Historic Sites 3/5

Rockport Harbor Marina

RockportFulton
Apr 15, 2021
4 min read

Updated: Jan 4, 2023

Rockport Harbor Marina

The Rockport Harbor Marina is located at 911 Navigation Circle in Rockport. It is considered an iconic local landmark in the Rockport, Texas area. When you travel to the Rockport, Texas waterfront, it can be seen filled with different kinds of boats and bait shops. It is located across from the Texas Maritime Museum and is within walking distance of historical downtown Rockport and Rockport Beach Park. Both live aboard boats, as well as storage docks can be found at The Rockport Harbor Marina.

Rockport Texas Harbor in 1958 — Rockport Harbor in 1958

The Rockport Harbor is owned and managed by the Aransas County Navigation District. Here is the link if you would like information about housing a boat, or to inquire about a liveaboard docking facility. Their contact number and website are shown below.

1-361-729-6661

Aransas County Navigation District

Check out the Virtual Tour of the Rockport Harbor

In addition, If you would like to find out more about the Rockport Harbor below we will share some history about it.

History of the Rockport Harbor

In 1866, James Doughty and Richard H. Wood searched for a safe location to ship cattle. They built pens and a livestock-shipping wharf on a place known in those days as “Rocky Point”. Rocky Point was a prominent lime-stone protrusion that extended into Aransas Bay and was located near present-day Wharf Street.

Rockport Fulton Early Shipping

The Steam Ships arrived in Rockport

Other Wharves and pens soon followed. With so many cattle now available, regularly scheduled Morgan Line shallow draft steamboats arrived with merchandise for distribution inland. They would come and soon after departing with cattle and Packery products.

The Aransas Railroad Company

The arrival of the railroad in 1888 ignited a boom in Rockport. The event inspired local businessmen to begin promoting and advertising a strategic harbor near the Gulf. They also pushed to deepen the harbor, as well as to create a deep water port. Even though they tried, their efforts ended when Corpus Christi opened its port in 1926.

The Shrimping Boom at the Rockport Harbor

Rockport Shrimping Boom

In the early 1900s, abundant harvests of fish, oysters, and shrimp fueled a thriving seafood industry. By 1910 fish houses anchored the southwest side of Rockport harbor. Numerous fishing boats moored along the harbor wharves.

Rockport Marine Biology Laboratory

The Rockport Marine Laboratory begin in 1935 aboard the houseboat Vivian. In 1947, a prominent building was constructed on the southeast side of the harbor to house the Marine Lab and an aquarium.

Rockport Marine Laboratory

Aransas County Navigation District

Established in 1925, The Aransas County Navigation District begin a program to improve the harbor. By 1940, a new breakwater and a concrete piling and steel seawall created a small-craft safety basin which became Rockport’s famous “Fish Bowl” harbor.

Rockport Marina Early Photo

Harbor Early Photo

Rockport Harbor Historical Photo

The Rockport Marina Today

Today Rockport Harbor is home to many shrimping boats, sailing boats, and cruising yachts. In addition, the harbor is home to a few local bait shops and a guided birdwatching tour operation. It’s within walking distance of downtown shopping, the Texas Maritime Museum, Aransas Bay education center, and Rockport Beach Park.

Rockport Harbor Today

We hope you found this information interesting. If you would like to learn more about other great things to see and do in the Rockport Fulton area. We would encourage you to explore the many pages we have at RockportFulton.com. We would also encourage you to like and follow our facebook.com/RockportFulton to stay up with the latest happenings and news.

Here are some helpful links for things around the area

Rockport Beach Park Live feed. https://rockportfulton.com/check-out-the-latest-rockport-beach-live-stream/

Check out the Rockport Beach Live feed page to see what's going on down there.

Who we are

The RockportFulton.com website is a comprehensive guide to the towns of Rockport and Fulton, Texas. The website provides a wealth of information about the local area, including events, activities, and attractions.

Arial View of the Rockport Texas Waterfront — Rockport Texas USA

Visitors to the website can find information about local festivals, markets, and events, as well as details about local businesses, restaurants, and accommodations. The website also features a calendar of events, so visitors can easily plan their trip and make the most of their time in Rockport and Fulton.

In addition to providing information about the local area.

RockportFulton.com is also a great resource for those who are interested in the history and culture of Rockport and Fulton. The website includes articles and photos that highlight the rich history of the towns and their unique character.

Overall, the RockportFulton.com website is an excellent resource for anyone planning a trip to Rockport and Fulton, or for those who simply want to learn more about these charming coastal towns.

The Town of Fulton Texas at sunset — The Town of Fulton Texas

Here are some additional links to help you explore the area

Thank you for visiting our page:

#AransasCountyHistory #AransasCountyNavigationDistrict #RockportHarbor #RockportTexas

The Big Tree

RockportFulton
Feb 12, 2021
4 min read

Updated: Jan 4, 2023

The “Big Tree”, Is located in Aransas County on the Lamar Peninsula near the town of Rockport, Texas. It is considered one of the most famous live oaks in the world after being named “Texas State Champion Virginia Live Oak” (Quercus virginianus) in 1969. The “Big Tree” is still thought to be one of the largest live oak specimens in the United States.

The Big Tree in Lamar, Texas is a beloved local landmark and a must-see destination for visitors to the area. In this post, we'll take a closer look at the history, description, and cultural significance of the Big Tree.

The Big Tree is a beloved local landmark and a symbol of the community's history and culture.

