NEALE HOUSE, AT $404,000 FOR JUST RELOCATING IT, JOINS SLAVER BROWNSVILLE FOUNDER CHARLES STILLMAN'S LAUREL RANCH ON SLAVERS' PLANTATION ROW ON LINEAR PARK

(Ed.'s Note: Workers are readying the site in Linear Park for the relocation of William Neale's dilapidated house dating back to the mid-1800s. At a cost of $404,000 just for its relocation from the grounds at Texas Southmost College, it will take a few $100,000s more to spiff up the house that belonged to Neale, Brownsville's first mayor and well-known slaver who made money chasing runaway slaves into Mexico and reuniting them with their owners.

At right, the 1850 Census shows that Stillman, and other "founders" were listed as slave owners. 

Neale's house, once renovated, will comprise Brownsville's own Plantation Row, joining Brownsville "founder" Charles Stillman's Laurel Ranch House, who through legal chicanery along with Samuel Belden, dispossessed the rightful land-grant owners of the land and made off like a thief with the ill-gained profits and established Citibank in New York City.

This enshrinement of these structures of Brownsville's founders thumbs its nose at local residents who lobbied to remove the stone monument to Jefferson Davis in Washington Park as a rejection of the Confederate Lost Cause "heritage" that had slavery as its foundation. Why are we still doing this?

Below: That was the Laurel Ranch House when it was brought to Brownsville from Corpus Christi and what it looked like after its $100,000s "restoration" courtesy of the local taxpayers. Expect the same magical transformation for the Neale House.)

FANTASY: STILLMAN'S LAUREL RANCH HOUSE BEFORE AND AFTER

NEALE'S DILAPIDATED CRIB TODAY BEFORE $404,000 RELOCATION