by leonards December 15, 2014
Excerpt on History from Southwest Daily News and historian:
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ORIGIN: Oscar and Corrina Elender Portie married in 1884 and lived in Hackberry until Oscar died. Corrina moved to Sulphur in 1902 with her eight children. In 1908 Corrina moved her children to a home built for the family on what is now Crocker Street. Many of her children (Sim; Mag, then married to Amar Granger; Jake; Jeff) and Corrina’s brother, Simon Elender all built homes within a couple of blocks of one another. This area became known as “Portie Town,” encompassing the area of Sulphur north of West Burton St. and west of North Huntington St. (the old city hall). HISTORY: It has a proud history of hard working families, starting with the Portie’s. George Simeon Portie, Sr.’s old homestead is the patch of woods directly across the street from Jake Drost School for Exceptional Children. The land where LeBlanc Middle School and Jake Drost are located was donated by the family to the community for the schools. “There’s been a lot of negative things said about Portie Town, but I’d like people to know that George Simeon Portie, Sr., my grandfather, was the oldest of Corrina’s children and went to work at the Sulphur Mines to support a fatherless family. He bought property as he could and the area became known as Portie Town,” said Judye Portie Foy of Sulphur, the Portie family historian, so to speak
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ORIGIN: Oscar and Corrina Elender Portie married in 1884 and lived in Hackberry until Oscar died. Corrina moved to Sulphur in 1902 with her eight children. In 1908 Corrina moved her children to a home built for the family on what is now Crocker Street. Many of her children (Sim; Mag, then married to Amar Granger; Jake; Jeff) and Corrina’s brother, Simon Elender all built homes within a couple of blocks of one another. This area became known as “Portie Town,” encompassing the area of Sulphur north of West Burton St. and west of North Huntington St. (the old city hall). HISTORY: It has a proud history of hard working families, starting with the Portie’s. George Simeon Portie, Sr.’s old homestead is the patch of woods directly across the street from Jake Drost School for Exceptional Children. The land where LeBlanc Middle School and Jake Drost are located was donated by the family to the community for the schools. “There’s been a lot of negative things said about Portie Town, but I’d like people to know that George Simeon Portie, Sr., my grandfather, was the oldest of Corrina’s children and went to work at the Sulphur Mines to support a fatherless family. He bought property as he could and the area became known as Portie Town,” said Judye Portie Foy of Sulphur, the Portie family historian, so to speak
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by Sulphur Native September 18, 2023
Poche town has come to be known as poor white trash area but it is NOT the meaning. This meaning derived from people thinking it was racist and others attempting to explain it is not.
Poche town is actually Portie town. It was named after the family who lived there. They were white. They were not poor nor trash.
Poche town is actually Portie town. It was named after the family who lived there. They were white. They were not poor nor trash.
The name of the neighborhood Poche town is the phonetic pronunciation of it’s actual name Portie town.
by Sulphur Native September 18, 2023