Despite the widespread, historically significant devastation of the surrounding region, the “Big Tree” was relatively unscathed by Hurricane Harvey, a category 4 hurricane that hit Rockport Texas on August 25, 2017

Visiting the “Big Tree” today is easy with available roadside parking. The base of the tree is cordoned off to dissuade climbers, but visitors are nonetheless able to stand below the crown to appreciate the tree’s massive size.

The Big Tree is an impressive sight, with a massive trunk and a canopy that spans over 100 feet. The tree is located in a small park in Lamar, surrounded by a grassy lawn and a wooden fence. Visitors can walk around the tree and marvel at its size, or rest on one of the benches located nearby.

If you would like to visit the big tree here is a map of how to get there:

Map to get to the Big Tree

According to climatologists, the “Big Tree” has survived between forty and fifty major hurricanes, including the most recent, Harvey, and numerous floods, droughts, and wildfires.

The Texas Forest Service estimates the tree to be over 1,000 years old, while other recent estimates place it nearer to 2,000 years old. Also known as Bishop Oak and Lamar Oak, the “Big Tree” is a charter member (#16) of the Live Oak Society and has been the subject of one of Ripley’s “Believe It or Not” cartoons. The “Big Tree” is possibly the oldest extant live oak in the world. It possesses a circumference of over 35 feet and is more than 45 feet tall, while the crown’s spread is 90 feet.

“Record” or “champion” trees are determined by a cumulative measure of their girth, their spread, and their height, however, the near-continuous Gulf breeze limits the height of the “Big Tree”; therefore, there exist many other live oak specimens that are actually taller, but once girth is factored in, that measure makes the “Big Tree” the second-largest live oak in Texas.

The “Big Tree” statistics:

Trunk circumference: 35 feet 1.75 inches or 10.71 meters
Average trunk diameter: 11 feet 2.25 inches or 3.41 meters
Crown spread: 89 feet or 27.1 meters
Height: 44 feet or 13.4 meters
Age: Exact age is unknown – but it is centuries old.

Here is what some of its many visitors have had to say about it:

Google review of The Big Tree by John T. Ferguson ★★★★★ “This is the one of the biggest trees in texas. So it’s really big. it’s really nice to look at. There are whooping cranes around in the area if you’re interested in that. The only thing that I would ding them on is there’s no restroom.”

https://goo.gl/maps/RRuyeVouNPYkDuDw6

Google review of The Big Tree by Shirley Roberg ★★★★★ “This was an amazing must see! Pictures and words alone won’t do the trick”

Who we are

In addition to providing information about the local area.

Overall, the RockportFulton.com website is an excellent resource for anyone planning a trip to Rockport and Fulton, or for those who simply want to learn more about these charming coastal towns.

Here are some additional links to help you explore the area

Thank you for visiting our page: Check out our new shop:

Key Allegro Island in Rockport Texas Large High Resolution Canvas Gallery Wrap

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Rockport Beach Park Large Print Canvas Gallery Wrap

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Sunfish Sailing in the Rockport Texas Harbor Canvas Gallery Wrap

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We are RockportFulton.com your personal guide to everything in the beautiful Aransas County of Texas and we have a lot for you! Be sure to visit our Home Page, where there will be lots more information available on all things local including events going on now or coming soon that might pique your interest as well as fun facts about this area’s rich history, and things to explore.

Visit our website and plan your next trip down south!!!

#BigTree #historicsites #Lamartexas

The Rio Theater of Downtown Rockport

RockportFulton
Feb 9, 2021
2 min read

Surf Theater Rockport TX

History

The Rio Theater of downtown Rockport Texas opened in August 1934. It was renamed Surf Theater in 1949, and it continued operating until at least 1954.

The theatre was actually 3 or 4 blocks south of where the Comforts of Home store is now located. It was on the east side of Austin Street, between St. Mary’s Street and Market Street. The site is now empty, but the tiny building next to it is still there, functioning as a barber shop

The Theater had 1 screen and 300 seats.

Additional Information about the Rio Theater Downtown Rockport Tx

The Rio became the Surf in 1949. The March 12 issue of Boxoffice reported the reopening of the house under its new name. The theater had been remodeled by its owner/operator since at least 1943, Ed Barnard.

Barnard operated the Surf Theatre at least as late as 1954, when he was mentioned in the May 8 issue of Boxoffice. The Rio had been remodeled previously, when it was given a new stucco front in 1939, as reported in Boxoffice of May 13 that year. The owner at that time was not named.

Boxoffice of May 29, 1937, reported that Southwestern Theatre Equipment Company had sold a motor to the Rio Theatre at Rockport. The August 7 issue said that the Dallas branch of National Theatre Supply had recently sold the Rio complete projection equipment.

In 1930 a theater at Rockport, Texas, was being operated by W.H. Smith. Motion Picture Times of March 18 that year reported that Smith had renamed his theater the Peoples. The previous name was not mentioned. I’ve found no mentions of theaters in Rockport between then and 1937.

Interestingly, Rockport, Indiana, also had a theater called the Rio, previously called the Alhambra, operating from 1939 until at least 1961. Its frequent appearance in Boxoffice made researching the Texas Rio rather frustrating.

Open the following link to discover more about downtown Rockport Texas, visit: RockportFulton.com

-Aransas County History -Downtown Rockport theater –The Rio Theater of Downtown Rockport

#historicsites #historicalrecords #RockportTexas #AransasCounty #DowntonRockport #experiencedowntownRockport

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