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Older Guy Question: Lester Roloff's Place on Laguna Madre

7205 Views 33 Replies 17 Participants Last post by  CopanoCruisin
A question for you older guys-

Lester Roloff had a place on the Laguna Madre - barges and cabins that he kept wayward kids on.

Do any of you remember exactly where it was located?

For you younger guys, Lester would beat the devil out (or Jesus into) you at his various homes for kids.
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It was in the land cut, about 1/2 way between Red Fish Bay and Baffin Bay on the gulf side.
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Thanks, El-

I appreciate the information, that fits with where I thought it was-
I heard of it. And yes it was in that area. I also read it was an abusive environment and Lester was a sicko, much like other cult leaders who were
evil masqueraded as Christians. Many leading Christian authorities have written that evil people will attempt to hide themselves in the Christian Church. Don't get me wrong, because I consider myself to be Christian in spite of my shortcomings. Give me mercy, not justice. I Plead The Blood!
www.solarscreenguys.com
www.houstonshutterpro.com
I lived in Port Mansfield from 1950 until 1965, made many trips to and thru the land cut. He had a couple houses located back off of the intracoastal, when we would go by could see kids running around and on the edge fishing. They must have supplied themselves from the north. Either by vehicle down the surf or boat from Corpus or Riviera. To my knowledge as a kid growing up they never came into Port Mansfield.
Lester's Place

El First Draw is correct. I seem to recall one his places was right on the west edge of the ditch. It was about the same latitude as the "graveyard" (crash sight of a naval aircraft in the Laguna) - I just cannot recall if it was north or south of the graveyard. Been many years since I've fished there - I guess the old trainer plane is still there and not covered up.
Roloff's cut is the first deep cut on the East side of the Land Cut that you come to. There were buildings on that side but his place, the Lighthouse was on the west side of the cut across from "his" cut.

TH
Roloff's cut is the first deep cut on the East side of the Land Cut that you come to. There were buildings on that side but his place, the Lighthouse was on the west side of the cut across from "his" cut.

TH
This is correct, when coming from the North
It's still there (at Roloff's cut) stayed there a few times in the past few years ... the current owners/lessees are wonderful people ...

.
I knew both a man and a woman who were residents of that home in their early teens. Both were beaten and both have issues to this day.
I knew both a man and a woman who were residents of that home in their early teens. Both were beaten and both have issues to this day.
As with most things we have two sides of the coin:

A.) He was a good man who gave troubled teens food, clothing, shelter and the discipline they were lacking.

B.) Or he was a crazy bible thumping nut job who "beat" kids.

A or B? I don't know probably somewhere in the middle I guess as is the case with most things in life. But I am assuming the kids had "issues" before going to these homes for troubled youth?

Were they there against their will? Prisoners? Was there internment court ordered? Interesting story, I would like to here first hand tales from someone that was actually there.
After doing a little internet research I came across another 2coolfishing thread about this very topic. It seems someone actually tried to swim across Baffin Bay to get away from the camp? Must have been pretty bad to try and actually swim across Baffin to get away?

http://2coolfishing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1420514&page=2

And here is some more info about the Roloff's Lighthouse.

"In the Washington Post, Hanna Rosin reported on Roloff’s Lighthouse, where two boys spent more than ten hours digging in a dirt pit after being tied to a truck and dragged through brush. In Texas Monthly, Pamela Colloff wrote about Roloff’s Rebekah Home for Girls (the sister school to the Anchor Home), where one girl was beaten, chained in a room alone and forced to listen to Roloff sermons.

Tying two troubled kids to a truck and making them dig a hole after dragging them through some brush is a little over the top. But forcing anyone to listen to this guys sermons is just sadistic and a clear violation of this poor girls civil rights and constitutes "cruel and unusual punishment".
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He would never get away with what he did today. I am sure he probably thought what he was doing was right, but, he was just a sick, sadistic man that used religion for power.

