Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Rockport, Aransas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Roman Catholic priests visited the Rockport area as early as 1838. The first Mass in the town of Rockport was celebrated in the home of County Judge John Hynes in 1860, and services continued there for a number of years. Although property was deeded to the church in 1871, the first church building was not erected until 1889. It was destroyed in a storm that same year and was replaced by another structure which served the congregation until 1954. In addition to its parochial school, Sacred Heart Church has served the community with many outreach programs. (1991)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Catholic priests were visiting the Rockport area as early as 1838, and the town's first Mass was said in a county judge's home in 1860. Though land was deeded to the church in 1871, the first building did not rise until 1889—only to be swept away by a storm that same year. A replacement served the growing coastal congregation until 1954, and the parish added a school and outreach programs along the way.
Why it matters
The church records how Catholic faith and community took root in a young Gulf Coast fishing town.
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Related people
- · John Hynes
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First Methodist Church of Rockport
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Methodists have worshipped in the small Aransas Bay port of Rockport since about 1870, and the Rev. H. G. Horton became their pastor in 1872. Their first frame church at Live Oak and Bay Streets did double duty, sheltering other congregations until they could build their own facilities. In 1914 the Methodists relocated to this site, where an emphasis on education kept the church at the center of community life.
Rockport School
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Built in 1935 at the depth of the Great Depression, Rockport School rose as Project No. 2813 under Franklin Roosevelt's Public Works Administration, with local bonds helping fund the federal effort. It replaced an 1892 wooden schoolhouse on the same ground and opened housing eleven grades before earning full accreditation. Its striking Zigzag Moderne design crowns the entry with a stylized sunburst.
Joe A. and Bertha Harper House
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Raised around 1910 as a boarding house for shipyard workers, this two-story Colonial Revival frame home sheltered fifty refugees during the devastating 1919 coastal hurricane. In 1920 county judge Joe A. Harper and his wife Bertha bought the house; the four-term judge helped bring the first coastal highway to the area, spurring its growth. After Joe's early death in 1928, Bertha stayed on for nearly 45 years while teaching primary grades.
Baylor-Norvell House
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