Sterling Municipal Library by Jeannine Ortiz

          In Baytown, there’s a lot of symbols that represent it. For me when I’m far away from home and think of Baytown, the first thing that comes to my mind is the Sterling Municipal Library. I remember going there every day when I was a kid. My brother was still in school, so he will make my mom take us. While he was studying I just began walking up and down the aisles. Suddenly a book caught my attention, it was “Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss”. I took it out and sat down next to my brother, reading. At the end, I read all of the Dr. Seuss books. I loved going there, I hated having a library card because I never wanted to check out the books. If I took home the books, I wouldn’t have a reason to go back there.The Sterling Library can hold many memories for everyone in Baytown, old or young. It may be when you were kid playing Pajama Sam on those old computers to maybe studying and cramping for a test when you were in Junior High. It can be represented as an educational symbol for helping its past students, present students, and hopefully their future students on getting help or research for their school life. That’s why when I think of Baytown, I think about the place that made me believe I could be anything I want to be.
            My symbol is the Sterling Municipal Library. There’s so many things I can say about its beauty and purpose. Other than it’s calming and serenity features. It’s the only place where all of my problems seem to fade away just by stepping a foot inside and picking up a book. The Sterling Municipal Library has been around since 1963. According to www.baytownlibrary.org, “Public library service in Baytown has a long, rich history. The first library in the Baytown area was a branch of the Harris County Library. Ross S. Sterling, then President of Humble Oil and Refining Company, donated the land and the physical building, while Harris County funded the staff and materials for the library. This Goose Creek Library served residents until 1963. Municipally funded public library service commenced with the dedication of Sterling Municipal Library in 1963. The name honors Ross Sterling for his vision and commitment to the printed word.” When I read this, I didn’t know why they named it Sterling. I just thought they just named it Sterling because they couldn’t find another person to dedicate it to. Or they just pull a random name out of a hat and sterling was the one they chose.
            I walked in the Sterling Municipal Library the other day trying to do research. I walked to the teen section, my favortie place to go sit and relax. Memories always flush me when I think about the library. Most of my memories are stuck in my childhood. Actually I wasn’t the only one with a good history of childhood memories of the library. Library Worker and a personal friend of mine, Laura Bernal, has loved going there as a kid as well. I spoke with her the other day about the library she said,” I would always want to sleepover at the library because that way if I finished a book at night, I wouldn’t have to wake up early to go the library, I can just wake up, and it will just be there ready for me to grab”. I laughed because it was exactly how I felt. Going to the library, has made us love reading and learn about the new stuff in the world without us having to leave Baytown. Sterling Municipal Library will provide for lifelong learning, open access to information, and a knowledge filled life for anyone who just wants to learn something new.

    Work cited:

"Sterling Municipal Library." About SML. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

Website

El-Toro by Loretta Aulds

 If ever traveling on Decker Dr. where Garth Rd dead ends, you’ll come across El-Toro Mexican Restaurant.  Not the fanciest of places but an inviting site, with the Goose Creek running behind it, as well as a walking path.  The walking path and the two windows on the side of the restaurant are all that has changed since I was a little girl.  Never being a resident of Baytown,  I was born and raised in Channelview, Texas.  So for me, the face of Baytown is the El-Toro restaurant. Back then I had no idea of how it had started nor did I care at the age of 8.  All I knew was after sitting through a long boring hour of church; it would pay off in the end.  I would be on my way, to having me some cheese enchiladas from El-Toro.  My parents would make the normal trip to El Toro after church, every Sunday, like so many others. 

I believe El-Toro is a significant part of Baytown.  Not only have they been servicing out delicious Tex-Mex food since the sixties, they also have been employing Baytonians.  There are two other locations in Baytown, one off Bayway Dr. and the newest off Garth Rd.   Doyle Hingle which manages the El-Toro off Garth Rd. and helps part time at the Decker location said that El-Toro is a major contributor to the community.  For example every year they donate chips and salsa to the Regional Blood Center for the persons giving blood.  They also donate to Project Graduation for high schools in the community.  El-Toro is always giving back to the community and Mr. Eugene Ybarro the owner, wouldn’t have it any or way.  As told by Mr. Hingle, Mr. Ybarro would give the shirt off his back to a person in need.  

