Channelview Scrapbook

De Zavala's vast land holdings were bounded by Old Paver on the south, Greens Bayou on the west, San Jacinto River on the east, unknown to the north, but probably at least to Sheldon. In February, 1976 a Texas historical marker honoring de Zavala was unveiled on the Channelview Branch Library grounds by the Harris County Historical Commission . Around 1917 the first of de Zavala's land in present Channelview was sold to developer Ben Garrett. Earlier names for Channelview were Cedar Bluff and Old River. Later it was called Arcadia, but when the first post office was built in 1930, it was found there already was an Arcadia in Texas. The name was changed to Channelview, presumably by Garrett. About 1926 surveyors began laying plans for what is now Market Street . In 1929 Market Street, a shell road, was paved and Garrett put in a service station and small grocery store on the corner of Market and Sheldon Road. Before the Channelview post office was built, people got their mail in Galena Park (then called Clinton), or Pasadena or Highlands. The first Channelview postmaster was Naomi Ballard who rode horseback to the inter -urban track where it crosses Sheldon Road to pick up mail. When the new post office was built on Pemberton and Market about 1962, Mrs. Ballard re-created her early days by riding a horse to the dedication. About 1918 Ben Garrett and a Mr. Daughtery from Pennsylvania started a town where Jacintoport, formerly the San Jacinto Ordnance Depot, is now. Still in existence is a copy of the Channel Courier, newspaper for Channel City, sometimes called Penn City, supposedly in honor of Mr. Daugherty. There were pictures of lovely two-story homes, 60-foot wide streets , electric and power plant, city waterworks, a two-story brick school which doubled as a church, the Palace Hotel, the first floor of which was occupied by Houston Bank & Trust, a textile mill, a lumber company. Sane of the residences were still there in 19^-0 when the federal govern¬ ment bought all that land for the Ordnance Depot in prelude to World War II. The depot was used for storage of ammunition frcm arsenals and loaded aboard ships for shipment to war zones fromthe depot docks on the cut from the Ship Channel.