Kate Dorman
Sabine Pass, Jefferson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
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 two young daughters, married John Dorman. In 1862 the Catfish Hotel became a temporary hospital, where Kate nursed victims of a yellow fever epidemic. A strong supporter of the Confederacy, Kate traveled through enemy fire to provide food to Lt. Dick Dowling's troops during the Battle of Sabine Pass in 1863. (1990)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Georgia native Kate Dorman ran the Catfish Hotel at Sabine Pass from the late 1840s, weathering widowhood and remarriage before turning her hotel into a hospital during an 1862 yellow fever epidemic. A fierce Confederate supporter, she braved enemy fire to carry food to Lt. Dick Dowling's men during the 1863 Battle of Sabine Pass. Her wartime courage made her a local legend of the Texas coast.
Why it matters
Kate Dorman's story shows how women on the Confederate home front nursed the sick and supplied soldiers, sharing the dangers of a war fought at their doorstep.
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Related people
- · Kate Dorman
- · Dick Dowling
Related events
- · Battle of Sabine Pass
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Fort Sabine
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Spaight's 11th Battalion
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