Mission Canal Company Second Lift Pumphouse
Also known as: United Irrigation Company Second Lift Pumphouse
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Why it's listed
Built in 1910 by the Mission Canal Company, this brick pumphouse at 6th Street and Canal in Mission, Texas, once raised irrigation water about 12 feet from one canal to another. The three-part building has a two-story central boiler house, a one-story east wing that held the pumping equipment, and a west wing added in 1936. A tall cylindrical brick chimney, visible across much of the city, rises on the north side, and a 1930s metal storage shed stands to the south. Land developers John Conway and J. W. Hoit founded Mission in 1908 and built the canal system to make farm tracts marketable. John Shary later bought the company, renamed it United Irrigation Company, and expanded the system as citrus growing took hold. The pumphouse is considered the most fitting symbol of the city's agricultural beginnings because it lies wholly within the original townsite. It is now vacant, though newer pumps beside it continue the same lifting function.
Significance in brief: The pumphouse is significant at the local level under Criterion A in the area of agriculture. It is directly tied to the irrigation companies and districts that drove Mission's citrus farming and urban growth. It is the only part of the irrigation system wholly within the city's original townsite, and its tall chimney is a local landmark symbolizing the city's agricultural origins.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 02000910, listed August 30, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 6th St. and Canal, Mission |
|---|---|
| County | Hidalgo County |
| Listed | August 30, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000910 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1910-1952 |
| Architect / builder | Simmons, Albert |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The pumphouse is vacant; replacement natural gas and electric pumps installed about 1984 sit in a concrete structure outside the building to the east and still lift water to the upper canal. |
| Acreage | 15 |
| Coordinates | 26.21225, -98.33104 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 02000910.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5453192
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.