On North Tower Road north of Business U.S. 83, on the right when traveling south.
On March 14, 1940, at this crossing of Tower Road and the Missouri Pacific rail line occurred an automobile accident resulting in the most fatalities on a Texas highway in the 20th century. An oncoming train collided with a truck carrying more than . . . — — Map (db m180567) HM
On South Main Street north of Silver Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
Donna Border Post No. 107. Dedicated 1920. First American Legion Hall built or owned by any post in the world. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark — — Map (db m180544) HM
On South 8th Street south of Hooks Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
Two East Texas men, T. J. Hooks and A. F. Hester, began developing this area for settlement in the late 1890s. Through formation of the La Blanca Agricultural Co., they set up farms and irrigation systems and advertised the area's favorable climate . . . — — Map (db m180681) HM
On North Main Street (State Highway 433) at Scobey Avenue, on the right when traveling north on North Main Street.
Built as the result of a special bond election in 1925, this is the oldest existing structure in the Donna Independent School District. Initially an elementary school, it served as a junior high facility from 1965 to 1983. Designed by the . . . — — Map (db m195624) HM
On Hooks Avenue east of South 8th Street, on the right when traveling east.
The City of Donna was named after, the beautiful and fiercely independent Donna Hooks Fletcher (1879 - 1969). Donna was the daughter of Thomas J. Hooks, one of the founders of the original townsite. Ahead of her time, she was a pioneer and . . . — — Map (db m180743) HM
On South 8th Street south of Hooks Avenue (Business U.S. 83), on the right when traveling north.
Illinois native Peter Preston Ackley (1858-1940) moved to Texas as a boy. He went on several trail drives in 1870s and 1880s, bringing from cattle Texas, Nebraska and Canada to Kansas railheads. Starting in the 1920s, Ackley worked to have the . . . — — Map (db m180714) HM
Near North 7th Avenue south of West Kuhn Street, on the right when traveling north.
Designed by the Austin architectural firm of Giesecke and Harris, this structure was built in 1926 to serve the newly-created Edinburg Junior College. In addition to serving the college and succeeding educational institutions, the auditorium has . . . — — Map (db m195665) HM
On East McIntyre Street east of North Closner Boulevard (Business U.S. 281), on the right when traveling west.
Erected 1909-1910. One of first buildings in town after county seat moved here 1908 from Old Hidalgo. Spanish architecture, with red tile roof, white walls.
A new jail was built in 1922; this became community center, and served as a meeting . . . — — Map (db m180472) HM
On East Freddy Gonzalez Drive at South 18th Avenue, on the left when traveling east on East Freddy Gonzalez Drive.
Dedicated in memory
of
Sgt. Alfredo
“Freddy” Gonzalez
USMC
1946 - 1968
Congressional Medal of Honor
Post-Humously 1969
Battle of Hue City,
Vietnam — — Map (db m62745) WM
On South 6th Avenue at West University Drive on South 6th Avenue.
Completed and occupied on August 1, 1927, this depot was designed by Southern Pacific Railroad architect Leonard B. McCoy, and built by Ward Construction of El Paso. The depot was part of a major railroad expansion into South Texas. Edinburg felt . . . — — Map (db m195661) HM
The City of Hidalgo is located on lands settled by Spanish colonizer José de Escondon in 1749. In 1848, Scottish-born merchant John Young founded a town site on Spanish land grants as a trading post and ferry landing opposite Reynosa, Mexico. . . . — — Map (db m180737) HM
On East Flora Avenue west of South 1st Street, on the right when traveling west.
This building served as the Hidalgo County Courthouse from its construction in 1886 until the County Seat was moved to Chapin (later name Edinburg) in 1908. Made of brick from nearby Reynosa, Mexico, it originally was a two-story structure. Its . . . — — Map (db m195639) HM
On East Esperanza Avenue at South 1st Street, on the right when traveling east on East Esperanza Avenue.
Built in 1886 by S. W. Brooks, who also constructed the nearby courthouse, this jail served Hidalgo County during a turbulent period in its history, when outlaw raids were still occurring. The city's first newspaper, "The Hidalgo Advance," was . . . — — Map (db m195647) HM
On East Flora Avenue at South 4th Street on East Flora Avenue.
Thought to have been built about 1898, this two-story brick structure has served as an educational facility for generations. The first recorded graduation took place in 1922, with a class of three. The school housed students in elementary grades . . . — — Map (db m195659) HM
On South Bridge Street at Bogambilia Avenue, on the right when traveling south on South Bridge Street.
