The Port Arthur News from Port Arthur, Texas • Page 28

UJ-THK Fort Arthur, Texas Tuesday, March 13, 1973 Toured by 28,000 visitors Windmill big attraction One of the most unusual attractions in Southeast Texas--Nederland's Windmill Museum, continues to draw scores of visitors three years after it opened with over 28,000 visitors registered during the period. Ot this number 21 foreign countries were prepresented and 49 states. This number includes over 3,000 school children taken on special tours of the facility. New items for the museum continue to be placed in the hands of those in charge of this phase of the operation. Mrs.

Jack Fleming, a descendant of one of the Dutch families that founded the city in 1898, is in charge of accepting gifts and loans of historical nature about the city. When the museum opened four cases had been donated by early settlers or their descendants. Since that time two other large cases have been presented. One was from the family of the late Professor C. S.

superintendent of Port Arthur school system In 1900 who operated the first mercantile store in Nederland. The other case was presented by the family of the late D. Chester, mayor of Nederland from 1948 to 1952, in his memory. Most recent gifts and loans to the museum have included a Dutch coin minted In 1600 loaned by Louis H. Harrison, a Beaumont coin collector, who had earlier loaned other coins.

Jan Pott, an exchange student from Holland who lived in Houston for a year, sent the museum a set of handmade ice skates from his native land, when he returned. He lived La the home of Mr. and Mrs. H. A.

Dootittte. A bottle collection, a clay pipe and an old pistol dug up from an Indian shell mound on the Neches river by W. T. Comiskey of Port Neches has Students helped to build museum JUBILEE ATTRACTION Taking prominent place in Diamond Jubilee celebration will be Nederland's Windmill Museum, symbol of the city's first settlers--Dutch immigrants. The Museum houses many artifacts of earlyday Nederland and also has a gift shop featuring imports from Holland.

Although Nederland's Windmill Museum has been open nearly three years, its interior decoration wasn't completed this year. The 40-foot structure was dedicated in July 1969, with the museum on the second floor and a souvenir shop on the first floor. A stairway to the third floor was included and flooring put in. Windows on the third floor provide a view of many areas of Nederland. Murals have been painted on the walls of the third floor by a group of Nederland High School art students, under the direction of Mrs.

Shannon Stevens, an art instructor at the schools. The murals were designed by Winston LeSleur, a junior at Nederland High Scfiool. LeSleur designed the murals after a set of scenes of early Nederland furnished by Lovelace Theriot. Other students who helped with the murals are Jean Hunter, Sharon Tobola and Suzzette Holden. The students worked about four weeks painting the six panels with oil paints.

The windmill had its blades activated in 1972. The city of Nederland purchased the original plot of land on which the museum stands in the 1500 block of Boston Ave. They bought the land to open up Boston Avenue to the high school, now housing Central Junior High School. A strip of land 80 feet by J53.6 was purchased for $2,000 from the late B. O.

Hughes and another strip 80 feet by 128.6 was donated by Mrs. Norine Barras in honor of her late husband, Dan arras, her parents, Capt. and Mrs. T. L.

Martens, her uncle and aunt, Capt. and Mrs. W. P. Allen and Mr.

and Mrs. A. J. Johnson a connection of the Allen family. Mrs.

Jack Fleming has been in charge of the windmill since it opened, and she and Mrs. D. X. fiienstra volunteer many hours of their time to show groups through the museum when te gift shop isnot open. NEDERLAND, TEXAS DIAMOND JUBILEE IN 1898 CELEBRATION MARCH 15-18 1973 DBDB We salute the town of Nederland in tneir efforts to make our community a better place to raise families and for continued prosperity in a great area.

MANCMOmet 1423 IMM Avnw Ttm HOME OFHCC Fort Ttiat 1319 Port Nechrs Port Neches. Tows 1423 Boston Ave. been loaned to the museum. Another loan is a 1920 vintage victrola, once owned byNeder- land's first settler, George Rienstra, by V. A.

Skinner, former Nederland resident. The second floor of the museum building is filled to overflowing with artifacts of the city, given or loaned by people of all nationalities. Opening of a third floor is now under way. During the past year a city flag design was adopted and the original model was given to the museum for display. The flag includes a windmill depicting the city heritage.

A gift shop featuring imports from Holland is operated on the first floor of the building by D. X. Rienstra, brother of Mrs. Fleming. On duty when the windmill Is open Tuesday through Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m.

is Pam Eylders, one of the most recent immigrants from Holland, who often wears the native Dutch costume. Offered for sale are wooden shoes of all sizes, Dutch candies and cookies and a variety of souvenirs. Souvenirs include postcards with an actual with an actual photograph of photograph of the Nederland Windmill museum build on dry land. In 1968 when M. L.

C. Lucke was president of the Nederland Chamber of Commerce be laid the groundwork to build an exact replica of a Dutch windmill to be used as a museum. He discussed his dream with G. N. (Sam) Bass, a drafting engineer, and Bass built a model of the structure that now stands on Boston avenue.

The model generated the enthusiasm Lucke had for the project and definite plans began to take shape. A tract of land was owned by the city of Nederland that was too small for many uses and Lucke approached the city dads to eon- sent for the land tobe used as a site for toe windmill. When this consent was given he started raising funds to pay for the building and receiving pledges of material donations, reductions in cost of materials and donations of labor and time. Six months later ground was broken for the structure and in another six months the museum was dedicated in a two- day celebration marked by the appearance of the vice consul of Holland. Bank becomes bakery-An inside shot of the Yentzen bakery is captured in this photo.

Following its use as a bank and a boarding house, George Yentzen moved his family ireuw -vm. bakeries in this part of the state in 1915. Called the Nederland bakery it enjoyed such growth that additions were made to the business and at the bakery's peak several trucks delivered to all cities in this area and well into East Texas. The dough was placed in large troughs, cut into small pieces, weighed and placed in the ovens, all on assembly line process. 1898 NEDERLAND, TEXAS DIAMOND JUBILEE IN CELEBRATION MARCH 15-18 1973 OUR CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MANY FRIENDS AND CUSTOMERS IN NEDERLAND ON THEIR 75TH ANNIVERSARY BIRTHDAY! JOHNNIC ALFORD HOWARD HATFIELD BRUCE THOMPSON ED HUGHES ROY THERIOT 11 BIS JOHNNY A A I ED HUGHES TO SERVE YOU KEITH MYATT BRUCE THOMPSON THERIOT SKCHU LIW ranrur A THIBODEflUX A A A A 1 1 BILL I A I JMtWSPAPLKI.