HISTORICAL EVENTS 1935-1945
Pasadena, Texas
Earlier Events leading up to the 1935-45 period:
1927 ***
- Pasadena Light Company (120 customers) purchased by H. L.
& P. for $6,250 on February 28th.
- John Pomeroy puts down deposit for new electrial service
to his residence on April 19th
- South Houston Electric Company (62 customers) purchased by
H. L. & P for $7,500 on May 27th.
- Houston gave Houston Natural Gas Co. a franchise to complete
with Houston Gas & Fuel on July 20th.
- Residents attempt to re-incorporate city, but fall short
71 (against) to 63 (for) on December 17th.
- John Pomeroy puts down deposit for new gas service to his
residence on December 28th.
1928 ***
- Roxana (later renamed Shell) purchased 800 ac. in Deer Park
for a refinery on January 3rd.
- Bi-lane landed in Houston with first air mail delivery on
February 26th
- New airport offically opened in Houston on March 2nd.
- National Democratic Convention in Houston at newly constructed
Sam Houston Colusium, June 26-29.
- Southwestern Bell opens switching office in Pasadena with
87 subscribers and 150 lines, on June 30th.
- Pasadena telephone Exchange listed separately from Houston
in telephone book in August.
- McMaster & Pomeroy drilled water well for first ice production
plant in Pasadena on August 4th.
- Residents voted to re-incorporate 102 for to 94 against on
December 26th
- City incorporated as General Law city on December 31st.
1929 ***
- Pasadena Sun newspaper published, bought out the Suburban
Record on February 28th.
- Pasadena Record got 2nd class mail permit to start publishing
in Pasadena on March 4th.
- McMaster & Pomeroy drilled three wells for the new Shell
refinery in Deer Park on March 8th.
- City purchases first vehicle, a tractor for grading and spreading
shell on streets, March 11th.
- McMaster & Pomeroy drill water well for the new San Jacinto
Inn, on March 13th.
- La Porte Road (225) concreted, completed July 22. Other streets
are shell.
- First city bond election ($120,000) passed for sewer, watere,
streets & city hall on August 19th.
- City purchases land for first city hall on September 12th.
- The Whoopee opens in the newly proposed Oak Park amusement
center on September 21sth.
- Post Office opens in new DeFee building with Mrs. Scannell
as part time clerk on October 24th.
- Great Depression started on "Black Tuesday" (after
Black Thursday on Oct. 24th) on October 29th.
- 2.3" of snow fell over two days beginning December 21st.
1930 ***
- Population - 1,647
- Easter Star organized in Pasadena with Mrs. Annie Branner,
Mother Advisor on May 24th.
- Newly constructed City Hall accepted on June 30th.
- Balloon races in Houston attracts 300,000 (but population
only 292,000) on July 4th.
- "Dad" Joiner strikes oil in East Texas, one of
the largest oil fields discovered. October 4th.
- U. S. S. Houston visits the Port of Houston on October 8th.
- City purchased first fire truck, a La France, on November
17th.
1931 ***
- Ferry "Tex" Dreyfuss launched at Crown crossing
of HSC by little Rosemary Dreyfuss (later Parks), March 9th.
- Bessie Pomeroy is sub-junior spelling bee champion of Harris
County on March 20th.
- Record low of 35 degrees (good until 1987) on March 29th.
- Clyde McMaster is elected mayor over incumbent G. W. Conrad
on April 7th.
- Percy Ulmer & wife living in apartment at City Hall to
look after the new fire truck, May 6th.
- Pasadena Vol. Fire Dept organized on August 24.th.
- City purchased its first law mower on September 21st.
- Jim Hughes gets Taxi license for Pasadena on October 19th.
- Local HSC industry had private bus service into Harrisburg.
- Eastern Star, organized in 1930, received charter on November
5th.
1932 ***
- Street light installed in front of High School
- Battleship USS Constituiton (Old Ironsides) visited Houston,
as did a submarine on February 25th.
- Mayor McMaster installs new city signs, "Welcome to
Pasadena" on March 19th.
- City street lights reduced to seven to conserve money on
April 19th.
- Pomeroy sells community water system to City for $2,400 on
June 7th.
