2016 0705 Jefferson Stone Marker Removed!

Photo sent by anonymous person -  "Morning Walker"

Last night while the rest of us were celebrating this nation's birthday, the Jefferson Davis stone, which stood off the corner of Washington Park on E Adams and 7th street, mysteriously disappeared without any clues as to the exact method used to remove it.  A city employee discovered the strange theft early this morning.  City officials and law enforcement were immediately  notified.

Investigators questioned members of several activist groups who participated in the Juneteenth event that was held at the park two weeks ago.  As expected, all fingers pointed to the organizer of the event who has been named as a person of interest.  Although we published his name in earlier posts, we are withholding it unless he is officially named as a suspect. 

We will update this story as soon as we obtain more information but expect an arrest to occur by this afternoon.  If you have any knowledge about this crime please contact the Brownsville Police Department only if you can provide specific names or a description of people, vehicles or special hoisting equipment used to commit this despicable act.

And remember - you're only a rat if you rat on your friends so please cooperate with the police in this case.

*************  UPDATED 7/9/2016 ********************

We'll take a brief look at this situation which quietly unfolded online after the faked photo was posted on our sister page on Facebook.  The post was made about 10 a.m. the morning after the Fourth of July.  Some people were shocked but everybody kept their cool.

I even posted video of "Rock Fight" song by Cheech and Chong which opens with Pedro de Pacas (played by Cheech Marin) with his wailing voice imitating the sound of a police siren which transitions into a wicked laugh....  It's fun to watch the opening scene with the cop but the song fit the situation apropos.

** Click here to see "Rock Fight" 1:48 funny video **

Hahahahahaha
I want all you mother's off the street
Or you'll end up as bloody meat
World war three has just begun
So if you can't rock you'd better run

A new wave is on the rise
With safety pins stuck in their eyes
The time has come let's get it down
Let's find a way to dance around

At the rock fight,
Tonight there's gonna be a rock fight
I have to look into the cock fights
There might even be a fist fight
At the rock fight,

 Later in the afternoon it was inevitable that someone would actually check on the stone to verify and sure enough it happened but by this time the hoax had already been confirmed.

That poor rock had taken a lot of abuse from the rock haters who want to remove it so at least they got to have their fantasy. 

 You never know what you'll see on Bronsbil Estacion.  Thanks to all who can take a joke.

Brownsville Parks & Recreation must have received a few calls because they posted this on their Facebook page with the message:  "All are well, taken today at Washington Park" in reference to all the markers in the park very few people living in Brownsville realize exist.  By the way it is the "Jefferson Davis" stone but you spotted that when you read the original post heading.  ;)

 

Not quite an apology to B.E. friends but more like a thank you note. 

Please don't mess with Brownsville, Texas History

2016 Fourth of July Parade ~ Brownsville, Texas

Photos by Javier R. Garcia

Dark Lord Vader lead the Imperial March looking cheerful on a warm Monday morning.  Actually I was a bit late and missed the beginning by about 5 minutes.

The Rio Grande Valley's most awesome zoo

 First United Methodist Church & the Cub Scouts Pack 6

Have you ever wondered if the Port of Brownsville float would actually float in the gulf of Mexico?

Representing the Cecil Field Elite World Series from McAllen, Texas South Coast World Series champs Vipers baseball

 A religious symbol that will never be erased from the human heart or history.

It looks like the Class of '66 may be having their reunion this year.  Congratulations!!

Brownsville biggest rock festival is on its way with our best local rock bands with special guest Fran Cosmo (former lead singer of band Boston) on July 23rd at Ringgold Park from 12 pm to 12 am.  This is going to be an awesome show. 

 House of Prayer and Evangelism is a 501c3 Non-profit organization

Studies show that giving and receiving "hugs" is beneficial to your health.  Hugs may decrease levels of cortisone linked to stress, lower blood pressure and strengthen the immune system.

 These two people never met before and they're hugging.  Isn't that nice? (church lady voice)

Jesus Reyna & son out in their 1969 King Midget Series microcar manufactured by Miget Motors Corporation between 1946-1970 in Athens, Ohio.  Reyna is a classic car restorer and has quite a collection and many friends with custom classic cars.  Their absence was felt today as was the heat.

