Fort Brown
S edge of Brownsville off International Blvd., Brownsville, TXAn earthen breastwork fortification was established across the Rio Grande River from the Mexican port of Matamoros on March 28, 1846, by General Zachary Taylor. On May 17, 1846, the fortified camp was named Fort Brown, in honor of Major Jacob Brown of the 7th Infantry who was killed in its defense on May 9, 1846. It was in the lower Rio Grande Valley and in the immediate vicinity of Fort Brown that American armies first engaged Mexican troops and demonstrated that the United States would be taking its place among the world powers.
Although the most important activity at Fort Brown was in connection with the Mexican-American War, the fort has been active in the direct campaign or in the training of troops during the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and the Mexican Bandit trouble of 1913-1917. During the Civil War, there was much Union and Confederate activity in and about Fort Brown, and the troops stationed at the post are believed to have fought the last battle of that war. In 1882, Major William Crawford Gorgas, later to become Surgeon General, first began his historic experiments on Yellow Fever at the hospital. Fort Brown was also a center for troop activity during the Mexican bandit trouble of 1913-1917 when thousands of troops were concentrated in the area. Throughout its early history, Fort Brown contributed significantly to the defense of the nation and aided greatly in the westward expansion of the United States.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.