Brown Plaza

Del Rio grew up as a binational town. The Spanish had placed a small presidial complex near present Ciudad Acuna, Del Rio's sister city across the river, and some Spaniards settled on the Texas side. The town's first homes and businesses stood close to San Felipe Creek; after the railroad came, housing moved north of the tracks, and by the 1960s retail along U.S. 90 drew growth farther north. The population rose from fifty in 1880 to 2,000 by 1890. Cinco de Mayo and 16 de Septiembre remain among the city's best-known celebrations.

What the plaque says

Brown Plaza First Plaza established in Del Rio--a city built one site of a Pre-Colombian Indian Village. Abundant water, which attracted the Indians, also drew to this spot the earliest Europeans to visit Texas, including Cabeza De Vaca (1535) and Castano de Sosa (1590). The permanent community of San Felipe Del Rio was founded after frontier protection was assured in 1860s. The San Felipe Agricultural, Manufacturing & Irrigation Company (Organizsed Oct. 8, 1869) promoted settlement by giving land along San Felipe Creek as wages to its employees. Railroad lines reached Del Rio in 1884, furthering growth. Brown Plaza, dedicated on Cinco De Mayo, 1908, was gathering place for the community. A bandstand (or Kiosko) was built by the people. Musical concerts delighted audiences and performers. The Plaza was scene of political and social gatherings. Formal promenades became a custom. Travelers rested here and cooked thier food over charcoal fires. George Washington Brown (1836-1918), donor of the Plaza, was born in North Carolina, migrating West in his youth. He served his adopted state for 43 years in offices of county clerk and district clerk. The Plaza was restored in 1969. (1970)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Whitehead Memorial Museum — 0.4 mi
  A village of old Del Rio buildings set along a working irrigation canal, from an 1870 store to a 1925 doctor's office, with Judge Roy Bean buried on the grounds.
• San Felipe Creek — 0.6 mi
  The spring-fed creek that made Del Rio, rising from the third largest springs in Texas and running past swimming holes and a hike-and-bike trail through town.
• Val Verde Winery — 0.6 mi
  The family winery an Italian immigrant founded on Del Rio's irrigated land in 1883, which outlasted Prohibition by selling table grapes and kept Texas wine alive into the 1970s.
• Amistad National Recreation Area — 9.6 mi
  The American side of the reservoir the United States and Mexico finished in 1969 where three rivers meet, with painted shelters still reachable by boat when the water allows.

More markers nearby

• Santos S. Garza — steps away
• John Taini — 0.3 mi
• Val Verde County Courthouse Square — 0.4 mi
• Seminole-Negro Scouts — 0.4 mi