Collection: 1851 Craven Lighthouse Survey Map, Aransas Pass, Texas | Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Special Collections and Archives Finding Aids

In 1851 Lieutenant Tunis Augustus Macdonough Craven was tasked with conducting a coast survey after Congress had authorized the placement of a lighthouse at the pass, which leads to Corpus Christi 20 miles or so to the west. The map shows soundings, gives sailing directions for approaching mariners, and locates the proposed site for a lightship, along with the notation, “Lighthouse is not recommended.” Two years later a second survey reversed Craven’s recommendation, and a lighthouse was built in 1857