The Informer: Opening of port brought rejoicing to Lake Charles
Ships crowd the docks of the Lake Charles Port on Oct. 27, 1930. (American Press Archives)
'Only once before in the history of Lake Charles — Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1918 — was there such general and genuine rejoicing in the city,' reads the Dec. 3, 1926, American Press. 'And never before has any one achievement meant so much to the popular mind in Lake Charles as are the formal port and water opening ceremonies here today.'
Lake Charles had been a port of call since the early 1800s for sailing vessels navigating the shallow river to pick up cargoes of lumber.
The Intracoastal Canal connecting the Calcasieu and Sabine rivers was later completed in 1915. It was 20.5 miles long and 12 feet deep, with a 90-foot bottom width.
In 1922, voters in Calcasieu Parish approved a $2.75 million bond issue to deepen and widen the Calcasieu River from the Intracoastal Canal to Lake Charles. The intent was to provide a navigation route through the Intracoastal Canal to the Sabine River and to the Gulf of Mexico.
From their, the vision became larger.
On April 1, 1925, commissioners met with representatives of the three rail lines serving Lake Charles —Southern Pacific, Kansas City Southern and Missouri Pacific — to discuss facilities and the role the rail lines would play in the future of the Port of Lake Charles.
A special election was called for July 7, 1925, for $500,000 to build wharves, docks, warehouses, railway facilities and elevators for use in connection with the construction of the port.
On Dec. 3, 1926, the dream became a reality. The American Press said trains, yachts and tug boats brought delegations by the hundreds from distant cities just to partake in the opening festivities.
Long before the 9 a.m. ceremony began, Lake Charles began to hum with activity and music from 'the finest bands in the South,' including the Magnolia Refining company group from Beaumont, Texas, and the Centenary Cadets from Shreveport.
Gov. Oramel Simpson and representatives of Gen. Edgar Jadwin, who was then chief of Army Engineers in Washington, D.C., were among the celebrated guests.
'The day opened clear and crisp with not a cloud in sight to dampen any one's aspirations and enthusiasm, and on schedule time formal ceremonies began with the grand parade from the Kansas City Southern deport at 10:20 a.m.,' the newspaper reads. 'From that hour on during the remainder of the day, one big event has followed another with a swiftness and magnitude that have eclipsed any celebration ever before attempted in Lake Charles.'
Mayor Henry J. Geary presided at the opening of the formalities and introduced the Rev. R.H. Wynn, pastor of the Broad Street Methodist Church, who gave the invocation.
'After delivering the address of welcome in which he extended the keys of the city and of the port to the distinguished guests and to the visitors, Mayor Geary expressed greetings on the occasion, which he said is the outstanding epoch in the history of Lake Charles.'
Nearly 100 years later, the Port — more formally, the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District — accounts for a large percentage of local economic revenue and more than $34 million in annual Lake Charles tax revenue. It covers more than 200 square miles in Calcasieu Parish and operates 5,400-plus acres.
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The pattern can be found in the staircase rail to the church balcony, on the ends of each pew, and wrapped around the columns that provide muted light during services. 'We used the same pattern of the crown in The Royal sign,' he said. Though plywood is in place where the stained glass was, humidity still finds its way inside and has caused some of the arm rails in the wooden pews to split. Shamieh believes the sanctuary's organ is the second-largest one ever built in the United States. On either side of the church's altar are where the pipes are located. 'It needs to be tuned, but it still works,' Shamieh said. 'The humidity in the b uilding, though, is not good for the pipes.' There's much to do in the sanctuary, but Shamieh has pushed the pause button. 'I don't want to work on the sanctuary until it is listed on the historic registry,' he said. 'It's important to make these restorations according to their standards. This is not just a building to me.' 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