HistoricSiteMarkers
Early RepublicCivil War

Memorial Hospital

Roma, Starr County, Texas

Marker Inscription

1853 building erected by E. R. Hord, State Representative and U.S. Congressman. Stone in 28" walls hauled by ox-teams; beams came by boat, landed at nearby dock. Military headquarters during the Civil War. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Erected in 1853 by E. R. Hord—a state representative and later U.S. congressman—this sturdy building on the Rio Grande has walls 28 inches thick, its stone hauled in by ox-teams and its beams landed by boat at a nearby dock. During the Civil War the structure served as a military headquarters in the contested border country. It was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1965.

Why it matters

The building testifies to the strategic importance of the lower Rio Grande during the Civil War, when the river was a vital corridor for Confederate cotton bound for foreign markets.

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Related people

  • · E. R. Hord

Themes & tags

Civil WarLandmark

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