Yount-Manion Films - U.S. Frigate Constitution (1932)

This home movie captures scenes of the historical ship U.S. Frigate Constitution visiting Beaumont on March 11, 1932, during the Old Ironsides’ coastal tour of America. Later known as the U.S.S. Constitution, the ship was one of the original six frigates of the United States Navy, authorized by Congress with the Naval Act of 1794, built in the formative years of the U.S. Navy. Footage includes scenes of Capt. Louis J. Gulliver presenting Mildred Yount (Mildred 1) with an etching, various angles of the ship, and many locals on the dock viewing the ship’s arrival. The Yount-Manion Films were given to Lamar University by Greg Riley and Fred McKinley. The pair discovered the films while researching their 2005 book, Black Gold to Bluegrass: From the Oil Fields of Texas to Spindletop Farm of Kentucky, which chronicles the legacy of Frank and Pansy Yount.