Founding In 1781, Spanish government officials granted José Salvador de la Garza 59 leagues of land (408 sq mi). He used the land to construct a ranch several miles northwest of the area. During the early 1800s, Brownsville was known to residents as
los tejidos (English: "
pasturelands"). Settler presence grew around 1836 when Texas colonial rule
declared its independence from Mexico. On February 4, 1846, United States President
James K. Polk instructed American General
Zachary Taylor and his troops, including 2nd LT. Ulysses S. Grant, to begin moving south towards what was still remembered as
los tejidos. Once Taylor arrived, he built
Fort Texas. It was later renamed
Fort Brown for Major Jacob Brown, one of two American soldiers who died during the
siege of Fort Texas.
Charles Stillman arrived in Matamoros in 1828 from
Connecticut to help his father in the cotton trade. and Simon Mussina to form the Brownsville Town Company. They reportedly sold lots valued at $1,500 following displacement of prior residents. Brownsville was originally established as a U.S. recognized city in late 1848 following Stillman's colonization efforts, and was made the county seat of Cameron County on January 13, 1849. The state originally incorporated the city on January 24, 1850. This was repealed on April 1, 1852, because of a land-ownership dispute between Stillman and its former owners (including
Juan Cortina, a Mexican rancher). The state reincorporated the city on February 7, 1853; this remains in effect. The issue of ownership was not decided until 1879, when the
United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Stillman. American General
Zachary Taylor retreated from Fort Texas on May 1, 1846; Mexican General
Mariano Arista began preparing artillery and troops from across the Rio Grande. On May 3, Arista and the Mexican Army began the siege of Fort Texas, during the first active campaign in the Mexican–American War. This was counteracted by the
United States 7th Infantry Regiment. resulting in the first battle of the war. The following day, Mexican troops had retreated. Taylor's troops charged up to them, resulting in the
Battle of Resaca de la Palma, which took place within the present limits. When Taylor arrived at the besieged Fort Texas, he found that two soldiers, including the fort's commander, Major Jacob Brown, had died. Brown, who suffered an injury when a cannonball hit his leg, died three days after his injury on May 9. In his honor, General Taylor renamed the facility as Fort Brown. An old cannon at the
University of Texas at Brownsville and
Texas Southmost College marks the spot where Major Brown received his fatal wound. On July 13, 1859, Juan Cortina saw Brownsville city Marshal Robert Sheers arrest and beat an elderly man who had been a ranch hand at his mother's ranch. Cortina approached the marshal, questioning his motives, before shooting him twice after he refused to release the man. The first shot reportedly missed Sheers, but the second struck his shoulder, causing him to fall to the ground. Cortina and the elderly man rode off on a horse. The following year, Cortina returned with troops, executing four Anglo men and simultaneously releasing several Mexican prisoners. He then issued a proclamation explaining his reasons for the attack.
Civil War During the
American Civil War, Brownsville served as a smuggling point for Confederate goods into Mexico. Most significantly, cotton was smuggled to European ships through the Mexican port of
Bagdad to avoid Union
blockades. The city was located at the end of the "Cotton Road", In November 1863, Union troops landed at
Port Isabel and marched towards Brownsville to take control of Fort Brown. In the ensuing
Battle of Brownsville, Confederate forces abandoned the fort, blowing it up with of explosives. In 1864, Confederate forces commanded by Colonel
John Salmon Ford reoccupied the town, and he became mayor of Brownsville.
Robert E. Lee and his Confederate army surrendered to Union commander
Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, signing a hand-written document at the
Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the American Civil War. Theodore Barrett was ordered to move 500
62nd Regiment troops of colors towards Brazos Island. On May 11, Barrett's troops moved inland towards Brownsville and spotted Confederate soldiers. John Salmon Ford received news of this and prepared to attack. On May 15, 1865, 34 days after the
signing of the surrender, the
Battle of Palmito Ranch took place. Confederates killed or wounded around 30 opponents and captured more than 100 other troops. President Grant sent Union General
Frederick Steele to Brownsville to patrol the United States–Mexico border after the Civil War to aid the
Juaristas with military supplies.
20th century Texas, like other Southern states, passed a new constitution and
Jim Crow laws that established racial segregation and disenfranchised African Americans at the turn of the 20th century, generally by raising barriers to voter registration. While Hispanic residents were considered white under the terms of the United States annexation of Texas, legislatures found ways to suppress their participation in politics.
1906 Brownsville affair and Black soldiers On August 13 and 14, 1906, Brownsville was the site of the
Brownsville affair. Racial tensions were increasing between white townsfolk and black infantrymen who were stationed at Fort Brown. On the night of August 13, one white bartender was killed, and a white police officer was wounded by rifle shots in the street. Townsfolk, including the mayor, accused the infantrymen of the murders. Without affording them a chance to defend themselves in a hearing, President
Theodore Roosevelt dishonorably discharged the entire 167-member regiment due to their alleged "
conspiracy of silence".
Public health In the spring of 1991, a cluster of
anencephaly cases in the area made national headlines, prompting a public health investigation. A high anencephaly rate, of 19.7 per 10,000 live births, was found. Additionally, it was discovered that other
neural tube defects, including
spina bifida and
encephalocele, had been an ongoing, undetected issue in pregnant Mexican-American women for years in the area. Subsequently, multiple
risk factors were found, such as
folate deficiency, and that increasing dietary folate intake had a protective effect.
21st century Brownsville has received significant media attention surrounding immigration policies and border-wall funding costs. In 2006, President
George W. Bush signed into law the
Secure Fence Act of 2006. The act administered the construction of a tall border "fence" extending from the
Pacific Ocean (at
San Diego and
Tijuana's border crossing), through the entry of the
Port of Brownsville. In 2008, the
United States Department of Homeland Security issued a proposal to add of border fence, an action which would potentially reallocate portions of the
University of Texas at Brownsville campus. The proposal would have transferred of university land, including several historical monuments and the university's golf course, to Mexico. The proposal was altered after
Andrew Hanen, a federal district judge, rejected the department's idea. On January 25, 2017, days after assuming office, Trump issued
Executive Order 13767, directing construction for the border wall. Brownsville was also the center of controversy surrounding the new administration's continuation of an Obama-era policy of housing immigrant children separate from adults (except for mothers) who entered the country unlawfully. The issue surrounded
Casa Padre, the largest
juvenile immigration detention center in America, which is located within Brownsville's city limits.
Revitalization Downtown Brownsville has received several revitalization projects from the city government to increase tourism and safety. The
Texas Historical Commission named Brownsville as part of its Main Street Program in 2016. Several historic buildings were restored, including the Stegman Building, a historic building named after Baldwin G. Stegman, one of the city's first
streetcar line developers. The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selected Brownsville as one of six cities for their "Greening America's Communities" program. The agency worked on a revitalization project for Market Square, a building constructed in 1850. The city also received a $3.4 million grant from the Façade Improvement Program for this project. ==Geography and climate==