Texas Historical Marker #11686
Cementerio San Antonio de Padua. According to local lore, George Lewis (1859-1895) donated one-half acre of land at this site to the Hispanic citizens of the area for use as a cemetery, provided that he be buried in the center of the land. Handmade stones indicate burials dating from the 19th century; the first recorded deed was signed in 1933. Years of wind and rain have rendered many stones illegible. A number of children who died in an influenza epidemic in 1940 and many veterans of U.S. and international conflicts are interred here. A statue of San Antonio holding a child, crafted in Mexico, was brought across the border by the local priest for placement in an open chapel on the cemetery grounds. It is revered by the families of those interred here. (1998) #11686
?, Aransas Pass, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #15982
Aransas Pass First Baptist Church. #15982
627 S. Houston Street, Aransas Pass, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #17321
John Wiebel VFW Post 2932. #17321
620 W. Wheeler St., Aransas Pass, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #02262
Great Land Lottery of Aransas Pass. In 1909, real estate developers E.O. Burton and A.H. Danforth embarked upon a land promotion scheme to take advantage of available land in Aransas Pass. They hired journalist W.H. Vernor to produce the "Aransas Pass Progress", which promoted Aransas Pass and the pending land sale across the country by U.S. Mail. Promoter A.D. Powers was hired to carefully handle the sale to avoid its being seen as a lottery by the postal department. Six thousand tickets, each representing a town lot, were sold for $100 each. Ticket holders were then to come to Aransas Pass to bid on lots; they were not to bid more than $100, and thus the tickets could be exchanged directly for lots. Nearly all 6,000 lots were sold during the auction sales in December 1909. All went well until postal inspectors who had secured tickets purposefully overbid, which muddled the sale and led to several legal battles. As a result of the great land lottery of 1909, Aransas Pass did see substantial growth. The money collected in overbids went into a trust that eventually served to fund public and school libraries, including the one at this site. #2262
110 N. Lamont Street, Aransas Pass, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #13261
First United Methodist Church of Aransas Pass. Efforts to create a regional shipping center and port in this vicinity began in the middle 19th century. By 1890, plans were well underway to dig a ship channel and develop Aransas Harbor City. Residents of Aransas Harbor (now Aransas Pass) used a structure known as the Dwyer and Drummond Pavilion for meetings and events. On February 22, 1891, seven men and women met there and organized as the First Methodist Episcopal Church, South, under the leadership of the Rev. J.W. Groves. The Rev. J.W. Sims arrived later that year to serve as pastor. Many of the church's early ministers lived in nearby Rockport, serving a congregation there and traveling to Aransas Pass twice monthly for Sunday services. First Methodist Church constructed its first sanctuary in late 1892 on what is now South McCampbell Street and shared it with the local Christian church, the second congregation to organize in the community. Rockport and Aransas Pass Methodists not only shared a pastor in the early years, but also met frequently for picnics and fellowship. Pastors serving the two congregations added an Ingleside charge, but in 1940 the Aransas Pass church established a full-time pastorate during a boom in the city's economy. Over the years, members of First Methodist built new facilities and survived several major storms. Following the devastation of Hurricane Celia in 1970, the church's Education Wing served as the Aransas Emergency Hospital for four months and the Fellowship Hall became a community communications center. Through outreach and service programs, as well as fellowship, worship, education and music, the congregation continues to support and sustain residents of Aransas Pass. (2005) #13261
523 S 8th St, Aransas Pass, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #05230
Terminal Railroad. Built in 1892, the Aransas Harbor Terminal Railroad ("Old Terminal Railroad") provided a means for transporting rock from mainland quarries to jetties under construction in the pass. In 1909 the Aransas Pass Channel and Dock Company was chartered to build a channel from the first south Texas deep water port at Harbor Island to Aransas Pass. As the channel was dredged, the displaced sediment was piled along one side and became the basis for a railroad bed. Opened in 1912, the new terminal railroad extended along the roadbed and a series of eight trestles. It connected with the San Antonio and Aransas Pass railroad in Aransas Pass, and was an important cotton shipping tool. Passenger service was inaugurated with the "Toonerville Trolley", passenger coaches pulled by a converted model T Ford truck, which transported workers from the mainland to a new shipyard on Harbor Island during World War I. After Corpus Christi was designated a deep water port in 1922, business declined for Harbor Island and the railroad. In 1931 the rail line was converted to a road for automobiles, which was in turn replaced by a new highway in 1960. Hurricanes in 1961 and 1970 left few visible remnants of the terminal railroad. #5230
SH 361 (Goodnight Rd.) near Railroad St., Aransas Pass, TX, United States