In 1904 Crisoforo Vela and his wife, Florinda (de la Vega Balli), moved to Hidalgo from Santo Domingo Ranch in Starr County. Six years later Vela acquired the ferry and rowboat service that connected Hidalgo with Reynosa, Mexico. This was an . . . — — Map (db m195650) HM
On State Highway 186 at U.S. 281, on the left when traveling east on State Highway 186.
On September 27, 1915, Jesus Bazán and his son-in-law, Antonio Longoria – both recognized Tejano community leaders and the latter a Hidalgo County Commissioner – traveled to a local Texas Ranger camp on the Sam Lane ranch to report a . . . — — Map (db m166335) HM
On State Highway 186, 3.5 miles east of U.S. 281, on the left when traveling east.
Directly to the north. Upon Spanish discovery, 1746, claimed for King, under old law that salt was money. People of wide area got salt here. 1863-64 works aided Texas in the Civil War. Later disputes over El Sal del Rey established Texas laws . . . — — Map (db m166333) HM
On U.S. 281, 2.3 miles south of State Highway 186, on the left when traveling south.
Parts of present Hidalgo, Cameron, Willacy, and Kenedy counties were once included in two Spanish land grants, San Juan de Carricitos and San Salvador del Tule. The original grantee of the Carricitos grant was José Narciso Cavazos. After his . . . — — Map (db m166332) HM
On North 10th Street (State Highway 336) at Jasmine Avenue, on the left when traveling north on North 10th Street.
The McAllen School Board authorized construction of Lamar High School in 1938, through a bond election and funding from the Public Works Administration. Architect Marion Lee Waller’s original design included an L-shaped floor plan only one room . . . — — Map (db m195634) HM
On South Main Street at Chicago Avenue, on the left when traveling north on South Main Street.
[Top plaque]
300-308 South Main Street
Built in 1949
Listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
[Bottom plaque]
City of McAllen
M & J Nelson Building . . . — — Map (db m195632) HM
On South Main Street at Chicago Avenue, on the left when traveling north on South Main Street.
This noteworthy Moderne style commercial building remains a distinctive McAllen attraction. Morris Randall Nelson built and owned the building, designed in 1949 for the use of the J.C. Penney Company. Nelson, born in McPherson, Kansas, followed his . . . — — Map (db m195630) HM
On North 11th Street at Beech Avenue, on the right when traveling north on North 11th Street.
This lodge, organized by Master Mason R. M. Bounds and about 30 other Masons, was chartered on December 8, 1915. Meetings were held in the Joseph and Osborne buildings, two early downtown commercial structures, prior to the lodge erecting a temple . . . — — Map (db m166221) HM
On South Main Street at Chicago Avenue, on the right when traveling north on South Main Street.
Built in 1935, this was the sixth location of the McAllen Post Office after its creation in 1907. The facility was dedicated on January 22, 1936, and served as a postal facility until 1957. Since 1958, the building has been used for a variety of . . . — — Map (db m195629) HM
On Business U.S. 83 at North 6th Street, on the left when traveling west on U.S. 83Business .
During WW II, because of rationing, Andrew J. Paris (1919-1997) and his family had no sweets to sell in their Detroit, Mi. tobacconist shop. In 1942, in Mexico City, Paris found an ample supply of candies and chewing gum to save his family's . . . — — Map (db m166219) HM
On South 15th Street at Chicago Avenue, on the right when traveling south on South 15th Street.
Priests from La Lomita Chapel in nearby Mission ministered to Catholics at McAllen from 1908 until 1911, when a mission was begun here and a wood frame chapel was built. The congregation remained under the guidance of the Rev. J.M.F. Guenneugues, . . . — — Map (db m166222) HM
On Bicentennial Boulevard at Austin Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Bicentennial Boulevard.
The San Antonio & Aransas Pass (subsidiary of the Southern Pacific) Railway laid track south to the Rio Grande Valley and McAllen in 1927. This passenger depot, designed by railroad architect Leonard B. McCoy, opened in August that year. The . . . — — Map (db m195626) HM
On East 10th Street at Florida Avenue, on the left when traveling east on East 10th Street.
In March 1917, prior to U.S. entry into World War I, Maj. Gen. John J. Pershing chose Mercedes as the site of a permanent camp for training personnel to serve overseas in France. Construction of Camp Mercedes on the 80-acre Emerson Farm tract . . . — — Map (db m165822) HM
On South Ohio Avenue at West 5th Street, on the left when traveling south on South Ohio Avenue.
