Special to El Rrun-Rrun
This effort marks an important step in preserving and restoring a rare part of Brownsville’s history for future generations." Mayor John Cowen, and also descendant of William Neale, the first mayor of Brownsville.
The City of Brownsville Commission authorized a $404,256 contract with Dodson House Moving LLC to move the decaying historic structure, with work expected to take six to eight weeks. The full restoration will raise the cost to almost $1 million.
The Neale House will be moved to Linear Park, next to the restored Laureles Ranch House of Charles Stillman, the so-called founder of Brownsville and a slave holder. The 1850 census shows he owned a female slave who was living in slave quarters at the back of the Stillman House.
The Neale House is widely believed to date back to the late 1830s, potentially making it the oldest surviving house in Brownsville, even predating the city’s founding.
It served as the home of William Neale, the first mayor of Brownsville and a well-known slave hunter who would be paid by slavers to go into Mexico to retrieve their runaway slaves who yearned for freedom acriss the Rio Grande.
It was also the house where his son, William Peter Neale, was found sleeping in bed in the right bedroom and shot dead in September 28, 1859 when local rancher Juan Nepomuceno Cortina and 75 followers took over the city to hunt down his enemies who he accused of killing Mexicans with impunity. He had been protected by white authorities and by his father's position. The elder Neale was mayor when Cortina took over the town.
It served as the home of William Neale, the first mayor of Brownsville and a well-known slave hunter who would be paid by slavers to go into Mexico to retrieve their runaway slaves who yearned for freedom acriss the Rio Grande.
It was also the house where his son, William Peter Neale, was found sleeping in bed in the right bedroom and shot dead in September 28, 1859 when local rancher Juan Nepomuceno Cortina and 75 followers took over the city to hunt down his enemies who he accused of killing Mexicans with impunity. He had been protected by white authorities and by his father's position. The elder Neale was mayor when Cortina took over the town.
Despite visible deterioration, preservation specialists told commissioners that some of the home’s original material remains intact, including elements like wide plank flooring, early wood construction, and other components.
The building has endured a long and difficult history, surviving multiple hurricanes, relocations, and decades of wear as an Brownsville Art League museum and a canteen for the American Legion.
The relocation is expected to be a complex process, requiring specialized expertise to safely transport and stabilize the fragile structure. The moving process could take between six to eight weeks. Once moved, the home is anticipated to undergo restoration as part of broader efforts to preserve it.
City leaders and preservationists alike expressed support for the project, calling it an important step in protecting a rare piece of the community’s heritage for future generations.
And we thought we had eradicated the city's penchant for the slavers' "heritage" when we did away with the Jeff Davis rock monument at Washington Park only to spend millions of public funds to enshrine these champions of slavery and rapine and display these vestiges of slavery on Linear Park in what can correctly be called local whites' Planation Row.
10 comments:
Maybe they can enshrine Chavez instead
Built in the late 1830s. Big deal. This is not old. The pyramids in Egypt are old. I for one am tired of or corrupt city officials concentrating on the pet projects of the rich and famous of our area. They always put aside the needs of the working man which is fixing our city streets so they can get to work without damaging their car suspensions. They need drainage issues addressed so their homes don’t get flooded with a few inches of rain. Those wanting to fix this piece of rotted wood should do it with private funds. Maybe some of the money given to the city by Elon Musk can be used for this waste of money. I can’t wait to see my property tax increase again.
"Let it go, let it go"🎶🎶🎶🎶🎵
Pendejos
This building is old for the area because we have failed to preserve older structures (think of the old opera house). I think it is worth keeping. As far as I know, the house owned no slaves as it is an inanimate object and probably had no influence over the behavior of it's owners. I also think it can be done less expensively than it will be done. Next, preserve or recreate a much more modest home of the era for display along there renovated buildings. Demonstrate the other end of the spectrum, maybe a jacal?
Stillman founded Brownville. Fact. Why lie?
State of Texas historical commission should get involved, but doubt that they would allow such a tremendous expense.
Millions?
Founded Brownsville? That’s like saying Columbus discovered America. What a dunce. Spread your alternative facts somewhere else.
They were here before Stillman and Neale.
Tugumlepem Indians.These presumably Coahuiltecan-speaking Indians lived on the extreme southern part of the Texas coast. In the middle eighteenth century their settlements were between the sites of present Port Isabel and Brownsville in eastern Cameron County.
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