Completed in 1869 during the rebuilding of Fort Brown by Captain William Alonzo Wainwright, the Post Hospital Annex (also known as the Medical Laboratory), was constructed to house personnel assigned to work in the nearby Post Hospital. A finely . . . — — Map (db m223151) HM
Built circa 1870 and originally two separate army buildings, the morgue and the linen storage were joined in 1940. A garage was also added and the building became an office and storeroom. In 1946 the Fort Brown property, including the old morgue, . . . — — Map (db m223355) HM
Authorized 1850. On land deeded forever for this purpose.
Butchers, other vendors moved in during 1851. Building complete with top story and bell tower, 1852. Town hall and market used for Presbyterian church services.
In high wind of . . . — — Map (db m119294) HM
Today, commonly referred to as the Rabb Plantation, this was originally known as Rancho San Tomas and then, San Tomas Plantation. It encompassed 20,353 acres stretching north from the banks of the Rio Grande to the Arroyo Colorado. In 1885, . . . — — Map (db m165628) HM
Built 1891-1892 for Frank and Lillian Rabb, the Queen Anne style house had a commanding view of the Rio Grande during the waning years of steamboat era. The Rabb Plantation, originally known as Rancho San Tomas, was 20,305 acres and . . . — — Map (db m165622) HM
Exhibits along the half-mile-long path ahead tell the history of the fighting here in 1846. As you walk, imagine miles of thick, thorny underbrush instead of the streets and homes you see on all sides today.
Some key battlefield features remain . . . — — Map (db m221200) HM
English: Built circa 1900 for Refugia Rock, the widow of Herman S. Rock (a customs hide inspector), the one-story house has parapet gables and a molded cornice across the chimney and façade, indicating Mexican Colonial and Border . . . — — Map (db m131223) HM
English: This excellent example of Spanish colonial style architecture was built in 1900 for Mrs. Herman S. Rock. Features include floor-length windows at the front façade, and parapets with a decorative brick cornice. Owned by the . . . — — Map (db m131198) HM
English: Built circa 1870 for William H. Russel, the house was purchased by Joseph James Cocke in 1885. Its architecture features a mixture of late Greek Revival and Victorian styles that reflects the architecturally stylistic . . . — — Map (db m131200) HM
Built in 1877 for Judge William H. Russell (1838-1882), this house was purchased by Virginian and Confederate veteran Joseph James Cocke (1841-1926) in 1885. The Cocke family continued to live in the home until the late 1940s. The eclectic Victorian . . . — — Map (db m223600) HM
Samuel Wallace Brooks designed and built this shingle-style home for himself in 1888. In 1853, Brooks established himself in New Orleans as an architect, builder, and lumber dealer. Brooks moved to this area in 1863. The home was relocated in 1986 . . . — — Map (db m223577) HM
Sacred Heart Church was established by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate for the English-speaking parishioners of Immaculate Conception Church. San Antonio architect Frederick B. Gaenslen designed this building for the new congregation in the Gothic . . . — — Map (db m119746) HM
(English)
Built in 1912 for the first English-speaking parish in Brownsville, this gothic revival church was designed by Frederick B. Gaenslen.
The entrance gallery features corinthian columns and the initials “OMI” in the . . . — — Map (db m119748) HM
(English)
Built in 1912, designed by Frederick B. Gaenslen, the church was established by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate as the first English-speaking Catholic parish in Brownsville. Built in the Gothic Revival style, it was severely . . . — — Map (db m119751) HM
(English)
Built beginning 1877 for Victoriano Fernandez, the Border Brick style structures were built in stages, possibly accounting for the varying heights. The last of the three buildings was completed in 1886.
They were designed as a . . . — — Map (db m119300) HM
Built in 1850 for José San Román, the building is an example of Border Brick architecture. Significant alterations have been made such as the varying height of the street facade. The San Román family occupied it for three generations. . . . — — Map (db m119401) HM
Erected 1850 for Don Jose San Román, native of Biscay, Spain - importer, steamboat owner, merchant, investor in city lots. He and successor, Feliciano San Román, backed the Rio Grande Railroad.
