Port Isabel Lighthouse

The 82-foot tower is constructed of brick with a light that can be seen for 15 miles. It remains one of the oldest functioning lighthouses on the Texas Gulf Coast.

In the 1800s, the low-lying Texas coast made charting a seagoing course extremely difficult, and a number of captains requested that something be done. The Port Isabel Lighthouse was constructed in 1852, near sites of Civil War Battle of Palmito Ranch (1865) and Mexican War Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma.

The center is a replica of the original lighthouse keeper's cottage and surrounding decorative fence. The building includes an interpretive exhibit highlighting the history of the lighthouse and the old Fort Polk site it occupies.

Featured Articles

How the Cherry Blossoms Came to Washington

by Edwin S. Grosvenor

Rarely has the full story been told how a famed botanist, a pioneering female journalist, and First Lady Helen Taft battled reluctant bureaucrats to bring Japanese cherry trees to Washington.

Bank Failures: As American as Apple Pie

by John Steele Gordon

Why have thousands of U.S. banks failed over the years? The answers are in our history and politics.

Reconsidering Jimmy Carter

by Kai Bird

Often thought to have been a weak President, Carter was strong-willed in doing what he thought was right, regardless of expediency or political fallout.

“With Malice Toward None”

by Jon Meacham

In his Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln embodied leading in a time of polarization, political disagreement, and differing understandings of reality.

The Indian World of George Washington

by Colin G. Calloway

Native American peoples and the lands they possessed loomed large for Washington, from his first trips westward as a surveyor to his years as President.

“These Are No Ordinary Times”

by Adam Hochschild

A hundred years ago, America was rocked by riots, repression, and racial violence.

Yellow Fever Stalks the Founders

by Stephen Fried

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Upon Starved Rock

by Mark Walczynski

Now a popular state park, the unassuming geological feature along the Illinois River has served as the site of centuries of human habitation and discovery.

Revenge of the Nevada

by Ed Offley

The recent discovery of the hull of the battleship Nevada recalls her dramatic action at Pearl Harbor and ultimate revenge on D-Day as the first ship to fire on the Nazis.

Confederates in Congress: Heritage or Hate?

by Edwin S. Grosvenor

Our research reveals that 19 artworks in the U.S. Capitol honor men who were Confederate officers or officials. What many of them said, and did, is truly despicable.

A Special Issue on Presidential Misdeeds

by Edwin S. Grosvenor

Here is probably the most wide-ranging look at Presidential misbehavior ever published in a magazine.

Marshall's Secret Preparations for War

by Paul Dickson

When Germany unleashed its blitzkreig in 1939, the U.S. Army was only the 17th largest in the world. FDR and Marshall had to build a fighting force able to take on the Nazis, against the wishes of many in Congress.

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Port Isabel Lighthouse

We hope you enjoy our work.

Featured Articles

Location

Hours

Contact

Fees

26.077369, -97.207514

Port Isabel Lighthouse

Featured Sites

We hope you enjoy our work.

Featured Articles

Location

Hours

Contact

Fees

26.077369, -97.207514