The pillars are the prominent remains of Naval Air Station (NAS) Hitchcock, a short-lived lighter than air (LTA) base built in the wartime hysteria over German U-boat threats in the Gulf of Mexico. Known to locals as "the blimp base," NAS Hitchcock once encompassed 3,500 acres and housed nearly 150 personnel. Numerous buildings were erected for staff who operated the base during its 1943-1944 heyday. Today, aside from the distinctive pillars, only a handful of structures and namesake streets serve as reminders of the Navy's former presence. Lost to both progress and neglect, the story of NAS Hitchcock is nearly forgotten.

In early 1942, America was gearing up for its wartime defense. In those anxious days, German U-boats stalked the country's coastlines awaiting the unsuspecting freighter or tanker. In Texas, concern mounted for the safety of the many large oil refineries and petrochemical plants that dotted the shoreline of Galveston Bay. Various vessels utilized the bay's ports during the war, and protection from submarine attack was critical. The area was therefore selected for a naval air station to patrol the bay and gulf waters.