
Circa 1960s
THE ITEM
Porcelain-enameled metal piece, approximately 6.5 inches wide and 6 inches tall, shaped like a long horizontal oval stacked on top of a long horizontal rectangle. Rectangle has the words “Lewisville Fishing Barge – Lewisville, Texas, US Hwy 77 – Air Conditioned, Baited, Cafe.” The oval portion has the words “Fishin’s Good at” wrapped around a drawing of an angler in a boat pulling a large fish out of the water. Made by Ingram-Richardson Manufacturing Company of Beaver Falls, Penn.
THE HISTORY
Lewisville Fishing Barge opened at Lewisville Lake in 1959 on the shore between Lewisville Lake Park and Eagle Point Marina. The original owners were Joe Jagoe, Ken Massey, and Dave Barrow. Jagoe later became the sole owner. The barge was sold in 1986 to E.A. “Poncho” Newton and Grady Collom, with Newton later becoming the sole owner. The lake-record largemouth bass was caught at the barge in 2005. The barge was closed on November 19, 2021, due to serious structural and safety issues. the city assumed ownership in July 2022 and demolished the barge soon afterward.