Historical Markers in Corpus Christi, Texas

Nueces County · 1936

Created April 18, 1846, Organized July 13, 1846 Named for the river which, in 1689, Alonso de Leon called the Nueces because of the many Pecan trees on its banks. Corpus Christi county seat

Boby's Residence (PL65 - now Merriman House) · 1962

Corpus Christi, 1861-1865 · 1963

Near here on August 16 and 18, 1862, three Confederate artillery pieces held off four attacking Federal ships during the Civil War bombardment of Corpus Christi. The blockading squadron of Lieutenant J.W. Kittredge,…

Centennial House · 1966

Forbes Britton (1812-1861), a Virginian and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, came to Corpus Christi as an army captain in Mexican War, 1846. He returned as a civilian, and with his wife Rebecca (Millard) had this…

Old Bayview Cemetery · 1967

The oldest federal military cemetery in Texas, Old Bayview was laid out by U.S. Army engineers while Brig. Gen. Zachary Taylor was encamped in Corpus Christi on the eve of the Mexican War. On Sept. 13, 1845, the steamer…

General W.W. Sterling · 1969

(April 27, 1891-April 26, 1960) Officer who rose from ranger to adjutant general. Ranching, law enforcement were his life's work. Six feet, four inches tall, he was expert shot and horseman. Scout for U.S. Army in…

Cattle Drives from South Texas · 1973

By 1840, tens of thousands of wild cattle roamed this vast south Texas region between the Rio Grande and the Gulf of Mexico. The longhorns were almost worthless to Texans, so in 1842, extended cattle drives began with…

Lone Star Fair · 1973

Henry L. Kinney (b. 1814), founder of Corpus Christi, began by October 1851 to organize the Lone Star Fair to boost local economy. The fair was publicized to attract new settlers to the area, but was a thinly-veiled…

Nuecestown (4 Miles North) · 1973

Henry L. Kinney (b. 1914), who founded Corpus Christi, established Nuecestown in 1852 at the location of the first ferry crossing on the Nueces River west of Corpus Christi. He sent agents to Europe, primarily England…

Pat Dunn Ranch · 1973

Patrick Francis Dunn, the son of Irish immigrants Thomas and Catherine H. Dunn, was born October 10, 1858, in Corpus Christi. He married Clara J. Jones August 30, 1883. In December 1883, Pat Dunn entered a partnership…

Site of Kinney's Trading Post · 1973

Henry L. Kinney, born in Pennsylvania in June 1814, came to this area about 1858 and established a fort-like trading post (across Broadway). The building, enclosed by a stockade, contained his home, store, and quarters…

Site of the Corpus Christi Lighthouse · 1973

In the late 1850s, Col. John M. Moore began dredging operations in the bay to create a large harbor for Corpus Christi. The U.S. Lighthouse Service purchased this site from J. Burnside and Co. on March 13, 1857, and…

Nueces County · 1975

Named for Rio Nueces (River of Nuts), its northern border. In 1519 Pineda, one of the first Spanish explorers, paused briefly in this area. Spain founded Fort Lipantitlan nearby in 1531. Post, named for an Indian…

Artesian Park and Sulphur Well · 1976

After a convention of Republic of Texas citizens accepted terms on July 4, 1845, for annexation to the United States, General Zachary Taylor brought 4,000 men of the U.S. 3rd infantry to Corpus Christi to defend the…

Flour Bluff · 1976

In the spring of 1838 France blockaded the coast of Mexico during the Pastry War, so-called because of the mistreatment of french citizens, including pastry chefs, living in Mexico. The strategic location of Corpus…

Julius Lichtenstein House · 1976

This was a merchant's residence of the early 1900s. Born in Indianola, Julius Lichtenstein (1871-1923) was three when his family moved to Corpus Christi and opened a drygoods store in 1874. From childhood, he worked in…

Karankawa Indians · 1976

Among the first Indians encountered in Texas by 16th and 17th century European explorers were the nomadic Karankawas, who lived along the coast from Galveston Bay to the Corpus Christi area. A primitive tribe, the…

Nueces County Courthouse of 1914 · 1976

In 1853 lawlessness in Nueces County, which covered most of the area from Corpus Christi to the Mexican border, prompted the construction of the first county courthouse on this block. Three lots were purchased for $300…

Old St. Patrick's Church · 1976

St. Patrick's parish included only 19 families when the Rev. Bernard O'Reilly (1821-75) became first resident pastor in 1853. He supervised construction of Corpus Christi's first Catholic Church. The adobe building…

Sidbury House · 1976

Charlotte Scott (Mrs. Edward D.) Sidbury (1830-1904), the builder of this house, was born in north Carolina and came with her parents to sterling Robertson's colony before the Texas Revolution (1836). She married John…