Héctor Pérez García (1914-1996) was a courageous leader in the civil rights movement. He achieved profound change in the treatment of fellow Mexican-Americans through peaceful protest and legal recourse. García was born in Mexico; in 1917, when . . . — — Map (db m165816) HM
Near Jose M. Cantu Road, 0.3 miles west of Mistletoe Road (Farm to Market Road 491).
This cemetery, named for the land's clusters of ebony trees, began in 1922. The American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company developed Mercedes and about 200 square miles of adjacent farmlands, also deeding nearly nine acres to the Mercedes . . . — — Map (db m165823) HM
On Military Highway (U.S. 281), on the right when traveling east.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the Mexican War (1846-48) designated the main channel of the Rio Grande as the Mexico-U.S. boundary. Disputes arising from frequent changes in the river's course led to the Treaty of 1884 which . . . — — Map (db m164458) HM
On West Third Street at South Washington Avenue, on the right when traveling west on West Third Street.
The Rev. E.J. Moebus was sent by officials of the Texas District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod to establish Lutheran congregations in the Rio Grande Valley. Evangelical Lutheran Emanuel Church organized at Mercedes on October 30, 1910. . . . — — Map (db m165848) HM
On Levee Road at Anacuitas Street, on the left when traveling north on Levee Road.
This cemetery was established in 1913 on land give by the American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company to Immanuel Lutheran Church. The cemetery has served Lutherans throughout the Rio Grande Valley. The oldest grave is that of Wilhelm . . . — — Map (db m165860) HM
On South Ohio Street at West 4th Street, on the right when traveling south on South Ohio Street.
Constructed in 1928 to house the town's municipal offices and fire station, this building was designed by architect R. Newell Waters of Weslaco. The two story Gothic style building, constructed of red brick, features a copper cupola designed to . . . — — Map (db m165814) HM
On South Texas Avenue, 0.1 miles south of West 2nd Street, on the right when traveling north. Reported missing.
On October 8, 1908, Isadore Moritz published the first issue of the Mercedes Enterprise. He continued the operation until 1914; that same year, Ben E. Brooks and L.T. Hoyt began the Mercedes Tribute. Another paper, the News-Item, started in 1922 . . . — — Map (db m166217) HM
On South Vermont Avenue at West 3rd Street, on the left when traveling south on South Vermont Avenue.
In 1908, the Capisallo Land Company donated land to the Oblate Fathers for construction of a Catholic church. Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church on Hidalgo Street was dedicated in February 1909 and Rev. Enrique Janvier, OMI, became the first pastor . . . — — Map (db m165859) HM
The town of Mercedes was platted by the Capisallo Town and Improvement Company in 1907. The Oblate Provincial Council in Austin requested that the company provide a site for a Catholic church, and Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church was dedicated in . . . — — Map (db m165863) HM
On West 10th Street at South Texas Avenue, on the left when traveling west on West 10th Street.
During the 1910s, several Hidalgo and Cameron County families founded a small Jewish congregation. The temple lacked a permanent Rabbi; lay readers led most services, while a student Rabbi was hired to lead High Holy Day Services. The group first . . . — — Map (db m165818) HM
On 2nd Street at South Ohio Street, on the left when traveling east on 2nd Street.
Land developer B.F. Yoakum saw agricultural potential along the Rio Grande and found investors in 1905 for an irrigation project. They purchased 250,000 acres and the townsite of Mercedes for business headquarters. The pump station began operating . . . — — Map (db m165812) HM
On South Texas Avenue at West 3rd Street, on the left when traveling north on South Texas Avenue.
The oldest Hidalgo County bank still in operation, this institution opened in 1907 in a frame house on Third Street. Incorporators of the firm were area leaders J.M. Johnson, Sr., who served as the first president, his son J.M. Johnson, Jr., . . . — — Map (db m165825) HM
On South Doherty Avenue south of East 6th Street, on the left when traveling south.
First known as Teatro La Paz (Peace Theatre), this cultural arts center was built about 1912 by Juan Bautista Barberá, a native of Spain who came to the United States in 1905. A bricklayer by profession, Barberá brought films, lecturers, actors, and . . . — — Map (db m195636) HM
On Doherty Avenue at East 9th Street, on the right when traveling north on Doherty Avenue.
