Texas City.....1947

I'm posting a pretty good link here to details surrounding the little known 1947 Texas City disaster.

http://www.local1259iaff.org/disaster.html

Bill Minutaglio also chronicled the disaster at length in his excellent book "City on Fire: The Forgotten Disaster that Devastated a Town and Ignited a Landmark Legal Battle".

Most folks that aren't from Texas don't realize how important Texas City is to our national economy. I actually worked in Texas City for a while back when I was in retail, working for Foley's. I opened the Foley's at the Mall of the Mainland back in the mid-90's as the operations manager.

There are tons of interesting stories to be heard there, much history to be told. My heart goes out to these folks.

But it's hard to even think about it. I have heard first-hand stories from doctors who treated patients then. I wish I could forget the things they told me.

My family didn't move to TC until 1978, but EVERYONE is at most one person removed from someone who had family there.

Texas City seems to be the kind of town 99% of teens want to flee when they graduate, but an amazing number of them end up staying or returning (like me).

It's a Democratic town. No worries about my car being vandalized for its bumperstickers. Hard working people. People fight to get jobs at the plants, because they know so many folks of previous generations who worked their way up there. There's a lot of loyalty in this town. There is some fear too. And there have been fights over pollution and dangers, but still, everyone knows that those plants are the reason there is a a city here.

There's some not to like, and things to like, just like any hometown. I think I like it a lot more since I've grown up.

I also have a lot of affection for Texas City, even though I only worked there for several months. People there are a hardy bunch, and I have a lot of admiration for them.

Reading Minutaglio's book was an eye opener for me. I really reflect on it every time that I am in the area. We drove through on the way to Galveston last summer, and it was all I could think about for a few miles.

I wish that more people understood the history and heritage of the area.

local history or culture. But in the past 20 years, that has changed. They built a memorial to those who died in '47. There are sculptures around town, such as a phoenix rising from the ashes, and people working together. There is an annual art show now. I think TC has more of an identity now, than it did back then, if that makes any sense.

I also think it's a sign of a healthy community. Civic pride and an understanding of local heritage and history are essential components of keeping a city vital and alive.

Even more so as the residents who were witnesses to that history begin to pass away. That age cohort still has a lot to offer in terms of insight.