Simon Gugenheim House · 1976

This structure was built at 1101 North Chaparral for Simon and Lila Belle (Soloman) Gugenheim. Simon Gugenheim (1861-1942) was a native Texan who came to Corpus Christi in 1882 with forty dollars in his pocket and…

Site of Old Salt Mill · 1976

One of the earliest industries in Corpus Christi was a mill erected at this site by Captain John Anderson (1813-1898), a Swedish-born seafarer who brought his family to Texas in 1852. Anderson built a house here in the…

Arthur Edward Spohn, M.D. and Spohn Hospital · 1977

One of three brothers who became doctors, A.E. Spohn (1845-1913) was born in Canada and studied medicine in Michigan and New York. He came to the Texas Gulf Coast in 1868 as a U.S. surgeon in charge of military…

Early History of Port of Corpus Christi · 1977

Protected by offshore islands, the shallow waters of Corpus Christi Bay were a haven for smugglers before the Texas Revolution (1836). Commercial activity began when Henry L. Kinney (1814-1860) opened a trading post…

Sisters of the Incarnate Word · 1978

In 1871 the Brownsville congregation of the Incarnate Word, at the request of Bishop Claude Dubuis, sent four sisters to Corpus Christi. They moved into a run-down adobe building at Leopard and Carancahua Street. H.L.…

Solomon Coles (1844-1924) and Solomon Coles School · 1978

A former slave, Solomon Melvin Coles was born in Petersburg, Virginia. Before the Civil War, a sheriff disobeyed the law by teaching Coles to read. He worked his way through college beginning at Guilford Institute,…

Padre Island and Padre Nicolas Balli · 1979

First called Corpus Christi Island or Isla Santiago, Padre Island was named for Padre Jose Nicolas Balli (177?-1829). His family migrated from Spain in 1569 and became large landowners in the lower Rio Grande Valley,…

Felix von Blucher · 1980

German native Anton Felix Hans Hellmuth von Blucher (1819-1879) came to the United States in 1844, arriving in New Orleans. The following year he moved to Texas and joined the German settlers at New Braunfels. Trained…

Nuecestown Cemetery · 1980

This burial ground served the original residents of the Nuecestown community. The settlement was established in 1852 by Col. Henry Lawrence Kinney (b. 1814) who owned a trading post at Corpus Christi, 13.5 miles…

Sidbury-Savage House · 1980

Edward D. Sidbury (1838-1881), a native of North Carolina, migrated to Corpus Christi in 1867. Soon after his arrival, he opened a lumber business. He later built a commercial wharf at the end of coopers alley, served…

Hebrew Rest Cemetery · 1981

This burial ground was established in 1875 to serve the pioneer jewish settlers of Corpus Christi, 55 years before the formal organization of a Jewish congregation in the area. Earlier burials had been in the nearest…

LULAC · 1981

One of the most influential American political groups of the twentieth century, the League of United Latin American Citizens was founded in Corpus Christi. The formation of LULAC resulted from the merger of three…

Calallen · 1982

The rural Nueces County settlement of Calallen was established by the Calvin Townsite Company on August 18, 1910. The president of the firm was the prominent local cattlemen Calvin J. Allen (1859-1922), for whom the…

First Baptist Church of Corpus Christi · 1982

On August 17, 1878, a group of local residents met in the home of S.T. Foster at 702 Antelope Street to organize the First Baptist Church of Corpus Christi. Under the leadership of the Rev. J.W.D. Creath, a noted…

First Methodist Church of Corpus Christi · 1982

The Rev. John Haynie conducted Methodist worship services at Corpus Christi in 1846 as federal troops gathered in preparation for what would become the Mexican war. It was not until 1853, however, that a Methodist…

Guaranty Title Company · 1983

The division of large area ranches in the early 1900s resulted in the need for clear titles of land, much of which dated from Spanish grants. One of the first individuals to start an abstract firm in Southwest Texas was…

Nuecestown Schoolhouse · 1983

Colonel Henry Lawrence Kinney established a trading post in the area now known as Corpus Christi in 1839. In 1850 he planned a settlement, which came to be called Nuecestown, approximately twelve miles up the Nueces…

Site of the Nueces Hotel · 1983

As railroad lines made travel easier for the people of the state, a group of South Texas businessmen developed plans to attract vacationers to Corpus Christi. The construction of the Nueces Hotel in 1912-1913 was part…

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times · 1983

The first issue of the Corpus Christi "Caller" was published on January 21, 1883. It was established by Eli Merriman, owner of the Corpus Christi "Free Press", Ed Williams, co-owner of the "Semi-Weekly Ledger", and W.P.…

Thomas S. Parker · 1983

Born in Philadelphia in 1817, Thomas S. Parker came to Texas at the age of twenty. In 1839 he and his parents William W. and Hannah Parker were awarded large land grants in the vicinity of present-day Corpus Christi;…