 

 Hobbytown is out by Lowe's off Ruben Torres Blvd.

 What the hell?

 Classic cars cruised on through to finish off the parade.

1965 Golden Eagles High School Baseball Team

Abner Doubleday: Inventor of Baseball was in Brownsville, Texas

1917 Ft Brown 3rd Calvary vs 64th Motor Company (photo) Daily Ranchero 23 October 1969 clipping and inset of Abner Doubleday

While the true story as to who invented baseball is still in question—Abner Doubleday’s name is still associated with the creation of the game in 1839. 

Doubleday was stationed in the Valley with Zachary Taylor’s U.S. Army during the Mexican War—once in Port Isabel (1846) and again at Brownsville’s Fort Brown in 1848.  

It is not known whether Doubleday organized a game while stationed here— but we can always speculate that maybe he did?  Abner was long gone when the game found a diamond in this city…

The first Brownsville amateur baseball team was formed in 1868—this is when the real reporting of the game started in the Brownsville Ranchero. 

It was on a Christmas Day when the inaugural game pitted the Rio Grande Club of this city against Club Union de Matamoros. It was advertised as the championship of the border. 

The boys from the other side of the river put-up 49 crooked numbers on the board with the city squad crossing the plate 32 times. As time progressed, both cities added more teams, but it was not until the turn of the century that baseball became the king of sports in this region.   

The Brownsville Herald credited John D. Hill, who came to the city to get into the rice business, with giving the sport a push in 1903.  Hill’s son, Frank, was a college pitcher at Kentucky, and after watching an Army team take on local civilians, he decided that the family should organize a local team.

By 1904, when the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway came into town, a city team was in place.  The squad won all its games that year, including one over a strong team from Corpus Christi, and it declared itself the South Texas champion.

In 1910, Brownsville joined Corpus Christi, Beeville, Laredo, Victoria and Bay City in the professional Southwest Texas League.

Sam Bell was the first manager of the Brownsville Brownies, and local pharmacist W.G. Willman was named the secretary.  One manager who went on to bigger things was also in the league—famed University of Texas coach Billy Disch managed the Beeville Squad.

1910 Brownie

The Brownies won their first game of the season, a 2-1 decision over Corpus Christi on Jacinto day in 1910.  The team finished the year with a 68-47 record, good enough to win the second half and set up a playoff against Victoria.

The teams split their games in Brownsville, then divided the next two in Victoria.  To accommodate large crowds—by some reports, between 8,000 and 9,000 fans, the series was moved to Corpus.

Brownsville took the next two games and the first league pennant.  Among the players on the team was pitcher John Taff, an Austin native who appeared in seven games for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1913.

The Southwest Texas League lasted two seasons, but Brownsville went on to field teams in three more leagues—the Texas Valley (1938), Rio Grande Valley (1949-1950) and Gulf Coast (1951-1953).

1863 Robert E Lee

Robert E. Lee in 1863. 

I'll admit, I don't know much about the Civil War in Brownsville, Texas.  So much of "the real fighting" was far removed from south Texas.  Brownsville was spared a lot of carnage and prospered from guess what?  Cotton.

Charles Stillman and his partners began raking huge profits on a business they were doing before the war began.  Whatever could be shipped could be handled by Charles Stillman & Co. However, war also stopped business on occasion and he was under an incredible amount of stress with the risk of losing all his property and hid in Matamoros where he had plenty of friends and spoke the language.  But the entire war prevented him from seeing his family and he was deeply saddened by that.  Had he traveled north to see them, his property would have been seized and he would have been branded as a Union sympathizer.  But I digress... 

Did you know there is a building at our local college named after Robert E Lee?  I get it.  Most people don't care.  That's fine.  But did you know that many of these Civil War "heroes" were former invaders of Mexico?   An unpopular war among historians is the invasion of Mexico by the United States.  We also call it The War with Mexico or Mexican-American War.  Whatever we say about it there is no use in getting angry over it.  That is not how we are supposed to discuss history, is it?

