Brown Plaza
Del Rio, Val Verde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
First Plaza established in Del Rio--a city built one site of a Pre-Colombian Indian Village. Abundant water, which attracted the Indians, also drew to this spot the earliest Europeans to visit Texas, including Cabeza De Vaca (1535) and Castano de Sosa (1590). The permanent community of San Felipe Del Rio was founded after frontier protection was assured in 1860s. The San Felipe Agricultural, Manufacturing & Irrigation Company (Organizsed Oct. 8, 1869) promoted settlement by giving land along San Felipe Creek as wages to its employees. Railroad lines reached Del Rio in 1884, furthering growth. Brown Plaza, dedicated on Cinco De Mayo, 1908, was gathering place for the community. A bandstand (or Kiosko) was built by the people. Musical concerts delighted audiences and performers. The Plaza was scene of political and social gatherings. Formal promenades became a custom. Travelers rested here and cooked thier food over charcoal fires. George Washington Brown (1836-1918), donor of the Plaza, was born in North Carolina, migrating West in his youth. He served his adopted state for 43 years in offices of county clerk and district clerk. The Plaza was restored in 1969. (1970)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Del Rio rose on a site where spring water had drawn people for centuries — a Pre-Columbian village, early Spanish explorers, and finally the permanent community of San Felipe Del Rio in the 1860s. As irrigation companies and the railroad spurred growth, George Washington Brown, a long-serving county official, donated land for the town's first plaza. Dedicated on Cinco de Mayo in 1908, Brown Plaza became the heart of community life, with a hand-built kiosko, concerts, promenades, and political gatherings.
Why it matters
Brown Plaza preserves the Mexican-American civic tradition of the town square on the Texas borderlands, a gift of gathering space that shaped generations of community life.
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Related people
- · George Washington Brown
Related events
- · Dedication of Brown Plaza, 1908
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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