I had forgotten all about this guy.
I heard of it. And yes it was in that area. I also read it was an abusive environment and Lester was a sicko, much like other cult leaders who were
evil masqueraded as Christians. Many leading Christian authorities have written that evil people will attempt to hide themselves in the Christian Church. Don't get me wrong, because I consider myself to be Christian in spite of my shortcomings. Give me mercy, not justice. I Plead The Blood!
www.solarscreenguys.com
www.houstonshutterpro.com
People who believe anything they read are the sickos. Lester Roloff did not maintain an abusive environment, unless you count depriving kids from "worldly temptations" as abuse. I knew Roloff personally, and I was one of the first 3 boys at his City of Refuge in the Rio Grande Valley, back in January 1964.
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As with most things we have two sides of the coin:

A.) He was a good man who gave troubled teens food, clothing, shelter and the discipline they were lacking.

B.) Or he was a crazy bible thumping nut job who "beat" kids.

A or B? I don't know probably somewhere in the middle I guess as is the case with most things in life. But I am assuming the kids had "issues" before going to these homes for troubled youth?

Were they there against their will? Prisoners? Was there internment court ordered? Interesting story, I would like to here first hand tales from someone that was actually there.
Lester Roloff was not micromanaging his homes, he was on the road virtually all the time holding revivals and preaching services. Any beatings that took place would have been done by supervisors at the homes. I know because I was one of the boys at his City of Refuge, back in 1964-1966.
After doing a little internet research I came across another 2coolfishing thread about this very topic. It seems someone actually tried to swim across Baffin Bay to get away from the camp? Must have been pretty bad to try and actually swim across Baffin to get away?

Lester roloff

And here is some more info about the Roloff's Lighthouse.

"In the Washington Post, Hanna Rosin reported on Roloff’s Lighthouse, where two boys spent more than ten hours digging in a dirt pit after being tied to a truck and dragged through brush. In Texas Monthly, Pamela Colloff wrote about Roloff’s Rebekah Home for Girls (the sister school to the Anchor Home), where one girl was beaten, chained in a room alone and forced to listen to Roloff sermons.

Tying two troubled kids to a truck and making them dig a hole after dragging them through some brush is a little over the top. But forcing anyone to listen to this guys sermons is just sadistic and a clear violation of this poor girls civil rights and constitutes "cruel and unusual punishment".
I was one of the boys who stayed a couple of summers at the Lighthouse for Boys. None of that kind of **** went on back in 1964-1966, I can assure you. It was like a vacation, swimming, boating and fishing all the time. Plenty of Bible lessons of course.
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I was one of the boys who stayed a couple of summers at the Lighthouse for Boys. None of that kind of **** went on back in 1964-1966, I can assure you. It was like a vacation, swimming, boating and fishing all the time. Plenty of Bible lessons of course.
How did you hear about this site? Did you join the site only to respond to this 4 year old thread?
Happens a lot Reed...people do a search, it comes up and shows 2cool so they register to respond never to be heard from again lol.
I was one of the boys who stayed a couple of summers at the Lighthouse for Boys. None of that kind of **** went on back in 1964-1966, I can assure you. It was like a vacation, swimming, boating and fishing all the time. Plenty of Bible lessons of course.
I was there 10 years later. Probably saved my life. Funny, the place was full of kids who wouldn’t go to school, strung out, thieves, flat uncontrollable. Reporters interviewed kids who fought the program, they were so wild their parents took them there against there will. Do you really think those upstanding citizens told the reporters the truth. They wanted someone to get them out of there. Most of those kids who fought the program would steal the reporter blind if given the chance.
My parents hated me and I deserved it, that place saved my life. I have a saltwater boat and 45 years later I go back and fish every chance I get.

Lester Roloff was truly was a man of God, Read what Jesus clearly said (paraphrase) if you follow me the world will hate you. Judging from the rumors and stories I read about Roloff, Jesus was absolutely right.

Jesus took him home, this jacked up world today would let those kids end up in prison or OD. I don’t think Roloff could help kids in this world today.

There you have it guys straight from two guys who lived there. It’s the truth.
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