Morgan's Point is located southeast of Houston in southeastern Harris County, Texas, United States, located on the shores of Galveston Bay at the inlet to the Houston Ship Channel, near La Porte and Baytown. As of the 2020 census, it has 273 residents, and is located within the La Porte Independent School District.
Morgan's Point National Historic District includes the "Carriage House" otherwise known as City Hall, and the Governor Ross S. Sterling mansion, directly across the street; as well as several other notable properties. It earned fame in Texas's early history for being the home of the legendary Emily West (Morgan), known as "The Yellow Rose of Texas". It later became a Houston-area resort community for the wealthy in the early 20th century.
History
The area was first settled in 1822 by Nicholas Rightor, a surveyor commissioned by Stephen F. Austin to explore and survey the areas between the Brazos and Lavaca rivers. He soon sold the property to Johnson Calhoun Hunter, and it subsequently was bought by Joseph C. Clopper, who used the property to grow orange and lemon trees. The property was finally sold to James Morgan in 1834, who established the short-lived colony of New Washington. Morgan had helped supply the Texian army during the Texas Revolution and was given the rank of colonel. The settlement was destroyed by the Mexican army during the Texas Revolution. A legend surfaced much later surrounding a mulatto woman named Emily West. She became an indentured servant (but not a slave) of Morgan and, according to legend, used her beauty to occupy Mexican General Santa Anna, thereby facilitating his capture by the Texan army, thus ending the revolutionary war. Historians differ on the degree of truth of this legend.
The area began to redevelop as the Houston Ship Channel was dredged near the area in the later 19th century. The community grew around traffic crossing the ship channel to and from Goose Creek (now Baytown). Ferry service would eventually become established. The Morgan Point Ferry operated until the mid 20th century.
Following the start of the Texas oil boom in 1901 Galveston Bay became an attractive summer destination for the wealthy from Houston and nearby areas. Plots along Bayridge Road were sold for the construction of summer homes, including the famed Sterling Mansion, a former governor's residence that is now a landmark (not to be confused with the mansion in Houston). During the 1920s and 1930s the shoreline between Morgan's Point and Sylvan Beach came to be known as the Texas "Gold Coast", a playground for the rich.
As the surrounding communities of La Porte and Baytown grew, interest in the area as a summer haven diminished. Morgan's Point was finally incorporated in 1949, and a small community remained. Some of the original 19th century buildings have remained, as well as early 20th century homes. Still the terminal almost instantly became the Houston area's most important shipping point and became the centerpiece of the economy activity at Morgan's Point.
Geography
Morgan's Point is located in Southeastern Harris County at (29.676368, –94.999580). It is bordered to the north and west by the city of La Porte, and to the southeast by Shoreacres, Texas. The city limits extend out into Galveston Bay, within Chambers County. It is Southeast of the center of Houston.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 11.12%, are water.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Morgan's Point city, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|270
|208
|style='background: #ffffe6; |175
|80.36%
|61.36%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |64.10%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|15
|34
|style='background: #ffffe6; |11
|4.46%
|10.03%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.03%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|3
|5
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|0.89%
|1.47%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.37%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|0
|2
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2
|0.00%
|0.59%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.73%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|5
|5
|style='background: #ffffe6; |11
|1.49%
|1.47%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.03%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|43
|85
|style='background: #ffffe6; |73
|12.80%
|25.07%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |26.74%
|-
|Total
|336
|339
|style='background: #ffffe6; |273
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Morgan's Point had a population of 273. The median age was 48.8 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.9 males age 18 and over.
There were 103 households in Morgan's Point, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.5% were married-couple households, 16.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 201 || 73.6%
|-
| Black or African American || 12 || 4.4%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 2 || 0.7%
|-
| Asian || 3 || 1.1%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 10 || 3.7%
|-
| Two or more races || 45 || 16.5%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 73 || 26.7%
|}
2000 census
As of the census
Education
<!-- Deleted image removed: .JPG|thumb|[[La Porte High School (Texas)|La Porte High School]] -->
Morgan's Point is within the La Porte Independent School District and is zoned to: La Porte Elementary School, La Porte Junior High School, and La Porte High School.
Residents of La Porte ISD (and therefore Morgan's Point) are zoned to San Jacinto College.
Morgan's Point Pictorials
See also
- Emily D. West
- The Yellow Rose of Texas (song)
- Galveston Bay Area
- Greater Houston
References
External links
- City of Morgan's Point official website
- The University of Houston Digital Library has a collection of historical photographs about Houston, nearby communities, and more. View these collections at the University of Houston Digital Libraries