The Port Isabel Lighthouse

TX 100 & Maxan St.

 

 

Before the Port Isabel lighthouse was built, people would build bonfires on the beach to guide the boats through the Brazos Santiago Pass and into Port Isabel.  In 1844, Port Isabel was declared a port of entry.  As shipping became more important, there was a need for a navigational beacon.  On September 28, 1850 Congress appropriated $15,000 for the lighthouse.  It was built of brick, which came by steamer from New Orleans.   It was built on land at the Fort Polk site. The lighthouse was completed in 1852.  It stood 50 feet tall and 83 feet above sea  level.  The keeper’s cottage was built in 1855.  

    The Port Isabel Lighthouse played a very important role in the Civil War.  Both Union and Confederate forces used the lighthouse.  In 1963 General N.P. Banks landed Union troops on Brazos Island.  The Confederates used the lighthouse to spy on the Union troops.  In 1964, there was a small battle fought between the Union and Confederate soldiers at the docks by the lighthouse.  Confederate John “Rip” Ford removed the light from the lighthouse so the Yankees couldn’t use it.  Some reports say they threw the light in the bay, but others say they just hid the light.  Before the Confederate forces left Port Isabel, they attempted to blow up the lighthouse.  However they only caused minimal damage to the top.  The light was extinguished for the remainder of the war.  

    After the Civil War, the lighthouse was refitted and was relit on February 22,1866.
Then in 1888, it was discontinued because the U.S. government did not have title to the property.  In 1894, they condemned the land in order to obtain title.  On July 15, 1895, the lighthouse was returned to service, and used for the next ten years.  It was extinguished again in 1905.  On September20, 1927, the government sold the land to a local citizen.

    In the 1940s there was a movement started to save the lighthouse.  The Texas State Park Board accepted the lighthouse and surrounding land from Mr. and Mrs. Lon C. Hill, Jr.  Restoration was started in 1951, and it reopened in 1952.  It was declared a State Historic Site on April 30, 1976.  The keeper’s cottage was rebuilt in 1996, at a cost of $320,000.

    Today the lighthouse is owned by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and is operated by the city of Port Isabel.  It sits in the smallest state park in Texas, about one acre in size.   It is the only lighthouse in Texas that is open to the public.  After climbing  26  steps outside and 74 steps inside, you reach the glassed in  lookout and have an excellent view of the surrounding area.  On a clear day you can see up to twelve miles away. The lighthouse is the most popular tourist site in the Rio Grande Valley.