Rockport Shipyards
Shipbuilding was a natural industry for Rockport. The earliest recorded ship built here was the Cannie, in 1880 by Bludworth & Company. In 1917, World War I prompted construction of a large shipya ...
Sorenson-Stair Building
Simon Sorenson, a native of Denmark, bought Brunner’s Mercantile at this site in 1886 The building was originally two stories, rebuilt after an 1895 fire. The Sorenson’s received weather reports by te ...
Rockport’s Grand Hotels
Before the arrival of the railroad in 1888, hotels in Rockport generally served clientele of the several local packeries. The Congdon Hotel was the leading hostelry of early Rockport and once served a ...
Site of Aransas Hotel in Rockport
Built in 1889 by civic leader and politician John H. Traylor, the Aransas Hotel covered this city block. The three-story structure, a major tourist attraction in Rockport, had about 100 rooms and a ma ...
Rockport Wharves and Pavillions
Since 1866, wharves and piers have been a part of Rockport’s shores. The first wharf was at Rocky Point, constructed to ship cattle. Other wharves handled commercial shipping and passenger traffic. So ...
The Packeries of Rockport
In 1866, James Doughty, T.H. Mathis, and John M. Mathis constructed cattle pens, with a long wharf that extended out into Aransas Bay from “Rocky Point” (the landmark from which Rockport gets its name ...