Aransas County, Texas

29 topographic sheets and 6 fire insurance atlases across 1 place.

Research this county

From the record

6 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Texas within the United States

Aransas County within Texas

Explore by year From 1880 To 1896

What the record shows

1 place in this county was surveyed for fire insurance: Rockport, between 1894 and 1943.
6 fire insurance atlases survive for the county. Topographic coverage is national; fire insurance survey reached only incorporated places with something worth insuring.
128 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
6 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 5 buildings and 1 district.
3 of the 6 listings were added during the 1970s.
The Geographic Names Information System records 11 populated places in this county; 11 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Property	Type	Listed	Reference
Aransas Pass Light Station	district	1977	77001423
Bracht House	building	2023	100009445
George W. Fulton Mansion	building	1975	75001945
Hoopes-Smith House	building	1994	94001016
T. H. Mathis House	building	1971	71000918
Rockport School	building	2024	100009945

Bird's-eye views and land ownership maps

Drawn when these were printed as single large sheets: the town seen from the air, and the county divided into its farms with every owner named. Each opens the original at the Library of Congress.

Land ownership map, 1880 - Aransas Co — Land ownership map (1880) - Aransas Co. Library of Congress.

Land ownership map, 1896 - Map of Aransas Co — Land ownership map (1896) - Map of Aransas Co. Library of Congress.

The county from the air

46 shown

Flown by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1937 and 1989, the Aerial Photo Single Frames collection is the definitive mid-century view of the land: fields, roads and rivers as the camera saw them. The Survey holds 3,936 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 46 frames below were taken over the county itself, chosen across the decades of flights (at most four a year from that rectangle), so one flight cannot crowd out the rest. The full set is free to browse and download at EarthExplorer under the dataset Aerial Photo Single Frames.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-11-07, scale 1:17000 — 1951-11-07, scale 1:17000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1952-01-10, scale 1:17000 — 1952-01-10, scale 1:17000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1957-02-01, scale 1:12000 — 1957-02-01, scale 1:12000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-10-08, scale 1:15200 — 1967-10-08, scale 1:15200. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-10-09, scale 1:15200 — 1967-10-09, scale 1:15200. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-10-09, scale 1:37000 — 1967-10-09, scale 1:37000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1968-02-26, scale 1:31080 — 1968-02-26, scale 1:31080. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-04-22, scale 1:31200 — 1969-04-22, scale 1:31200. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-08-02, scale 1:6187 — 1970-08-02, scale 1:6187. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-08-02, scale 1:6176 — 1970-08-02, scale 1:6176. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-09-29, scale 1:20367 — 1971-09-29, scale 1:20367. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1972-01-22, scale 1:58579 — 1972-01-22, scale 1:58579. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1972-01-22, scale 1:59759 — 1972-01-22, scale 1:59759. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1975-02-24, scale 1:80000 — 1975-02-24, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1975-10-08, scale 1:31000 — 1975-10-08, scale 1:31000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1979-01-21, scale 1:80000 — 1979-01-21, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1982-09-21, scale 1:24464 — 1982-09-21, scale 1:24464. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1989-12-10, scale 1:64000 — 1989-12-10, scale 1:64000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

Weather records

18 stations

The thermometers that kept this county's weather, as the federal records hold them. The extremes below are measured values from those records, not estimates.

ARANSAS PASS 2 1897 to 1971, hottest 35.6 C, coldest 14.4 C
ROCKPORT MARINE LAB 1901 to 1958, hottest 37.2 C, coldest -7.2 C
ROCKPORT 1959 to 2026, hottest 40.6 C, coldest -11.1 C
ARANSAS WR 1971 to 2013, hottest 38.9 C, coldest -12.8 C
ROCKPORT ARANSAS CO AP 1996 to 2026, hottest 41.7 C, coldest -18.2 C
ROCKPORT 1.3 WSW 2001 to 2019
ROCKPORT 2.1 NNW 2007 to 2020
PORT ARANSAS 32 NNE 2007 to 2026, hottest 40.8 C, coldest -13.0 C
ROCKPORT 0.6 N 2009 to 2017
ROCKPORT 3.0 NNW 2010 to 2026
ARANSAS PASS 6.1 NNW 2012 to 2017
ROCKPORT 2.3 NNE 2012
AUSTWELL 6.0 SSE 2012 to 2013
ROCKPORT 4.4 SW 2018 to 2026
ROCKPORT 8.0 NNE 2021 to 2026
ROCKPORT 0.8 WNW 2022 to 2026
ROCKPORT 1.1 E 2025 to 2026
ROCKPORT 0.3 NW 2025 to 2026