Designed by San Antonio architect Harvey P. Smith, this two-story edifice was constructed of brick with white stone trimming and erected on the site of Mission founder John Conway's business offices. Intended to house the multi-firm organization of . . . — — Map (db m195637) HM
On East Juarez Avenue at North Birch Street, on the right when traveling east on East Juarez Avenue.
Constructed in 1927-28 to serve Mexican-American children in the Pharr-San Juan school district, this school replaced an earlier facility at this site. The new school was named in honor of educator Helen W. Buell (1861-1949), principal of the . . . — — Map (db m165870) HM
On South Cage Boulevard at Business U.S. 83, on the right when traveling south on South Cage Boulevard.
For many centuries, nomadic Coahuiltecans lived in the Lower Rio Grande area. In the 1500s, Spanish explorers came through the region, and the Spanish government began to colonize both sides of the river by the late 1700s. At the close of the . . . — — Map (db m165872) HM
On East Cherokee Avenue at South Athol Street, on the right when traveling east on East Cherokee Avenue.
Erected in 1911 as a one-story structure, this building housed the first school in Pharr. John Bales, the contractor, built a number of the town's early structures. Classes were held here until 1915, when enrollment had grown from nine students to . . . — — Map (db m166085) HM
This cemetery, named for Mexico's patron Saint, Our Lady of Guadalupe, was established in 1913 as a public burial ground for residents of the Pharr community. The Pharr townsite was laid out in 1909, and though ranch graveyards existed south of . . . — — Map (db m165871) HM
On South Cage Boulevard, 0.1 miles south of Business U.S. 83, on the right when traveling south.
Located on lands originally known in the 1600's as the Seno Mejicana, the City of Pharr was founded 1909, during a period of great social and economic transition in the Rio Grande Valley.
Amidst the explosive growth caused by the . . . — — Map (db m166044) HM
On West Newcombe Avenue at Bluebonnet Street on West Newcombe Avenue.
This Mission style building was the first meeting place in the Kiwanis International Organization owned by a local club. It was built in 1928, 13 years after the formation of the first Kiwanis Club in Detroit, Michigan, and one year after the . . . — — Map (db m166086) HM
On South Cage Boulevard at Business U.S. 83, on the left when traveling south on South Cage Boulevard.
This structure was completed in 1911 by the Pharr Townsite Co., operated by John C. Kelly (1862-1937), a co-founder of Pharr. It housed the first bank, the post office, a confectionary, a drugstore, and the first irrigation and canal company. The . . . — — Map (db m165873) HM
On West Cherokee Avenue, 0.1 miles west of South Cage Boulevard (U.S. 281), on the right when traveling west.
In July 1916, the same year voters incorporated the City of Pharr, a large fire laid waste to an entire downtown city block. As a result of the blaze, the community lost Pharr Lumber Co., Pharr Mercantile Co., Folsum Hardware Co., National Theatre . . . — — Map (db m166084) HM
On North Cage Boulevard at East Bell Avenue, on the right when traveling north on North Cage Boulevard.
On Feb. 6, 1971, a small group gathered outside the Pharr police department to protest incidents of discrimination and brutality. The crowd grew to hundreds and the day turned violent as tensions with law enforcement escalated. During the chaos that . . . — — Map (db m180589) HM
In 1859 and early 1860 a series of raids on Texas settlements led by Juan N. Cortina (1824-1894) led to skirmishes with companies of Texas Rangers and U.S. soldiers. These conflicts became known as the Cortina Wars. On February 4, 1860, a battle . . . — — Map (db m159702) HM
On Business Farm to Market Road 1015, 0.1 miles north of Johnny Vela Street, on the left when traveling south.
The agricultural boom that marked the early development of this area was due in large part to the San Benito & Rio Grande Valley Railroad. Begun in 1912 by Missouri native Sam A. Robertson (1867-1938), it was called the Spiderweb Railroad because . . . — — Map (db m165727) HM
On Business Farm to Market Road 1015 at Palm Avenue, on the left when traveling north on Highway 1015Business .
Land in this area was part of a Spanish land grant requested by Juan Jose Hinojosa in 1776 and awarded posthumously in 1790. Hinojosa had occupied the land and used it for livestock pasture since 1766. In 1896 ranchers in the area obtained a U.S. . . . — — Map (db m165724) HM
On Military Highway (U.S. 281), on the right when traveling east.
Plains Indians made trails near the banks of the rio Grande that were used by Spanish explorers in the 18th century. Early settlers built a road close to the river bank connecting their ranches. Later called the Military Road, it ran from . . . — — Map (db m164462) HM
On Military Highway (U.S. 281), on the right when traveling east.