Fulgencio Lopez was last of San Romans in charge . . . — — Map (db m119400) HM
[English] Built in 1928, the depot was designed by R.W. Barnes, Southern Pacific Railroad's Chief Engineer. Southern Pacific began freight service on its line running from Brownsville to Edinburg on October 20, 1927. Passenger service was . . . — — Map (db m195621) HM
Panel 1: Southern Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot
Official Historical Medallion, Texas Historical Commission
This depot was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1928 as part of its extension into the Rio Grande Valley. A . . . — — Map (db m37624) HM
English:
Built in 1851 for Henry Miller, the cottage was first occupied by Brownsville’s founder, Charles Stillman, and later owned by Manuel Treviño de los Santos Coy.
In 1958, Chauncey D. Stillman, great-grandson of Charles, purchased . . . — — Map (db m117863) HM
English:
Built in 1850 in Greek Revival style by Henry Miller, who operated the nearby Miller Hotel, for Brownville founder, Charles Stillman, and his new bride, Elizabeth.
They occupied the house until 1853 and their first two children . . . — — Map (db m117854) HM
English:
Built in 1850, this Greek Revival home was occupied in succession by Charles Stillman and his family; Thomas Carson, longtime Brownsville Mayor; and the Manuel Trevino de los Santos Coy family. At one time, it housed the Mexican . . . — — Map (db m117862) HM
...Captain May rode to the front of his troop - every rein and sabre was tightly grasped. Raising himself and pointing at the battery, he shouted 'Men, follow.' There was now a clattering of hooves and a rattling of sabre sheaves - and the next . . . — — Map (db m221180) HM
You are currently standing north of the core battlefield area. Before you lies the site of last land battle of the American Civil War—May 12-13, 1865. Tune to Channel 1610 AM to listen to a historical narrative of the battle and to learn more about . . . — — Map (db m218633) HM
La Batalla de Palo Alto
La primera batalla de la guerra entre los Estados Unidos y México se peleó cerca del área noreste de la actual esquina de la carretera FM 511 y FM 1847. El lugar histórico de la batalla de palo alto se . . . — — Map (db m220843) HM
Iberian range cattle, progenitors of the Texas Longhorn, were brought into Texas by Spain in the 1600s and 1700s. The cattle thrived on the area's rich grasslands and roamed throughout Texas. At the time of the Texas Revolution (1835-36) vast . . . — — Map (db m165673) HM
Back in 1865, the weary soldiers fighting over this rough terrain probably gave little thought to the price of cotton. But their commanders did.
Throughout the war, wagonloads of the South's "white gold” streamed into the Rio Grande Valley . . . — — Map (db m164600) HM
This Catholic order was founded in 1816 in France by Bishop Eugene De Mazonod. They came to Brownsville at the request of local citizens and held their first mass on December 8, 1849 on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception hence the name of the . . . — — Map (db m119741) HM
The oldest house in Brownsville built by Wm. Neale in 1834 and occupied by the Neale Family until 1959 at which time it was given to the Brownsville Art League
for a gallery and studio by Mrs. Hector del Valle, a direct descendant — — Map (db m164606) HM
On the second day of fighting, unexpected cannon fire broke the midday silence here in tangled thickets next to the ravine. Hundreds of Mexican soldiers had been resting in the shade, about to eat their first meal in 24 hours. The Army of the North . . . — — Map (db m221168) HM
[English]
Imagine the open prairie before you filled as far as the eye can see with 300 army supply wagons. Under the canvas tops were tons of food, weapons, and ammunition — enough to keep 2,800 soldiers going for about four months. . . . — — Map (db m182255) HM
A descendant of the 18th century Rio Grande settler Blas de la Garza Falcon, Tomas Tijerina (1860-1932) moved to this site in 1904. His original frame house, was moved to the back of the lot in 1912 when the present brick home was built. Tijerina, a . . . — — Map (db m221435) HM
(English)
Rebuilt in 1931 for approximately $500,000, the building is a Second Renaissance Revival style public building. It replaced Brownsville’s first Federal Building (1892), which was located at the same site. It has served as a . . . — — Map (db m118917) HM
(English)
Built in 1933, this four-story building is of the Second Renaissance Revival style. Features include decorative arches at the main entrance, stone quoins at the corners, tile roof, and decorative cornice. The building houses . . . — — Map (db m118919) HM
Built in 1928, the commercial building was designed by Baltazar Torres, a local builder and architect. From 1945 until the mid-1980’s it operated as Whitman’s Army Store and pawnshop.
