking of and practically all of the dinner was served was raised on the soil in and around Collegeport. There is a great future to this little town, as it has diversified soil and crops of any nature can be grown in this territory.  Collegeport, like many other little towns, will come back and the people who have worked so faithfully and stood by the interests, will receive their reward by watching the good citizenship increase and prosperity reach those who live there.

The Collegeport Industrial League, for twenty years, has been doing a great deal for the betterment of this little town. We learned that more than $300 a month is being placed in the hands of the people from the shipment of cream alone. This will increase as conveniences for market will be established before many months.

It is to be hoped that we may live to see Collegeport come back and be one of the best neighborhoods in all the Gulf Coast country.

Matagorda County Tribune, June 1, 1928
 

Collegeport Day 1929
By Harry Austin Clapp

Came May 25th, Collegeport Day and with it a seven inch rain and an electrical display that lasted six or seven hours. Rain came down just as it did the day Noah launched his ship, but it did not prevent fourteen oldtimers from assembling at the Community House for the usual dinner. There were the Hurds, Clapps, Liggetts, Nelsons, Boekers, and as a very welcome guest, Albert T. Woods, of San Antonio. The table, as usual, was loaded and the dish that attracted my gustatorial attention was a big mess of the Famous Carrie Nelson Chicken Noodles. I waved everything else aside and devoted and dedicated my time to an ardent, loving , zealous, assiduous attack on the art of absorption of noodles. All else was to me passe. Along came new spuds in cream from the Liggett garetn, fresh tomatoes, sandwiches, fruit salads, cakes, pies, candy all topped off with huge tankards of real "cawfee" made by the noodle maker. Cigars, Prince Albert followed, but I noticed that the discriminatory ones used R. J. R. It was a real family get-together feed. Night came and with it threatening clouds, but that did not prevent about one hundred folks turning out to witness the latest presentation by our local impressaria, Mrs. Carl Boeker.  It was called "stunt night" and was well named for it was a veritable potpourri of entertainment. Special scenery had been provided, and at great expense the management filled the orchestra pit with a real orchestra. Space forbids extended notice of each act, but the wide variance of the bill satisfied the most critical and catered to all tastes. The program opened with a song by the Follies episodes with a sextette or maybe it was a seventette of dazzling girls of gorgeous beauty, a chorus ensemble with glistening, glittering, glorious costumes. The chorus was assisted by Mrs. Liggett. A reading by Mrs. Carl Boeker and a song about katz by Mrs. Clapp. It consisted principally of meauws, meauws, and a few pssts. Then followed a reading by Ruth Mowery, she with the stary eyes. A sketch by Dean Merck and Frances King, "Will You Marry Me?" was followed by a song by the chorus of girls. The pantomime "The Light Went Out" brought tears to the eyes of the audience and displayed the histronic ability of local characters and as De Quincy once said, it was "Tainted with false and histronic feeling." With the house dark, a series of portraits was shown illustrating the costumes of 1776 and 1830. The feature of this act was the "father of 1776" portrayed by Seth Corse [who] portrayed his part in a beautiful manner and was the typical old time father. Then followed the scream of the evening, a bathing girl revue or exhibition of pulchritude, Miss Porto Rico Yam, by Arthur Soekland, and Miss Ima Nutt by Mr. Merck. The costume worn by Arthur Soekland was what is at times called a "sun bath" bathing suit which, if you now what that means, permits the violet rays to attack a considerable area of the epidermis. Women loved his looks, raved about his beautiful form, and went crazy over his kissable lips. Both characters were portrayed in a sublime, majestic, magnificent style, and the display of legs was marvelous. The show closed with a song by the chorus, "Show Me the Way to Go Home." Ice cream, made by my old goose partner, Mrs. John Gainsborough Ackerman, was served by the Woman's Club, and an enjoyable time was had by those fortunate enough to be present. That the presentation was well advertised was evidenced by the fact that among those present were Mr. M. G. Clymer, of the Sugarland Industries; Mr. and Mrs. Albert T. Woods, of San Antonio. Mr. Woods is the man who owns the Pecos Valley Gas Company. Miss Helen Scott of Houston, and the lady who runs the Humble Pipe Line. Mr. H. A. McKinnon, also of Houston. This is not the McKinnon announced by the Beacon as Dr. Van Wormer's private secretary. Must have been H. A.'s brother, Bill. I enjoyed the show to the limit, but the thing that lingers in my memory is noodles.

The Daily Tribune, May 29, 1929