Those of us choosing to live here do so and reap the benefits of those things that make our existence here as pleasant as can be expected - which is a lot.   The media would have the rest of the country believe we are being overrun with illegal immigrants and cartel violence but we know we have it good here on the border --  so far.  Our people are peaceful.  We do not need to stir up hate here in Brownsville, Texas and act like what we see happening across America with people creating all sorts of animosity.

The majority of us do not have decedents who pioneered Brownsville's earliest histories.  I know I do not but I still enjoy learning about the place I live.  Those who do have long family history here should tell their stories whether it be on social media or printed material.  People should tell us what they know about Juan Cortina or Texas Ranger atrocities if they want to.  Tell the history in anger and you will get attention for a while but in the end no one wants to hear you whine.  Tell the history and make your point and if you do not get the reaction you hoped for move on.

As for myself I think I would like to learn more about war and killing later.   I am enjoying the stories about the buildings and the people in the photos that we see posted here on Bronsbil Estacion.

God bless America - Land of the free

Javier R. Garcia

1927 June 3 Jefferson Davis stone marker is dedicated

Front page image from Brownsville Herald 3 June 1927 and textual information accessed through Newspaper Archive Academic Library Edition at Brownsville - Public Library

The Jefferson Davis Highway was supposed to extend from Canada through the United States reaching deep south Texas.  Why it was never completed may be learned later and will be included here at another time.  The memorial stone was placed at the intersection of Elizabeth St and Palm Boulevard by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.   Frank Tiech, who erected Confederate memorials all over Texas and other southern states delivered the stone.

With a United States Flag on one side and Confederate flag on the other, a tablet embedded in the stone bears the following inscription:

"Commemorating the services to the United States of America of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America. 
Graduated from West Point in 1828. 
Served on the Indian frontier from 1828 to 1835. 
United States Congress 1845 and 1846
U.S.A. Colonel commanding Mississippi troops.
Landed at Point Isabel, Texas, 1846
Hero at Buena Vista and Monterrey
Declined post of Brigadier General,
U.S.A. Secretary of War, 1853-1857
United States senator from Mississippi 1849, '51, '57, '61 (resigned)
Soldier, statesman, martyr
Erected by United Daughters of the Confederaccy, 1926"

[Any one have any idea why they threw in the word "Martyr"?]

The original plan was to erect stone at Port Isabel where Jefferson Davis landed during the invasion of Mexico also known as the War with Mexico.  Brownsville was probably chosen as the terminus for the proposed highway which never reached Brownsville.

The stone was dedicated on June 3rd, 1927 to mark the 119th birthday of Davis.  The ceremonial fanfare included speeches and placing of flowers on the memorial.  Miss Kate Daffan of the Daughters of the Confederacy expressed the purpose of the stone marker:

"History speaks today in an object lesson.  The little children march to the memorial in honor of Davis, carrying a Confederate flag in one hand, and a Union flag in the other, showing the love that all parts of the nation now have for each other."

Speaking for governor Dan Moody was Thomas Ball of Austin who added to the above sentiment by praising the spirit between citizens of Brownsville and Matamoros to "shake hands across the border"  and commending the human spirit which makes it possible for there to be love and friendship between the North and South again.

************************** UPDATE 30 June 2016  *******************************

1971 photo by Kevin Odabashian borrowed from his self-published pictorial guide to "Landmarks of Early Brownsville." Some of the photos he took are a testament to what once was as some buildings he photographed have since then disappeared. Even so, thanks to work preservationists did many years ago we managed to save much of our history for future generations.

Since people who pledged to preserve tablet on stone here aren't here anymore it's up to the present generation to protect all historical markers and landmarks in historic Brownsville, Texas. 

Brownsville High School and Palm Blvd late 1930s

 Looking down Palm Blvd from intersection of E Elizabeth St.

 The historical stone monument to Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, was dedicated by the Daughters of the Confederacy 

Present location of marker at Washington Park (photo from www.mitteculturaldistrict.org ) 

 Cruising past the high school

Hopefully this postcard will help you pinpoint exact locations these photos were taken.