- Warwick Hotel opened
- Hurricane claims 40 deaths with 100-135 mph winds on August
13th.
- Movies of the year - "The Mummy" (Boris Karloff),
"Horse Feathers" (Marx Brothers) and "A Farewell
to Arms" (Gary Cooper).
- Oscar Holcomb was mayor of Houston.
1933 ***
- First Kindergarten, Loise Pomeroy on Main St.
- PISD 300 students
- Manual Training Bldg constructed at High School
- Record cold of 15 degrees on February 9th.
- National "Bank Holiday" declared for March 6th.
- Brother-in-law W. C. (Clyde) McMaster re-elected as mayor
of Pasadena in April.
- Record high degrees of 99 on June 20th.
- Heat continues with another heat record, this time 101 degrees,
on June 22nd.
- John Pomeroy leases land to "Mexican Church of Pasadena"
for $1/yr on July 8th.
- First ferry at Morgan'x Point, the Charles D. Massey, carried
12 cars, opened July 30th.
- First city ordinance to regulate the sale of liquor passed
September 16th.
- First legally produced beer in Houston since 1918. Called
the Gulf Brewing Co. plant, September 29th..
- Peddler's License ordinance enacted on October 7th.
- A series of 32 channel lights put in the HSC to improve night
navigation, on October 16th.
- Prohibition ended when 21st Amendment repealledthe 18th Amendment,
effective Dec. 5th.
- Movie - "King Kong" (Fay Wray).
1934 ***
- Marguerite Pomeroy, the oldest child, is married to Fred
Seip on January 10th.
- Cullinan Day by Newsboy Organization celebrated at Cullinan's
Pasadena farm, 300 attended on April 29th.
- Univ. of Houston organized on April 30th.
- Bonnie & Clyde killed in Louisiana shortly after driving
through Pasadena, May 23rd.
- New Water & Sewer bonds for $30,500 passed on July 2nd.
- First grandchild, Anna, born August 30, to Marguerite (Pomeroy)
& Fred Seip
- Dallas selected over Houston, Fort Worth, San Antonio &
Austin for Centennial Expo site on September 9th.
- New Grand Central Railway Station dedicted in Houston on
September 15th.
- Petition filed to consolidate South Houston and Genoa Common
County School districts into PISD, September 21st.
- Houston Post has 200 subscribers in Pasadena
- Cullinan Farm used as a boys camp by the Tex. Transient Bureau.
Time frame represented by the Pomeroy Homestead
at 204 S. Main:
1935 ***
- South Houston and Genoa County School Districts completed
consolidated into PISD. January 1st.
- Gene Stuchberry became band director at PHS.
- Record low of 18 deg. on January 22nd.
- Mr. T. A. Day gets permision to operate a taxi in Pasadena
on March 2nd
- Brother-in-law W. C. (Clyde) McMaster re-elected as mayor
of Pasadena in April.
- Black Sunday, dust storn in West Texas & Oklahoma on
April 14th
- City applies for more WPA money, to build swimming pool &
city park, on August 31st.
1936 ***
- Temperature drops to 21 degrees after 52 high the previous
day as a blizzard hits on February 9th.
- J. S. Cullinan signs a 99 year lease with Champion paper
on February 20th.
- Garden Club request City to enact a Chicken Ordinance on
March 7th.
- S. R. "Buddy" Jones began working at Pasadena State
Bank on April 1st.
- Texas Centennial Exposition opened in Dallas on June 6th
(closes November 29th with 6,354,385 paid admissions).
- Jackson Jr. High built.
- Mermorial Baptist organized with 120 charter members (including
Pomeroys) on August 2nd. Later that year builds the first brick
santuary in Pasadena.
- First Presbyterian organized.
- McMaster & Pomeroy subdivision of homes platted.
- R. E. Parks is a member of the Reception Committee in Houston
to host President FDR on June 11th.
- U. S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Houston and
dedicated the San Jacinto Monument (at the ground breaking).
- M. D. Anderson established.
- Pasadena Rotary Club organized with 18 members, including,
brother-in-law Clyde McMaster, on October 29th.
- Last day of service ofthe Galveston-Houston Electric Railway
(the Interurban) on October 31st.
- KPRC & KTRH put up radio tower in Deepwater.
