Views of the Neighborhood

~ John W. Howell

This week I thought I would give you a quick tour of the Port Aransas museum. The first photo is an external shot of the building which is a fine example of a kit house sold in the early 1900’s. A person would buy the home complete in a kit and then put it together on their land.

PA Museum

The creation of the Port Aransas Museum was accomplished through a joint effort between the Port Aransas Preservation and Historical Association [PAPHA] and the City of Port Aransas.

PAPHA was created November 15, 2002. One of its goals was to create the first historical museum in Port Aransas to preserve and showcase the town’s history. Another was to inventory historic Port Aransas sites.

The site survey was accomplished by obtaining a matching grant in 2006. PAPHA also received the Visionaries in Preservation grant from the Texas Historical Commission, completing the process needed to advance as a preservation organization.

Owners of an early 1900s kit house offered to sell it to PAPHA where it stood. That was not an option due to the cost of land in Port Aransas and the lack of funds in the PAPHA treasury. Another option was for the owners to give the house to PAPHA to move to another location, which is what they did.

In 2007, Preservation Texas, a private, non-profit statewide preservation group, named the house one of the state’s top 12 most endangered structures.

Papers were signed transferring ownership to PAPHA on Feb. 8, 2007. The problem then was where and how to move it, and how to pay for all aspects, including remodeling into a museum after the move.

PAPHA applied for grants, held fundraisers and met with the City of Port Aransas, utility companies and movers. Enough money was raised to move the house, but not for land.

The City Council and City Manger agreed to find a place on city property for a museum, finally settling on part of the Community Center property site.

In April 2008 the house was moved to it’s current location. It was renovated and opened as a museum by December of the same year.

Here is a small sample of what is inside.

Farley boat
A depiction of the fishing trip of FDR in 1937
A Tarpon. Once plentiful in Port Aransas now very rare
A Tarpon. Once plentiful in Port Aransas now very rare
PA Museum
Interesting exhibits of some extraordinary town citizens
PA Museum
Numerous timelines of town events.
Pa Museum
Little know facts about life in Port Aransas

I can’t possibly place all the photos of the interior in this post. Maybe someday you will visit and take a look. Thanks for reading

59 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood”

  1. What a lovely house/museum. I had never heard of a kit house before reading your post, and now I wonder how common they were and if they were wide spread or local. Fascinating … thank you!

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  6. Thanks for the look inside and the history, John. It’s interesting to know how hard it was to get this museum open on this spot. I think I heard your port mentioned during an episode of Mega Movers, last week. Old episode but fun connection.

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  8. Kit houses were pretty common, and some of it goes on today. I remember a hotel being build when I was a kid. They brought completely finished rooms in on a flatbed. Finished right down to the wallpaper and carpet. They stacked them like blocks, hooked up the plumbing and electrical and lifted the next one.

    I like the build your own jetty kit. Seems like some kind of Wile E. Coyote project

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  10. Thanks for the post, John. We didn’t know about this museum. But now we have something new to see when we’ll be visitng Port A again – like with the Maritime and Wetlands education centers. 🙂
    Have a wonderful Sunday,
    Pit

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        3. To be able to forget one’s wounds is a duty. Especially when they come so frequently here in the lawless West. I was just saying to my spouse, “It seems like forever since I was last gunned down. I need to go for more walks.” My spouse agreed.

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  14. I can’t imagine catching a fish as big as that Tarpon! I’m going to have to Google that to satisfy my curiosity (was it a food fish, or what??). Thanks for another interesting tour, John!

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  15. This was another cool Sunday visit, John. It was fun to see inside the museum (and a pretty building too), and it was interesting to learn part of the process of establishing it too. Have a wonderful new week. Mega hugs.

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  21. I must visit this museum one day as I did not know about it. And I remember reading about kit houses that you could order from Sears. For a small town Port A gets things done! Another good view of your neighborhood!

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