110th Anniversary of Brownsville Raid at Historic Alonso Building

The Brownsville Historical Association (BHA) hosted a book signing for Harry Lembeck and invited three panelists to discuss mystery of shooting up of town 110 years ago.

 Executive Director for BHA Tara Putegnat introduced Jim Mills who served as moderator for the panel speakers.

Dr. Antonio Zavaleta, James Lieker and Joseph Chance exchanged views and theories surrounding the shooting which was blamed on Fort Brown soldiers of the 25th Infantry.

 Harry Lembeck, who sat with his wife Emily, joined the discussion when called upon add his 2¢

The Historic Alonso Building was the perfect setting for this fascinating discussion.

 We enjoyed a dish of what someone named as a chicken "Tamalateca" served with rice and beans followed by a sweet dessert before Mr. Lembeck began his presentation.

Mr. Lembeck used this map included in his book to illustrate the route taken by raiders the night of August 13th, 1906.  The maps arrows indicate that shots were fired from area where town and fort met and alleys and streets raiders traversed on before splitting into two groups.

Harry's book focuses on the Brownsville incident and aftermath in which Senator Joseph Foraker challenges the authority of Roosevelt to discharge without honor 167 soldiers without a hearing.  His book does not aim to uncover the truth of what happned but rather how the incident changed politics and direction African-American minority civil rights advocates would take.

A small display at the Historic Alonso Building gave a good account of the excitement created by the incident after the shooting in 1906.

This was the kind of testimony which was rejected when investigators asked questions to townspeople after the raid.  With several investigations private and secret and lengthy Senate reviews into the matter to discover who the guilty persons were, no hard evidence or incriminating statements could ever be secured.  According to Lembeck, Roosevelt acted in haste out of frustration with the townspeople and government people assigned to get to the bottom of the matter when he made the decision to punish the soldiers for their alleged "conspiracy of silence."

Folks who purchased a book stayed to have it signed after the presentation.

There are a limited amount of copies still available in the gift shop at the Brownsville Heritage Museum gift shop.

Leanne Barreda and her husband Mark getting their autographed copy of the book.  

BHA President Dr. Eric Valle, BHA Director Tara Putegnat, author Dr. Harry Lembeck, UT-RGV Professor and BHA Vice-President Dr. James Mills, author of Racial Borders:  Black Soldiers Along the Rio Grande (2002) Dr. James Lieker and BHA Board member Gilberto Velasquez who also did all the graphic work for advertisements.

Harry Lembeck with BHA Education and Program Director Craig Stone with poster and listing of sponsors who made the two-day event possible.  

The three panelists did an excellent job of presenting their "points" on the matter and it would be great to see Dr. Tony Zavaleta, Dr. Joe Chance and Dr. James Lieker come together for an extended amount of time to hear all they could have on the matter had there been more time.  Thanks to all these gentlemen for agreeing to participate.  We missed seeing long-time Brownsville historian Dr. Tony Knopp who would have also been on the panel but is he is on vacation with his wife Alma.  Next time Dr. Knopp!

Thanks to all who attended either event and showed their support for the work our local historical association does for our benefit.  We may never know who shot up the town but talking about it brings up more interesting questions about the case which make this one of Brownsville's most controversial and until recently, least talked about subjects.  At the end of the discussion there was talk about taking steps to place a marker in the former Fort Brown property (perhaps near or on Jacob Brown Memorial Center lawn facing International Blvd where army barracks once stood) to acknowledge the incident happened.  I hope to report on that in the near future.

TAKING ON THEODORE ROOSEVELT Webpage here!

Racial Borders: Black Soldiers along the Rio Grande Amazon link here!

2016 Taken on the Brownsville Raid Tour

James Mills gives vantage point from International Blvd. where city was once divided by Fort Brown by a dirt road and 4-5 ft high wall.

 There were four infantry barracks with rears toward wall which divided town from fort.

 The main entry to Fort Brown was where E Elizabeth St intersects with International Blvd today and becomes Universal Blvd today.

 About fifty-four attendees sat for a brief overview of what has become Brownsville's greatest and most controversial topic which was seldom spoken about until a century after.

James Mills gave a slide-show presentation to prepare us for the tour and answered questions afterward.,

It was a thrill to get to meet Harry Lembeck, author of Taking on Roosevelt:  How One Senator Defied the President on Brownsville and Shook American Politics and James Leiker, author of Racial Borders:  Black Soldiers Along the Rio Grande.

