Bay Ridge / Morgan's Point
Morgan's Point, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The peninsula on Galveston Bay known as Morgan's Point was named for early landowner Colonel James Morgan. Later the area became a favorite summer retreat for wealthy Houston residents who sought refuge from the oppressive heat and humidity of the city. The bluff attracted Gulf breezes and boasted spectacular views and recreational potential. In 1893 twelve prominent Houston families formed the Bay Ridge Park Association and acquired 40 acres of land on which they constructed a resort community for summer residency. to allow each family beach front property the land was platted into long narrow lots chosen by ballots. The first houses built were modest one-and two-story frame dwellings with verandas; most featured Eastlake and Queen Anne style detailing. Homes built in the early 20th century were designed by renowned architects and reflected various styles including Mediterranean revival, colonial revival, and prairie school. Among the many grand houses is one patterned after the White House built for Texas Governor Ross Sterling and his wife Maude. Listed on the National register of Historic Places, the area is one of Texas' most significant seaside residential developments. (1997) Incise on back: Morgan's Point Historic District & Bay Ridge Park Associations
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Named for early landowner Colonel James Morgan, this breezy bluff on Galveston Bay became a summer refuge for well-to-do Houston families escaping the city's heat. In 1893 twelve of them formed the Bay Ridge Park Association, platting narrow beachfront lots assigned by ballot and building verandaed cottages in Eastlake and Queen Anne styles. Grander early-twentieth-century homes followed, including one modeled on the White House for Governor Ross Sterling.
Why it matters
Now a National Register historic district, Bay Ridge preserves one of Texas' most significant early seaside resort communities and the leisure culture of its Gilded Age elite.
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Related people
- · James Morgan
- · Ross Sterling
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
The Governor Ross Sterling Mansion
Morgan's Point, TX
Completed in 1927 for oil executive Ross S. Sterling, this mansion was designed by Houston architect Alfred C. Finn as a scaled-down replica of the White House, overlooking the Houston Ship Channel from the "Gold Coast" between La Porte and Morgan's Point. With 34 rooms, 21,000 square feet, Tiffany chandeliers, and a dining room seating 300, it was reputedly the largest private home in Texas, its deep foundations and massive beams built to withstand Gulf hurricanes. Sterling went on to serve as governor of Texas from 1931 to 1933, and in 1946 he donated the mansion for use as a juvenile home.
Wade and Mamie Irvin House
Morgan's Point, TX
Houston architect Joseph Finger designed this Spanish Colonial Revival summer home in 1927 for business leaders Wade and Mamie Irvin, who owned several companies and founded Citizens State Bank. Famous for lavish entertaining, the Irvins even kept a private zoo on the grounds. The house shows off stucco walls, a tile roof, decorative metalwork, and a Moorish arch motif.
Gribble-Hofheinz House
Morgan's Point, TX
Built in 1896 as a Houston businessman's summer retreat, this house was deliberately turned toward the water to catch the bay breezes of Morgan's Point. In 1950 the flamboyant Roy Hofheinz — future developer of the Astrodome and part owner of the Ringling Bros. circus — bought it, decorated it in a circus theme, and dubbed it "Huckster House." It stayed in his family until 1987, a bayside landmark tied to two eras of Houston enterprise.
New Washington
Morgan's Point, TX
At the junction of Buffalo Bayou and San Jacinto Bay, Philadelphia-born Colonel James Morgan bought 1,600 acres in 1835 and laid out New Washington, working as merchant, land agent, and civic leader. Mexican troops burned the town during the Texas Revolution while Morgan served as a colonel, but it was rebuilt and flourished until nearby Houston outgrew it. Morgan's 1850s dream of a navigable channel along Buffalo Bayou was realized in 1876 when steamship magnate Charles Morgan dredged the Houston Ship Channel; the town, now Morgan's Point, was incorporated in 1949.