The 1950 census, district by district

9 districts

Who lived here in 1950, one enumeration district at a time, as the Census Bureau described each district. Each row opens its official National Archives result, with Population Schedules and ED Maps available there.

4-1Rockport city, comprising parts of Commissioner's Precincts 1 and 2: Rockport city - That part of Ward 1 in Commissioner's Precinct 1, including all islands in this enumeration district Bounded by Precinct line; City limits; City limits; San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway
4-2Rockport city - That part of Ward 1 in Commissioner's Precinct 1 Bounded by Precinct line; San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway; City limits; City limits
4-3Rockport city - That part of Ward 2 in Commissioner's Precinct 2 including all islands in this enumeration district Bounded by City limits; City limits; Precinct line; Church
4-4Rockport city - That part of Ward 2 in Commissioner's Precinct 2 Bounded by City limits; Church; Precinct line; City limits
4-5Commissioner's Precinct 1. outside Rockport city: Aransas Pass city - That part in Aransas County comprising part of Commissioner's Precinct 1, (Remainder of Aransas Pass city is in Justice Precinct 6, San Patricio County)
4-6Commissioner's Precinct 1 - That part outside Aransas Pass and Rockport cities, including all islands in this enumeration district (Remainder of Commissioner's Precinct 1 is in Rockport city)
4-7Commissioner's Precinct 2 - That part outside Rockport city, including all islands in this enumeration district (Remainder of Commissioner's Precinct 2 is in Rockport city)
4-8Commissioner's Precinct 3. including all islands in this enumeration district
4-9Commissioner's Precinct 4, including all islands in this enumeration district

Wildfire, 1993 to 2020

353 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 353 of them, burning about 14,582 acres. 17 started naturally and 12 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	174
Debris and open burning	93
Equipment and vehicle use	22
Natural	17
Power generation/transmission/distribution	15
Arson/incendiarism	12
Smoking	9
Misuse of fire by a minor	7
Recreation and ceremony	2
Other causes	2

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
29 June 2001	Debris and open burning	3,980 acres	Aransas National Wildlife Refuge	SAVANNAH S
1 October 2009	Debris and open burning	3,500 acres	Aransas National Wildlife Refuge	HEADACHE WF
28 June 2001	Equipment and vehicle use	1,990 acres	Aransas National Wildlife Refuge	PANCHO
6 July 2012	Natural	794 acres	Aransas National Wildlife Refuge	BURGENTINE/NO NAME RD
9 October 1993	Natural	482 acres	Aransas National Wildlife Refuge	COLUMBUS
13 March 2002	Debris and open burning	441 acres	Aransas National Wildlife Refuge	PASTURE
4 June 1996	Natural	328 acres	Aransas National Wildlife Refuge	KELLEY
4 January 2016	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	300 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	443 RATTLESNAKE PT ROAD

