Tarpon Inn
Port Aransas, Nueces County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1886 Frank Stephenson, a boat pilot and assistant Aransas lighthouse keeper, opened an inn at this site in an old barracks. He called the facility "Tarpon Inn" for the abundant trophy fish in nearby gulf waters. The Inn served as a landmark for sailors, and Port Aransas was known for a time as "Tarpon". In 1897 Mary Cotter and her son J.E. Bought the two story inn from Stephenson. After the building burned in 1900, two new structures were built in 1904. When the 1919 hurricane destroyed the main structure, the dining facility was used until it was sold in 1923 to James M. Ellis and his wife. Ellis soon rebuilt this inn to resemble the old barracks. He placed 20-foot poles in 16 feet of concrete with pilings at the corner of each room to reinforce it against future hurricanes. For a time guests could reach the inn only by boat. It became a tradition to sign and date a Tarpon scale and place it on the wall in the front room. Among the famous patrons was president Franklin D. Roosevelt who fished here in 1937. Duncan Hines spent his honeymoon here and recommended the food for the next 25 years. The inn has housed many area residents during storms and served as headquarters for the Red Cross, Salvation Army and Military units.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Frank Stephenson opened the Tarpon Inn in an old barracks in 1886, naming it for the trophy fish that crowded the nearby Gulf and giving Port Aransas its early nickname of 'Tarpon.' Repeatedly rebuilt after fires and hurricanes, the inn was reinforced with deep-set pilings and became famous for the signed tarpon scales guests pinned to its walls. Its guest book runs to the famous—President Franklin D. Roosevelt fished here in 1937, and Duncan Hines honeymooned here and praised its table for decades.
Why it matters
The Tarpon Inn is a survivor of the Gulf Coast's early sportfishing and tourism era, weathering storms to host presidents and tastemakers on the Texas shore.
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Related people
- · Frank Stephenson
- · Franklin D. Roosevelt
- · Duncan Hines
Themes & tags
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