Mitte Cultural District in Brownsville in Cameron County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Samuel W. Brooks

Photographed by James Hulse, April 19, 2023

1. Samuel W. Brooks Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Samuel W. Brooks is credited with building many homes and buildings that still exist today. Two of the best known are his ne on St. Charles St. and the Post Hospital at Fort Brown. He supervised the building of the Old Cameron County Courthouse and the Brownsville Grammar School contracted by Martin Hanson, another notable architect in Brownsville. Brooks served as City Engineer for eight terms. The absence of Brook's headstone is the result of vandalism.

Spanish:
A Samuel W. Brooks se le acredita la construcción de varias casas y edificios. Sus dos obras mas conocidas son su casa en la calle de St. Charles y el Hospital Post en Fort Brown. Bajo contrato de Martin Hanson supervisó la construcción de Old Cameron County Courthouse y Brownsville Grammar School. Martin Hanson fue un notable arquitecto en Brownsville. Brooks también fue Ingeniero de la Ciudad ocho plazos. La ausencia de la lápida de Brooks es por vandalismo.

Erected by City of Brownsville, Preserve America, Brownsville Heritage Complex, U.S. Department of the Interior and Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation.

Topics. This historical

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites.

Location. 25° 54.513′ N, 97° 30.024′ W. Marker is in Brownsville, Texas, in Cameron County. It is in the Mitte Cultural District. It can be reached from the intersection of East 5th Street and East Madison Street. The marker is located in the southeastern section of the Brownsville City Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 955 E 5th St, Brownsville TX 78520, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Texas.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Jose San Roman (a few steps from this marker); Brownsville City Cemetery (a few steps from this marker); Daisy Starck (a few steps from this marker);

Samuel W. Brooks Gravestone and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 19, 2023

2. Samuel W. Brooks Gravestone and Marker

Old City Cemetery (a few steps from this marker); Emilio Forto (within shouting distance of this marker); Israel Bonaparte Bigelow (within shouting distance of this marker); Mary B. Sloss (within shouting distance of this marker); Rafael Morales (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Brownsville.

Also see . . . Brooks, Samuel W. (1829–1903). Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)

Samuel W. Brooks, architect, engineer, and builder, was born in Pennsylvania in 1829. At the age of seven his family took him to Ohio. About 1850 he moved to New Orleans, where he established a lumber business in 1853 and worked as a builder and architect. Brooks left New Orleans in 1863 and moved to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, where he remained until 1878, when he moved across the Rio Grande to Brownsville. During the last quarter of the nineteenth century, he was the foremost architect, engineer, and builder in the Brownsville area. He served eight terms as city engineer of Brownsville, was superintending architect for the United States Courthouse, Custom House, and Post Office (1892, demolished),
Photographed by James Hulse, April 19, 2023

3. The view of the Samuel W. Brooks Marker in the cemetery
and built levees along the Rio Grande at Fort Brown in Brownsville and at Hidalgo.

(Submitted on May 3, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 3, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 193 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 3, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.