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1956 to 2026

60 of 150 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 150 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 3 injuries and about $4,391,000 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event	Reports
Flash Flood	51
Thunderstorm Wind	40
Hail	21
Tornado	15
Flood	10
Heavy Rain	7
Funnel Cloud	3
Lightning	2
Coastal Flood	1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
September 1967	Tornado (F3)	not stated	3 hurt, $250,000	no account filed
July 2006	Flash Flood	Rockport	$1,500,000	Widespread flooding occurred in Rockport, where between 5 and 8 inches of rain fell, much over a 2 hour period. Almost all city streets became flooded, including Market Street and Austin Street where numerous businesses had water enter their buildings. There was also several homes throughout the city that were flooded. Two nursing homes also had water enter their buildings. City officials reported over 100 cars stalled in high water. In addition, an 11 year old boy had to be rescued when he slipped into a storm drain while playing near the high water. The following are 24 rainfall totals from around the area:Rockport (ASOS): 3.34 inchesRockport (City): 7.15 inchesRockport 3N: 4.18 inchesLamar Peninsula: 3.77 inchesAransas Wildlife Refuge: 2.30 inchesProperty damage estimates are rough, and may be underestimated.
July 2021	Flash Flood	Rockport	$500,000	Numerous water rescues occurred due to flooded streets with vehicles stranded. Some residents were evacuated due to water entering buildings. Water was a foot deep at the Presbyterian Church. Multiple roads were closed in Rockport and Fulton, including Market Street, Champions Drive at Royal Oaks Drive, and FM 2165 from Business 35 to Linden.
January 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Rockport	$400,000	Wood roof and awning of home blown completely off. Part of the roof blown into roof of nearby house. One snapped tree limb blown through wall of house. Roof damage and trees uprooted along a two mile path from Live Oak Elementary school to the intersection of Nopal and Austin Streets.
June 2017	Hail	Holiday Beach	$250,000	Video submitted through social media showed tennis ball sized hail in Holiday Beach.
May 2016	Flash Flood	Rockport	$250,000	Many roads were flooded in the northern parts of Aransas Pass. North Commercial Avenue, North Houston, and North Avenue A were under flood waters. Numerous homes were affected by flood waters.
May 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Holiday Beach	$250,000	NWS storm survey determined straight-line winds of approximately 70 to 80 mph struck Belaire Drive in Holiday Beach. The roof was blown off of one home which impacted 2 other homes and caused extensive damage.
June 2010	Tornado (EF2)	Rockport	$250,000	An NWS survey team concluded a tornado touched down 4 miles west of Rockport. The tornado was on the ground for roughly 3.75 miles, traveling southeast and ending near Bypass 35 and 16th streets. The maximum wind speed was estimated at 120 mph, an EF-2, and had a maximum width of almost 3/10 of a mile. Several homes were damaged, an RV flipped, and 4 boats damaged. A home weather station recorded a peak wind gust to 103 mph before failing. Over 20 large tension poles were snapped completely off along Hwy 1069. Hundreds of trees and tree limbs were snapped. Vehicles at a salvage yard were moved several yards, and a garage was completely destroyed. An 18 wheeler was flipped over along Bypass 35.
May 2004	Flash Flood	Countywide	$127,000	Numerous roads flooded thoughout the county. Extensive flooding occurred in the city of Rockport. An estimated 250-300 homes and businesses experienced flooding in the city of Rockport. Several motorists in stalled vehicles required rescuing. See episode narrative below for more information.
June 2015	Flash Flood	Rockport	$100,000	Flash flooding occurred across much of the county. Stadium Drive near Rockport High School was flooded. Water entered a home in Rockport. Much of Highway 35 from Aransas Pass to north of Lamar was flooded. Water, Enterprise, West Market, Omohundro, Broadway, East Sabinal, Fuqua, and East Laurel Streets were flooded in Rockport. Several vehicles were stranded in high water near Sonny Watkins Drive in Rockport.
April 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Rockport	$100,000	Power poles were blown down southwest of Rockport.
May 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Fulton	$100,000	NWS Storm survey determined straight-line winds struck a narrow corridor in Fulton between Farm to Market Road 3036 and West Mesquite Street. The winds caused widespread tree damage. A mobile home lost its roof and a metal storage building partially collapsed along Farm to Market Road 1781. An RV was rolled on Circle Drive. Large tree damage was also observed all the way to Fulton Beach Rd. Wind speeds were estimated to be from 70 to 80 mph.
May 2021	Flash Flood	Rockport	$50,000	Roads under water in Rockport with cars stuck in the flood waters.
March 2018	Tornado (EF0)	Holiday Beach	$50,000	Tornado touched down on Belaire Drive removing the roof from one home with debris blown into another home across the street. Several power poles were snapped.
June 2024	Tornado (EF0)	Fulton	$25,000	Two brief EF-0 tornadoes were produced from the same parent\|circulation as a waterspout came ashore near Rockport, TX. The initial\|damage as it came on shore was confined to some minor tree damage and a\|few shingles missing from a couple homes. The tornado then lifted and \|eventually reformed near FM1781 where it destroyed a couple carports and\|two sheds. It also snapped some smaller trees and broke numerous large\|branches before dissipating.
June 2017	Hail	Lamar	$25,000	Video was submitted through social media of quarter to half dollar sized hail at Goose Island State Park. Hail covered the ground.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Rockport	$20,000	At the Cove Harbor Marina signs were snapped and roofs partially damaged. Several power lines and trees were reported downed throughout the city of Rockport.
