The City of Orange

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the city of Orange, Orange County, Texas. Now settle in, because this one's got roots that go all the way back to 1828. That's when John and Elizabeth Harmon arrived on the banks of the Sabine River with their three children, becoming the first known settlers in what would one day be the city of Orange.

They found a bend in that river, and a small farming community began to grow around it. Folks called it Green's Bluff back then. A modest name for a place that had no idea what was coming.

When Orange County was created in 1852, that little community along the Sabine was chosen as the county seat. At that point they were calling it Madison, and Madison it stayed until 1858, when the name Orange was adopted. Simple as that.

A new name, and a town starting to find its footing. Now here's where the story starts to pick up speed. The early Orange economy ran on lumber and shipbuilding.

Prominent pioneer lumbermen led the charge, and then in 1876, the Texas and New Orleans Railroad arrived, and things really started moving. By the 1880s, Orange wasn't just participating in East Texas sawmill activity. It was leading it.

The deep water port on the Sabine and all that available lumber made Orange a natural home for shipbuilding, and that industry climbed to its highest production levels during World Wars I and II. Back on the home front, public schools had been operating since the 1880s, and electricity came to Orange in 1890. The city was building itself up on every front.

And it never stopped. Orange's shipbuilding and petrochemical industries continue to make it a leading commercial center in southeast Texas today. John and Elizabeth Harmon pulled up to a river bend with three kids and a whole lot of unknown ahead of them.

Not a bad place to put down roots.

What the marker says

The first known settlers in what is now the city of Orange were John and Elizabeth Harmon, who arrived in 1828 with their three children. Known first as Green's Bluff, the small farming community that developed along a bend in the Sabine River was selected as the seat of government when Orange County was created in 1852. The town was called Madison from 1852 until 1858, when the name Orange was adopted. The early Orange economy was based on the lumber and shipbuilding industries. Led by prominent pioneer area lumbermen and aided by the advent of the Texas and New Orleans Railroad in 1876, Orange was recognized as the leader in East Texas sawmill activity by the 1880s. The deep water port and the availability of lumber made the city an ideal location for the shipbuilding industry, which reached its highest production levels during World Wars I and II. For many years the city of Orange has maintained a full range of services for its citizens. Public schools have operated since the 1880s and electricity was instituted in 1890. Orange's shipbuilding and petrochemical industries continue to make the city a leading commercial center in southeast Texas.