Home of Col. Sam Robertson
San Benito, Cameron County, Texas
Marker Inscription
San Benito was begun in 1904 by Sam A. Robertson (1867-1938). A wealthy civil engineer and builder, he saw farming potential in the valley. He became Sheriff and first Postmaster. He built irrigation canals and a railroad network that connected farms with produce markets. He started a Padre Island development and Del Mar, a recreational area at Boca Chica. In 1911 Robertson and his wife Adele built this house. With thick walls and high windows, it served as a fortress against marauding bandits from across the border. In 1945 the house was sold to John T. Lomax.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Sam A. Robertson, a wealthy civil engineer who saw farming promise in the Rio Grande Valley, began the town of San Benito in 1904 and served as its first sheriff and postmaster. He built irrigation canals and a railroad network linking farms to markets, and developed recreational spots at Padre Island and Boca Chica. The thick-walled, high-windowed house he and his wife Adele built in 1911 doubled as a fortress against cross-border bandit raids during a turbulent era on the frontier.
Why it matters
Robertson's canals and railroads turned the lower Rio Grande Valley into farmland, and his fortress-home recalls the border violence that shadowed that development.
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Related people
- · Sam A. Robertson
- · Adele Robertson
- · John T. Lomax
Themes & tags
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