San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad in Rockport, The

The railroad came with a land company behind it. In 1888 the Aransas Pass Land Company bought all the unsold land in the Smith and Wood subdivision and set out a plan to develop Rockport and the country around it. Settlers from the Old South and from Europe followed; the county's population rose from 996 in 1880 to 1,824 in 1890, and a courthouse designed by J. Riely Gordon went up in 1889. A deep channel was still missing, and a later Philadelphia firm's project left vessels able to cross only at high tide.

What the plaque says

San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad in Rockport, The During its early years Rockport relied on Gulf shipping for goods and services. After the arrival of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad in 1888, however, the town's economic focus changed to include rail shipping and a burgeoning tourism industry. The town's population grew from 600 in 1888 to 2,500 by 1890. Businesses and hotels were built to serve the new tourism trade, and four trains arrived at the Rockport Depot daily. By the 1940s passenger rail service to Rockport ended. Freight service continued until 1985, when highway trucking replaced railroad service. (1994)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Jackson Family Maritime Companies — steps away
• Aransas County — steps away
• Rockport Marine Laboratory — 0.2 mi
• First National Bank of Rockport — 0.3 mi