History
Duncan Cemetery
Also known as Flour Bluff Cemetery, this burial ground has always been open to the public. It was established in 1908 as part of a land purchase made by Edward Sidnery Duncan (1868-1940) and Minerva Ellen Duncan (1877-1921). Earlier burials may exist here, but records show that the oldest documented grave is that of Mrs. N.F. Stigner.
History
Early History of Port of Corpus Christi
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 here about 1838.
History
Elihu Harrison Ropes
Speculator and developer Elihu Harrison Ropes (1845-1898) had been a publisher, realtor, and insurance agent in New Jersey before coming to Texas on a vacation during the late 1880s. A venture along the Gulf Coast resulted in his plan to develop a deepwater port for Corpus Christi in order to promote industrial development and thus stimulate the town's growth and economy.
History
Felix von Blucher
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 in engineering, languages, and law, he served as an interpreter and surveyor. In 1847 he assisted the colony leader, John O.
Architecture
First Presbyterian Church of Corpus Christi
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 until May 1868 due to a yellow fever epidemic in the city. By the turn of the century the congregation needed a larger building.
History
Flour Bluff
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 Christi Bay led to the revival of smuggling in this area.
Civic & Local
Flour Bluff Independent School District
The oil and gas industries merged with ranching and the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi to create a need for a new school. The first building was opened in 1892 in Brighton, which later became Flour Bluff. After the 1916 hurricane destroyed part of the building, the school district decided to use student labor to rebuild the school farther inland.
History
Fort Lipantitlan
In 1728 a Spanish fort was built at this site near a Lipan Apache village with the Aztec name "Lipantitlan." The post was later abandoned, and the village was deserted after many Indians died with the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition at the Battle of Medina, Aug. 18, 1813.
Architecture
French-Galvan House
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, was a surveyor and civil engineer. He settled in Corpus Christi in 1882 after working on the construction of the Texas-Mexican railroad and became an active civic leader.
History
Galvan Ballroom
The Galvan Ballroom was established near downtown Corpus Christi in 1950. Rafael Galvan hired Corpus Christi architect Everett E. Hamon to design the streamline moderne building. Galvan was a prominent citizen of Corpus Christi. He was the city's first Hispanic police officer, as well as a businessman, fisherman, and real estate agent.
History
General W.W. Sterling
(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 1914-1917 border troubles; served in two World Wars; a colonel in World War II. Adjutant General of Texas, 1931-1933, he enforced the law, achieved order, invoked equal justice for all.
History
George H. Paul Building Site
Robstown began in 1903 at the merger point of the Texas-Mexican and the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railroads. The town grew rapidly after the arrival of land developer George H. Paul. He organized the George H. Paul Land Co., acquired about 300,000 acres of land from nearby ranches, and subdivided the property into cotton farms.
Military
George Owens
After the War Department issued General Order 329 in October 1863, African Americans had the opportunity to fight in the Union Army. George Owens, born enslaved in 1843 in Kentucky, took this opportunity. Owens enlisted in the Union Army on June 28, 1864, most likely after his owner freed him. From 1864 to 1866, George Owens served in Company F of the 116th Colored Infantry.
Civic & Local
Gold Star Court of Honor
The Corpus Christi Gold Star Court of Honor pays tribute to the mothers of the servicemen of Nueces County killed during World War I (1914-1918). Incorporated into the existing Spohn Park, part of the Broadway Bluff improvements completed in 1916, this court was the first of its kind in the state when dedicated on March 22, 1931.
Architecture
Grande-Grossman House
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 demolition. Benito Grande moved to Corpus Christi with his parents in the late 1860's.
History
Guaranty Title Company
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 Henry B. Baldwin, who founded the Texas Land and Cattle Co. in 1904.
History
Hebrew Rest Cemetery
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 Jewish cemetery, located at Gonzales (140 miles north). This land was deeded by Captain Richard King, founder of the noted King Ranch.
History
Henry Lawrence Kinney
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 made his way to this part of Texas in 1838.
History
Hotel Brendle
The community of Robstown developed around the traffic generated by the junction of the Texas-Mexican and the St. Louis, Brownsville, & Mexico railroads. In 1914 C.C. Brendle and V.V. Elick purchased land at this site for the purpose of constructing a hotel as close as possible to the railroad station.
Architecture
Jalufka-Govatos House
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 prominent south Texas cotton grower and owned a local cotton gin. Jalufka and his wife, Helen J., had this home built about 1905.
History
John Dix
Born in Littleton, Massachusetts, in 1796, John Dix played a significant role in American and state history. As a teenager, he served aboard a privateer during the War of 1812. He was engaged in capturing the English brig Don Cossack, which had left a California port. He soon became a sea captain and was shipwrecked on the island of New Zealand.
History
John Dunn, Jr. Homesite
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 section of his landholdings was inherited by his youngest son, John Dunn, Jr. (1853-1941). Dunn, Jr., began working as a young boy herding sheep for his father.
History
Jovita Gonzalez de Mireles
Mexican American folklorist, writer, teacher, speaker, and cultural historian, Jovita Gonzales de Mireles, was born in Roma, Texas, near the Texas-Mexico Border as a fifth-generation descendant of a land-grant family, she was born and raised on her grandparents' rancho, Las Viboras, where she heard stories and legends from the people who lived and worked there.
Architecture
Julius Lichtenstein House
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 the store that in time became the noted M. Lichtenstein and Sons, a prestigious business relied upon in South Texas.
History
Karankawa People
The Karankawas and their ancestors had been occupying the Texas gulf coast for thousands of years when Europeans first arrived in the 16th century. Spanish colonizers documented five major clans, including the Copanos, Coapites, Cujanes, Carancahuas, and Cocos.
Elsewhere in Texas
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