Port Isabel Historical Museum Christmas Open House
12/12-14/2024
Free Admission
The Port Isabel Historical Museum is housed in the Champion Building. Built in 1899, its façade features a fish mural that was painted in 1906 by a local fisherman. Two exhibit levels covers the history of the Laguna Madre area. Gift Shop.
ADMISSION
Adults: $5.00
All ticket purchases are final. Group Tours are available. Call (956) 943-7602 for hours.
Senior Citizens (55 & over): $4.00
Students / Children: $3.00
Military / 1st Responders: $2.50
The son of Joseph Champion, an Italian immigrant who settled in Texas in 1855, Charles Champion was born on February 2, 1870, in Old Point Isabel. He served as district clerk in Hidalgo County before purchasing the Hess General Store in Old Point Isabel in 1894. He renamed it “The Champion Store”, and continued to operate the business in the small frame structure. In 1899, Champion erected this two-story brick building and named it “The Key of the Gulf.” The first floor housed the general merchandise store, the U.S. Customs House, and the post office. Champion served as the second postmaster of Point Isabel. In the early 1900s, Champion provided the impetus for the fishing industry that employed many local citizens and became an integral part of the local economy. By 1908 Champion and Judge J.B. Wells owned the Santa Isabela land grant, which included Point Isabel. Long a proponent of a deep water port in Point Isabel, Champion died in 1926 before its completion in 1933. Champion was buried next to his wife Margaret Orive and other family members in the Point Isabel Cemetery.
THC Historical Marker
Port Isabel Lighthouse Keeper’s Summer Camp 2024 collaborates with the Port Isabel Historical Museum! Experience the life of a modern-day Lighthouse Keeper and travel back in time nearly 500 years for stories of shipwrecks and rescues. Includes a treasure hunt.
Dates: August 7 • 8 • 9 • 14 • 15 • 16, 2024
Hours: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (This is a 1-day, 3-hour camp.)
Cost: $10 per camper (Free to P.I.I.S.D. students)
Ages: 8 – 12 years
Call: (956) 538-1652
Online registration is open: https://forms.gle/vMxseUDsEq7u7WTt6
Limited to 6 campers per daily session.
Port Isabel Historical Museum Special Exhibit & Documentary Film
Ancient Landscapes of South Texas, Hiding in Plain Sight
Explore 50 million years of natural history and 15,000 years of cultural history of the Rio Grande Valley. From Pleistocene hunters to Spanish rancheros, to the construction of dams, and wind turbines discover how human adaptations were shaped and in turn are shaping the region’s natural history.
Learn about millions of years of history that include volcanic eruptions, 27-million-year-old petrified logs, 43-million-year-old giant oyster shells, and projectile points crafted by humans for over 15,000 years. Ancient Landscapes of South Texas: Hiding in Plain Sight illuminates the unique landscape and helps curious minds to understand the natural processes that formed South Texas.
Port Isabel Historical Museum (317 E. Railroad Ave.) will host the Ancient Landscapes of South Texas traveling exhibit through December 15, 2024. Wednesday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (956) 943-7602.
Ancient Landscapes of South Texas Documentary:
Showtimes: Wednesday, Thursday & Fridays 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.
No Admission Charge.
Location: Lighthouse Boutique Hotel, 401 E. Maxan St.
 | PORT ISABEL HISTORICAL MUSEUM 317 E. RAILROAD AVE. PORT ISABEL, TEXAS 78578 info@portisabel-texas.com (956)943-7602 HOURS: Wednesday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
