THE AROMA FLOATED OVER THE ENTIRE AREA OF SOUTH PARK! AND WHAT A DELICIOUS AROMA IT WAS - IT AROUSED THE TASTE BUDS OF MANY RESIDENTS. THE SMELL OF BREAD BAKING IN THE OVENS AT THE TAYSTEE BAKING COMPANY - 3845 PORT ARTHUR ROAD. THE SMELL OF THE FRESH BREAD BAKING DROVE MANY A RESIDENT TO THE TAYSTEE BREAD BAKERY, WHERE THEY PURCHASED A HOT LOAF OF BREAD, DASHED HOME AND SMOTHERED IT IN BUTTER AND  INDULGED THEMSELVES! HOW GREAT IT WAS!

THE TAYSTEE BREAD COMPANY CAME OUT OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS TO BEAUMONT, TEXAS IN 1937, AND WAS ORIGINALLY LOCATED AT THE CORNER OF FANNIN AND HOLMES, AND WAS MANAGED BY HAROLD T. DUPERIER. (I WAS UNABLE TO OBTAIN THE NAMES OF THE PEOPLE WHO OWNED THE TAYSTEE BREAD COMPANY.)  IN 1946 LOUISE LARCOMB SOLD THE PROPERTY KNOWN AS TRACT 181 IN THE J. W. BULLOCK ADDITION TO THE TAYSTEE BAKING COMPANY AND IN 1949 A BRIGHT YELLOW TILE BUILDING WAS ERECTED AT 3845 PORT ARTHUR ROAD. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF TAYSTEE BAKING COMPANY AS WE KNEW IT.

NOT ONLY DID THE TAYSTEE BAKERS BAKE THEIR DELICIOUS BREAD, THEY ALSO MADE CUPCAKES, FRIED PIES, DONUTS, PIES, CAKES - YOU NAME IT - THEY BAKED IT. THERE WERE DELIVERY TRUCKS THAT DELIVERED THEIR MERCHANDISE TO ALL THE STORES IN THE BEAUMONT AND MID COUNTY AREA.ONE OF THE MOST ENJOYABLE AND EXCITING THINGS ABOUT THE TAYSTEE BAKERY WAS 'LITTLE MICKEY - I GUESS YOU WOULD CALL HIM SORT OF A MASCOT. HE WAS A MIDGET - REALLY! HE WORE A LITTLE TAYSTEE BAKING UNIFORM AND CAP. HE HAD A VERY SPECIAL LITTLE DELIVERY TRUCK, WITH THE TAYSTEE ENBLEM, AND HE DELIVERED THOSE LITTLE SPECIAL LOAVES OF TAYSTEE BREAD TO ALL THE SCHOOLS AROUND THE AREA. HOW THE KIDS LOVED TO SEE MICKEY COMING. HE APPEARED AT ALL TYPES OF SPECIAL EVENTS, AND IT WAS REALLY WONDERFUL TO SEE HIM. HE LOVED HIS JOB. AND MICKEY TOOK AS HIS WIFE ANOTHER MIDGET, ALTHOUGH I CANT RECALL HER NAME, AND THEY HAD A SON WHO WAS A NORMAL SIZE YOUNG MAN. (I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A PICTURE OF MICKEY.)

IN 1951 THE TAYSTEE BAKING COMPANY WOULD MERGE WITH PURITY BAKING COMPANY, BUT IT CONTINUED TO OPERATE AS THE TAYSTEE BAKING COMPANY. HAROLD T. DUPERIER WOULD CONTINUE TO MANAGE THE TAYSTEE BAKING COMPANY UNTIL 1966, WHEN JIM PENMAN BECAME THE MANAGER, AND STAYED AS MANAGER UNTIL 1968, AT WHICH TIME W. I. ALLEN BECAME THE MANAGER.

IN 1970 THE TAYSTEE BAKING COMPANY WAS SOLD TO AMERICAN BAKERIES COMPANY, ALSO OUT OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND H. B. NORWOOD BECAME THE MANAGER. IN OCTOBER OF 1973, AMERICAN BAKERIES WAS SOLD TO JOHN F. GElS, JR., WHO IN TURN SOLD IT A FEW DAYS LATER TO THE HOLSUM BAKING COMPANY, AND IN 1974 IT BECAME A THRIFT STORE WITH FRED OSBORN BEING THE MANAGER. IT WAS LATER SOLD TO IDEAL BAKING COMPANY OF PARIS, AND THEN SOLD TO FLOWERS BAKING COMPANY OUT OF PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS. I AM NOT SURE JUST WHEN FLOWERS BAKING COMPANY DISCONTINUED ITS BUSINESS, BUT THE BUILDING IS NOW OCCUPIED BY THE SOUTHEAST TEXAS FOOD BANK - BUT ALL THE SPLENDOR OF THE ONCE OUTSTANDING BUILDING HAS NOW DETERIORATED.