The story of a Clear Creek company

Once again, many thanks to longtime League City resident Trey Schoellkopf for the historical information.

“In 1858, William Tennison, a former officer of the Navy of the Republic of Texas, purchased the last two leagues of Muldoon from the heirs of the Grayson estate. Tennison partnered with a Galveston Real Estate firm owned by John & Henry Trueheart for the purpose of developing the land.

“The first sale was to Henry Holmes and consisted of 120 acres on Clear Creek and the railroad. Holmes was in business with A.H. Waterman. The land was used to form a brickyard under the name of Holmes and Waterman. (The brickyard was located about where the old cemetery is in League City today.)

“In 1860, a partnership between Trueheart, Allen, Andrews and Joseph was formed for the purpose of dividing up the premise under the name of Clear Creek Development Co.

“In 1861, A.H. Kipp purchased over 52 acres near the Gholdrich patent. John Snyder, a Galveston real estate broker and slave auctioneer, purchased some of Trueheart’s interest. In 1869, Trueheart purchased the land back from Snyder’s heirs after his death.

“In the early 1860s, the heirs of the Muldoon family filed suit in an unsuccessful attempt to reclaim title to the land.

“In 1873, after a stint in the Confederate Army, Andrews & Trueheart leased from George Butler (who must have been around 19 years old at the time), for five years, the entire two league grant. Butler also purchased 34 acres on the G.H. and H. Railroad for his homestead.

“During the 1870s, the land became a central shipping point — cattle and hides were shipped down Clear Creek by boat to Galveston.”

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One last call for the Blue Santa program.

Officers Galyean and Pena will be taking donations until Thursday. When you see officers Galyean and Pena, say hello and let them know you appreciate the job they are doing for our community.

Officer Galyean enjoys the positive encounters with the public that her position allows her to make. Having lived in the area for some time, Galyean is proud to have a positive impact in our city.

Officer Pena is proud of the program, and she wrote:

“Each year, my partner and I try to improve the program in order to best serve the needs of our League City citizens. Not only is working with the families rewarding, but seeing the generosity of League City businesses and citizens as we receive monetary donations is a heartwarming experience.”

When asked what part of the programs she likes best, she said: “Seeing the officers and firefighters bond with the children during the course of a few hours, makes me hopeful that they will remember we really do care about them.”

She also said it is great “seeing the looks on the children’s faces as they check out.”

We are a blessed community to have so many everyday individuals who make a difference every day.

Chris John Mallios, a longtime resident of League City, is writing a series of occasional columns about the history of his hometown. He can be reached at mallios(at)comcast.net.