Descriptive Summary
Jirou, Harry Potter, 1883-1947
Harry Potter Jirou Papers
1888-1949
Materials are in English.
AC-174
13 folders and 1 artifact. Approximately 0.93 cubic feet.
Tyrrell Historical Library, Beaumont Public Libraries,
695 Pearl St,
Beaumont, TX 77701
This collection contains many photographs taken by Harry P. Jirou, who was a Beaumont area amateur photographer. The photographs document many early scenes of Beaumont, his personal interest in the Boy Scouts as a scout master, views of well-known landmarks in and around Beaumont, and early technological feats that took place in Beaumont. The photographs span a time period from 1888 through the 1930s. The collection also includes memorabilia and correspondence, as well as newspaper clippings commemorating events important in his life.
Biographical Note
Harry P. Jirou (1883-1947) was a life-long resident of Beaumont, Texas. He was a certified public accountant and engaged in the real estate business. Mr. Jirou also served twelve years as executive secretary of the community chest. In addition, Mr. Jirou was an avid photographer who took many of the now historical photographs of early Spindletop. Among his many civic functions, Mr. Jirou was a prominent Boy Scout leader, and was one of few scout masters to receive the Scoutmaster's Key for outstanding work in all fields of scout activities. In 1929, he was the leader of a group of sixteen scouts from Beaumont which attended the Boy Scouts International Jamboree in Birkenhead, England.
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains Harry Potter Jirou scrapbook pages and memorabilia, a 1938 Boy Scout manual, an Eastman Kodak Company Folding Cartridge Premo camera, and photographs of Beaumont, Boy Scouting, and the Jirou / Hutchison family. It contains some of the best early Beaumont images available.
Organization of Collection
This collection is organized into 13 folders and one artifact box.
Access Restrictions
Some restrictions may apply.
Copyright
The Tyrrell Historical Library does not hold copyright for most of its collections. The researcher must secure permission to publish. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the Tyrrell Historical Library. The researcher assumes full responsibility for complying with copyright, literary property rights, and libel laws.
Related Material
AC-478, Three Rivers Council Boy Scouts of America Records.
Preferred Citation
[Item], [Folder], [Box], Harry Potter Jirou Papers, 1888-1949, AC-174, Tyrrell Historical Library, Beaumont, Texas.
Acquisition Information
Originally donated by Mary Katherine Jirou Davies, daughter of Harry Potter Jirou, in 1991. Later additions were made in 1995 and 2006.
Processing Information
Processed by Tyrrell Historical Library staff.
Finding aid revised and encoded by Tyrrell Historical Library staff, 2012 August.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
Bibliography
Index Terms
Personal Names
Bass, Brinkley (1916-1944)
Carter, Daniel, National Scout Commissioner
Jirou, Harry Potter (1883-1947)
Jirou, Hazel Odessa J. Hutchinson (1888-1949)
Webber, Frank C.
Windsor, Edward David, Prince of Wales (1894-1972)
Organizations
Beaumont, Ice, Light, and Refrigerating Company (Beaumont, Tex.)
Beaumont Furniture Company (Beaumont, Tex.)
Beaumont Light Guards
Boy Scouts of America (Beaumont, Tex.)
Cosby House Dining Room (Beaumont, Tex.)
Edson Hotel Coffee Shop (Beaumont, Tex.)
Enloe Hotel (Beaumont, Tex.)
First Baptist Church (Beaumont, Tex.)
Reliable Furniture Company (Beaumont, Tex.)
Szafir's Bookstore (Beaumont, Tex.)
United States Military
Woman's Club of Beaumont (Beaumont, Tex.)
Subjects
Airplanes--Biplane
Airplanes--Fairchild 22
Airplanes--Taylor Cub
Airports--Beaumont Municipal Airport (Beaumont, Tex.)
Boy Scouts--Beaumont, Tex.
Boy Scouts--International Jamboree, 1929 (Birkenhead, England)
Buildings--Beaumont, Tex.
Camps--Camp Mabry (Manassas, Va.)
