Cavazos House
Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Fannie Seward Cavazos (1844-1928) moved from Ohio during the Civil War to Bagdad, Mexico. She came to Brownsville in 1870 with her husband, Wenceslao Cavazos. After his death in 1882 Fannie began a successful Mexican-style lace drawnwork business. She helped establish the Mexican Presbyterian Church in Brownsville. This home, built in 1905 for Fannie Cavazos by her daughters, is a good example of a Late Victorian cottage and features decorative woodwork. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1984
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Fannie Seward Cavazos left Ohio during the Civil War, living briefly in Bagdad, Mexico, before settling in Brownsville in 1870 with her husband Wenceslao. Widowed in 1882, she built a successful business in Mexican-style drawnwork lace and helped establish the town's Mexican Presbyterian Church. In 1905 her daughters built her this Late Victorian cottage, notable for its decorative woodwork.
Why it matters
Her story spotlights an entrepreneurial widow bridging Anglo and Mexican cultures on the Rio Grande border, a reminder of the women who shaped commerce and community in the borderlands.
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Related people
- · Fannie Seward Cavazos
- · Wenceslao Cavazos
Themes & tags
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