The three metallic spheres suspended from the . . . — — Map (db m119299) HM
In this building, formerly the Post Hospital, in August, 1882, Major General William Crawford Gorgas, Surgeon General of the United States Army, then First Lieutenant Assistant Surgeon, first studied yellow fever. Largely through General Gorgas' . . . — — Map (db m222974) HM
Spaniard Andres Cueto built a wholesale and retail grocery, pawn shop, and bakery building on the corner of Thirteenth and East. Madison St. in 1893 and called it La Nueva Libertad. He acquired properties and rented homes.
Spanish: . . . — — Map (db m222188) HM
Annie S. Putegant was one of eight teachers at Washington Park School when it opened in 1889. The school was torn down and rebuilt in 1940, then renamed in her honor in 1947. She was briefly a principal and assistant principal but returned to the . . . — — Map (db m222174) HM
Although this cemetery was not formally deeded to the city of Brownsville until 1868, dates on marked tombstones indicate the site was being used as a graveyard by the late 1850s. Buried here are some of the earliest settlers to arrive in this part . . . — — Map (db m221937) HM
Built in 1916 and designed by Atlee B. Ayres, this building is an example of Spanish Mediterranean Revival architecture. Starting in 1926, the junior college began to hold classes here until 1948. In 1927-28 a Mission Revival style building was . . . — — Map (db m221405) HM
Captain John Roach Butler transported supplies to Zachary Taylor at Point Isabel (Fort Taylor). He retired as Port Captain for Brazos Santiago and was a surveyor for Lloyds of London with a group that was granted a second railroad charter in the Rio . . . — — Map (db m222158) HM
Spanish:La casa mansarda frances fue construida en 1893 para Louis y Amelia Kowalski por S.W. Brooks, disenador de varios edificios públicos. Louis Kowalski, agente aduanal, fue tesorero del condado de cameron y posteriormente . . . — — Map (db m223556) HM
Fannie Seward Cavazos (1844-1928) moved from Ohio during the Civil War to Bagdad, Mexico. She came to Brownsville in 1870 with her husband, Wenceslao Cavazos. After his death in 1882 Fannie began a successful Mexican-style lace drawnwork business. . . . — — Map (db m223536) HM
Built in 1905 for Fannie Seward Cavazos, the Folk Victorian style house features a porch that has thin turned-wood posts, a shed roof and decorative trims. The house's front façade gable is outlined by a bargeboard. Folk Victorian style houses were . . . — — Map (db m223534) HM
Fannie Seward Cavazos (1844-1928) moved from Ohio during the Civil War to Bagdad, Mexico. She arrived here in 1870 with her husband, Wenceslao Cavazos. After his death in 1882, Fannie began a successful Mexican-style lace drawnwork business this . . . — — Map (db m223539) HM
Built 1926-1927 by Scottish architect Thomas McLaren, the church is an example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style applied to an ecclesiastical property. It features a domed tower, barrel tile roof and curvilinear parapet. It is the third . . . — — Map (db m221394) HM
Spanish:Esta es una de las iglesias Episcopales más antiguas organizadas en Texas, fundada en 1851 el primer rector de esta iglesia fue el reverendo William Passmore! La iglesia situada en el centro de la ciudad, se terminó en 1854. . . . — — Map (db m221395) HM
One of the earliest Episcopal Churches organized in Texas this congregation was founded in 1851.The Rev. William Passmore served as first rector, and by 1854 a church building was completed in the downtown area. Destroyed by a hurricane in 1867, it . . . — — Map (db m221397) HM
Built in 1926, the house was designed by Jose Colunga for Jose A. Cisneros. It features Colonial Revival architectural elements such as tiled pent awnings. In 1933 a Classic Revival style porch was added giving the house an eclectic appearance. . . . — — Map (db m221765) HM
