City of Port Arthur’s 125^th Anniversary History is Live on Quasquicentennial Website

For Immediate Release

[Port Arthur, Texas, July 25, 2023] – Many of us pass by the historical markers around town, but most of us don’t have time to stop and read what’s on them.  Now, it’s easy to get a visual of where all the Markers are in the City of Port Arthur and read the historic message on each one without having to leave your home or office.

The City of Port Arthur’s 125^th Anniversary is about celebrating the history of Port Arthur and educating others on its rich history. Now we are all able to share in that history from the comfort of our own homes.  Among web designer Gerry Dickert of Lamar Port Arthur, GIS specialist Dan Armstrong of Arceneaux, Wilson & Cole, LLC, and local historian Leslie McMahen, Port Arthur’s new, interactive historical marker feature on www.portarthur125.com will bring our Port Arthur history to everyone.  Mr. Armstrong said, “I absolutely loved working on this project! It shows what a team using combined strengths can do to present our history with modern GIS and websites coupled with fieldwork, research, and coordination.”

A historical marker tour has long been a dream of local historian Leslie McMahen. “The idea of a historical marker tour was [assigned] to me in an early meeting ... It grew in number from the initial 10-15 markers to 56 Texas Historical Markers throughout the city … it was made to be an interactive [online] tour with photos that you can visit from your home computer or … on your mobile device… It is the first such marker tour in the County.” 

Please take the time to visit www.portarthur125.com, which is dedicated to the City’s 125^th Celebration but will continue as a depository of our history.   Mr. Gerry Dickert, the web designer from LSC-PA, is continually updating the website.  Many citizens and committee members have contributed valuable information to the site. Mr. Dickert has said, “For anyone who appreciates Texas history, they will love the website feature mapping out markers across Port Arthur… impacting the city, Texas, and, really, the world.”

Please join the city and the Quasquicentennial committee volunteers as we continue to celebrate our 125^th Birthday. Stay tuned for information on our next exciting public event to be held Saturday, October 14, 2023, at the Bob Bowers Civic Center. This event will be a celebration of the many cultures of Port Arthur. Save the date!                                                                                _### 

_{For more information, please visit www.portarthur125.com ║  www.facebook.com/PA125th  ║ www.instagram.com/portarthur125/   ║ www.twitter.com/PortArthur125}

^{Tammy Kotzur, Publicity Chair Quasquicentennial Committee} 

^{Cheryl Gibbs, Publicity Vice Chair Quasquicentennial Committee}

^{Quasquicentennial Steering Committee – Verna Rutherford, Pat Avery, Dr. Albert Thigpen, Dr. Sam Monroe, Tom Neal, and Tammy Kotzur}