October 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Rockport	$20,000	Straight-line winds ripped the patio roof off the bait shop at the Fin and Feather RV park. Two power poles were knocked down and a vehicle was damaged in the parking lot.
June 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Rockport Ark Co Arpt	$15,000	Roofing of a screened-in porch of a house along the bay was ripped off and flipped onto the house. The porch framing was damaged and collapsed.
April 2013	Lightning	Rockport Ark Co Arpt	$10,000	Lightning struck an oil tank the the Aransas County Airport on Farm to Market Road 1781. The lightning strike hit a tank with a salt water and crude oil mix sparking a major fire.
May 2012	Hail	Rockport	$10,000	Golf ball sized hail was reported on the southwest side of Rockport.
July 2012	Lightning	Rockport Ark Co Arpt	$10,000	Lightning struck an oil tank battery near Farm to Market Road 1781 and the Aransas County Airport. The lightning ignited a fire destroying two tank batteries.
August 2009	Tornado (EF0)	Rockport	$10,000	Damage was confined to power lines blown down north of Aransas Pass, along Highway 35.
March 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Rockport	$10,000	Large metal storage shed on 12th St. and Bypass 35 was destroyed. A roof was blown off of a boat barn. Broken tree limbs also reported in the Country Club area along with wind damage to the siding of house. Fences were blown down in a development just suth of Cove Harbor. Three boats were flipped on side at Business 35 and the harbor.\|
February 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Rockport	$7,000	A front porch and roof were damaged at a house on Jacoby Lane.
June 2024	Tornado (EF0)	Rockport	$5,000	Two brief EF-0 tornadoes were produced from the same parent\|circulation as a waterspout came ashore near Rockport, TX. The initial\|damage as it came on shore was confined to some minor tree damage and a\|few shingles missing from a couple homes. The tornado then lifted and \|eventually reformed near FM1781 where it destroyed a couple carports and\|two sheds. It also snapped some smaller trees and broke numerous large\|branches before dissipating.
June 2020	Flash Flood	Fulton	$5,000	Vehicle stalled in deep water near Enterprise Boulevard and Omohundro Street in Rockport.
May 2019	Flash Flood	Rockport	$5,000	Videos on social media showed street flooding across portions of Rockport.
May 2019	Hail	Rockport	$5,000	Quarter sized hail occurred in Rockport.
June 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Fulton	$5,000	Several people were trapped in an overturned trailer.
March 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Rockport	$5,000	Roof damage occurred to a home along Rattlesnake Point Road near Rockport.
May 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Rockport	$5,000	A small wooden building was destroyed near the pharmacy.
May 2012	Hail	Rockport	$5,000	Spotter reported quarter sized hail southwest of Rockport.
July 2010	Tornado (EF0)	Rockport	$5,000	A tornado briefly touched down near the intersection of 9th Street and Business 35. Windows were blown out of the Kimco Business. This tornado occurred in the outer rainbands of Hurricane Alex.
June 1973	Tornado (F1)	not stated	$2,500	no account filed
May 1968	Tornado (F1)	not stated	$2,500	no account filed
May 2012	Tornado (EF0)	Holiday Beach	$2,000	NWS storm survey concluded a weak tornado touched down in rural Aransas County northeast of Holiday Beach. The tornado crossed Highway 35 snapping one telephone pole.
February 2026	Thunderstorm Wind	Rockport	-	Sheet metal from a carport ripped off. Time estimated by radar.
May 2025	Flood	Rockport	-	Report from mPING of Cropland/Yard Flooding.
November 2025	Flood	Rockport	-	Report from mping.
September 2025	Heavy Rain	Rockport	-	Weather station near Rockport measured 2.53 inches.
June 2024	Flash Flood	Aransas County Airport	-	Social media reports of flash flooding in the cove subdivision area.
June 2024	Heavy Rain	Fulton	-	Spotter reported 5 inches in the Rockport area.
June 2024	Flash Flood	Rockport	-	Flooding with water over roads at FM1069 near Port Bay.
June 2024	Heavy Rain	Aransas Refuge Hqtrs	-	Mesonet station reported 7.61.
June 2024	Heavy Rain	Rockport	-	Personal rain gauge observed 9.55 of rain through 7 PM as Tropical Storm Alberto rainbands moved through.
May 2023	Flash Flood	Rockport	-	Rockport Police Department reported several streets flooded across the city with roads impassable for small cars.
May 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Aransas County Airport	-	Rockport/Aransas County Municipal Airport measured a gust to 51 knots.
September 2022	Flood	Rockport	-	Farm to Market Road 70 was closed between US Highway 77 and State Highway 286 due to flooding on Petronila Creek.
August 2022	Flash Flood	Lamar	-	Water was over the road on Seaside Loop and various other low lying roads north of Lamar.
May 2021	Flash Flood	Rockport	-	Report from Mping of roads flooded and some streets closed in Rockport.
May 2021	Flood	Rockport	-	Minor flooding of roadways reported west of Rockport from heavy rain.
May 2021	Flood	Rockport	-	Street flooding reported near Rockport.
July 2021	Flash Flood	Holiday Beach	-	High water was over the roads in several places from Rockport and Fulton to Holiday Beach.
July 2021	Flash Flood	Lamar	-	Social media reports were received of water over several roads throughout Goose Island State Park.
July 2021	Flood	Rockport	-	Flood waters were slow to recede across most of Rockport into the evening hours. Flood waters were as deep as a foot near the Presbyterian Church and some roads remained impassable.
July 2021	Flood	Holiday Beach	-	A roughly 20 mile stretch of Highway 35 between Holiday Beach and Tivoli was closed due to high water.
July 2021	Flash Flood	Rockport	-	Social media reported street flooding occurred throughout the city of Rockport.
July 2021	Flash Flood	Rockport	-	FM 1069 and Highway 35 near Aransas Pass was closed due to flooding.
July 2021	Flash Flood	Holiday Beach	-	State Highway 35 was closed due to flooding.