Manuel J. Cisneros-Garcia (1893-1943), a Brownsville pharmacist and businessman, and his wife, Aurora Longoria-Elizalde de Cisneros (1891-1973), were Mexican immigrants who became respected members of the city's business and cultural community. The . . . — — Map (db m221433) HM
Local architect José Golunga (1882-1946) built this house for businessman José A. Cisneros, Sr. (1887-1963). A hallmark example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style when completed in 1926, the structure's current eclectic appearance dates to 1933, . . . — — Map (db m221762) HM
This Spanish colonial revival home was built in 1925-26 by Jose Colunga for Jose Cisneros. Mr. Cisneros closely supervised its construction features include classical columns and Spanish colonial revival elements such as corbeled brickwork and clay . . . — — Map (db m221761) HM
Built in 1906, this Spanish Colonial style commercial building was owned by John S. Cross and his son, Melton Cross. John came from Louisiana to the border to live with his wife, a former slave, and became a successful businessman and rancher. The . . . — — Map (db m222704) HM
Daisy Starck became the first pedestrian on record to be killed by a horse carriage. Her father was Charles W. Starck, whose son Fred Starck and brother-in-law Frank Rabb amassed 42,000 acres of plantation land. The Starck/ Rabb partnership made . . . — — Map (db m221948) HM
Delia H. Kimbell and her mother, Harriet N. Kimball, died within two days of each other. Both were victims of a Yellow Fever epidemic. Yellow fever and cholera contributed to many deaths throughout Brownsville's early history. The oldest graves date . . . — — Map (db m222157) HM
El Globo Nuevo is a complex consisting of a one-story border brick style storehouse built in 1897 and operated until 1920 by Mexican immigrants Adolfo Garza-Galvan (1856-1923) and his elder brother, Manuel (1847-1926), and a free-standing folk . . . — — Map (db m222709) HM
Emilio Forto managed the properties of James Stillman for over forty years. He served as mayor and sheriff (1892), Cameron County Judge, was a banker and served on the Brownsville School Board (1892). He founded the Brownsville Country Club and . . . — — Map (db m221950) HM
Francisco Yturria was the son of a captain in the Spanish Army in Matamoros. He married Felicitas Treviño, a Spanish land grantee. He started as a clerk for Charles Stillman and worked for Mifflin Kenedy and Richard King. During the Civil War he . . . — — Map (db m221962) HM
Established in 1868 by the Hebrew Benevolent Society, the Hebrew Cemetery encompasses approximately a quarter of an acre and in accordance with Jewish law, it does not have any above ground crypts or mausoleums. Prior to its establishment, the local . . . — — Map (db m222667) HM
Jewish settlers came to the Brownsville/Matamoros area in the mid-1840s. In 1868 one-half acre of land next to the City Cemetery was purchased by the Hebrew Benevolent Society from Charles Stillman for $1. Victims of an 1858 yellow fever epidemic, . . . — — Map (db m222665) HM
Built in 1950, the Hinojosa House is located within Los Ebanos, a subdivision named after the native Texas Ebony trees that are common in the area. Developed in the 1920s by Los Ebanos Estates Inc., Los Ebanos was the first subdivision in . . . — — Map (db m221292) HM
Israel Bonaparte Bigelow was from Connecticut and was a stage coach operator for General Taylor. He became the first County Judge of Cameron County and Brownsville's first Mayor but was ousted by the city council on twelve counts of election . . . — — Map (db m221952) HM
James B. Wells was an attorney, power broker, council for Capt. Richard King, Judge of 29th Judicial District, and political "Boss" of south Texas for over thirty years. He controlled the Democratic "Blue" party and was one of the original . . . — — Map (db m222175) HM
Jose Celaya was secretary and treasurer of the Rio Grande Railroad of which his father, Simon Celaya, was a founding member. He served as one of the first Cameron County commissioners in the new courthouse built in 1912.