Originally part of a Spanish land grant, Relampago (lightning) Ranch community lay along the stage and military route from Rio Grande City to Brownsville. In 1852 Thaddeus Rhodes (1828-1904) acquired acreage here when he came as Hidalgo County . . . — — Map (db m164461) HM
On National Highway 281, on the right when traveling east.
Juan Jose Hinojosa (1700-1789) was granted land including this site posthumously in 1790. His great-grandson Antonio Balli Cavazos (1813-1887),
was the first to live on the land, which he named the Balli San Antonio del
Esterito Ranch in 1839. . . . — — Map (db m160755) HM
On Business U.S. 83, 0.3 miles west of South International Boulevard (Farm to Market Road 1015), on the left when traveling west.
Occupied in 1916-17 by Indiana, Nebraska, Minnesota and North Dakota National Guard units, Camp Llano Grande was one of a line of encampments established along the Rio Grande in response to Mexican bandit raids into the U.S. Covering over 200 . . . — — Map (db m165728) HM
On South Texas Boulevard at Business U.S. 83, on the right when traveling south on South Texas Boulevard.
Three years after Edwin C. Couch and Robert Reeves founded the city of Weslaco in 1919, Couch deeded this block as a city park. In 1928, city officials hired Architect Paul G. Silber and his San Antonio Argentum Development Corporation to build a . . . — — Map (db m165735) HM
On East 6th Street at South Kansas Avenue, on the right when traveling east on East 6th Street.
Visiting Evangelists from the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board encouraged area Baptists to organize a church in 1921, just two years after Weslaco was established. The congregation first met in the Stephen F. Austin School before moving into . . . — — Map (db m165737) HM
On South Iowa Avenue at East 5th Street, on the right when traveling east on South Iowa Avenue.
In 1920, area Presbyterians built a manse under the supervision of the Rev. Horace N. Cunningham; services were held in the building. In January 1921, seven charter members organized First Presbyterian Church. They completed a church building in . . . — — Map (db m165749) HM
On South Illinois Avenue at East 6th Street, on the left when traveling south on South Illinois Avenue.
In Feb. 1921, with help from Rev. O. C. Crow, Methodists in and around Weslaco began organizing into a separate congregation. On Oct. 16, 1921, 35 Methodists met to organize their new church and in November completed a wooden church building. In . . . — — Map (db m165745) HM
On South Illinois Avenue at East 2nd Street, on the left when traveling south on South Illinois Avenue.
In 1921, Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Church was established as a mission parish of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Mercedes, which had previously ministered to area Catholics. The church became a full parish in 1929. From 1940 to 1968, the church . . . — — Map (db m165732) HM
On South Texas Boulevard (Farm to Market Road 88) 0.1 miles south of West 5th Street, on the right when traveling south.
The citrus industry was an integral part of the Rio Grande Valley economy in the 20th century. Grove development burgeoned in the 1920s and 1930s, but production outpaced early marketing capabilities; in 1932, 17 citrus associations formed the Rio . . . — — Map (db m165736) HM
On East 5th Street at South Kansas Avenue, on the right when traveling east on East 5th Street.
Located on part of a Spanish land grant known as Llano Grande, Weslaco was founded in 1919 by a partnership composed of R.C., Dan, and Ed Couch and Robert L. Reeves. The city's name is take from the initials of the W.E. Stewart Land Co., which . . . — — Map (db m165748) HM
On East 11th Street at East 10th Street, on the right when traveling north on East 11th Street.
The City of Weslaco, named for the W.E. Stewart Land Company, was founded in December 1919. In 1921, the city established a cemetery here, outside the original townsite. The first grave is that of Reuben W. Warren (d. 1921). Also buried here are . . . — — Map (db m165809) HM
On East 5th Street at South Kansas Avenue, on the right when traveling east on East 5th Street.
Erected in 1928, this structure replaced a frame community building at this site. City founder Ed Couch (1879-1944) and Mayor David E. Kirgan (1877-1936) led ceremonies marking the building's completion. Prominent Weslaco architect R. Newell . . . — — Map (db m165747) HM
On South Kansas Avenue at East 2nd Street on South Kansas Avenue.
This ground level water storage reservoir was constructed in 1928, nine years after Weslaco was founded. Built through the efforts of Mayor David E. Kirgan and City Water Commissioner William Detlef, it was a symbol of Kirgan's municipal reforms. . . . — — Map (db m165730) HM
