My first visit to Anahuac, seat of Chambers County, was 2 years ago in December. I was not satisfied with the photos I took during that visit, so I returned to the county today for a second time. It was a beautiful fall day in southeast Texas. Sunny and temperatures in the low 70's. Only the mosquitoes kept it from perfection!
Chambers County borders Harris County on the east. It's about 40 miles on I-10 from my home. The county forms the eastern edge of Galveston and Trinity bays. On the south it fronts the Gulf of Mexico. The county boasts lots of water frontage. Our first stop was the Wallisville Lake Project, named for the town that used to be located at the terminus of the Trinity River, where it flows into Trinity Bay.
Chambers County borders Harris County on the east. It's about 40 miles on I-10 from my home. The county forms the eastern edge of Galveston and Trinity bays. On the south it fronts the Gulf of Mexico. The county boasts lots of water frontage. Our first stop was the Wallisville Lake Project, named for the town that used to be located at the terminus of the Trinity River, where it flows into Trinity Bay.
A Map of the Wallisville Lake Project.
The Army Corps of Engineers created this series of canals, dams, and a lock to prevent salt water from Trinity Bay from entering the lower Trinity River and the lakes in this area, such as Lake Anahuac. This only happens when the area is suffering from a drought (like now) and water in the river is low. Wallisville was the original county seat, but lost an election and in 1908 the seat moved to nearby Anahuac. Then, in 1915, a hurricane wiped out Wallisville.
Chambers County courthouse, Anahuac, Texas. 1936
The current courthouse is a very nice WPA era building, dating from 1936. Other than a couple of significant 19th century homes, it's the only building of any consequence in this small town of about 2,200 people. I've now decided when I should classify a county seat a "small" town: when it doesn't boast a Edward Jones investment office! However, Anahuac does have one of the ubiquitous Dollar General stores, so it's not in the "crossroad" category!
We completed our delightful road trip with a visit to the recently completed Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters and Visitors Center. The new building is a replacement for the previous one that was destroyed by Hurricane Ike. Chambers County took a direct hit from that storm in 2008, by the way. Here's a view from the center's boardwalk that leads to the edge of Lake Anahuac.
We completed our delightful road trip with a visit to the recently completed Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters and Visitors Center. The new building is a replacement for the previous one that was destroyed by Hurricane Ike. Chambers County took a direct hit from that storm in 2008, by the way. Here's a view from the center's boardwalk that leads to the edge of Lake Anahuac.
Lake Aanhuac, Chambers County, Texas.
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