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| Landmark #4985 | Cameron County | Visited: September 2, 2018 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | This depot is now the Historic Brownsville Museum! |
| What makes it historical? | THE PLAQUE SAYS: This depot was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1928 as part of its extension into the Rio Grande Valley. A fine example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, the depot features a tile roof, arcades, curvilinear parapets, and other ornamentation common to that style. The structure was used as a passenger depot until 1952. It now serves as a reminder of the railroad’s impact on the development of Brownsville and the lower Rio Grande Valley.
OTHER TIDBITS: The first railroad entered the Rio Grande Valley in 1905, changing hands a couple of times until the Southern Pacific Railroad bought out the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway in 1925 and pushed the rails further south into Brownsville! On November 14, 1927, today celebrated as Southern Pacific Day, the golden spike was driven and this railroad extension was complete! This opened up the Brownsville area to new travelers arriving and the booming agriculture to find new customers further north! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| How do I find it? | Listed Directions: Historic Brownsville Museum 641 E. Madison Street Brownsville, TX 78520 Annotations: From Austin: ~351mi (565km) — 5.9hrs |
| When should I go? | The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM! |