Spanish: . . . — — Map (db m222182) HM
Joseph Crixell was appointed Chief of Police November 1909 as the Independent-Red Club party gained a foothold in local politics. Crixell was awarded a gold badge by his party in 1911. He gained popularity as a peace officer while tensions between . . . — — Map (db m222183) HM
Jose Fernandez, a pioneer in overland freight, made a huge fortune in arms and supplies for Mexican and Civil War trade. He joined Porfirio Diaz's inner circle (1876), and acquired a large coffee plantation in Veracruz. He amassed sizeable property . . . — — Map (db m222186) HM
Jose San Roman of Spain established a dry goods firm in Matamoros in 1846 and operated riverboats with other wealthy area merchants. He also smuggled cotton trade through Bagdad (near Mexican side of mouth of Rio Grande). In 1850 he built a . . . — — Map (db m221951) HM
Joseph Kleiber was a native of Alsace-Lorraine who owned and operated a pharmacy in Brownsville during the Civil War era. In those years he was also the Confederate Postmaster. His business correspondence was conducted in English, Spanish, and . . . — — Map (db m222161) HM
Built in 1893, designed by S.W. Brooks for Louis and Amelia Kowalski, the house features a distinctive mansard roof characteristic of Second Empire architecture. It has a brick-paved courtyard, and a porch along the street front and side garden. The . . . — — Map (db m223555) HM
Built circa 1850 the Lusena House is one of the oldest wooden houses in Brownsville. The historical significance of the house was discovered when it was scheduled to be razed. It was then moved to the Cueto/Nueva Libertad Complex where it was . . . — — Map (db m222766) HM
This building was built at the turn of the century for M.H. Cross. J.S. & M.H. Cross operated a wholesale merchandise business at this site. The family also owned a large retail store in Matamoros which shipped goods to many towns in Mexico. This . . . — — Map (db m222671) HM
Built in 1924, designed by Edward Holliday for Enrique Manautou, the house is a Texan derivative of the Prairie Style developed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Notable features associated with the style are the projecting eaves of the roof, the blocky shape . . . — — Map (db m221412) HM
Enrique Manautou (1885-1962) had this residence built for his family in 1925 by Brownsville architect Edward Guy Holliday (1891-1961). A native of Mexico, Manautou became one of the city's most prominent retail merchants and civic leaders. . . . — — Map (db m221414) HM
This Prairie-style residence was designed by Edward Guy Holliday for Enrique Manautou in 1924. Manautou, a Mexican immigrant of French Alsatian descent, was a major retailer in Brownsville.
Spanish:La casa fue construida en . . . — — Map (db m221413) HM
Mary B. Sloss lived across the street from the cemetery and was its sexton for thirty-five years. She was active in civic and political affairs for most of her life. Her son, Jessie W. Sloss, was city secretary for twenty-nine years, city manager . . . — — Map (db m221953) HM
Brownsville architect A.H. Woolridge designed this home in 1937 for Malcolm Prothro (Jack) and Vivian Faust McNair. Jack McNair moved to Brownsville in 1921 to join his brother, Phillip, in a clothing manufacturing business. Jack eventually became . . . — — Map (db m221294) HM
Two historic buildings, the 1916 and the 1928 Brownsville high schools, house the present Central Intermediate School. Atlee Bayres designed the 1916 building featuring stone string courses and decorative tiles. The architectural firms of Phelps & . . . — — Map (db m221408) HM
Established circa 1850, the cemetery contains architecture that chronicles the development of funerary practices in Brownsville. The influence of burial practices from Matamoros and New Orleans is reflected by the ornate Brick vaults from the 19th . . . — — Map (db m221942) HM
Patrick Shannon was a steamboat captain that ran from boats from Matamoros to the mouth of the Rio Grande. He was also an operator of a ferry service and owner of a lumberyard and warehouse. "Shannondale" was his attempt to establish a town opposite . . . — — Map (db m222165) HM
In 1928, John R. Harris, Jr, and Mary Helen Harris purchased this lot and constructed a one story, brick veneer manorial suburban cottage designed by architect R. Newell Waters. In 1930, land developer Reginald Porter bought the house, and eight . . . — — Map (db m221287) HM
Potter's Field refers to the low lying grounds extending from the slope to the resaca where local indigents were buried. In 1967 Hurricane Beulah flooded the area, unearthing coffins which were later seen floating in the resaca. Burials in this . . . — — Map (db m222185) HM
R.B. Creagar was an attorney and Republican Party leader in Cameron County. He was president of First National Bank in Brownsville and involved in the Brownsville Waterways Association. He was collector of customs under Presidents Roosevelt and . . . — — Map (db m222166) HM
Rafael Morales was a Mexican soldier in Santa Anna's army against General Sam Houston in the Battle of San Jacinto (1836). His father was a soldier in the Mexican War of Independence from Spain in 1821.
