- RockportFulton
- Feb 19, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 22, 2022
Drone Photography of Key Allegro Island February 2021
Key Allegro Island is located in the beautiful city of Rockport, Texas, and is one of Aransas Counties most beautiful Canal front communities. The island was formerly known as Frandolig Point or "Nine Mile Point"
Frandolig Point was a triangular peninsula nine miles south of the northernmost part of Live Oak Peninsula that in 1962 became known as Key Allegro.
The Frandolig name came from the family who lived there from the 1870s through the early 1900s. Franz Joseph Frandolig (1816 – 1907) was born in Austro-Hungary at a time when nationalism was on the rise in Europe. When he was nineteen, he left Europe probably to avoid military service or to seek a better life in Texas. Hannah Sara Schwander was born in Switzerland in 1836. She entered the U.S. at New Orleans after a journey from Le Havre, France in 1852. Hannah and Franz married in 1854 in Victoria County.
Frandolig was known as a horse wrangler. He broke and sold horses to General Zachary Taylor for the Mexican War (1845-48). Records show that Franz claimed 160 acres on Papalote Creek in Bee County (1858-1868). He delivered cotton to Mexico during the Civil War and served in the military under General Bee in 1861.
Later he delivered cattle to the Cushman packery that was located on what became Frandolig Point/Key Allegro. When Cushman vacated the property in 1870s, Frandolig moved his family to that location. With his family, he ran a farm, salt works and boat yard. They had an extensive fig orchard as well as a vineyard from which they sold wine by the barrel. In 1903 Franz Frandolig sold the property and moved to Port Aransas where his wife died in April of that year. Franz died in 1907 at Tarpon (now Port Aransas). They had nine children. Descendants of the Frandoligs remain in the area.
Frandolig Island, or “happy isle”, was purchased in the 1870s. Frandolig sold the island in 1900 for $3,500. The island became a marshy overgrown natural habitat and was named “Nine Mile Point”.
As early as 1954, the Aransas County Navigation District had developed a long-range plan, which included Frandolig Island. A bond issue of $415,000 was passed by voters so that Fulton Harbor could be completed, improvements could be made to Rockport Harbor, an industrial harbor at the Cove south of Rockport (which became Cove Harbor) could be developed and facilities in the Little Bay area and on Frandolig Island could be addressed.
In 1955, the ACND considered leasing Frandolig Island to develop the island into a “family type resort” at the cost of approximately $5 million. This initial $5 million cost would be in addition to the leasing costs. At this time, Frandolig Island was the only natural sandy beach in this area. Future planned amenities included a dock for charter and pleasure boats, a golf course, skeet range, teenage yacht club, saltwater pool, and babysitters so that “vacation is painless”, Dad could fish; mom could rest; kids could be entertained.
In this plan, the Navigation District required that there be free public access to and use of the beaches along the island, retention by the District of a portion of the island frontage along Little Bay, work to begin within one year and completed within three years with a minimum expenditure of $3 million to develop a high type of recreation resort that would appeal to many groups. A docking facility for pleasure boats was also to be available.
By June 9, 1956, progress was being noted; dredging of Rockport Harbor had begun, a plan for Cove Harbor was being developed based on the terrain and Frandolig island was purchased by the ACND to protect their investment and prevent the island from falling into “other hands”. Frandolig island was to provide a fourth harbor costing the district nothing due to the planned leases being funded.
As we know now, this plan failed to be implemented, but another concept was on the horizon.
Today Key Allegro Island is a exclusive Texas paradise featuring some of the best homes in the area. The Island has both full time residents as well as fulltime vacation rental homes. The canals feature a deep water depth for larger boats and quick access to both little bay and Aransas Bay.
The Island featured a fully equipped Marina area as well as an aquatic center that was destroyed during Hurricane Harvey as well as a Bar and water side restaurant. Plans are currently in the works to rebuild the Marina, and Restaurant.
Damaged Key Allegro Marina
4th of July boat party off Key Allegro Island sandbar in Little Bay
If you would like to learn more about Key Allegro’s history please read our informative history page at History of Aransas County | Rockport Texas (rockportfulton.com)
or visit the History Center for Aransas County at the link below.
The History Center for Aransas County features local archives of the area.
You can also visit the Key Allegro Home Owners Association for more information if you would like to relocate or vacation.
Key Allegro Island Community Information Center
You can also visit the Key Allegro Real-Estate Company's website for more information on the Islands History.
If you would like to learn more about Rockport Fulton and the Aransas County area be sure to like our page on Facebook at Facebook.com/RockportFulton or visit our front page at RockportFulton.com.
find out more about Key Allegro Island, please check out: RockportFulton.com
