U. S. Army Camp at Texas City

An increasing number of disturbances along Texas' Rio Grande border after Civil War broke out in Mexico in 1910 prompted U. S. President William Taft to consider increasing the U. S. Military presence in the area. Hugh B. Moore, Texas City terminal railway executive, and Augustus B. Wolvin, developer of Texas City's port and owner of a steamship line, persuaded U. S. Officials to establish an army camp in Texas City as a strategic point for possible troop movements into Mexico. In March 1913 approximately 14,000 army personnel, comprising three infantry brigades, one regiment each of cavalry and field artillery, one battalion of engineers, one signal corps company, one field bakery, one field hospital, and an aviation squadron, set up camp here in an open field just north of town. The army camp's air squadron was the first of its kind in the nation. Pilots of the eight aircraft located here set flight records for distance and speed, and entertained spectators with flying exhibitions. A local economic boom brought on by the camp ended abruptly when a major hurricane destroyed the camp and damaged some buildings in Texas City in 1915. The camp was not restored and many of its personnel were later stationed along the Texas-Mexico border.

U. S. Army Camp at Texas City is a historical marker in Texas City, Galveston County, dedicated in 1994. It is one of 283 historical markers documented in Galveston County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 373 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.3983, -94.8928 near Texas City. The nearest cataloged historic site is Wedell's Corner (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Jones, William Jefferson, Old Bay Lake Ranch, and Shoal Point and Half Moon Shoal Lighthouse.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5167011584. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.