1937 ***
- Granddaughter, Elizabeth Betsy Seip, born January 10 to Marguerite
(Pomeroy) & Fred Seip
- Police Department organized on January 14th.
- First movie house built, the Rita/Pasadena Theater on Shaver
at Shaw (6th Street). Later occupied by Norman Furniture.
- First hospital built, by Dr. E. E. Conner, on Shaw Street
at Spooner.
- Champion Paper Mill opens on February 14th.
- Brother-in-law W. C. (Clyde) McMaster re-elected as mayor
of Pasadena in April.
- "Gone with the Wind" won Academy awards.
- Golden Gate bridge opens in San Francisco.
- Hindenburg Zeppilin explodes.
1938 ***
- Pasadena Baptist Church changed it's name to "First"
Baptist Church.
- Hitler annexes Austria as first step in WW I in March.
- Clear Lake gas field discovered by West Producing Co. on
April 7th.
- Pasadena Reading Club organized
- Episcopal church organized.
- Methodist built second sanctuary, Shaver at Munger.
- Shaw Street Church of Christ organized.
- Mercury Radio Theater presented H. G. Well's "War of
the Worlds" on Halloween Eve, October 30th.
1939 ***
- First Baptist Church completes its first brick santuary,
March 19th.
- Delbert Atkinson elected Mayor, replacing W. C. McMaster,
in April.
- World War II begins when German troops invade Poland, September
1st.
- Britian & France offically declare war on Germany on
September 3rd.
- Pasadena Times newspaper is first paper printed in Pasadena
- First football field bleachers erected.
- New Post Office building under construction, on Munger Street..
- PISD - 1,852 students in system, 1,198 in Pasadena. 9 seniors
in September.
1940 ***
- Pasadena Chamber of Commerce formed for second time.
- Population - 3,436
- Dr. L. D. Morgan becomes pastor of First Baptist Church,
leaving Memorial Baptist Church.
- Son Clyde Pomeroy marries Marguerite Wesney in July.
1941 ***
- Grandson C. David Pomeroy, Jr. born, January 26 to Clyde
& Marguerite Pomeroy
- City of Pasadena annexes the first land since incorporated
in 1928 on May 24th.
- Library moves from City Hall (Shaw v. Shaver) to home of
Ola Mae Kennedy
- Lions Club organized
- Catholics begin meeting at Champion Paper.
- Houston Ship Building Co formed.
- Sheffield Stell opened.
- Brown Ship Building Co formed.
- San Jacinto Ordinance Depot opened.
- John Campbell buys Baldwin property (strawberry farm) on
Southmore for future shopping center.
- Japanese attach U. S. troops stationed at Pearl Harbor on
December 7th.
- U. S. declares war on Japan on December 8th.
- Germany declares war on the United States on December 11th.
1942 ***
- Granddaughter Mary E. Pomeroy born, January 16 to Clyde &
Marguerite Pomeroy
- Estimated Population for Home Charter Rule - 5,006
- First Lutheran Church organized on March 26th.
- Ben Franklin opens new store in Pasadena on July 3rd.
- Clyde McMaster retires from water well business.
- Daughter Bessie Pomeroy marries W. E. "Gene" Stack,
October 10.
- First Rodeo was sponsored by the Rotary Club, November 26th.
- Houston Shipbuilding hires 20,000 employees. Brown Shipbuilding
and San Jacinto (later Todd) Shipbuilding also in production
for WW II war ships.
1943 ***
- City of Pasadena adopts Charter Form of Government on January
12
- Hurricane hits La Porte in July.
- Goodyear opens chemical plant.
- First Luthren Church opened first sanctuary, in remodelled
house, on December 20th.
1944 ***
- D Day is June 6th as 175,000 allied troops land at Normandy
to invade Europe.
1945 ***
- Victory in Europe (V.E.) Day ends European theater of war
on May 8th.
- Mail delivery to homes began in Pasadena on July 1st.
- Victory over Japan (V.J.) Day declared for August 14th.
- Annexation extends the city of Pasadena beyond original plat
(which was filed in 1896)
- Jensen Arcade opens, includes first public auditorium, in
December
- Mathison Chemical opens plant in Pasadena..
Return to Pomeroy Museum or Home
page
12.30.2016