Brownsville, Texas

First, to catch up a little bit since I didn’t post yesterday.

We had a good visit with Fred and Jo Wishnie Monday evening in which we discussed (among other things) the pros and cons of winter in the Rio Grande Valley.  It seems like the wind tops everyone’s list of disadvantages.  On the plus side, it seems to be the most economical place to spend the winter and it is definitely warm.  It has also been pointed out to us that the wind might be a disadvantage in and of itself, but to its credit, it keeps the bugs away.  Besides the camaraderie and conversation, we did a number on a pan of brownies.

City Hall

Central Fire Station

Yesterday, after some heavy duty grocery shopping and lunch, we headed over to Mercedes to visit with our friend Gordon.  He has been home alone this week while his “dear wife”, Juanita, has been away for a much needed grandchildren fix.  Gordon and Juanita just purchased a new Carriage 5th wheel and we enjoyed the grand tour.  I’m going to have to stay out of the dealerships for a while until I can forget about that side-by-side, frost-free refrigerator.  There were several other features that were quite appealing, as well.  We enjoyed meeting the dog, Bodie, and having another good visit with Gordon.  Hopefully, our travel paths will cross again later in the year as we make our way around Oregon.

Southern Pacific Railroad Depot now Brownsville Museum

Today, we drove the 25 miles or so south to Brownsville.  We had a walking tour brochure and had planned to wander around on foot to see the featured sites.  We parked in front of the Stillman House Museum and from there walked west on Washington to City Hall.  Built in the early 1850s it seems to now be the local transit main terminal.  A few more steps and we were at Immaculate Conception Cathedral which was built by French missionaries.  It now serves as the Cathedral for the Diocese of Brownsville.  We were a little nervous about the look of the neighborhood we found ourselves in so we quickly made our way back to Washington.  This seemed to be the main street in the area with lots of traffic and people along the sidewalks.  We decided it was best to drive the 10 blocks or so up to the Historic Museum of Brownsville.

This museum is housed in the Southern Pacific Depot.  I found the building itself (Spanish Colonial Revival built in 1928) much more interesting than the artifacts on display.  After looking at everything and reading most of the plaques, we sat on a bench out front to have our picnic lunch.  Refreshed, we were on to our next stop—Old Brownsville City Cemetery.  I like old cemeteries; I don’t know why.  We got out of the truck to make a few pictures.  As we were walking around, a gentleman approached and asked were we were from.  He and Gene got into a conversation.  It turned out that he was a volunteer with the Brownsville Historical Society and was out with a friend to do some repairs at the cemetery.  He took Gene under his wing and assumed the role of personal tour guide.  He knew the history of several of the city residents buried there and also explained some of the restoration efforts underway.  How lucky.  We just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

Overall, we were not impressed with the historic center of Brownsville.  Many buildings are in need of repair and there are several businesses closed.  The 2 square blocks around Washington and 13th Street were busy, but farther away caused us to be too uncomfortable to walk on the street alone.  As in other towns we have visited in the Valley, it was dirty and rundown.  

Old City Cemetery

We have a relaxing evening planned and tomorrow.....well, we don’t know yet.