Place:Orange, Orange, Texas, United States

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source: Family History Library Catalog

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Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 18,595. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. Founded in 1836, it is a deep-water port to the Gulf of Mexico.

Historical development

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

This community was originally called Green Bluff for a man named Reason Green, a Sabine River boatman who arrived at this location sometime before 1830. A short time later, in 1840, the town was renamed Madison in honor of President James Madison.^[1] To resolve the frequent post office confusion with another Texas community called Madisonville, the town was renamed "Orange" in 1858. The area experienced rapid growth in the late 19th century due to 17 sawmills within the city limits, making Orange the center of the Texas lumber industry.^[2] Orange's growth led to the arrival of many immigrants in the late 19th century, including a moderately-sized Jewish population by 1896. In 1898, the County built a courthouse in the city, which eventually burned down and was replaced by the Orange County Courthouse.

The harbor leading into the Port of Orange was dredged in 1914 to accommodate large ships. Ship building during World War I contributed to the growth in population and economy. The Great Depression, not surprisingly, affected the city negatively, and it was not until World War II that the local economy was boosted again. A U.S. Naval Station was installed and additional housing was provided for thousands of defense workers and servicemen and their families. The population increased to just over 60,000 residents.

After the war, the peace-time population decreased to about 25,000. At this time, the Navy Department announced it selected Orange as one of eight locations where it would store reserve vessels. The area of the shipyards provided a favorable location, as the Sabine River furnished an abundant supply of fresh water to prevent saltwater corrosion.^[3]
Also during this period the local chemical plants expanded which boosted the economy. The chemical industry continues today as a leading source of revenue to the area. The U.S. Naval Station was changed to a Reserve base in December 1975, and decommissioned completely in September, 2008.

The Port of Orange became the home to the USS Orleck (DD-886), one of the few naval ships remaining that was built at the Orange shipyards during WWII. The city of Orange sustained a direct hit from Hurricane Rita in 2005, causing damage to the ship. The city made the ship be moved because it claimed the city needed the dock space. The Orleck was not allowed to return to the port due to politics (as the city council was wanting the ship cut up and sold for scrap and had a long running feud with the Restoration Association) so a new location was sought, including one in Arkansas and Lake Charles, Louisiana, for a new home. On May 6, 2009, the Lake Charles city council voted in favor of an ordinance authorizing the city to enter into a "Cooperative Endeavor Agreement" with the "USS ORLECK". On May 20, 2010 the ship was moved to Lake Charles. The Grand Opening was on April 10, 2011.

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