Camps--Rio Frio Boys Camp (Rio Frio, Tex.)
Carriages and carts
Church--Buildings (Beaumont, Tex.)
City and towns--Beaumont, Tex.
Fire engines--History (Beaumont, Tex.)
Horses
Kodak camera--Eastman Kodak Folding Cartridge Premo
Neches River (Beaumont, Tex.)
Ports--Beaumont, Tex.
Railroads--Beaumont, Tex.
Schools--Averill School (Beaumont, Tex.)
Ships--Beaumont, Tex.
Street railroads--Beaumont, Tex.
World War, 1939-1945
Locations
Beaumont (Tex.)
Birkenhead (Eng.)
Glasgow (Scot.)
Genres/Formats
Artifacts (camera)
Correspondence
Handbooks
Newspapers
Newspaper clippings
Photographs
Picture postcards
Poems
Scrapbooks, loose-leaf
Separated Material
Detailed Description of the Collection
Harry Potter Jirou Papers, 1888-1949
1
1
Jirou wedding memorabilia, 1905
1
2
Correspondence, 1903-1949; Poem, "Two Little Waifs of the City", circa 1898. Subjects in correspondence include: 1903 street car strike, Beaumont Light Guard, Company M, 3rd Texas Battalion; New streetcars with description, 1903; biographical and ancestral information of Hazel Hutchison Jirou; opinion results of prohibition, 1929; Trip in Glasgow and the lost scouts, 1929
1
3
Newspaper clippings, 1929-1981; Photograph, John E. Jirou (father of Harry Jirou); Manuscript, family ancestry information. Subjects of news clippings include: H. P. Jirou obituary, 1947; Dennis McCarthy drawing of H. P. Jirou and Boy Scouts, 1933; Scout trip to England, 1929; Spindletop; Don Streater column and pants; prominent residents taken by death in 1947; Jirou family cradle; Brinkley Bass and Eli Vinock, military; Harry Jirou descendants
1
4
Cattle brand list, Jefferson County, Texas, 1846-1909
1
5
Newspaper images of early Beaumont and Beaumonters, 1950
1
6
Photographs, 1920-1934
1
7
Photographs, circa 1910-1936: Beaumont Municipal Airport, 1936, flight instructor, 1936, early biplane with pilots, circa 1910
1
8
Postcards and greeting card, 1916-1920s: Daniel Carter, National Scout Commissioner, 1920s, Averill School, circa 1920, Boy Scout Jamboree, Engalnd, 1929, tanker at Beaumont Wharf, 1916
1
9
Memorabilia, 1929, 1945: Boy Scout Jamboree ensignia and launching of U.S.S. Brinkley Bass
1
10
Photographs, 1899-1940s; Beaumont street scenes, 1940s; Beaumont flood scenes, 1902; frozen Keith Park fountain, 1904; Beaumont street scenes, 1907; tug boat, "Captain Sam", pulling ship on Neches River; horsemen watching airplane, circa 1910; Port of Beaumont Wharf 2 and steamboat, circa 1915; electric horseless carriage, circa 1910; Jefferson County Courthouse and Jail, circa 1899; Herford's Oyster House on Neches, 1899; Beaumont horse and carriage street scenes (including fire wagon and streetcar), 1900-1901; Beach Hotel; Harry P. Jirou boyhood photos, circa 1888-1890s; Jirou family; Woman's Club Chorus, circa 1910; Jirou home, 2365 McFaddin Avenue
1
11
Scrapbook pages, 1904-1905: Beaumont Light Guard news articles; Beaumont Light Guard at Camp Mabry, 1903; Hutchinson [sic] / Jirou weding, 1905; Correspondence, 1904-1905; poem and song, circa 1904; ration request, Company M 3rd Infantry at Manassas, Virginia, 1904
1
12
Scrapbook pages, 1921-1922
2
1
1938 Boys' Handbook, Boy Scouts of America
3
1
Artifact, Eastman Kodak Folding Cartridge Premo camera, circa 1917