Charles Champion

The son of Joseph Champion, an Italian immigrant who settled in Texas in 1855, Charles Champion was born on February 2, 1870, in Old Point Isabel. He served as district clerk in Hidalgo County before purchasing the Hess General Store in Old Point Isabel in 1894. He renamed it "The Champion Store," and continued to operate the business in the small frame structure. In 1899, Champion erected this two-story brick building and named it "The Key of the Gulf." The first floor housed the general merchandise store, the U.S. Customs House, and the post office. Champion served as the second postmaster of Point Isabel. In the early 1900s, Champion provided the impetus for the fishing industry that employed many local citizens and became an integral part of the local economy. By 1908 Champion and Judge J.B. Wells owned the Santa Isabela land grant, which included Point Isabel. Long a proponent of a deep water port in Point Isabel, Champion died in 1926 before its completion in 1933. Champion was buried next to his wife Margaret Orive and other family members in the Point Isabel Cemetery. (1996)

Charles Champion is a historical marker in Port Isabel, Cameron County, dedicated in 1996. It is one of 116 historical markers documented in Cameron County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 194 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 26.0762, -97.2071 near Port Isabel. The nearest cataloged historic site is Point Isabel, C.S.A. (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Site of Fort Polk, Point Isabel Lighthouse, Old, and Queen Isabel Inn.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507014006. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.