THE MERCER FAMILY ON MUSTANG ISLAND ROBERT AINSWORTH MERCER (1799-1875) ARRIVED ON MUSTANG ISLAND CA. 1855. AFTER STARTING A SMALL SETTLEMENT, MERCER WAS APPOINTED NUECES COUNTY’S WRECK MASTER, WITH OVERSIGHT OF THE DISPOSITION OF VESSELS LOST CROSSING ARANSAS PASS. HIS SONS, JOHN (1840-1896) AND EDWARD (NED) (1842-?), SERVED AS ARANSAS PASS BAR PILOTS. IN 1880, JOHN BECAME THE FIRST KEEPER OF THE ARANSAS LIFE SAVING STATION, WHICH LATER BECAME THE U.S. COAST GUARD STATION THAT CONTINUES TODAY. THE ACTIVITIES OF THE MERCER FAMILY WERE DOCUMENTED IN EXHAUSTIVE JOURNALS FROM 1866 THROUGH 1877 AND THESE TEXTS WERE PRESERVED BY SUCCESSIVE MERCER DESCENDANTS, RECOGNIZING THE FAMILY’S INFLUENCE ON THE AREA’S HISTORY. 175 YEARS OF TEXAS INDEPENDENCE * 1836-2011
The Mercer Family on Mustang Island
The roadside stories worth pulling over for.
The Mercer Family on Mustang Island is a historical marker in Port Aransas, Nueces County, dedicated in 2011. It is one of 105 historical markers documented in Nueces County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 147 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 27.8356, -97.0610 near Port Aransas. The nearest cataloged historic site is Mustang Island (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Port Aransas Museum, Mercer, and Tarpon Inn.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507016851. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
Get Texas Roam — all 28,000 sites in your pocket
See this site and every marker, cemetery, courthouse, museum and landmark across Texas on one live map — find what's near you, get directions, and check in as you roam.