The History of El-Toro

            I used to think that the El-Toro restaurant that is located on Decker Drive was the original, but found out that, that location opened later in 1968.  It had taken the place of a fried chicken restaurant that had gone out of business.  After speaking with John Mays, El-Toro’s marketing director, I also found out the original El-Toro restaurant was opened in Clute, Texas in 1960.   It was a Mexican restaurant that went out of business and Eugene Ybarra had bought out.  There are a few stories of how they got the “El-Toro” name.  One is that, that was the original name of the Mexican restaurant Mr. Ybarra bought out in Clute, Texas.  The second story is that on a certain Looney Tunes cartoon there is a bull and above his pen was the name “El-Toro”.  The font on the bull’s pen and the restaurant’s are exactly the same.  I personally like the Looney Tunes story best. 

            Eugene Ybarra, started two of his sons, Roland and Moses at a young age in the restaurant business.  A small task of making tamales was their first experience in the business, while enjoying one of the perks of free sodas.  The sons also experienced the openings and closings of new El-Toro restaurants, while some were successful and others went belly up, there were the good times and the bad.  One of those times, was in the mid eighties, when the oil industry had started to decline and so did the business. The idea of putting out coupons and specials for customs, kept them afloat.  Through it all they stuck with it alongside their father, Mr. Ybarra.  Now older and joined by their other 5 brothers and one sister the El-Toro restaurants have thrived and expanded to 21 locations.  Mr. Eugene Ybarra still runs the business along with his wife, Alice.

 

My friend Georganne and I just finished at the Lifetime Fitness in Lake Houston.  Even though we are in the Atascocita area and its thirty-something miles away and 45 minutes to get there, we decide to go to El-Toro.  I told her about my assignment and she said “Let’s go!”  So, we are off!  Destination? Baytown.  The anticipation differs slightly from when I was a little girl, but feeding my hunger, was still the same.  After 32 miles and 37 minutes (due to my excellent driving skills) we arrive at our destination, El-Toro.  The parking lot has about seven vehicles, possibly due to it being 2:15 in the afternoon.  Georganne and I are having a late lunch.  As we got out of my car, I was hoping for the smell of sizzling fajitas, but nothing.   When we walk the front sidewalk, Georganne sees the old San Jacinto Hospital in the distance and says her husband Garry was born there.  I thought that was pretty neat.  Upon opening the door to the restaurant, “Bam!” the smell of shrimp and enchilada sauce hits us in our face.  We get seated in a booth and the waitress takes our drink order.   Here come the crispy corn chips and two kinds of salsa, one red, the other green.  We order off the lunch menu because it’s not over until 3pm.  Georganne orders the Cuatro which has beef fajita taco with rice and beans.  I order the Siete which has cheese enchilada, crispy taco, rice , beans and queso.    Eating the first bite, was so pleasing to my tastes buds as well as to my stomach. 

         After moving to Crosby in March of 2001 and the fast growth of Atascocita, I rarely visited Baytown, much less the south end of Garth Rd.  It wasn’t until I decided to go back to school, that I would revisit Baytown.  On my first trip to Lee College to register I passed up El-Toro.  I couldn’t help but think back when I was a child and not a worry in the world, just excited to be out eating with my family.  Never thinking I would ever get married, have children or lose a parent.   The times we shared at El-Toro were happy memories.  As I drive past El-Toro twice a week on my way to Lee College, I see the parking lot full.  This is a good sight for me; where the little girl once visited and where I can take my children where it can become part of their memories as well.

The Friendly Church with the Bell by Lexi Hylton

         

             

If you’re ever at the Blockbuster on Garth Road, make sure to turn down 712 Schilling Avenue. There, right behind the video store is one of my personal favorite symbols of Baytown Texas. How and why is it a symbol you might ask? I see it as a symbol of change, love, and peace .If you’ve ever been told you can’t go to heaven due to race, sexual preface or things you’ve done in the past, then St. Paul’s is the place for you. They are a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a.k.a. the ELCA. This humongous congregation of people are all across American, spreading their love and peace wherever they go. It doesn’t matter who you are, the ELCA believes that all God’s children have a place in the choir. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not a hardcore Christian or some sort of God Warrior. I just believe that everyone deserves the chance to worship in a safe environment away from all the chaos and stereotypes society puts people through.

