The lighthouse at Point Isabel was built in 1852 on the grounds of a Mexican-American War military depot and survived war, coastal storms, and abandonment. During the American Civil War, it was a strategic prize for Confederate and Federal troops. In the last half of the 19th century, its light projected 15 miles out to sea to help guide ships through the Brazos Santiago Pass and into the Laguna Madre. Since 1952 it has been the centerpiece of a State Park, and in 2000 Texas Parks and Wildlife restored it to its 1880 appearance. In 2016 needed maintenance began to repair the effects of coastal weather and salt air, and the lighthouse remains a well-known landmark at Port Isabel.