036   15% OFF!!  Port Isabel, TX, HL 147, #357 (low number!) of 5,500, made in Malaysia-made

         Each piece will be double boxed and packed for a 30' drop should that occur in handling. Shipper only insures first $50 valuation at no additional cost. PLEASE NOTE:  I will only refund this amount ($50) if damage occurs unless buyer has purchased additional insurance.  If buyer wishes additional insurance, the cost associated with additional insurance will be calculated and buyer will pay additional cost.  PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT INSURANCE OF THE PURCHASE PRICE PRIOR TO MAKING PAYMENT. 

Once a small Mexican fishing village, the life of the sleepy hamlet would be forever altered, when in 1846, American General Zachary Taylor chose this site to be the staging center for military excursion into Mexico. Fort Polk, as it came to be known, would later be abandoned and transferred to the US Treasury.

After the Mexican War, Texas began to actively solicit money from Congress for navigational aids for its fledgling coastal economy. Funds were appropriated for two lighthouses to serve the harbor at Brazos Santiago, just north of the mouth of the Rio Grande. Point Isabel, which would later be renamed Port Isabel, was an obvious choice, as it was not only the most elevated site for miles, but was also conveniently under the control of the Federal government. After numerous setbacks, including the wreck of a vessel bearing badly needed materials, construction was completed in August of 1852. In the spring of the following year, the final coats of white wash were applied and the beacon displayed for the first time. The newly installed light could be seen for miles in all directions.

Over the next several years, many important improvements were added to Point Isabel, including the addition of a keeper’s residence. Then, in 1857, the original lighting equipment was upgraded from the old system of lamps and reflectors to the more highly advanced Fresnel lens. The brighter light could be seen for as far as 16 miles. In 1860, Point Isabel earned the distinction of being one of the few lighthouses on the Texas coast to have a woman as its keeper, when Hannah Hain succeeded her husband after his untimely death.

Point Isabel attracted considerable military interest during the Civil War. Soon after Texas seceded from the Union, the Point Isabel light was dimmed, and used instead as an observation post. Possession of this strategic location changed hands several times during the war. Twice rebel forces tried to destroy the tower with gunpowder charges to prevent its use by Federal troops. Somehow the tenacious lighthouse survived, although with a few obvious cracks. On May 13, 1865, within a rifle shot of the lighthouse, the final battle of the of the Civil War was fought. Ironically, although the day belonged to the unwitting rebels, General Lee had surrendered at Appomattox a month earlier.

After the war, needed repairs were made and the lighthouse resumed it’s important function. In 1888 the Lighthouse Board decided to sell the lighthouse, only to discover it had been illegally appropriated by General Taylor in the first place. An out of court settlement with the rightful owners finally placed the lighthouse legally in Federal hands in 1894. By the turn of the century, commercial shipping began to slow considerably, and the need for a lighthouse at Point Isabel became questionable. The light was finally extinguished ion August 1, 1905.

After changing hands several more times, Port Isabel Light was eventually donated to the State of Texas by Port Isabel Realty Company. Today you will find the proud, old sentinel in the center of Texas’ smallest state park. Although the beacon has long been extinguished, ships still look for the active mercury-vapor light as a navigational aid. The tower is open daily to the public.

036Port Isabel, TX, HL 147, #357 of 5,500, made in Malaysia

CONDITION: Very good. Displayed for a short time in glass-enclosed curio cabinet.

Each piece will be double boxed and packed for a 30' drop should that occur in handling. Shipper only insures first $50 valuation at no additional cost. PLEASE NOTE:  I will only refund this amount ($50) if damage occurs unless buyer has purchased additional insurance. If buyer wishes additional insurance, the cost associated with additional insurance will be calculated and buyer will pay additional cost.  PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT INSURANCE OF THE PURCHASE PRICE PRIOR TO MAKING PAYMENT

If damaged in shipping, buyer must save damaged carton to show shipper's rep condition of boxes.

NOTE: for the most part, I only collected full size Harbour Lights. GLOWS and Little Lights of Mine will be clearly identified as such should I find I have any.