Spanish:Rafael Morales . . . — — Map (db m221957) HM
Reverend Hiram Chamberlain was the first Protestant (Presbyterian) Minister in the area. In 1854 he and Melinda Rankin opened the Rio Grande Female Institute. He was a chaplain for the Confederates in the 3rd Texas Infantry at Fort Brown throughout . . . — — Map (db m221960) HM
Rio Grande Masonic Section (designated Lodge No. 81 in 1851) has posts that once held a large chain link as a barrier. Stephen Powers was its first Worshipful Master. The Masons purchased the Old County Courthouse on Jefferson Street in 1914 and . . . — — Map (db m221961) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m221945) HM
Stephen Powers was a captain of volunteers with Zachary Taylor's army at Matamoros and was promoted to commander of an American garrison under Gen. Winfield Scott (1847). He became Cameron county judge in 1858. He served as 12th District judge . . . — — Map (db m222160) HM
Joseph Webb (1850-1933) had this residence constructed for his family about 1906. Known as Don "Pepe", Webb served as clerk of Cameron County for 34 years. In 1929 he conveyed the house to a daughter, Josephine Webb, a Brownsville teacher for whom a . . . — — Map (db m222834) HM
Englishman William Neale established the first stage line between Brownsville and Point Isabel. He was a scout during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). He witnessed bandit raids during the Cortina era and saw the rise of Porfirio Diaz. He could . . . — — Map (db m222153) HM
Platted 1904; incorporated 1910. Named for town in Holland, by founder Lon C. Hill, Sr. (1862-1935), promoter of railroad and early business enterprises. Here were organized the first irrigation district and first navigation district in Rio Grande . . . — — Map (db m221124) HM
On February 19, 1910, 31 charter members founded Harlingen's Methodist Episcopal Church, South, sharing a frame sanctuary with several other denominations. The Rev. R.L. Pyle often walked between his charges in Harlingen and San Benito; the Rev. . . . — — Map (db m221120) HM
The Harlingen Cemetery came into legal existence in 1912. In that year, Lon C. Hill (1862-1935), founder of the city of Harlingen and president of the Harlingen Land and Water Company, sold 7.6 acres of land at this site for one dollar to trustees . . . — — Map (db m221150) HM
(side one – English)
In 1902 developer Lon C. Hill purchased 17 square miles of school lands from Cameron County. He paid $13,837.50. The semi-arid land was part of the Concepcion de Carricitos Spanish Land Grant to the brothers . . . — — Map (db m119474) HM
Captured by elements of the 6th Marines,
2nd Marine Division
during Operation Desert Strom 1991.
Presented to MMA by
LtGen William M. Keys, USMC
CG, FMF LANT
Board of Advisiors, MMA — — Map (db m95647) HM
Lozano Plaza was once the site of one of Harlingen's most significant buildings. In 1906 Santos Lozano came to the city and purchased the second commercial lot on Jackson Street. On it he erected a small frame structure to house his general store. . . . — — Map (db m221114) HM
The Harlingen School District opened a new public school at this site in April 1912 in one of the city's first permanent school buildings. Originally known as the main school, it served elementary through high school grade students. Graduating . . . — — Map (db m221117) HM
Prior to construction of the Planters State Bank building, a barber shop owned by Harlingen pioneer Mack Crenshaw was located at this site. In 1917, the land was deeded to the Planters State Bank. The owners of the bank leased the upper floors of . . . — — Map (db m221110) HM