        
             St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized June eighth of 1943. The pastor, Reverend J. A. Pietsch preached from 1944 to 1949. For the first five years the people worshiped in a community building made possible by the Humble Oil and Refining Company. On June thirteenth of 1948, a white colonial style church was built for the people on 1904 West Main Street. The congregation accepted a donation of a large tower bell from Zion Lutheran Church of Charlottenburg, nearby Hallettsville. It had served for a period of fifty-two years. The bell was made in 1896 by the Stuckstede Bell Foundry of St. Louis, MO. The church was known as "The Christmas Card Church" or "The Friendly Church in the Pines” because it was built along the tree line of the forest.  The Texas Highway Department made plans for extending State Highway 201 to form a loop around Baytown in 1959. Sadly the little church was right in the way for the new highway, so a new location had to be found. The people searched for two years and finally the site committee voted to purchase some land on Schilling Avenue. A ground breaking ceremony was held on May tenth of 1964, and the foundation was set for the new church on August second of 1964. The church here today was the final design and the bell is the original one from 1896. The Church has a more recent nickname now and that is, “The Friendly Church with the Bell."

 I interviewed a few members of the congregation at St. Paul’s on a Sunday after the service. Susan Clanton, a respected member and a good family friend of mine happily let me take a moment of her time. She had this to say about The Friendly Church with the Bell, “I feel St. Paul’s, it’s a blessing to me. From the day I walked in the doors of this church I felt very welcomed, um… loved. I feel like this is my family this… this is my larger family.” Susan’s been a member of the church for about 15 years now. She had too many good memories to choose from when I asked about them. They ranged from seeing her children and grandchildren be baptized in the church to events with the youth. In the end she decided to go with the day I interviewed her because her two newest grandchildren, Corey and Gavin, had just received their first bibles. During the interview; which I had to record because of a recent hand injury, little 3 year old Corey politely stated that she had to use the restroom. It was very cute and added to the fond memory of that day. I also interviewed the brains behind the church, Jada Hylton. She’s the church secretary and has been in office since 2004. She also happens to be my mother. We’ve been members of the church for a good 12 years. When I asked Jada why she took the job she told me this, “It was a fun challenge I’ve never had before.” She says it’s fun getting the opportunity to create new ministries such as the Food Pantry which now in recent years has become part of the Houston Food Bank which helps feed thousands of people in need of some grub. Also she had a big hand in the start of the St. Paul’s After School Program. It’s basically a daycare for elementary school kids who are at risk of going down the wrong paths in life do to dangerous family/environment situations, bad home lives, and or financial problems.  She said that the church is a symbol of help and outreach in the community. I asked Jada to recall one of her favorite memories that happened in the church. She said her favorite one was a long time ago on a potluck Sunday. A very elderly member of the church, Marilyn Hessman, who is now in heaven, forgot one of her shoes in the fellowship hall. She ate her lunch and went home, completely forgetting about her shoe. Marilyn didn’t realize she left it till the next day. She went all the way back to church that Monday asking if she’d left her foot wear there or not. Jada always gets tickled at the thought of it and couldn’t tell me the story without laughing.

             If you run into a member of the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on Schilling Avenue, I bet you they have nothing but good things to say about the establishment. St. Paul’s has already helped so much in the city of Baytown most don’t realize it. I hope you take the opportunity to check the place out. Don’t worry, no one bites. St. Paul’s welcomes all with open arms.

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Works Cited

Clanton, Susan. Personal interview. 3 Nov. 2013

"History - St. Paul's Lutheran Church ELCA." St. Paul's Lutheran Church ELCA. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. <http://www.stpaulsbaytown.org/history.html>.

Hylton, Jada. Personal interview. 3 Nov. 2013

The Fred Hartman Bridge by Chiwe Tsoka

On my way to Baytown, for the first time, on the morning of a very beautiful day, the sun was shining bright and the air was crisp. I encountered what could be one of the most treasured landmarks of the town. I could only but imagine the significance of such a gigantic engineering structure. It was fascinating; four lanes on each side adorned with a sequencing of all sorts of vehicles from the most luxurious SUVs to the eighteen wheeler tanks and cargo trucks. It did not take me too long to figure out that this was a symbol of transportation and commerce in the town.  

