There are eight primary collections at the Historic Brownsville Museum. They are listed
below in order of importance.
1. Military history.
a. Mexican /American War - 1846-1848.
This war responsible for city's existence
Construction of original fort - site adjacent to Rio Grande
local battle sites - Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma
b. Local involvement in the Civil War
Both federal and confederate troops in charge of Fort Brown during war
Battle of Palmito Ranch - last battle of war, fought approximately 12 miles east of
the city
c. Border unrest - 1913-1917
d. General history of Fort Brown from 1846 to closing in 1948
2. Restored Engine No. 1 from the Rio Grande Railroad Company. This is (possibly) the
last wood-burning, narrow gauge locomotive of its class in the world. The Rio Grande Railroad Company began operations in 1872 with a route from Brownsville to Point Isabel and carried both freight and passengers.
3. Runyon Collection - Robert Runyon was a local photographer and civic leader in the
early part of the 1900s. His work included portraits of prominent citizens, history-making events, such as the battle for Matamoros, Mexico, in 1913, and postcards made from his photographs of the area, including Fort Brown. Runyon was also an amateur botanist and collected two specimens from each tree native to the valley in 1936. One set became part of the Texas Centennial celebration in Austin and is now at The Center for American History at University of Texas at Austin. The other set is at the museum.
4. Religious life
a. Catholicism - the first nuns from the French Order of the Incarnate Word and Blessed
Sacrament arri