Port Arthur, TX Police NRM

[LLOYD17]

Picked this up a while ago and finally got out to put some 38's and 357's downrange. Between some endshake and build-up on the face of the cylinder there is a bit of binding I'll get working on but otherwise the experience is as expected out of a pre-war 357 Magnum.

Though the letter showed it shipped to St. Louis, a SWHF research request turned up service records for Tommy Baxter of Port Arthur, TX. It seems like this NRM has led an interesting life having started as a 8 3/4" blued revolver, returned in 1947 to be put back to blue from nickel and add a humpback hammer and now it sits as a 4" in nickel with a standard hammer.

Mr. Baxter joined the Army as a MP then moved on to join the Port Arthur PD where he made Captain. He retired after 40 years with the Port Arthur PD and took up the position as Chief of Police for Griffin Park. He passed away in Port Arthur in 2017.

The local library in that area has a great online search function so I was able to track down a number of pictures of Capt. Baxter. Click for a larger view and enjoy:

Love these stars next to the serial number:

Thanks for the badge quinn!

Far left in 1943:

Taken sometime between 1942-1949 on the seawall:

Middle:

Far left:

At a tragic wreck in 1954:

Fellow lefty!...never mind. Closer look shows this negative was reversed.

 

[quinn]

Outstanding provenance!!! Glad the one badge in my collection that didn't match any om my guns matched yours.

From the 1954 car wreck photo I guess I'm surprised to learn that 'rat rods' started long before the 1990's. I had though all of rods of the 50's were all lead, paint and wax.

 

[Candrews86]

Very cool piece of history! Was born and raised about 20 minutes from Port Arthur

 

[krsmith58]

Great post and very nice looking revolver . thanks for sharing . kenny

 

[DGT]

Great post. I have RM #806 that belonged to Claude Goldsmith. Goldsmith was the Chief of Police in Port Arthur from 1944 to 1949. They must have been on the police force at the same time.

 

[Old_Painless]

I worked at PAPD with Tommy Baxter in the early 1970s. He had been promoted to Inspector, a rank just below Chief. He was, in fact, the last Inspector at PAPD. He was a fine fellow and a good police officer. His uniform and Sam Brown were always very neat and highly polished. I enjoyed knowing him.

 

[lestert357]

Beautiful NRM and excellent research!

 

[LLOYD17]

I worked at PAPD with Tommy Baxter in the early 1970s. He had been promoted to Inspector, a rank just below Chief. He was, in fact, the last Inspector at PAPD. He was a fine fellow and a good police officer. His uniform and Sam Brown were always very neat and highly polished. I enjoyed knowing him.

Small world! Do you remember if he carried the NRM at the time?

Any chance you recognize this 44 spl? It was sent in for service by Hampton's Hardware back in 1929 and I'm wondering if it also spent some time in a holster in Port Arthur.

 

[firemanhank]

Great post!! Great pics!! Great gun.

 

[SAFireman]

Dang it man! You are batting a 1000 today

and....A Very gracious assist from ole Quinn

 

[Old_Painless]

Small world! Do you remember if he carried the NRM at the time?

Any chance you recognize this 44 spl? It was sent in for service by Hampton's Hardware back in 1929 and I'm wondering if it also spent some time in a holster in Port Arthur.

I do not remember which pistol he carried. Being an Inspector, he could carry any caliber he chose. (Patrolmen were restricted to .38 Special) But I do remember that he had .38 Special rounds in his Sam Brown belt. I'm sure that meant he was carrying a .38 Special pistol and not the .44 Special.

 

[Justin T]

My wife's GF was active in Port Arthur around that time (was born in The Groves TX). I bet he'd remember that wreck

 

[THEmodelof1989]

The golden triangle is my stomping grounds. Long live Pimp C!

It's really neat to see the history on this firearm. I worked for social services in Port Arthur and some of the stuff I have seen made me wish I was still a police officer. Of course Mr. Baxter served PA at a pivotal point in history know around here as the "great white flight". Starting around 1952 all the white folks left Port Arthur and moved into the surrounding cites taking all the money with them. It may sound crazy to some people, but this area is still very much self segregated today. Port Arthur is around 90% black, but go over the bridge or across the tracks and all of the sudden it's 90% white. Griffin Park was and still is one of the nicer beats in Port Arthur. It must have been very interesting to be a police officer during this time to say the least.

Thanks again for sharing!