Entry No. 42 — the Houston file — filed under: ruins
Morgan's Point Ferry Landing Ruins on Hog Island
Hog Island was once a bustling steamboat landing and later home to the Tabbs Bay Causeway and Morgan's Point Ferry, which operated from 1933 until 1953. After Hurricane Carla destroyed the causeway in 1961, the island was abandoned and has since suffered severe subsidence and erosion. Today, the post-apocalyptic ruins of the ferry landing and causeway can still be spotted amidst the water and marshland.
The story
Before the Baytown-La Porte Tunnel and the cables of the Fred Hartman Bridge, getting across the Houston Ship Channel meant driving onto the narrow spit of Hog Island. First a steamboat landing, the island became the anchor for the Tabbs Bay Causeway and the Morgan's Point Ferry in 1933. For twenty years, carloads of locals lined up along the shell road to catch the boat shuttling drivers between Baytown on the north side and Morgan's Point to the south, complete with a parklike stretch where families waited out the ferry queue.
Then the region's massive industrial groundwater pumping caught up with the bay. Decades of severe land subsidence sank the island into the salt marsh, and in September 1961, Hurricane Carla delivered the final strike, sweeping away the causeway, shattering the ferry landing, and drowning the roadbed. The state never rebuilt it. ExxonMobil eventually acquired the drown-prone remnant of the island, slapping up 'No Trespassing' signs where the land dissolves into Tabbs Bay.
What remains today is a eerie graveyard of mid-century infrastructure: broken concrete pilings jutting from the bay, submerged asphalt ribbons visible under calm water, and ruined ferry slips slowly being swallowed by marsh grass. The island itself is off-limits corporate property, but the water surrounding it is fair game if you know where to drop a hull.
What it's like
Put your kayak in at Tabbs Bay and paddle out toward the mouth of the ship channel. At lower tides, the jagged spine of the 1930s causeway and the concrete footings of the ferry landing break the surface like forgotten reef work. Stay on the water and resist any urge to step ashore—ExxonMobil's security takes the posted trespass notices seriously, and the island floor is mostly submerged mud, marsh grass, and razor-sharp barnacles anyway. Go on a windless morning before heavy boat traffic in the channel generates big wakes.
The move: Rent a kayak to safely paddle around Tabbs Bay, viewing the submerged causeway ruins and the remnants of the ferry landing from the water.
📍 Before you go The island is privately owned by ExxonMobil, has posted 'No Trespassing' signs, and is mostly submerged and eroded, but the ruins can be safely viewed from the water via kayak or from the nearby Fred Hartman Bridge.
- 📍 Baytown
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Hog Island, Baytown, TX 77520, USA
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.
Pair it with
- Armand Bayou Nature Center — Firefly Hikes — After paddling around Tabbs Bay's drowned mid-century roadbed, head south to explore intact coastal wetlands and prairie on a guided night trail.
- Bayou Blacksmithing at Armand Bayou Nature Center — Pair a morning kayak trip around Baytown's ruined concrete piers with an afternoon learning traditional metalwork at a nearby working forge.
- The Cistern (Buffalo Bayou Park) — Double down on forgotten 1920s water infrastructure by matching the open-water ferry ruins with a tour of Houston's underground concrete reservoir.
Good to know
Can you walk around on Hog Island?
No. The land is privately owned by ExxonMobil, heavily posted with 'No Trespassing' signs, and mostly eroded into soft mud and salt marsh. You must remain in your watercraft.
What is the best way to view the ruins?
Rent or launch a kayak to paddle around Tabbs Bay for a close-up view from the water, or look down at the submerged outline from the nearby Fred Hartman Bridge.
Why was the ferry landing abandoned?
Ferry service ended in 1953 when the Baytown-La Porte Tunnel opened. Hurricane Carla wiped out the remaining causeway infrastructure in 1961, and ongoing land subsidence made rebuilding impractical.
Is paddling around Tabbs Bay dangerous?
The shallow bay waters are generally quiet, but you should stay clear of the main Houston Ship Channel traffic lanes where commercial ships and barges create large wakes.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: ourbaytown.com · hask.org · texasescapes.com · hask.clubexpress.com
last checked: 2026-07-20