THIS PLACE MATTERS
by Pam Greene
May 26, 2009

Port Aransas Museum matters. Saved from the wrecking ball, this early 1900s “kit house” has become the crown jewel of “old town” in Port Aransas, Texas. It has survived major hurricanes, been home to famous families and housed the U.S. Coast Guard Station from 1919 to 1925.

The Port Aransas Preservation and Historical Association saved the house, moved it to the main thoroughfare on Alister Street and opened it as a museum on December 10, 2008. The depository of more than 160 years of Port Aransas history is poised to celebrate Preservation Month.

Friends jumped the gun on April 23, celebrating a “first birthday anniversary” of the move next to the historic Community Center.

A more formal coming out was held on May 19 by hosting Port Aransas Tropical Trails Partners monthly meeting. A record crowd of 60 guests toured the museum with Director Rick Pratt and board members. A presentation was given by historian Dr. John Guthrie Ford on construction of the Aransas Pass jetties, which opened the gateway to the development of Corpus Christi as a major gulf port. Ford is an author and Nueces County Historical Commission member. PAPHA board member Mark Creighton showed a PowerPoint photo display from the museum’s archive of 6,500 digitalized pictures. Creighton has been accumulating photos and more for the last 25 years. Dr. John Fucik spoke about the biological plants of the area and their importance to early settlers. Dr. Ford followed up with a presentation on the impact and participation of the community in wars from the early 19^th century War of the Republic through World War II.

After lunch, the group took a bus tour of the old town narrated by Manny Mathews and Marcy Mathews Ward Thomas who grew up in the community. The end of the full day culminated with the Tropical Trails monthly business meeting and both guests and hosts departed for their separate homes satisfied with a day well spent.

Hard work brought this building from the brink of destruction to the peak of approval as the pride of the community who thought their history had blown away.

http://www.preservationnation.org/take-action/this-place-matters/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/preservationnation/3567037076

WHAT'S NEW

Lots new to see and do on the Gulf Coast

By TRACY L. BARNETT
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle

March 5, 2009, 11:32AM

Port Aransas Museum: This new museum gives new life to a turn-of-the-century “kit house,” the type that you could order out of a Sears catalog and assemble yourself. This one was home to several families and survived the 1919 hurricane before becoming a Coast Guard outpost and then a family home again. The home was abandoned and listed as one of the state’s most endangered places by Preservation Texas in 2007 when a developer bought it and slated it for demolition. Local residents rallied to save it, move it to its current location and turn it into a museum showcasing local history.

Ring it, now!

Bell from train that carried granite to build south jetty 100 years ago on display at Port Aransas Museum

BY DAN PARKER SOUTH JETTY REPORTER

March 19, 2009

One hundred years ago, Mustang Island residents could hear a train engine's bell clang as the locomotive chugged along the island's northern shore, delivering the thousands of granite rocks that would become the south jetty.

Today, Port Aransans can hear the same bell clang again.

The bell that rode atop the south jetty train engine went on display at the museum on Thursday, March 12. It is on loan by the Melvin and DeLana Littleton family.

Museum director Rick Pratt said he was ecstatic to get the bronze bell, which weighs more than 200 pounds and required three men to lug into the museum.

"Construction of the jetty made us what we are, and this (bell) is a part of the construction of the jetty," Pratt said. "This was part of the beginning of Port Aransas.

"This is a really significant artifact in the history of this town. And besides, it's just cool as all get-out," Pratt said, lightly banging his fist against the bell, sending a soft gonging sound through the museum. "I love bells."

Pratt said he isn't sure yet exactly how old the bell is, but he knows it dates back at least to 1908, because the museum has a photo of the train as it stood on the south jetty that year. The bell is visible on the train engine.

In those days, the train moved constantly up and down the south jetty, hauling thousands of tons of granite rocks, while the jetty was first built. The construction lasted from1908 to 1910.

The train engine ended up on the bottom of the ship channel, probably in 1910, but exactly how it got there isn't clear, Pratt said. One story has it that a storm drove it into the drink, he said. According to another story, the engine fell into the water while being hoisted by a crane, he said.

It's unknown whether the bell was retrieved before or after the engine went to its watery grave. Lifelong Port Aransas resident Melvin Littleton, 65, said he has had the bell since he was 15 or 20 years old, when his father gave it to him. He said he doesn't know where his father got it.

The bell will figure prominently in an exhibit on the channels and jetties of Port Aransas, Pratt said. He estimated that the exhibit will open in about three months. But the bell is on display now. Visitors are invited to come ring it.

Port Aransas Museum: A jewel in our crown
Mary Henkel Judson, Editor

Port Aransas South Jetty
December 18, 2008

When Port Aransas held its first visioning session in January 1998, one consensus reached was a vision of Port Aransas as a "walking town."

Perhaps not so much by design, and maybe not even because of that first visioning process, but Port Aransas is becoming just that.

One of the delightful aspects of that evolution is that the center of the walking area is Old Town - the area of town that is the focus of preservation efforts.

Serving as a "town square" of sorts is the Port Aransas Museum, which shares a city block with the Community Center that is undergoing a transformation itself.

I'll admit I was skeptical of how those two buildings would look together. I feared the Mercer house (which houses the museum) would dominate, and the then-nondescript Community Center would wilt in its shadow.

However, the architectural enhancements to the Community Center, the spiffing up of the Mercer house and the landscaping, complete with gas lamps, have transformed that block into a warm, welcoming center of activity. If the Community Center was booked before the renovation, I can just imagine what the bookings will be like now.

The buildings are central to a charming mix of restaurants, retail and public spaces along Alister Street from the waterfront to Avenue A, and along Beach Street.

Foot traffic in that area has been on the increase in recent years. Pedestrians were all over the place last January for the Dine Around and in October for the Port A Art About art walk. With our new "town square," I predict a significant increase in foot traffic.

That cries out for a sidewalk if not on both sides of Beach Street, at least on one.

Beach Street is scheduled to be rebuilt, and will include a hike-and-bike trail that will, I assume, also serve as a sidewalk of sorts. Construction on that is expected to start this winter.

Meanwhile, the individuals who are trustees of the Port Aransas Preservation and Historical Association (PAPHA), who have raised the majority of funds for the moving and renovation of the Mercer house, deserve a deep bow and much appreciation. PAPHA members also deserve appreciation for the work they have put into the museum. It is a treasure!

The members of the Port Aransas Garden Club, whose hard work and hard-earned money have transformed the grounds into a thing of beauty, are also due commendation. Not only have the members toiled to install the new landscaping, they are going to work with the city to maintain the grounds.

In addition, many volunteers who are not members of either the garden club or preservation association have contributed in terms of time, talent or financial assistance, and for all of them, we express our sincere appreciation.

Bottom line: Port Aransas has added another jewel to its crown -- the Port Aransas Museum - and it is dazzling!

THIS PLACE MATTERS by Pam Greene May 26, 2009