LOYOLA BEACH, TEXAS. Loyola Beach is on Farm Road 628 and the Callo del Grullo, an inlet of Baffin Bay, in southeastern Kleberg County. In 1935 Orlando Underbrink, a local farmer and carpenter, purchased waterfront property from Carl Prailes and named it Loyola Beach after his father, Ignatius Loyola Underbrink. There he built a grocery store, several rental cottages, and a fishing pier. A boulevard was constructed leading to the beach. As people began coming to the area, Underbrink built Orlando's Cafe; this establishment was later purchased by Cottle and Faye Ware and developed into the community's well-known seafood restaurant, King's Inn. In 1955 Kleberg County established Leo Kaufer Park at Loyola Beach, with a fishing pier, boat dock, and playground. The population of Loyola Beach grew in the 1960s and 1970s, as land along the water was subdivided and sold for permanent and vacation homes. In 1975 the Baffin Bay Water Supply Corporation was formed by interested property owners, and the corporation eventually supplied water to residents of Loyola Beach, Vattman, and Riviera Beach. In 1989 Loyola Beach was sustained economically by farmers, winter visitors, commuters, commercial and sports fishermen, and patrons of King's Inn; at that time the community had a population of more than 100. In 2000 the population reached 125.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Corpus Christi Caller, October 30, 1975. Kleberg County Historical Commission, Kleberg County, Texas (Austin: Hart Graphics, 1979). Kathleen E. and Clifton R. St. Clair, eds., Little Towns of Texas (Jacksonville, Texas: Jayroe Graphic Arts, 1982).