Alta Vista Hotel, Site of · 1985

Colonel Elihu Harrison Ropes (1845-1898) came to Corpus Christi in 1888 with grand ideas for the town's development and promotion. With financial backing from eastern investors, he sought to make Corpus Christi a…

Captain Enrique Villarreal and Rincon del Oso Land Grant · 1985

A soldier, colonist, Indian fighter, and explorer, Captain Enrique Villarreal at one time held title to most of the land that now constitutes Nueces County. The Rincon del Oso land grant, encompassing approximately…

Church of the Good Shepherd Episcopal · 1985

The earliest recorded visit of an Episcopal priest to Corpus Christi was that of the Rev. Lucius H. Jones in 1857. Three years later, a congregation was formally organized on the second floor of the Nueces County…

Grande-Grossman House · 1985

This structure was built in 1904 as a residence for the family of Benito Grande (1865-1926). Originally located at 709 Artesian Street (approximately 1 mile southwest), it was moved here in 1982 to preserve it from…

Henry Lawrence Kinney · 1985

Known as the founder of Corpus Christi, Pennsylvania native Henry Lawrence Kinney (1814-1861) was trained to become a merchant by his father, Simon Kinney. He helped lay out the town of Peru, Illinois, and eventually…

John Dunn, Jr. Homesite · 1985

John Dunn, Sr., (1803-1889) immigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1851. He began acquiring large amounts of property in Nueces County, including this site which he purchased in 1868 from Jonas Pickles. This…

Matthew Dunn · 1985

A native of Ireland, Matthew Dunn was the first of five brothers to immigrate to the United States and settle in Corpus Christi. Their descendants have served prominently as active business and civic leaders throughout…

Sunshine Cemetery · 1985

From the late 1800's until the early 1940's, the Sunshine Community encompasses this part of what is now Corpus Christi. The small farming and ranching settlement, also known as encinal, boasted a school, union church,…

Broadway Bluff Improvement · 1986

This 40-foot bluff became a distinctive border between uptown and downtown as Corpus Christi experienced rapid growth after 1900. With the encouragement of Mayor Roy Miller, New York engineer Alexander Potter began…

French-Galvan House · 1986

Originally located at the corner of Waco and Comanche Streets, this colonial revival home was built in 1907-08 for the family of Asa Milton and Frances Garrett French. A.M. French (1850-1936), a native of New Hampshire,…

Wynn Seale Junior High School · 1986

This property was outside the city limits in 1934 when acquired by the Corpus Christi Independent School District for a new junior high. The school board voted to name the planned facility for Edmund Wynn Seale (c.…

Nuecestown Raid · 1988

During the reconstruction era in Texas, tensions mounted between Anglo settlers and Mexicans in the Nueces River area. On March 26, 1875, a band of raiders attacked a farm near Nuecestown, stealing livestock and taking…

First Presbyterian Church of Corpus Christi · 1989

Formally organized on May 12, 1867, under the leadership of the Rev. William Mitchell, this congregation began with seven charter members. Construction of a sanctuary was begun immediately, but it was not completed…

Theodore Merchant Lawrence (January 16, 1861-August 10, 1941) · 1989

A grandson of one of the city's first physicians, Dr. David Henry Lawrence, Theodore Merchant "Buddy" Lawrence was born in Corpus Christi. He left home at an early age and found employment on the King Ranch, where he…

Jalufka-Govatos House · 1990

A first generation Texan, James Jalufka (1879-1969) was born in Lavaca County, the son of Moravian (Czech) immigrants. A veteran of the Spanish-American War, he also served as a soldier in World War I. He was a…

McCampell House · 1990

Mary Alice Ward McCampbell, widow of William Berry McCampbell, purchased land at 1421 Water Street in the old Irishtown section of Corpus Christi in 1908. Soon thereafter she hired local architect and builder William F.…

Corpus Christi Cathedral · 1991

The Corpus Christi Cathedral is the second structure to serve as cathedral for the Diocese of Corpus Christi. It replaced Saint Patrick's, the church which had become the cathedral when the city was elevated to Diocesan…

Kelsey Memorial Methodist Church (Iglesia Metodista Kelsey Memorial) · 1994

This church was established in 1872 by Bishop John C. Keener. The Rev. Alejo Hernandez served as the first pastor. The church prospered then faltered during the Mexican revolution and depression but survived to become…

St. John Baptist Church · 1996

Survivors of an 1875 hurricane that hit the coastal town of Indianola moved to Corpus Christi and organized a baptist church for African Americans. Named St. John Free Mission Baptist Church, the congregation met in a…

Explosion of the Steamship Dayton · 1997

Shortly after the people of Texas voted to approve annexation to the U.S. in June 1845, the U.S. entered a boundary dispute between Texas and Mexico. President James K. Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to position…