mail brings museum items from '60s and '70s my name is peter shiels. i mail brings museum...

Hello my name is Peter Shiels I

Mail Brings Museum Items From 60s and 70s

Volume 9 Issue 4 PAPHA Newsletter April 2015The Road to the Future Begins in the Past

Inside this IssueSecond Saturday Page 2FBW Classes Page 3Directors Report Page 4FBW Report Page 4Profile Page 5Old AdPhoto Page 5FBW Photo Page 5Old Ads Page 6

CONTACT USPort Aransas Museum Community Center Complexwwwportaransasmuseumorg 101 E Brundrett at Alister St [Mailing] PO Box 677 Port Aransas Texas 78373 (361) 749-3800portamuseumpaphafarleyorg Follow museum on Facebook

Port Aransas Museum Director Rick Pratt (361) 749-3800 (361) 549-6328 rickpratt45gmailcom

Farley Boat WorksFrank Coletta Manager 716 W Ave C [Mailing] PO Box 677 Port Aransas Texas 78373 (409) 356-5065 (210) 218-9961 fbwpamgmailcomFollow boat works on Facebook

Many things can come in the mail but most are either expected or have some-thing to identify the contents

Neither pertained to the box Port Aransas Museum Director Rick Pratt opened recently

A former Port Aransas resident now

residing in Florida sent memorabilia he had saved from his life in Port Aransas

The box came from Peter Shiels a 59- year-old hotel sales manager from Fort Meyers Florida It was full of things he had collected from 1966 to 1971 while living in Port Aransas as a child

He forgot to send an explanation in the box He has moved around a lot but had carried the treasures he amassed with him He may be moving again and thought the museum would appreciate the items When he realized there was no explanation sent he emailed this letter

See BOX on Page 2

BOX Cont from

Page 2 PAPHA Newsletter April 2015

recently sent you a box of things that I have had for many years and I just realized I forgot to enclose this letter explaining the contents Feel free to email me with any questions you may have My parents retired to Port Aransas

in the mid 60rsquos when I was young just entering the 6th grade I am living in Florida now and will be moving soon and found some old pictures and things from when I lived in Port A I thought some of these might be of interest to the museum and historical society And possibly some fun pictures for the students at the school to look at have a good laugh You will see two ldquoletterrdquo sweaters

from my days at H G Olsen I have also included a track medal that we won for a relay There are some photos from a few basketball games also Some are in bad shape hopefully someone will enjoy seeing all thisWe lived in Port Aransas when

hurricane Celia hit and I have enclosed a book and a newspaper article that has some historic pictures from after the stormMaybe the student directory from

Aransas Pass High School will bring back a few memories for someone I think this would be from 1970 or 1971 We took the little bus to Aransas Pass HS everyday crossing the ship channel on the ferry Others chose to go to Flour Bluff High school It was always fun when we played each other in football and basketball I have enclosed a clipping from 1968

when Willadene Reiter was elected as the mayor I believe this was the

first woman elected mayor of Port Aransas I kept this article because I was a close friend of Bruce Reiter who was a local fishing captain When I lived in PA I was a deck hand for Bruce on a couple of our neighborrsquos private boats I thought I was pretty cool then going with Bruce to Mrs Petes () for ldquoteardquo and listening to all the captainsrsquo stories There are a few photos of Bruce and there is one photo of Bruce and Jimmy Ehman who also lived in the same development The boat Dos Ninos II belonged to the Seavers from Corpus From the Dos Ninos II Bruce went to work for Frank Evans on the Pancho Villa As I remember Lloyd Dryer was the first captain of the Pancho Villa There are some photos of the Pancho Villa in front of the Evans home that crazy Chinese looking house The boat is flying 7 flags for the sailfish we caught and released one day As I remember we were fishing the East Breaks the day of the first moon landing we listened to the moon landing on the radio The photo of a lady with a fishing pole is (I am pretty sure) Cora Keeler who was also from Corpus and was well known in the area as a good female fisher ldquowomanrdquo When my father (Tom Shiels) retired

we moved from Dallas to Port Aransas and lived in a development near the ship channel My older brother was also Tom Shiels and he stayed in Port Aransas for a few years after my father died and I moved back to Dallas and I believe was pretty well known back in those days One year he ran Codys on the Beach for Dr Moody and I spent a summer renting surf boards and floats until Hurricane Celia washed it all away Our neighbors included Dr Webb

