Morley Marina
photo from “The Register” Oct. 1, 1960
In 1955, H.T. Morley’s grandson, Dr. Morley Morgana, a chemist for Ethyl Corporation, was transferred to Baton Rouge. He took over managing the assets of the Southern Land Products Company, the name given to the group of Morley descendants who now owned the former cypress mill property, including Dr. Morgana’s mother, Abigail, who was H.T. Morley’s only child. Utilizing some of the property, on May 7, 1960, Dr. Morgana opened “Morley Marina”, a facility billed as a “marina, restaurant, and recreation center” along the newly-constructed Intracoastal Waterway.
The marina featured a surfaced, lighted 300-space parking area, a concrete boat launch ramp capable of handling 10 rigs at a time, a boat lift, boat slips, boat accessories, fuel, food, beverages, boat and outboard motor sales, and a fishing area for “fishing rodeos.” Covered boat berths were available, for $8 per month. The restaurant and lounge, designed by O.J. Baker, dean of LSU’s school of architecture, was constructed utilizing bricks from the old Morley Cypress Mill boiler room.
“My daddy’s friend, Jack Keith and his wife Ella managed some part of the marina, and I remember visiting there several times as a child. I remember the dock that ran along the waterway was constructed of tar-coated creosote lumber, and the tar stuck to your feet in the summer heat. In the middle of the wide walkway was a round, or octagonal-shaped snack shop. It was a beautiful and busy place, and my daddy stored his 1955 mahogany-decked Wolverine boat there several times. I remember we also attended a water show at Morley Marina which featured champion water skiers.”
Unfortunately, barge traffic on the Intracoastal Canal interfered with the marina’s activities, and the Morley family closed the facility after only a few years. In 1964, 13,000 acres of former Morley property, totaling 21 square miles, was sold to Sam Recile of New Orleans for $1 million. Recile immediately sold the 1,000-acre site of the former marina to Chotin Transportation to be used as a barge terminal facility. Today, this property is owned by Trinity Marine.
After Recile filed bankruptcy in 1967, the remaining property was acquired by the Richfield Corporation of Dallas. In 1973, Shreveport developer Harry Hart purchased 12,000 acres of the property from Richfield, including 14 miles along the Intracoastal Canal. Hart’s plans for “Westside 12”, a development which would include industrial, commercial, and residential areas, never materialized.
The now Floyd’s Morley Marina that we have come to know and love is located just north of the original Morley Marina. Floyd Prejean purchased the property in 1992 from Al Alexander and built it into a local favorite for hitting the water, live entertainment or just grabbing a cold beer on the porch.
Morley Marina logos through the years