Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi occupies Ward Island, a patch of land on Corpus Christi Bay that the Navy used during World War II as a closely guarded school for radar and airborne electronics. The Baptist-run University of Corpus Christi moved in late 1947, and after Hurricane Celia battered the campus in 1970 the state took it over, eventually making it part of the Texas A&M System in 1989. This walk moves from the island's wartime story to the plaza honoring civil rights leader Dr. Hector P. Garcia, then on to the library that holds his papers, the performing arts hall, and the Gulf research institute on the water.
Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi has one of the most unusual backstories of any Texas campus. Its home, Ward Island on Corpus Christi Bay, was a tightly guarded Navy school during World War II, where sailors learned radar and other classified airborne electronics. At the 1944 peak about 3,100 were enrolled, roughly 200 new trainees arrived each week, and Marines guarded the grounds day and night.
After the Navy moved its training to Memphis in 1947, the Baptist-run University of Corpus Christi took over the island. Hurricane Celia did heavy damage in 1970, the state then took the school over, and in 1989 it joined the Texas A&M System.
The campus also carries an important civil rights legacy. Dr. Hector P. Garcia Plaza, dedicated in 1996, honors the Corpus Christi physician who founded the American GI Forum in 1948 to fight for Mexican American veterans and who in 1984 became the first Mexican American to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom; his papers, a major resource on the movement in South Texas, are preserved in the university's archives. Culture and science round out the visit: the Performing Arts Center seats about 1,500 beneath wraparound balconies, and the Harte Research Institute, launched with a $46 million pledge from Edward H. Harte, studies the Gulf of Mexico across the United States, Mexico and Cuba.
With water on nearly every side and history around each corner, it is one of the most distinctive campus walks on the Texas coast.
How long is the Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Campus Tour?
It is a self-guided walking tour: 5 stops, about 0.9 miles, ~40 min. Go at your own pace; the app keeps your place.
Where does it start?
In Corpus Christi, Texas. The exact starting point, the full stop list and turn-by-turn directions are in the TexasRoam app.
How do I take this tour?
Download TexasRoam for iPhone or iPad from the App Store. The tour is included with TexasRoam+. It is not available on the web map.
When is the best time to go?
Go in daylight, ideally in the cooler morning hours, and check the Performing Arts Center calendar if you want to see the hall during a show.
Take the “Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Campus Tour”
Texas Roam guides you turn by turn through Corpus Christi with maps, audio narration and check-ins as you go — plus all 5 stops on this tour and every guided tour, hiking trail and historical marker across Texas. Get it on the App Store.
Guided tours & hiking trails are available only in the TexasRoam app for iPhone & iPad — not on the web map. Free to download; unlock with TexasRoam+.
