Jackson Family Maritime Companies

The Jacksons' trade grew with the bay's. Commercial fishing was flourishing around Rockport by the early 1890s and over the following decades came to outstrip agriculture in net receipts. Shrimping developed in the late 1920s and 1930s, became a boon in the 1940s, slowed late in that decade and recovered in the 1950s; by 1950 the county's shrimpers produced fifty-one million pounds. In 1935 the Aransas County Navigation District built harbors at Rockport and Fulton. The 1919 hurricane and the loss of shipping to Corpus Christi had held the county to modest growth for decades.

What the plaque says

Jackson Family Maritime Companies In the early 20th century, Rockport earned its place as a major center for the fishing industry along the Texas coast. In 1906, Roy Jackson opened Jackson Fish Company on the waterfront. His brother Stephen joined him to market local fish and oysters. By 1935 the company continued to expand and even became involved in creating docks and channels as motorized vessels came into use. Stephen's sons, Norvell and Jim, eventually took over the business when he retired in the 1950s. Through the decades after Jim's death in 1970, Jackson Marine Services, Inc., as it eventually came to be known, would make use of trawlers across the other coasts of the country. High fuel costs and increased foreign competition drove the Jacksons to sell their waterfront property in 1990 and then their boats in 1991. A successful and prominent business in the town, the Jacksons left a legacy of being involved and beneficial to the community. The company provided employment for over 100 families at its peak. Local fishers could receive repair or supply services through the company and were also provided a market for their catches. When hurricanes devastated the town, the Jacksons provided large amounts of ice to the public despite usually relying on selling ice for some of its business. The Jackson family for generations served major roles in industry organizations, local politics and community affairs. For 85 years, the Jackson family companies helped to promote the fishing industry which has been so vital to the local economy. (2015)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• First National Bank of Rockport — steps away
• San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad in Rockport, The — steps away
• Rockport Marine Laboratory — steps away
• Aransas County — steps away