Water Rails & Oil - Historic Mid & South Jefferson County

Board of Education of the Methodist Episcopal
Church North, a forerunner of the present
United Methodist Temple.
The church operated the growing campus
until 1918, when it was turned over to a
nonprofit Texas corporation. This corporation
had no capital stock and was overseen by a selfperpetuating
board of trustees. The name of the
school was changed back to Port Arthur
Business College and finally, in 1932, to Port
Arthur College.
In 1975 the college joined the Lamar University
System as Lamar University Center at Port Arthur.
In 1995 the Texas Legislature dissolved the Lamar
University System, and Lamar University-Port
Arthur along with sister institutions in Orange and
Beaumont joined the Texas State University
System. In June 1999, the name was changed to
Lamar State College-Port Arthur.
Through its nearly one hundred years of
existence, the college has provided affordable
educational excellence in a hometown setting to
thousands of students of all ages, whether they
want to complete the first two years of a
bachelor’s degree program or earn a two-year
associate degree or one-year certification to
prepare them to enter the workforce.
The college currently offers fifty-seven
academic and technical programs, including a
diverse selection of career options.
Lamar State students also can participate
in a wide variety of student organizations
and extracurricular activities including intercollegiate
men’s basketball and women’s softball.
For additional information on Lamar State
College–Port Arthur, visit the college website
www.lamarpa.edu.
Sharing the Heritage ✦ 75