Photograph and description of Orange's volunteer firemen standing by a fire wagon in 1885. This is the oldest known picture of an Orange scene.

Employees of T. Bancroft and Sons Shingle Mill, Orange, Texas. Photo was taken in front of Dry Kiln at the rear of the mill in 1885. Top Row: George W. Bancroft, McKinley, Edwin "Tiny" Rosenbaum, Bob Mickelborough. George W. Curtis, Jim Fuller, Cal Bonneau, Edward Rosenbaum. Middle Row: E.W. Bancroft, Al Anderson, Trav Smith, Ashborn, Jim Childers, W.H. Ogden. Bottom Row: Palmer, Pombeff, Milton Holley, John Dupont, John Taylor, Mark Godwin, Eli Davis, Will McKinley, Joe Signoret, Trahan.

Photograph of men standing outside the Crescent City Saloon on the corner of Fourth and Front Streets in Orange, Texas.

Map of Orange County, Texas, including the Gulf Coast region. Scale ca. 1:133,334 (4000 varas per inch).

Map of Orange County, Texas, including the Gulf Coast region. Scale ca. 1:133,334 (4000 varas per inch).

Patent for "an attachment for stove-dampers whereby said dampers will be automatically moved, in order that the fire may be maintained at a predetermined heat" (lines 9-13).

Patent for a new and improved balanced slide-valve. This design consists in a "Steam-chest, a valve sliding therein, a chamber on top of the steam-chest, and a diaphragm in the top of the chamber and secured by a cap or plate, in combination with a frame having a packing-box and gland, an adjustable threaded stem or bolt passing through the frame, and the double-link connection between the said stem and valve" (lines 90-97).

Patent for "a new and useful composition of matter to be used for the prevention of heat caused from friction and attrition in the use and operation of all kinds of machinery, including railroad engines and cars, and all parts thereof" (lines 5-9).

Patent for a new and improved oil can. This design utilizes a handle with a hollow tube leading into the oil chamber, so when the removable cap is unscrewed from the handle, air flows into the chamber, which allows the oil to flow. This eliminates the need for a spring-bottom as with other oil cans, for the flow of oil can be stopped by sealing the tube.

Patent for Thermostatic Signal. "The object of my invention is to provide a device whereby an alarm will be automatically sounded when the temperature of the drier has reached too high a point." (lines 13-16). With Illustrations.

Patent for a new and improved fire extinguisher. This design consists in "[t]he combination of the expansible rod, the sweep arm or lever pivotally connected thereto, the horizontal rod, the doors, the cord connected to said doors and to the rod and adapted to be disengaged from said rod by the sweep-arm, the steam-pipe provided with a cut-off valve, and the weight supported normally in an elevated position by the sweep-arm and adapted to be released thereby to open the valve" (lines 72-81).

Patent for "improvements in thermostatic devices for automatically regulating the temperature of lumber-driers" (lines 8-10).

Weekly newspaper from Orange, Texas that includes local, state and national news along with extensive advertising.

Sanborn map sheet showing an area of Orange in Orange County, Texas, including geographic features, buildings, and details related to risk assessment for fire insurance.

Sanborn map sheet showing an area of Orange in Orange County, Texas, including geographic features, buildings, and details related to risk assessment for fire insurance.

Sanborn map sheet showing an area of Orange in Orange County, Texas, including geographic features, buildings, and details related to risk assessment for fire insurance.