Old City Cemetery

 Cemeteries have always aroused my interest and curiosity.  If you take the time to read epitaphs on monuments, you can learn a lot about the local history.

Consort and I visited Old City Cemetery in downtown Brownsville this week.  The cemetery was established about 1848.  I had no idea Brownsville had been around so long.  I was completely ignorant of its history and the important role this southernmost city played in the development of the USA.

Brownsville started out as Fort Texas on the Rio Grande River.  The settlement around the fort was called Brownsville.  The city incorporated in 1853 and was named the county seat.  I could write pages on its history, but instead will give you a link to the history of Brownsville.  I think you'll be surprised by the important events that occurred here.  I know I was.

Some of the inscriptions
on the tombstones tell how the person died.  Some epitaphs are in English, some are in Spanish, and there are quite a few in both French and German.  I found the headstone for George M. Dennett interesting.  He served in the 9th Regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War.  Note the abbreviation, "Cld Trps."  The 9th regiment was comprised solely of free Blacks.

We noticed several orange trees as we were driving to the cemetery.  Oranges are in season here and the trees were loaded.  

As we were walking through the cemetery, we found an orange tree growing next to one of the fenced family plots.  I couldn't resist.  I picked up some of the oranges that had fallen to the ground and brought them home.  Does this make me a grave robber?