Detar Frank Evans from Corpus Christi Randy Farenthold who was later murdered One photo shows a boat in the distance with a tuna tower this was Randyrsquos boat the Lollipop that was at the time THE boat that caught all the fish I think Totsie Belcher was his captain Some people might enjoy the newspaper

See BOX on Page 3

SECOND SATURDAY

First Saturday became SECOND SATURDAY this month Join us at the Farley Boat Works on the second Saturday each month


article written by Roy Swann who was the sports writer from the Corpus Christi Caller newspaper I have some photos from that day and they are also enclosed Everyone is identified in the newspaper article It was a big Marlin a very very big MarlinhellipSome of the photos show the area

where we lived houses etc I am sure these houses are gone nowThere is one photo of me and our

captain with a sailfish we caught on my fatherrsquos boat the Hells Bells my first sailfish 7-10 70 lbs a good size sailfish I think the captain was Wes Dreyer There are some patches from various

fishing tournaments and from our Port Aransas Boy Scout troop There are some photos of the tanker

Manhattan The unique bow of the ship allowed it to break ice It was pretty cutting edge for the time and a big deal when the ship came to PA Eddie OrsquoDonnell and I took his skiff over to see the Manhattan I remember we went along side and touched the side of the ship Probably get arrested for that todayhellipYou will see some photos of the big

fire that destroyed a shopping center the local bank and a few stores and the barber shop The band Time Travelers was a group

of local boys I do not remember everyone but one boy was Larry Horne that died in the eighth grade I think from meningitis The picture was taken at our second house near the beach I think on Sea Breeze Lane One of the photos shows a boy

playing pool at our house and his name was Tommy Mause() His

father was a tugboat captain that was killed when a tanker backed over the tugboat The boy in the jacket watching someone play pool was Jack Jett I thinkThe fun photos are the class photos

I will try to identify as many people as I can remember Ms Hamill was the 6th grade teacher and English teacher She owned the local movie theater Since it was outside seating she always had a can of bug spray at the concession stand for us to use Ms Hamill used a ruler to slap our hands and even today I still think what Ms Hamill would say when I use bad grammar Mr Pratt was the 7th grade teacher

and the boyrsquos basketball coach As I remember he was also a minister Mr Cole was the band director and his wife taught music (Judy Cole I think) I do not have any photos of Doyle Marek I do remember how he could swing a paddle though And of

course Chris Page was the science teacher As best I can remember I have listed names of people in each photo Some of the names I am quite sure of some I think I remember and some I just do not remember It was a few years agohellip If I have misidentified someone I apologizeI have edited some of my longer

comments to keep this from turning into a long rambling letter I hope someone enjoys all this and it brings back some good memories Peter Shiels

BOX Cont from Page 2


Downtown BranchPlans for the next new exhibit ldquoGetting Hererdquo are well

underway We are hoping to install and open the new exhibit by the end of June This promises to be one of our best ex-hibits and should be very popular with visitors who have just come across on the Ferry often after waiting in the ferry line for quite some timeRepairs

Some minor maintenance and repairs to the museum build-ing are called for this spring A few shingles are missing from the north roof and some boards on the front porch need repair or replacement Additionally the entrance and escape hatch for the invading raccoons must be found and patched The building is due for a good spring bath as well and will be power washed Following that we may need to touch up a few spots with fresh paint Mark Creighton is leading this charge

It is time to restore the upstairs part of the museum I sug-gest a light touch with new paint and very little alteration A light refinish to the floors and stairway might be in order but nothing that will take any quantity of wood in the process A little bit of re-wiring and lighting is called for and the bath-room requires some new plumbing and a new paint job will complete the rejuvenation

Bill Behrens Kandice Turicchi and I will spend some time deciding just what needs done and then supervise the work Kandice is an interior designer for Susan Castor and she will insure that we accomplish this in a tasteful manner faithful to the Arts and Crafts design of the old kit house

