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Cellpic Sunday—Echo of Aransas Pass

Lydia Ann Replica

October 2025.
Corpus Christi, Texas.

Heading into Corpus Christi on our 2025 fall trip, I spotted this lighthouse while we crossed the Nueces Bay Causeway (Highway 181). I rolled down the back window of the Suburban and grabbed this snapshot before the lighthouse disappeared from view. The lighthouse looked real enough, but I was to learn later that it’s a replica of a historic lighthouse, officially known as the Aransas Pass Light Station, not far from Corpus Christi.

A bit of history is in order, thanks to AI. Built in 1857 on Harbor Island near Aransas Pass, the original Aransas Pass Light Station (now known as the Lydia Ann Lighthouse) was one of the earliest brick lighthouses on the Texas coast, guiding ships through the treacherous waters of Aransas and Corpus Christi Bays. Damaged during the Civil War and briefly extinguished, it was relit in 1867 and remained active until its official deactivation in 1952. Privately purchased in 1955, the lighthouse was restored and recommissioned in 1988 as a private aid to navigation. Today, it still stands in its original location, visible from the Lydia Ann Channel, but closed to the public.

While the original Aransas Pass Light Station still stands watch over Harbor Island, this replica was later built along Corpus Christi’s waterfront as part of a resort and residential complex. Designed more for atmosphere than for navigation, this stone tower, with its red‑roofed lantern room, offers visitors a coastal landmark that echoes the 1857 beacon of Aransas Pass.

About the photo: I broke my new rule of setting Pro Mode when launching the camera app on my Samsung S25 Ultra to get the phone to store both a raw (DNG) file and a JPG. As we were moving at highway speeds, I didn’t have time to switch to Pro Mode. It would be nice to have the option to set a DNG default instead of having to switch to Pro Mode whenever I launch the camera app. After one trip through Adobe Lightroom Classic with my usual detour into Luminar Neo for finishing touches, I was ready to share the photo. To view the image in 2K HD on my Flickr site, click on the picture.

I invite fellow bloggers to join in by creating their own Cellpic Sunday posts. There’s no set theme. The first rule is that your photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or other mobile device. The second rule is simple: link your challenge response to this post or drop a comment here with your link so others can find it. And remember, despite the name, there’s no penalty for sharing on a day other than Sunday.

John Steiner

36 comments

  7. Superb photo…and snapped from a moving vehicle…wow! Impressive details captured in so brief a moment.

    What an amazing undertaking to build a replica of a lighthouse and its environs. I imagine that was a costly endeavor…”just for atmosphere.” It does provide a focal point for the history of the area. It looks to me, anyway. Thank you also for sharing your processing wisdom. Much appreciated.

    Reply

  19. This is an interesting post about an area I know nothing about. It seems like the 21st century has grown up around it. I wondered what was so trecherous in the waters, so I Googled it and found out that it is more about shallow waters, rip tides, and tar balls than dashing waters agains the cliffs that I usually think of as treacherous. Boy was I wrong! 🙂

    Reply

    • I hear you, Marsha. Somehow dramatic images of waves dashing into rocky cliffs make for compelling stories… tar balls, not so much. >grin< Rip tides, however, that's another matter.

      Reply

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