Volume 6, Issue 6
PAPHA Newsletter
June 2012
Historical Marker Honors Mercers The Mercer family was honored on Saturday, June 16, as the Nueces County Historical Commission installed a State of Texas historical marker. The marker, placed on the Community Center / Port Aransas Museum grounds. Anita Eisenhauer, chairman of NCHC welcomed the group and Marker Chairman John G. Ford, Ph.D., spoke about the Mercer Family on Mustang Island. Mayor Keith McMullin accepted on behalf of the city as he and Ford unveiled the new marker. Included on the marker are Robert Ainsworth Mercer and his sons, John and Edward (Ned). Robert’s service as Nueces County’s Wreck Master, John’s as the first keeper of the Aransas Life Saving Station (precurser to the U.S. Coast Guard) and the Mercer Logs were mentioned.
Inside this Issue:
Board spotlight................................ Page 2 Save Date ........................................ Page 2 Poster contest .................................. Page 3 Director's report.............................. Page 4 Gift Shop ......................................... Page 6 President's note ............................... Page 7 President's note ............................... Page 7
Visit us at www. portaransas museum.org
Spotlight on PAPHA Board Members: PAT FARLEY By John Fucik
A member of one of Port Aransas’ oldest and well-known families, Pat Farley, began his second term as a PAPHA Board member this year. Pat, who owns and operates The Silver King jewelry store resettled in Port Aransas four years ago after running businesses in Rockport, Galveston and Costa Rica. Pat’s grandfather, Barney Farley, Sr., moved to Port A in 1910, where he became well established as a tarpon fishing guide and merchant. His son, Barney, Jr. was one of the guides
involved in President Roosevelt’s Port A fishing event in 1938. It was also Pat’s grandfather who persuaded his brother, Charles F. Farley to move to Port Aransas from Florida in 1914 and build boats for the fishing trade. The resultant Farley Boat Works turned out its first boat in 1915. Under subsequent management of Charles’s sons Jim and Fred, the Farley Boat works continued building boats (with turns by most all Farley descendants) until the early '70s. While he grew up and attended school through 8th grade in Port Aransas, Pat had to go to high school elsewhere, there being no high school here until the '60s. His Army service from 1968-71 included two tours in Viet Nam. After his marriage in 1972, Pat lived in Austin for 4 years before
moving to Rockport. He has two children, Amanda, 30, and Patrick, 28. In addition to his serving as PAPHA’s secretary, Pat is active in Rotary and the Disabled Veterans Association. As to his involvement in a major historical event, Pat considers his participation in several Viet Nam Memorial ceremonies to be highlights. Regarding Port Aransas’ history, not surprisingly, Pat considers the establishment of boat building coincident with and supportive of the great swell of sport fishing here to encompass his greatest interest. Personally, however, he fondly recalls that in 1963 he caught the first tarpon from the new pier rebuild after Hurricane Carla destroyed the original in 1961.
SAVE THE DATE: October 27 Old Town Festival The Port Aransas Old Town Festival is in the planning stage, and it’s going to be Oct one great day! 27 There will be lots of entertainment including: a great Parade, Surfing Contest, Plein Air Paint Out, Music, Kid's Booth, a Tour of the 8 Wonders of Port Aransas, Food, Storytelling, and more. So check the website, www. portaransasmuseum.org, for updates are more plans are finalized. (Note: this is the same weekend the Port A Art About, the Sand Pumpkin Patch and the Harvest Page 2
Photos of old Port A with water towers
PAPHA Newsletter
June 2012
Searching for Artwork for Old Town Festival Poster WANTED: original artwork to be used in the 2012 festival promotion! The public is being asked to share its talent to help create an official poster and other items for this year's Old Town Festival. The annual festival held by the Port Aransas Preservation and Historical Association, will be held on Saturday, October 27. A poster contest is being held to select the poster art. The contest is open to all ages, and any degree of talent from novice to professional. Each piece of work must be original, signed, and unframed, ready for reproduction. The theme of the art should reflect Port Aransas and its culture/history. Photo art or reproduction art will NOT be accepted. The theme of the art should reflect Port Aransas and its culture/history. Only one piece of work will be chosen to be reproduced as a poster and on other promotional materials. The deadline to register and submit artwork is August 4, 2012. Contest rules and registration can be found on the Port Aransas Museum website at http://portaransasmuseum. org/news-and-events/poster-contest or picked up at the museum (101 East Brundrett at Alister) Thursday – Saturday, 1 – 5 p.m.
Old Town Festival 2012 Poster Contest Application This form will be used to identify the artist to their artwork and will not be seen by the selection committee. Attach the completed form to the back of the artwork before submitting.
Entries can be submitted by mail or in person to: 361-749-3800
Port Aransas Museum - Poster Contest PO Box 677
Deadline for entry is August 4, 2012
101 Brundrett at corner of Alister Port Aransas, Texas 78373
We thank you for participating and good luck! Artist's Name:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Phone Number:
Email:
Description of Artwork (or attach photo):
Signature:
Date/Time Field
Port Aransas Preservation & Historical Association is a Texas 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization www.portaransasmuseum.org
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PAPHA Newsletter
June 2012
Museum Director’s Report Gift Shop Project
The gift Shop remake is over and the shop is open and operating. Everyone is getting used to all the changes and so far most approve.
