A Merchant of the River Frontier
Humphrey Eugene Woodhouse in the Early Days of Brownsville
Before the schooner Florence began carrying cargo between the Rio Grande and New York, before the warehouses along the river filled with cotton, hides, and imported goods, one of Charles Stillman’s most important partners had already helped lay the foundations of the frontier trade.
His name was Humphrey Eugene Woodhouse.
Woodhouse came to the lower Rio Grande from Wethersfield, Connecticut, arriving in 1848 at Point Isabel, then known as Fort Polk. The Mexican-American War had just ended, and the region was still more military outpost than town. Lieutenant Colonel William Goldsmith Belknap, commanding the post, ordered Woodhouse to anchor his vessel at a site where he soon built his own wharf and warehouse.
The arrival of men like Woodhouse marked the beginning of a new commercial era on the Rio Grande.
Partner of Charles Stillman
Shortly after reaching the frontier, Woodhouse was invited by Charles Stillman to enter business with him in nearby Matamoros, then the dominant commercial center of the region.
Following the war in 1848, Stillman and his associates planned the layout of a new American town across the river—Brownsville. Surveying of the new city was carried out by Samuel Gelstrom, who later became connected with Woodhouse’s business operations in Matamoros.
In those early years, the Rio Grande functioned as a true commercial highway. Seagoing vessels could navigate the river as far upriver as Laredo, and it was not unusual to see as many as eight freighters unloading cargo for Woodhouse and other merchants along the banks.
While Brownsville was still being surveyed, Woodhouse crossed the river with his merchandise, laying planks between crates to create makeshift walkways and turning the landing into a bustling place of trade. The business grew rapidly, and Woodhouse continued in partnership with Stillman for many years.
The Florence and the Rio Grande Trade
Woodhouse soon conceived an ambitious idea:
to establish a regular vessel connecting New York and the Rio Grande frontier.
His brother, James H. Woodhouse, an experienced navigator and whaler, oversaw construction of the ship—probably in New Haven.
The result was the three-masted schooner Florence.
Built in 1855 at a cost of $12,000, she measured:
102 feet long
26-foot beam
8-foot draft
The vessel was named for Woodhouse’s daughter, Florence.
Ownership of the ship was divided among four partners:
Charles Stillman
John Young
H. E. Woodhouse
James Harris Woodhouse, who served as master
The Florence made her first voyage in August, with Stillman himself aboard as a passenger. The trip took about three weeks, and the vessel proved immediately profitable, paying for her construction within the first year.
On May 4, 1858, the schooner was formally registered at Point Isabel, Texas.
The ship symbolized the growing integration of the remote Rio Grande frontier into the Atlantic commercial world.
Merchant, Ship Owner, and Builder
Woodhouse’s business interests continued to expand.
By 1856 he had built his home on Washington Street in Brownsville, becoming one of the town’s leading merchants. He later established a line of sailing vessels between Brazos Santiago and New York, advertising passenger passage for $65 cabin fare.
Newspapers of the era show Woodhouse’s ships regularly carrying cargo between the Gulf coast and the eastern seaboard.
Storms and the unpredictable coast could be brutal. During the hurricane of 1867, the Woodhouse schooner Joseph Rudd was blown six miles inland, still carrying a full cargo. Engineers eventually dug a turning basin and channel to return the stranded vessel to the sea.
A Global Merchant
Like many Rio Grande traders, Woodhouse’s ambitions reached far beyond Texas.
Leaving his local operations in the hands of associates, he sailed to Havana, then to England, opening business with Joseph Railton & Sons of Manchester. From there he expanded trade to Paris and Bordeaux, importing wines and brandy for northern Mexico.
Few merchants from the remote frontier had connections that stretched so far across the Atlantic world.
Builder of Community
When Woodhouse returned to Brownsville in 1874, his influence extended beyond commerce.
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The Episcopal Church of the Advent, badly damaged by the hurricane of 1867, was restored largely through his efforts. Woodhouse donated lumber for the roof and floors, ironwork for the altar rails and lectern, and had pews constructed in his own yard.
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His wife and local parishioners continued church work even during years when the congregation had no rector, ensuring that the Episcopal presence in Brownsville survived.
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Rancher and Valley Pioneer
By 1879, Woodhouse had entered the cattle business as well, owning ranches in Cameron and Starr Counties.
The family remained prominent in regional life for generations. His son, Captain Edgar Woodhouse, later became a well-known mariner in the Gulf trade and died in Port Arthur in the early twentieth century after a long career in shipping.
A Forgotten Founder
Today the name Charles Stillman is well remembered in the history of Brownsville.
Yet men like H. E. Woodhouse stood beside him in building the commercial world of the lower Rio Grande.
Woodhouse was a ship owner, merchant, importer, rancher, and civic builder. His vessels linked the Rio Grande frontier to New York and Europe. His warehouses handled the cargo that fueled the region’s early prosperity.
And in 1855, the schooner Florence—named for his daughter—began sailing between the Gulf and the Atlantic, carrying with her the ambitions of a new borderland economy.
Main Route of the Schooner Florence
New York City
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Atlantic Coastal Route
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Gulf of Mexico Crossing
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Brazos Santiago Pass (Point Isabel)
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Brownsville Wharf – Rio Grande
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Matamoros Trade District
Key Ports in the Network
New York City
Financial center and shipping hub. Manufactured goods, textiles, tools, and credit originated here.
Brazos Santiago (Point Isabel)
Deep-water Gulf port where ocean vessels anchored. Cargo transferred to river shipping or wagons.
Brownsville
American commercial center founded by Charles Stillman. Warehouses lined the Rio Grande.
Matamoros
The dominant Mexican customs and trading city of the region. Much of the cross-border commerce was negotiated here.
What the Ships Carried
Northbound (Rio Grande → New York)
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Cotton from Texas and northern Mexico
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Hides and livestock products
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Silver from interior Mexico
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Dye materials and agricultural goods
Southbound (New York → Rio Grande)
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Textiles and clothing
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Hardware and tools
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Household goods
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Machinery and luxury imports
Why This Network Mattered
In the 1850s the lower Rio Grande was not an isolated frontier.
Through ships like the Florence, Brownsville and Matamoros were directly connected to the global Atlantic economy.
Cotton, silver, and frontier goods moved outward to world markets, while manufactured products flowed inward to supply the growing settlements of South Texas and northern Mexico.
At the center of that system stood merchants such as Charles Stillman and H. E. Woodhouse—men who transformed a remote river landing into one of the busiest trade corridors on the Gulf of Mexico.
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