By Cheryl Lauersdorf Ross On the morning of April 16, 1947, the SS Grandcamp, surrounded by refineries and chemical plants near the Texas City docks, exploded with a force compared to the Nagasaki atomic bomb, taking the lives of nearly 600 people and injuring thousands more. When a catastrophe like this strikes, reports focus on […]
Tag Archives | WWII
Blue-Water Ships, Brown-Water Bayou: Wartime Construction 1941-1945
Long before its formal entry into the Second World War in December 1941, the United States was actively supporting Great Britain and its allies in the struggle against Germany through the Lend-Lease program and other efforts. Part of this assistance was the U.S. Maritime Commission’s decision in late 1940 to accept a contract to build […]
Working the Houston Ship Channel: “Tote that barge! Lift that bale!”
By Debbie Z. Harwell The success of the Houston Ship Channel and the Port of Houston is built on more than the determination of businessmen, however. Since its earliest days the city has acted as a magnet for people coming here to look for work, particularly in jobs associated with the ship channel and the […]
The Future of Battleship Texas
by Donald H. Fischer Click here to read a pdf of the full article.
Leaving Texas High and Dry: The Preservation of the Battleship Texas
by Abbie Salyers Click here to read a pdf of the full article.
Restoring Texas History: The Last Battle of the USS Texas
by Abbie Salyers Click here to read a pdf of the full article.
Driving on the Edge of Death: Arthur Joseph Jr. and the Red Ball Express
Interview by Isaac Hampton II Click here to read a pdf of the full article.
Facing History-CREW: The men of the USS Texas
by Marisa C. Sanchez Click here to read a pdf of the full article.
Jesse Jones: A Conversation about “Mr. Houston”
With Steven Fenberg and Joe Pratt Click here to read a pdf of the full article.
La Colonia Mexicana: Mexican Americans in Houston
By Jesus Jesse Esparza In 1836 newcomers from the United States along with their Tejano (Texas Mexicans) allies, took up arms against the Mexican government and successfully seceded from that nation. Following the Battle of San Jacinto, which ended the Texas Revolution, Texians (Anglo Texans) ordered Mexican prisoners to clean the swampland on which Houston […]