Upstairs Re Do
Now it is time to rethink and reconfigure the upstairs. Our storage needs are small, but our capacity is tiny, so changes are in order. Mostly this will be just rearranging things and rethinking the spaces we do have. We must make room for printing exhibits, the Docent coordinator needs some office room and both upstairs rooms need to be carefully and thoughtfully re-arranged to make optimum use of what little space we have.
Farley Boat Works
Things are moving well at the Farley
boat Works. We have six regular builders working on building or doing finish work on three boats at present. Two boats are waiting for their chance to be either refurbished or structurally changed to bring them up to date, and three folks are in line to build new ones. We have just received a donation of a Chesapeake Bay Crabbing Skiff, the Beulah Mae, from Jim Atwill. The boat was a fixture on Port A Waters for thirty years. It is equipped with a sun shade and will make a nice addition to our boat livery on the harbor.
Boat Livery
I wish to pursue the idea discussed earlier to open and operate a boat livery at the City Harbor. In brief, this would entail two or three boats being made
available for folks to row around the harbor. The livery would be operated by the Jr. Boatmen in partnership with the museo. We will need permission from the boatmen to use a long empty slip on their dock and will need to construct a floating dock to facilitate launching and retrieving the craft. We are to receive four row boats along with the schooner, and these simple boats can be easily built at the Farley boat Works as well. To my knowledge, there is no such operation in Texas, though there are some in the northeast and northwest associated with maritime museums and boat works schools. Donations would be accepted to cover the costs of using the boats, but no fees charged.
Rick Pratt (June 2012)
1956 Port Aransas phone book classified white pages Page 4
PAPHA Newsletter
June 2012
Museum Gift Shop Gets New Look
Stop in to see the “new” gift shop at the Port Aransas Museum. We have more space to better show off our
wares, items that will keep Port A in your thoughts no matter how far you wander from the island. We’ve
Port Aransas Parks and Recreation invites you to join other Port A friends for a Port A Baseball Night
added new titles to our great inventory of books covering cultural and environmental life along the mid-Texas coast, including: Fishing With the Presidents by Bill Mares Bill Mares came to Port Aransas to interview Teddy Mathews, guide to FDR, while writing his entertaining and informative book on the fishing exploits of America’s presidents. It’s a great read as you soon realize, as Herbert Hoover put it, that “All men are equal before fish.” Glory of the Silver King by Brandon D. Shuler “Hart Stilwell was a world-class raconteur and storyteller. His unpublished manuscript on the glory days of coastal fishing became an underground legend, passed around like a sacred totem
for decades. Editor Brandon Shuler has revived Stilwell’s folksy charm and penetrating insights, and the result is this engaging and important book.”-- Steven L. Davis, curator, The Wittliff Collections Life on Matagorda Island by Wayne H. McAlister “A barrier beach is a paradox: appealing to visit but appalling to live on. Wayne McAlister moved to Matagorda Island for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and seven years later, the McAlisters were still observing the flora and fauna.” Matagorda Island is a northern sister to our dear Mustang Island, with San Jose sandwiched in between. Although we have a town, we’re not that far from the wildness the McAlisters enjoyed.
Boat Works Makes Texas News
Since re-opening, the Farley Boat Works has made print with stories in the South Jetty, Padre Island Moon, Rockport Pilot and more. Mike Baird of the Corpus Christi Caller~Times wrote a story about the shop this month. It was picked up by the Dallas Associated Press and carried all over the state in print and online. Other cities carrying the story include San Antonio, Houston, Rio Grande Valley and Amarillo. How great is that!
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PAPHA Newsletter
June 2012
Note from Nancy by Nancy Phillips, PAPHA President Things are busy with your board of directors now as several projects are in the works. We are currently working on an insurance audit to evaluate our situation there. Mark Creighton is doing much work on this project. We’re also getting close to getting the designation of an area of town to be named “Old Town.” The city will get signage to be placed on the appropriate street corners, hopefully before the Old Town Festival in October. Pat Farley and June Pettit have been spearheading this project. This brings us to the Old Town Festival which will be revitalized and renewed this year. Jane Gnazzo is heading up this project which will be in October and centered around the museum, Community Center and the Gardens. Every-
one needs to be getting their thoughts together on wonderful ways to decorate floats for the Old Town Parade. Another project underway is the addition of a walking tour and driving tour brochure of Port Aransas which, upon completion, will be available at the museum and on our website. We have a QR to use for those who have smart phones. We’ll have the QR posted on our door so those who come by when we’re closed can access it through the glass on the door. All of these projects need helpers so if you have a little extra time, we would love to have some volunteers. Choose your area of interest, volunteer, and just know how grateful we’ll all be. Of course, you’ll have a good time, too.
Don't Forget to Check out the Latest Exhibit at the Museum!
Port Aransas History Through Postcards
Our new exhibit is a great view of island life as seen from a tourist’s perspective. As early as 1900 folks began mailing pictures of Port A and Mustang Island to family and friends, far and wide. This fun presentation of some of those images is broken down into 4 major categories: Iconic, Fishing, Economic, and Maritime. An example of what you’ll see in the Fishing section is a group of postcards from 1900 to 1948 highlighting fishing guides and how
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their vocation developed on the island. We had access to over 800 postcards to create this exhibit thanks to the generosity of folks like Jim Moloney and Capt. Marvin Horner who shared their valuable collections with us. So as the summer season approaches make plans to visit the Port Aransas Museum, and don’t forget to send a postcard to share your experience! Here is a sampling of images in the exhibit
PAPHA Newsletter
June 2012
