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Advocate Editorial Board opinion: Happy 100th birthday to city of Seadrift

  • By the Advocate Editorial Board
  • Originally published November 29, 2012 at 5:48 p.m., updated November 29, 2012 at 5:48 p.m.

The Crossroads is full of interesting places. Every town has a unique feel that adds flavor to the area as a whole.

One of these unique cities is Seadrift, which will be holding a centennial celebration this Saturday. This Calhoun County community is a popular spot for fishermen and tourists to the Texas Gulf Coast and has events throughout the year that draw both locals and area residents.

According to the Seadrift Centennial website, the area where the city would be was first assigned a post office in 1891. The railroad was the major factor that brought Seadrift into existence. First, the Guadalupe Valley Railroad began acquiring the right of way from Bloomington into Seadrift in the late 1890s. In 1906, the St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexican Railroad bought that right of way as part of its plan to complete the track from Bloomington to Port O'Connor. The track, as well as a depot, was completed in Seadrift by 1909. The line also featured a "Y" that allowed trains to turn around and a railroad wharf over San Antonio Bay used to load agricultural products and baled cotton from Austwell and Tivoli. The wharf was also a place for oysters, fish and crabs harvested from the bay to be loaded and transported to market. The line was also used to transport cattle, freight and passengers and was known as the Gulf Coast Line.

The city itself started to take shape in 1911 when A.D. Powers formed the Seadrift Town-site Company and purchased a portion of the tract along the rails from the Calhoun County Cattle Company. Powers subdivided the land into blocks, lots and streets, which were sold as people came to settle in the community, and recorded it in the Calhoun County Courthouse as the Seadrift Town-site. In 1912, Seadrift was formally incorporated as a city.

Today, Seadrift is an important part of the Crossroads, and while it may have had a more traditional western railroad town beginning, it has become a lively tourism destination with such events as Shrimpfest and the Texas Water Safari bringing visitors in year after year.

Happy birthday, Seadrift. We are glad your town is part of the Crossroads community, and we look forward to many years of history and development to come.

This editorial reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate's editorial board.