Orange Chamber of Commerce

The 1887 citizens' committee had a president, Putnam B. Curry, who was elected again when it became the Board of Trade in 1899. In 1901 the board published a booklet, Orange, Texas: The Gate City to the Great State of Texas. The Progressive League of 1902 began with 70 businessmen paying $2.50 in monthly dues, and its first goals included better roads to neighboring towns, river-front development, a deep-water port and a cotton mill. The name became Chamber of Commerce between 1918 and 1922, and "Greater" was added in 1968.

What the plaque says

Orange Chamber of Commerce The Orange Chamber of Commerce traces its history to an 1887 citizens' committee that was formed to promote the area's business potential. A reorganization of the committee resulted in the formation of the city's Board of Trade in 1899. A further step in the evolution of the Chamber of Commerce took place in 1902 with the establishment of the Progressive League of Orange. Comprised of representatives of leading manufacturing institutions and businesses, the league also included professionals and individuals not directly involved in the business world. Concerned with the growth and development of the city, league members undertook projects for better roads, a deep water canal, and an opera house, and began a campaign to attract investors to Orange. Between 1918 and 1922, the Orange Chamber of Commerce was organized from a consolidation of its predecessors. Over the years, the chamber has worked successfully to stimulate business in the county. The Industrial Development Committee of the Chamber was formed in 1947 to bring chemical plants into the area. Today the Orange Chamber of Commerce is recognized as an important element in the town's commercial heritage. (1984)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Stark Museum of Art — 0.2 mi
  A white-marble museum in Orange built by the Stark Foundation and opened in 1978, holding Western art, American Indian art, Audubon's Birds of America and Steuben glass, free to enter.
• Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center — 0.9 mi
  More than 250 acres on Adams Bayou, begun by H. J. Lutcher Stark in 1937, with garden rooms, a cypress-tupelo swamp, a heronry blind and free pontoon tours in season.
• Museum of the Gulf Coast — 19 mi
  Port Arthur's regional museum in a former bank building: fossils, Native Americans, the petroleum story, a 125-foot history mural and Halls of Fame for musicians, athletes and artists.
• Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum — 21 mi
  A re-created oil boomtown on the Lamar University campus, with a derrick, period shops, a 1941 granite monument and an optional re-enactment of the January 1901 Lucas gusher.

More markers nearby

• Homesite of Dr. Edgar William Brown — steps away
• The City of Orange — steps away
• First Christian Church of Orange — steps away
• Henry Jacob Lutcher Stark — 0.2 mi