Rockport

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. The town of Rockport, out there on the Aransas County coast, got its start in 1867, and it took a couple of cattlemen to do it. J.

M. and T. H. Mathis were their names, and they founded the place, full stop.

Now, those two came from cattle country, sure enough, but the town they planted would end up living and breathing by the water. Shipping and fishing, that was the lifeblood of Rockport in its early years. Before the roads, before the rails, the water was the highway, and Rockport knew how to use it.

Originally the town sat within Refugio County, but things shifted in 1871 when Aransas County was newly formed, and Rockport found itself wearing a new hat as the county seat. That's a real step up in the world. Then came 1888, and with that year came the railroad.

Now, you might think the iron horse would be good news all around, and in some ways it was, but for the shipping industry, the railroad was a quieter kind of ending. Trade that once moved by water started rolling on steel instead, and the old shipping trade felt that decline. Still, Rockport didn't give up on the sea entirely.

When the world went to war, not once but twice, during World War I and again during World War II, shipyards in Rockport were back in operation. The water had a way of calling this town back. And through all of it, recreation and tourism kept weaving themselves into the story.

Rockport built a name as a popular recreation center over the years, and by the time this marker was recorded in 1988, tourism was still holding its own as a pillar of the local economy. A town founded by cattlemen, sustained by fishermen and shippers, tested by two world wars, and still drawing folks to its shores. Rockport has always had a way of landing on its feet.

What the marker says

The town of Rockport was founded by cattlemen J. M. and T. H. Mathis in 1867. Originally a part of Refugio County, it became county seat of newly formed Aransas County in 1871. Shipping and fishing provided the primary economic base of the town in its early years. The railroad arrived in 1888 and with it came a decline in the shipping industry, although shipyards were in operation during World War I and World War II. Rockport has been a popular recreation center over the years, and tourism continues to be important to the local economy. (1988)