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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Port Lavaca in Calhoun County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
 

Civil War Torpedo Works

 
 
Civil War Torpedo Works Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Chris Kneupper, June 10, 2023
1. Civil War Torpedo Works Marker
Inscription.

In February 1863, local inventor E. G. Singer developed and tested a torpedo with a unique spring action ignition system on the shores of Lavaca Bay. With nine other Lavaca citizens including Singer's financial partner Dr. J. R. Fretwell and Captain David A. Bradbury, who was soon placed in charge of Confederate torpedo operations, Singer received authority to provide the new technology to Confederate forces in the vicinity. Several types of underwater and land mine torpedoes were manufactured at the experimental torpedo works in Lavaca. The devices were quickly installed in rivers throughout the South, including the Yazoo in Mississippi, and in Mobile Bay in Alabama. Singer's torpedo mines were instrumental in the defense of the Matagorda Bay area throughout 1863. (1998)
 
Erected 1998 by Texas Historical Commission and the Calhoun County Historical Commission. (Marker Number 1199.)
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1863.
 
Location. 28° 37.092′ N, 96° 37.253′ W. Marker is in Port Lavaca, Texas, in Calhoun County. Marker is on Commerce Street east of Main Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker is located on the southern edge of Bayfront Peninsula
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Park, next to another marker and near a steel silhouette. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Port Lavaca TX 77979, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Naval Shelling of Lavaca (here, next to this marker); Civil War Bombardment of Port Lavaca (here, next to this marker); Beach Hotel (approx. ¼ mile away); Wood Barrels of Cement (approx. 0.3 miles away); Grace Episcopal Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); Ranger Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Alsatian Immigration through Lavaca Bay (approx. 0.4 miles away); San Antonio & Mexican Gulf Railroad (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Lavaca.
 
More about this marker. The marker must have been moved in recent years, as it is not at the location given in the Texas Historical Commission's Atlas Map.
 
Civil War Torpedo Works Marker Reverse image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Chris Kneupper
2. Civil War Torpedo Works Marker Reverse
Civil War Torpedo Works Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Chris Kneupper
3. Civil War Torpedo Works Marker
The marker is on the right.
Nearby Confederate artillery silhouette image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Chris Kneupper
4. Nearby Confederate artillery silhouette
Confederate artillery silhouette at dawn image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Chris Kneupper, June 10, 2023
5. Confederate artillery silhouette at dawn
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 2, 2021, by Chris Kneupper of Brazoria, Texas. This page has been viewed 321 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos:   1. submitted on June 11, 2023, by Chris Kneupper of Brazoria, Texas.   2, 3, 4. submitted on May 2, 2021, by Chris Kneupper of Brazoria, Texas.   5. submitted on June 11, 2023, by Chris Kneupper of Brazoria, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024