The Texas Maritime Museum's mission is to excite and educate the public about Texas' rich maritime history. Since the days of the Karankawa Indians, the Texas Coast has been a valuable part of history regionally, statewide, nationally, and internationally.

The Texas coast would provide a predictable food source for the roaming Karankawas. Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle attempted to establish a French presence at the Mississippi, but ended up in Matagorda Bay. His flagship, LaBelle was discovered in 1995 and would become the basis for the LaSalle Odyssey. The port of El Copano was a valuable part of the Texas struggle for independence from Mexico, and in fact changed hands on numerous occasions.

Zachary Taylor launched several campaigns from the coast during the Mexican-American War, and the last battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Palmito Creek, was fought near Brownsville. Since that time, the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway has moved man and machine all along the coast, and the largest oil platform in history, Bullwinkle, was built in Ingleside.

These are just some of the things that you will experience at the Texas Maritime Museum.