New Maritime BranchI have formed a working group to finalize our plans for

creating the new Maritime branch of the Port Aransas Mu-seum adjacent to the Farley Boat Works The group will meet with the architect with the goal of having the planning phase completed and an estimate of building costs arrived at within a month

The new building will be reminiscent of the old Life Sav-ing Station that was destroyed in the 1916 hurricane It was a lovely structure with a tall cupola and wide doors designed to allow the storage and launching of the lifeboats In the new building these double floor to ceiling doors will accommo-date bringing in large exhibits and boats for displaySchooner

Completion of the schooner is now back on deck I am pro-jecting that within one year the boat will be ready to rig We have an existing dedicated fund of $46548 to cover these expenses

First step is to drill through

From the FBW Six boats were finished by the end of March They

included Alex McAlisterrsquos custom flats boat Scott Egg-elstonrsquos 5 x 18 foot skiff Jay Millerrsquos 45 x 16 foot skiff Clay Terrellrsquos Core Sound 17 foot sailboat and Glenn Bon-nenbergrsquos Noreaster Dory And we canrsquot forget that beauti-ful cypress planked Port A rowing skiff we built for the auction Thirty-three boats to date have been built at the re-established Farley Boat Works

Continuing projects include the Colby Jones skiff and the Abaco Dinghy restoration Abaco Dinghy

This fine little boat now well over 60 years old was built on the Bahamian island of Abaco for Albert Fay US Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago and founder of the Seabrook Shipyard in Seabrook Texas Rick and Cameron Pratt were the next owners and brought it to Port Aransas in 1981 After using it at the Lighthouse for 18 years it was retired and in need of restoration and subsequently donated to the Museum

Bruce Lehmann a skilled shipwright from Michigan with extensive experience in timber frame and plank res-torations volunteered to come to Port Aransas and start the restoration process Bruce enjoyed working with us so much he intends to return next winter

We also have two repairs under way Seats are being re-placed and minor transom rot repaired on a donated LugYawl rigged sailboat And we are searching for an elusive leak on our lapstrake peapod

Three new boat builds start in April Neal Scoggins be-gins building our first trimaran sailboat a 16-foot Little Tri Robert Schroer will start on two stand up paddle boards for his family

My wife Beth and I were invited to present at the Art Center Spring Break Art Camp We helped grade school aged children assemble and paint toy wooden boats sup-plied by the Boat Works The children learned about the Farley Boat Works and were escorted to our museum where Dr Bill Behrens showed them historical boat photographs We will be back for their Summer Art Camp session

On March 21 the FBW held an appreciation picnic for our Winter Texan volunteers who will soon be heading north We grilled burgers and enjoyed beer left over from the auction Fifteen folks come out to enjoy the evening social

Five folks attended our March 24 Navigation Rules class at the Community Center They learned about the ldquorules of the roadrdquo and aids to navigation Cost was $10 to attend the two-hour class with the proceeds going to the Farley Boat Works

We hosted 148 visitors during the month of March Frank Coletta

Boat Works Manager

Museum Directorrsquos Report

See DIRECTOR on Page 5


the keel and install the shaft log then build the skeg around it and sheathe the entire bottom in Dynel cloth This work has to be very precise Once that is ac-complished we will address turning the boat over That is a demanding job as well and will be followed immediately by a party to celebrate this milestone in the birth of the boat Rick Pratt April 2015)

Happy Farley Boat Works supporter Andrew Cleland spotted at the Clay City Fair in Green Cove Springs FL

Spotlight on PAPHA Board Members Katherine Mathews

New Port Aransas Preservation and Historical Association Board Member Katherine Mathews is the Membership Chair for the organization She is new to the island as well having moved to Port Aransas in February of 2014

Her husband Jared is a local realtor and she is a stay-at-home Mom to an adorable 2-year-old Hendrix She is a surfer loves to garden and be outside

She loves living in a community where she can walk or bike almost anywhere

Katherine said moving to Port Aransas opened up opportunities for her to help make a difference in a community She believes with Port Arsquos unique history and growth that the Museum was a great opportunity for her to do just that