 

Picture by Chiwe Tsoka

The Fred Hartman Bridge over the Houston Ship Channel, with a total length of 2,475 inches, is currently the second largest cable-stayed bridge in terms of overall deck area. The bridge connects Baytown with Texas Route 225 in La Porte—a distance of about 2.5miles—and replaces the obsolete Baytown tunnel, which opened in 1953. It is particularly noteworthy for its “double-diamond” tower configuration which was designed to resist hurricane-force winds. The main span unit consists of a five-span structure, comprising three cable-stayed spans. The three-span cable-stayed portion is constructed with a composite steel superstructure. The typical section consists of two independent roadways, each approximately seventy eight inches wide, which carry four lanes of traffic with full shoulders.The bridge was named after Fred Hartman (1908-1991), the editor and publisher of the Baytown Sun from 1950 to 1974.

Frustrations from delays in completing the bridge finally ended in 1995 when former president George Bush, then governor of Texas cut the tape,commissioning the bridge. On September 30 1995, it was opened to the public. Today the bridge carries an average of 200,000 vehicles per day.

When I decided to write a paper on the bridge, I thought of talking to one of the experts in history at my school, Mr. Whitaker. He has been taking a route through the bridge to commute from home to work for the past seven years. He explained  how the bridge serves many people including himself, allowing them to get to work on time without having to worry about traffic jams, which were common when the old tunnel was the only path across the water. He also related the significance of the bridge by referring to the history of Baytown. He said, “It is just a marvel of engineering that has gone a long way in facilitating the operations of the oil industry which is just the main commercial activity by which Baytown was founded."  He emphasized that without the bridge, Baytown would be city isolated.

Baytown lies within the Bayport Industrial district, which is now among the largest private industrial complexes in the country. Most Baytonians work and provide services to these companies. The bridge is therefore not just a symbol of transportation in Baytown carrying people to their destinations, but is also a facilitator of commerce and economy for the city. As the original citizens said, "Baytown is made of oil."

As i dug deeper into how the bridge came about i came across an article. The year 1994, as construction of the bridge stalls, a hairstylist who commuted from Baytown to the town of La Porte, Mrs. Grisby, complained as she explained the urgency of the bridge and how the delays bothered and continued to defer her desire for an efficient bridge. She suggested that the job be given to another construction company that could execute the job at the desired speed. Another lady, Mrs. Sheron, agreed and stated how residents of Baytown were isolated. As she looked to the bridge, she said the humungous bridge would be useful in many times, especially during evacuations when such disasters as fires or floods occured, as had happened before. She along with other 15,000 residents signed a petition to Governor George W. Bush to finish the bridge.

“The steel used in the bridge however came from SouthAfrica,” Mr Whitaker pointed out as we continued to talk. He said it had always been a wonder to him and many others because then South Africa had embraced apartheid policies, which caused complaints and protests from those opposed to the countries policy. This confirms the concerns of others as this is not the first time i hear the story. Surely Baytown has a steel mills that could have benefited from the project whilst ensuring perfect quality and timeliness of supply.  Even though my question is not fully answered, it does not chance the bridges stance. It remains an iconic bridge— a symbol of Baytown.

Picture by Chiwe Tsoka

   And so I smile as I pass through the bridge, and commuters comfortably race across the bridge in any of the four lanes from either direction. I imagine what a relief it is for Mrs. Grisbys as her wish was fulfilled and for others that had used the tunnel in desperation, as well. For those rushing to work and businesses, they comfortably and safely overtake one another to make it on time. As for me who takes the bridge to go to school, I know it had been the missing piece of the puzzle that was found to create a reliable route even for me.

Indeed, almost every town has a symbol. It could be a special place; a church, a river, a tree, or a park. For me and other Baytonians, it is the magnificent Fred Hartman Bridge.

Works Cited

Langford,Terri “Hartman Bridge 3 Years Late,$91 Million So Far,Another $58 Million Needed.” Associated Press. 12 Apr.1995. Web 10 Nov.2013

Whitaker,Chris. Personal Interview. 11 Nov.2013

Young,Buck.The Making of a City: Baytown,Texas,Since Consolidation 1948-1998. Baytown: Lee College.1997. Print