The tour made its way down Washington St toward Market Square with Mr. Mills pointing out locations where several details of incident were recorded and are now parts of the mystery of the raid.

 Market Square was where our City Police department was in 1906.

 "Several ear-witness say they heard shots fired by black soldiers right over there" 

 On E Elizabeth St was where several bars and saloons were located.  Weller's Saloon allowed soldiers to drink in an area at the back of the saloon.  Other saloons did not welcome black soldiers.

 Here's a view from 1906 of E Elizabeth St.

 This is another view of E Elizabeth taken nearly a decade later.

Lieutenant Dominguez was shot in the arm around the corner from this location where the Miller Hotel once stood.

That's the Miller Hotel as it was on the corner of E Elizabeth and 13th St.

This spot was once 15th St between E Elizabeth and Washington St where a house owned by the Cowan family was shot into not long after a children's party had ended.  

 That might be the Cowan house that was shot into on the left which standing on 15th St which is now a paseo after the street was closed and paved for pedestrian traffic.

Another view looking down Cown Alley with house on right.  Streets were numbered or had American presidents named after them while some alleys were named families whose homes did not face main streets downtown.

 At Jefferson and International we got another perspective of the close distance from town to fort.

 Here is the vantage point 110 years before.

 E Elizabeth Street with Miller Hotel on left.  The main entry gate to Fort Brown in distance.

1955 ~ Stillman Portraits by Adrian Lamb and First Stillman Museum Photos

On Sunday March 6, 1955 a crowd gathered at the Jacob Brown Civic Center as the City of Brownsville accepted a gift of portraits of Charles and Elizabeth Stillman painted by Adrian Lamb.

Alexander (Sandy) Stillman with his hand held by his father, Dr. James "Bud" Stillman appeared on the front page.

Chauncey D. Stillman presented the portraits to Mayor H.L. Stokely who accepted them on behalf of the City of Brownsville.  City officials and Brownsville Historical Association board officers were there to make it official.  

Adrian Lamb created the portraits by drawing from two daguerreotypes taken around the time the two were engaged in 1849.  Charles would have been about 39 years old and Elizabeth, 21 years old.  This is one of only two photos known to exist of Charles Stillman.

Lamb is well-known for portrait paintings which can also be found in the White House, Smithsonian Institution, Harvard Law School, the Pentagon and United States Naval Academy.

Mrs. Elizabeth Stillman Williams, her husband Langbourne and Chauncey Stillman pose with Mayor H.L. Stokely and his wife in front of Elizabeth Stillman's portrait.  

The Charles and Elizabeth Pamela Stillman paintings are now on display at the Historic Brownsville Museum on E Madison St.

 Great-grandsons of Charles Stillman, Godfrey Rockefeller and Timothy Stillman

 Margaret Garcia and Timothy Stillman behind Jacob Brown Center where dedication took place.

Stillman & Rockefeller family members pose on the steps of the Stillman/Trevino ancestral home. Front row left to right:  Mrs. Godfrey S. Rockefeller; Mr. Abelardo Trevino; Alexander Stillman, Mrs. Calvin Stillman and Mrs Timothy Stillman.  Second row, left to right:  Mrs. Dean Model, Mrs. Lanbourne Meade Williams, Calvin Stillman.  Back row, left to right:  Dr. James Stillman, Godfrey S. Rockefeller, Chauncey Stillman and Langbourne M. Williams.

The Stillman House at 1325 E Washington St. was built by Henry Miller who also owned the Miller Hotel a block away on E Elizabeth and 13th St.  The Stillman's first two of six children, James and Isabella (Elizabeth) were born in Brownsville, Texas.  Their other children were born in New York or Connecticut.

Mrs. Elizabeth Stillman Williams and her brother Chauncey D. Stillman standing in front of the Charles Stillman marker.  Chauncey Stillman purchased the home from the Trevino family and donated the Stillman House house to the Brownsville Historical Association for use as a museum.

Early photos of the house after it was turned into a museum.

Photos courtesy of the Brownsville Historical Association.  Original March 6th, 1955 Brownsville Herald photo of 6 year-old Alexander "Sandy" Stillman colorized by Javier R. Garcia.