Ward Island is an island located in the city of Corpus Christi, Texas. The entire island is used for Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi base.
Ward Island is situated in Oso Bay in the Coastal Bend of Texas. The elevation of Ward Island is approximately 15 feet (4.6 m) above sea level.
Originally called "Island A," the 258-acre (1.04 km2) peninsula was later named for land developer John C. Ward, who obtained the island in 1892. His plans were to develop the island into an exclusive resort community until his plans were crushed during a depression in 1893; however the island still became a popular fishing and hunting site. In 1909, W.E. James and Herman Anderson purchased the land and a tourist business remained until the 1940’s.
During World War II, a base on the island was operated by various military units and the Royal Canadian Air Force. It eventually closed as Naval Air Technical Training Center Ward Island.
In October 1947, after the base closed, the island became the site of the University of Corpus Christi, which eventually developed into Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.