Katherine hopes to bring fresh ideas and youthful energy to the Board

DIRECTOR Cont from Page 4


OLD AdsFrom the Port Aransas Post

circa 1911-1912

Farley Boat Works Song

(click on title to listen) By Denny Larkin June 2013

Chorus Come on down to Farley Boat Works the best boat builders in townCome on down to Farley Boat Works the prettiest boats aroundYou take a pile of woodSome screws and glueWe put it all togetherMake your dreams come trueCome on down to Farley Boat Works the best boat builders in town

Verse 1 Well you may have heard about our beautiful boatsWord really gets aroundndash If you got the time- and make up your mind- you can build a boat in Port Aransas town

Repeat ChorusVerse 2 Well if you like fishinrsquo and yoursquore tired of wishinrsquo get some sawdust on your hands-Therersquos no better way to make your day than sailing a boat made with your hands

Repeat Chorus and end


PAPHA Newsletter April 2015

recently sent you a box of things that I have had for many years and I just realized I forgot to enclose this letter explaining the contents Feel free to email me with any questions you may have My parents retired to Port Aransas

in the mid 60rsquos when I was young just entering the 6th grade I am living in Florida now and will be moving soon and found some old pictures and things from when I lived in Port A I thought some of these might be of interest to the museum and historical society And possibly some fun pictures for the students at the school to look at have a good laugh You will see two ldquoletterrdquo sweaters

from my days at H G Olsen I have also included a track medal that we won for a relay There are some photos from a few basketball games also Some are in bad shape hopefully someone will enjoy seeing all thisWe lived in Port Aransas when

hurricane Celia hit and I have enclosed a book and a newspaper article that has some historic pictures from after the stormMaybe the student directory from

Aransas Pass High School will bring back a few memories for someone I think this would be from 1970 or 1971 We took the little bus to Aransas Pass HS everyday crossing the ship channel on the ferry Others chose to go to Flour Bluff High school It was always fun when we played each other in football and basketball I have enclosed a clipping from 1968

when Willadene Reiter was elected as the mayor I believe this was the

first woman elected mayor of Port Aransas I kept this article because I was a close friend of Bruce Reiter who was a local fishing captain When I lived in PA I was a deck hand for Bruce on a couple of our neighborrsquos private boats I thought I was pretty cool then going with Bruce to Mrs Petes () for ldquoteardquo and listening to all the captainsrsquo stories There are a few photos of Bruce and there is one photo of Bruce and Jimmy Ehman who also lived in the same development The boat Dos Ninos II belonged to the Seavers from Corpus From the Dos Ninos II Bruce went to work for Frank Evans on the Pancho Villa As I remember Lloyd Dryer was the first captain of the Pancho Villa There are some photos of the Pancho Villa in front of the Evans home that crazy Chinese looking house The boat is flying 7 flags for the sailfish we caught and released one day As I remember we were fishing the East Breaks the day of the first moon landing we listened to the moon landing on the radio The photo of a lady with a fishing pole is (I am pretty sure) Cora Keeler who was also from Corpus and was well known in the area as a good female fisher ldquowomanrdquo When my father (Tom Shiels) retired

we moved from Dallas to Port Aransas and lived in a development near the ship channel My older brother was also Tom Shiels and he stayed in Port Aransas for a few years after my father died and I moved back to Dallas and I believe was pretty well known back in those days One year he ran Codys on the Beach for Dr Moody and I spent a summer renting surf boards and floats until Hurricane Celia washed it all away Our neighbors included Dr Webb

Detar Frank Evans from Corpus Christi Randy Farenthold who was later murdered One photo shows a boat in the distance with a tuna tower this was Randyrsquos boat the Lollipop that was at the time THE boat that caught all the fish I think Totsie Belcher was his captain Some people might enjoy the newspaper

See BOX on Page 3

SECOND SATURDAY

First Saturday became SECOND SATURDAY this month Join us at the Farley Boat Works on the second Saturday each month






































Boat Works Manager















circa 1911-1912












































Boat Works Manager















circa 1911-1912



















circa 1911-1912







mail brings museum items from '60s and '70s my name is peter shiels. i mail brings museum...

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