Old H. B. Moore Home
Texas City, Galveston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built 1912 by Col. Hugh B. Moore (1874-1944), transportation expert. Born in Tennessee, he managed Texas City Terminal Railroad, Wolvin Steamship Line, Texas City Transportation Co., Mainland Co. Was a banker, leader in building dike, enlarging port, and bringing in industries. He was director of army transports, World War I. His securing of emergency coal as fuel for armies, 1917, helped to save allied efforts. Was adviser in transportation, World War II. His wife Helen (Edmunds) served 2 terms in Texas Legislature in 1930s. There she helped improve conditions in state institutions. She was a leader in numerous civic activities and, with Moore, helped found the local library, named in their honor in 1929. This spacious, 13-room brick home has walls 14 inches thick with steel railroad rails as reinforcements. It withstood the 1915 hurricane and the 1947 Texas City ship explosion. It has been visited by distinguished persons. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1968
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Col. Hugh B. Moore, a Tennessee-born transportation expert, built this thick-walled brick home in 1912 while managing the railroads, steamship lines, and port works that made Texas City an industrial hub. During World War I he directed army transports and secured emergency coal that helped keep Allied armies moving, and he advised on transportation again in World War II. His wife Helen served two terms in the Texas Legislature in the 1930s, working to improve state institutions, and together they helped found the local library named in their honor.
Why it matters
The Moores linked a booming Gulf port to the nation's wartime logistics and progressive reform, while their storm- and explosion-proof home stood witness to Texas City's disasters.
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Related people
- · Hugh B. Moore
- · Helen Edmunds Moore
Related events
- · 1915 hurricane
- · 1947 Texas City explosion
Themes & tags
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