<P> The sole initial recorded activity was in the Patton community . The Patton Beach post office operated from 1898 to 1900 . The Crystal Beach site was settled in the early 20th century . Patton served as a railroad station . When the railroad ended in the early 1940s, the name of the community became "Crystal Beach ." The community incorporated in 1971 . Four subsequent attempts to disincorporate the municipality occurred in the mid-1980s . The municipality ended in 1987 . Afterward, supporters of incorporation and supporters of disincorporation lost and gained control . During 1990 the community, which remained unincorporated, had a full - time population recorded as 787 . Other estimates stated that the community had as many as 1,600 full - time residents . Around that time Crystal Beach was the largest Bolivar Peninsula community . Officials estimated that 80% of the property owners of Crystal Beach residents were people who vacationed during holidays, summers, and weekends . In 1990 Crystal Beach had one bank, one hotel, one supermarket, and the headquarters of most of the Bolivar Peninsula real estate agencies . </P> <P> The community sustained severe damage after Hurricane Ike struck in September 2008; the hurricane obliterated many vacation houses . </P> <P> Crystal Beach and the entire Bolivar Peninsula suffered catastrophic damage from Hurricane Ike on the night of September 12--13, 2008 . The majority of the area was damaged by a storm surge of over 20 ft, during the high tide of 4: 14 a.m., adding 1.5 - 2.3 ft more height to the storm tide, plus higher waves on top . </P> <P> Most of the houses were vacation homes, and it had appeared that most of them sustained significant damage . Nearly every house south of Ridgeway was completely destroyed . Carl Griffith, an owner of an exotic game ranch and a former Jefferson County sheriff and judge, said that he saw many newly manufactured cars in the debris . Griffith believed that this indicated that many people were killed in the storm; Griffith explained that people would not likely leave newer cars alone and flee without them . </P>

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