Museum

Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum and World Birding Center

Hidalgo · Hidalgo County · Dedicated 1999 · THC Atlas #4200000667

Texas history, up close and curated.

About this site

Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum and World Birding Center is a museum in Hidalgo, Hidalgo County, dedicated in 1999. It is one of 7 museums documented in Hidalgo County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 234 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 26.0969, -98.2618 near Hidalgo. The nearest cataloged historic site is Hidalgo Irrigation Pump Plant (historical marker), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include Hidalgo County Courthouse (1886), Hidalgo Post Office, Former, and Old Hidalgo School.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #4200000667. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.

History

The Old Hidalgo Pumphouse was built in 1909 as a steam-driven irrigation station that drew Rio Grande water to transform the arid Lower Rio Grande Valley into farmland. A 1933 flood shifted the river about a half-mile away, forcing engineers to dig a channel back to the intake pipes. The station ceased operating in 1983, reopened as a museum in 2003, and later joined the World Birding Center network, its channel now a habitat for subtropical birds.

Sources: cityofhidalgo.net texastimetravel.com

📍 26.0969, -98.2618 · Hidalgo, Hidalgo County

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Nearby in Hidalgo County

Historical Marker

Hidalgo Irrigation Pump Plant

Hidalgo · 1991

Courthouse

Hidalgo County Courthouse (1886)

Hidalgo · 1886

Historical Marker

Hidalgo Post Office, Former

Hidalgo County Jail, Old

Hidalgo · 1984

Historical Marker

Hidalgo County Courthouse, Old

Hidalgo · 1964

Cemetery

Hidalgo City Cemetery

Hidalgo · 2009

Historical Marker

Approximate Site of Mission San Joaquin

Hidalgo · 1936