Marker Inscription
Irish immigrant James W. Byrne (1787-1865), a veteran of the Texas Revolution, was an early settler of this area. He established the town of Lamar and, with his wife Harriet, sold land on Aransas Bay to the Catholic church for a chapel site. Byrne engaged a French architect to design the structure, which was completed in 1858. Called Stella Maris (Star of the Sea) Chapel, it was built of shellcrete, a shell-aggregate masonry. An important link with the area's early Roman Catholic heritage, the chapel was moved to this site in 1986. (1986)
About this site
Stella Maris Chapel is a historical marker in Lamar, Aransas County, dedicated in 1986. It is one of 49 historical markers documented in Aransas County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 55 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 28.1444, -96.9887 near Lamar. The nearest cataloged historic site is Lamar Cemetery, The (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Fagan, John, Site of the Town of Lamar, and Mills Wharf.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5007005103. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
