Port Aransas has existed since the late 1800s. It was originally called Ropesville, then Tarpon, for the large number of fish caught nearby, and finally renamed Port Aransas in 1910. In 1886, a small hotel was opened along the water called The Tarpon Inn.
The hotel's origins are murky, and there is no actual documentation. One historian says it was built from surplus material from an old Civil War barracks, but the current owner, Lee Roy Hoskins, says he believes the original building was the barracks.
The first deed to the property was issued to the second owner Ed Cotter.
Cotter, a fishing guide, partnered with Ed Greene in the early 1900s to offer guided fishing tours for tarpon here in the Coastal Bend.
They would launch from the Tarpon Inn with Cotter's motorized boat.
According to Hoskins, it was the first time a motorized boat was used for sport fishing anywhere in the country, and it helped change the course of sport fishing forever.
The 1919 hurricane devastated the Coastal Bend, but according to Hoskins, the damage in Port Aransas was caused by a massive oil tank that was pushed into town. The tank destroyed several buildings around Port Aransas, including the original Tarpon Inn.
The remaining building on the property continued to be used as a hotel.
In 1923, the property was sold to James Ellis, who built a larger hotel building. The original smaller building became a kitchen. The new building included huge wooden poles cemented deep into the ground. They also doubled as internal pillars, making the building resistant to future hurricanes.
Sometime around 1926, a fire destroyed the kitchen and seriously damaged the hotel.
Ellis used this opportunity to expand the number of rooms, adding two more sections to the hotel.
The hotel hosted several celebrities, including the glamorous actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr and food critic and author Duncan Hines.
But arguably the biggest visitor was President Franklin D. Roosevelt. While he didn't stay in the hotel, he did fish off our coast, and a scale from the tarpon he caught is signed and hanging on the wall in the Tarpon Inn.
In fact, one of the walls in the main office of the inn is covered in scales, each signed and dated. The oldest we found when visiting was from July 1897.
In August 1970, Hurricane Celia made landfall near Aransas Pass once again, damaging the Tarpon Inn. That was enough for the Ellis family, who decided to sell.
After 5 years of repairs, the Tarpon Inn was back as a mecca for sport fishermen and tourists.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places and named a Texas Historic Landmark in 1979.
In 2017, Hurricane Harvey damaged the Tarpon Inn, butit quickly reopened after just 8 months of repairs.
The current owner, Lee Roy Hoskins is working on a complete history of the Tarpon Inn. He is also helping establish a sport fishing museum in Port Aransas.
