[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 24, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E49]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN, TEXAS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BRIAN BABIN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 24, 2023

  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 75th 
anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Baytown, located in 
both Harris and Chambers Counties, Texas.
  Present-day Baytown was incorporated on January 24, 1948, combining 
the communities of Goose Creek, Pelly, and Baytown. Baytown is situated 
on the Texas Gulf Coast and is home to several of America's critical 
waterways: the Galveston Bay system, the Houston Ship Channel, and the 
Port of Cedar Bayou. It also shares the bay with the San Jacinto State 
Historic Site and San Jacinto Monument, where Texas gained its 
independence from Mexico in 1836. Early settlers of Baytown assisted 
the Texian Army during the Runaway Scrape.
  Pioneers arrived in the area in the early 19th century and became 
known for rice farming and, later, brickmaking due to the high-quality 
clay found in the region. Over the course of a century, up to 12 
million bricks a year were made at Cedar Bayou and shipped to 
Galveston.
  Baytown, and the surrounding region, are known worldwide as 
innovators in the petrochemical industry. In 1908, the Goose Creek 
Oilfield became Texas's first offshore drilling operation and paved the 
way for significant growth and development. During World War II, the 
research conducted at the Baytown Refinery contributed to producing 
essentials like 100-octane fuel used in planes. Today, Exxon's Baytown 
Refinery is among the largest in the United States. Over the decades, 
many other leaders in the petrochemical industry have established a 
significant presence in Baytown and nearby communities. In addition to 
its industrial history, Baytown has long been committed to preserving 
the region's natural resources: saltwater and freshwater fishing, 
native marshland habitats, and waterfowl migration paths.
  The following men have served the citizens of Baytown as Mayor: E.D. 
Cleveland; J.A. Ward; R.H. Pruett; Al Clayton; C.L. Liggett, MD; 
Seaborn Cravey; C. Glen Walker; Tom Gentry; Emmett O. Hutto; Allen 
Cannon; Pete C. Alfaro; Calvin Mundinger; Stephen H. DonCarlos; and 
Brandon Capetillo, who currently serves as Mayor.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to recognize and celebrate the 
75th anniversary of Baytown. May God bless this town and its citizens 
even more richly over the next 75 years.

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