Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site Maps

Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site Description

The lighthouse was built in 1852 at the request of sea captains that needed assistance navigating the waters of the low-lying Texas coast. Over the years, technological advances made all Texas lighthouses obsolete by the early 1900s. A museum and reconstructed lighthouse keeper’s cottage sit in the shadow of Port Isabel’s 72-foot lighthouse. Climb 75 winding stairs, three short ladders, and take in the coastal sites of South Padre Island beaches at the last Texas lighthouse open to the public. With a perch 50 feet above the ground, it is popular with photographers and other visitors, because