Key Allegro

Key Allegro is a coastal development located on a triangular peninsula between the communities of Rockport and Fulton in southwestern Aransas County. Cut off from the mainland by Little Bay, the area was used by Karankawa Indians before Anglo settlement. By the late 1860s, with the development of Rockport and Fulton, a hide and tallow factory owned by a man named Cushman operated on the land. In 1874 Bavarian Franz Josef Frandolig obtained a patent from the state of Texas for the property. With his family, he ran a farm and salt works, and the peninsula became known as Frandolig Point. Apparently the Frandolig family was no longer on the site when a severe hurricane swept it clean in 1919. For several decades only fishermen and birdwatchers occasionally visited the area that had become a haven for wildlife.

In 1953 the Aransas County Navigation District purchased from the state 604 acres of "submerged" land in Little Bay. This property, however, included a portion of Frandolig Point, and the Dabney and Ona Petty family, who possessed chain of title back to Franz Josef Frandolig, sued the navigation district over 165 acres of dry land. The Pettys won their lawsuit and in turn sold more than 200 acres of Frandolig Point to the Aransas County Navigation District in the spring of 1955. Initially the district planned to lease the island peninsula to developers for the purpose of constructing resort housing and recreation facilities, but in 1958 district commissioners made plans to put the land up for sale. Carl Krueger, Jr., of San Antonio purchased Frandolig Point in 1961 and renamed it Key Allegro. He envisioned a resort community with 1,000 homes, a country club, and a marina.

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Laurie E. Jasinski | © TSHA

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Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Belongs to

Key Allegro is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

No

Place type

Key Allegro is classified as a Town

Location

Latitude: 28.03946130
Longitude: -97.02776730

Has Post Office

No

Is Incorporated

No