San Juan in Hidalgo County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Tom Mayfield

(June 16, 1880 - November 26, 1966)

Photographed by James Hulse, April 22, 2023

1. Tom Mayfield Marker

Inscription. Tom Mayfield left the Gonzales County farm of his parents, John and Maggie Mayfield, in 1898 to help buy horses for Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders. Between 1910-1921 Tom served as Pharr City Marshal, Texas Ranger, and Hidalgo County Deputy Sheriff. His role in exposing a German-Mexican WWI plot in nearby San Diego and his amazing escape from a Mexican firing squad in 1921 made Tom a local celebrity. As Pharr-San Juan-Alamo's deputy constable (1938-1963) Tom gained the community's highest respect. He spent his last years as a resident of the San Juan Hotel.

Erected 1993 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 5504.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Law Enforcement • War, World I. A significant historical year for this entry is 1898.

Location. 26° 11.372′ N, 98° 9.406′ W. Marker is in San Juan, Texas, in Hidalgo County. It is at the intersection of West 5th Street (Business U.S. 83) and Lincoln Street, on the left when traveling west on West 5th Street. The marker is located at the front of the old hotel building by the street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 125 West 5th Street, San Juan TX 78589, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Texas.

It is also in the American South.

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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Old First National Bank Building Circa 1919 (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); San Juan Townsite (about 700 feet away); St. John the Baptist Church Tower 1954

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(approx. 0.3 miles away); St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); San Antonio & Rio Grande Railway (approx. 0.8 miles away); Camp Ebenezer (approx. 1½ miles away); First Pharr School (approx. 1.6 miles away); Buell School (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Juan.

Also see . . . San Juan, TX. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) (Submitted on May 28, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The Tom Mayfield Marker in front of the San Juan Hotel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 22, 2023

2. The Tom Mayfield Marker in front of the San Juan Hotel

The view of the old San Juan Hotel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 22, 2023

3. The view of the old San Juan Hotel

Credits. This page was last revised on May 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 28, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 3,164 times since then and 159 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 28, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.