The 1901 Spindletop oil boom brought vice, corruption and inadequate housing problems to Beaumont. H. G. Behrman, a young man who was sleeping in a tent in his friend's backyard, met W. M. Lewis, state secretary of the YMCA. Through their efforts, a community meeting was held Nov. 3, 1901, and the Beaumont YMCA was organized. A board was elected, George W. Carroll was named president, and all 35 present enrolled in the association. The board authorized the purchase of a lot and erection of a structure. In 1903 a building at Pearl and Forsythe streets was completed. Among its features were 30 dormitory rooms, an 800-seat auditorium, bowling alley, and indoor swimming pool. In 1928, General Secretary Dr. Hastings Harrison, Charles Berly, B. A. Steinhagen, J. L. C. McFaddin, Marrs McLean, W. Emmett Sampson, and other civic and religious leaders raised $316,000 to construct a modern building. Dr. Harrison was responsible for securing the first YMCA board member of the Jewish faith in the United States and for beginning the Garth Friendship Club for 200 underprivileged boys. Steinhagen in 1936 provided a building for blacks. Since 1970, to insure service to a growing and changing community, suburban branches have been established.
Young Men's Christian Association of Beaumont
The roadside stories worth pulling over for.
Young Men's Christian Association of Beaumont is a historical marker in Beaumont, Jefferson County, dedicated in 1979. It is one of 109 historical markers documented in Jefferson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 137 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 30.0863, -94.1033 near Beaumont. The nearest cataloged historic site is The Clubhouse, The Woman's Club of Beaumont (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Woman's Club of Beaumont Clubhouse, Woman's Club of Beaumont, and First United Methodist Church of Beaumont.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5245010584. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
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