LaBelle, Texas
Encyclopedia
LaBelle is an unincorporated community
on Taylor Bayou and FM 365, ten miles south of Beaumont
, in central Jefferson County
, Texas
, United States
. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur
Metropolitan Statistical Area
. Although officially recognized settlers had lived in the Taylor Bayou area since the 1830s, a post office was not established at the community known as Lower Taylor's Bayou until 1888. In that year new postmaster J. E. Broussard named the post office LaBelle in honor of his fiancee, Mary Bell Bordages. The area's first school was probably started by Leo (Peg Leg) Craigen, near what later became the Port Arthur Country Club. Located in the fertile but flood-prone prairies of the upper Texas Gulf Coast, LaBelle was the site of one of several pumping stations designed to control flooding and drainage along Taylor Bayou. Because of its somewhat isolated location, the LaBelle post office was discontinued in 1914. Local schools were consolidated with those of the town of Fannett
in 1923. Fourteen years later, however, the discovery of large quantities of oil and natural gas at the LaBelle oilfield, five miles south of the community, sparked new interest in the area. Scattered residences, the pumping station, and oilfields and gas lines to the south marked the LaBelle community on maps during the mid-1970s.
In 1961, the Fannett Independent School District was combined with that of neighboring Hamshire
, forming the Hamshire-Fannett Independent School District
which currently serves area students.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
on Taylor Bayou and FM 365, ten miles south of Beaumont
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
, in central Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Texas
Jefferson County is a county located in the state of Texas, United States. As of 2000, the population was 252,051. Its county seat is Beaumont, and it is named for the former U.S...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur
Port Arthur, Texas
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area
The Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Area is defined by the United States Census Bureau as a three-county region in Southeast Texas, east of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The area is also known as the Golden Triangle...
. Although officially recognized settlers had lived in the Taylor Bayou area since the 1830s, a post office was not established at the community known as Lower Taylor's Bayou until 1888. In that year new postmaster J. E. Broussard named the post office LaBelle in honor of his fiancee, Mary Bell Bordages. The area's first school was probably started by Leo (Peg Leg) Craigen, near what later became the Port Arthur Country Club. Located in the fertile but flood-prone prairies of the upper Texas Gulf Coast, LaBelle was the site of one of several pumping stations designed to control flooding and drainage along Taylor Bayou. Because of its somewhat isolated location, the LaBelle post office was discontinued in 1914. Local schools were consolidated with those of the town of Fannett
Fannett, Texas
Fannett is an unincorporated town in Jefferson County, Texas, United States, about 15 miles southwest of Beaumont. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The community is named after B. J. Fannett, a local landowner who opened a general store there in the 1890s...
in 1923. Fourteen years later, however, the discovery of large quantities of oil and natural gas at the LaBelle oilfield, five miles south of the community, sparked new interest in the area. Scattered residences, the pumping station, and oilfields and gas lines to the south marked the LaBelle community on maps during the mid-1970s.
In 1961, the Fannett Independent School District was combined with that of neighboring Hamshire
Hamshire, Texas
Hamshire is an unincorporated community in western Jefferson County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hamshire, commonly referred to by some of its inhabitants as "Hamshire, America", is on State Highway 124 twenty miles southwest of...
, forming the Hamshire-Fannett Independent School District
Hamshire-Fannett Independent School District
Hamshire-Fannett Independent School District is a public school district based in the Hamshire community of unincorporated Jefferson County, Texas, United States. The district was formed in 1961 by the consolidation of Hamshire-New Holland I.S.D...
which currently serves area students.