Mines and quarries

1 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 1 working inside this county. It is closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity	Workings
Limestone, General	1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where	Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
	Redfish Bay Deposit	Limestone, General	Occurrence

Every populated place in the county

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on. The 1 place that was also surveyed for fire insurance comes first, with the number of atlases and photographs held for them.

Rockport

Rockport census division · 78382 · Rockport quadrangle

11 sheets, 1953 to 1985

Fire insurance: 6 atlases
City-by-the Sea

Rockport census division · 78336 · Near Estes Flats · Estes quadrangle

15 sheets, 1925 to 1989
Copano Village

Fulton census division · 78382 · Rockport quadrangle

11 sheets, 1953 to 1985
Estes

Rockport census division · 78382 · On Estes Flats · Estes quadrangle

15 sheets, 1925 to 1989
Fulton

Fulton census division · 78382 · Rockport quadrangle

11 sheets, 1953 to 1985
Holiday Beach

Fulton census division · 78382 · Lamar quadrangle

9 sheets, 1953 to 1985
Key Allegro

Rockport census division · 78382 · On Key Allegro · Rockport quadrangle

11 sheets, 1953 to 1985
Lamar

Fulton census division · 78382 · Near Goose Island · Lamar quadrangle

9 sheets, 1953 to 1985
Palm Harbor

Rockport census division · 78382 · Near Talley Island · Estes quadrangle

15 sheets, 1925 to 1989
Shell Ridge

Rockport census division · 78382 · Estes quadrangle

15 sheets, 1925 to 1989
Spanish Village

Fulton census division · 77950 · Tivoli SW quadrangle

6 sheets, 1952 to 1983

Recorded here

Rockport, Texas

11 topographic sheets and 6 fire insurance atlases, 1894 to 1943

Provenance

Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.