Down memory lane in old Brownsville, Part 2
The 1940s and ’50s in Old Brownsville witnessed a community life of still unforgettable people and establishments.
Toward the north was the Vermillion Restaurant, established in 1934 by Mr. Vermillion. In his diner, unruly behavior was certainly not tolerated. But you could buy a delicious plate of food and a cold beer at reasonable prices and in a friendly environment.
Two well-known grocery stores were fixtures in the area for many years – the Serrata Grocery Store on East 14th, and the Cipriano Cárdenas Grocery Store on East 16th. Heading west on Jefferson Street was the Parra Grocery Store, in front of the Santo Tomás Catholic Church. It was owned by Mr. and Mrs. José (Don Pepe) Parra, from a family of old Brownsville settlers. His son, Jaime Parra, and family now own and operate the Parra Furniture store on East Washington Street.
At the corner of West Jefferson and Palm Boulevard stood the original Palmetto Café, owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. Moisés Carrasco. I often would stop by this establishment when I was in high school — the only high school in Brownsville at that time — and was served, by the owner himself, a large hamburger and a cold Coke.
On the west side of town, on West Elizabeth, were places of business like Glen’s Super Market, owned and operated by Glen Herman, and in whose store my father worked during the 1940s and ’50s. It was in this neighborhood that I passed most of my early years, during World War II and beyond, while I attended high school and worked alongside my dad.
The frugality of the time and the work ethic created a way of life that brings pleasant memories of a good life well-lived. All this, I learned in this environment during the formative years of my youth.
Also on West Elizabeth, on the corner, stood the Eagle Pharmacy, which originally was located downtown. It was owned by Herbert Weinert, with partner Ford Lockett (until the end of the war). Then it was sold to a Mr. Davis, who then sold it to his son, Charlie Davis. In his drugstore, you were greeted by Lito, the store clerk there for many years.
Nearby was the Rio Grande Gas Co., and on the same street was the Model Laundry, owned by the Putegnat family. Way into West Elizabeth stood Huff’s Restaurant, where a good hamburger and a large iced Coke were the order of the day. Many a time I would walk down that street, always with my dad’s protective eyes on me, while I delivered pounds of ground meat to the restaurant for its delicious burgers. Across from that was the Den-Russ Drugstore, a place where friends would congregate after school and talk some nonsense, and where many a young lady was courted over a milkshake. It was also a place the girls from nearby Villa Maria Academy would visit. The Den-Russ was owned and operated by Dennis Elliott and Royce Russell, members of two well-known families.
Along Central Boulevard was the Casa Mañana Restaurant, with its large fan blades chasing away the heat. Customers there could enjoy hamburgers, with a cold beer or two or a cold soft drink.
Way north stood the Pace Grocery Store, owned and operated by James Pace Sr., a one-time president of the Brownsville School Board, and a civic and political leader whose store had a faithful clientele for many years. It was at Pace Grocery Store that I found myself working after my service in the U.S. Navy in 1956, and that time helped define my life’s work even as it provided me with financial support.
Another prominent establishment in the area was the Tipton Ford Motor Company, where you could get a new-model car and avail yourself of good car care, and whose owners, the Tiptons, have been civic leaders for many decades in Brownsville.
I can only hope that present and future generations of these early Brownsville pioneers will continue the traditions of business excellence established by the early residents, to whom this article is respectfully dedicated, along with my own father, whose knowledge of early Brownsville, its people and its business ventures illuminated my path when I was a boy.
Brownsville native Dr. Lino García Jr. is an eighth-generation Tejano and a direct descendant of Don José Matías Longoria Chapa of porciones 93 to 95 received in 1767 on Texas soil. He holds the chair of professor emeritus of Spanish literature at UTPA-Edinburg, and can be reached at (956) 665-3441 or at LGarcia@utpa.edu. Members of the Brownsville High School classes of 1951, 1952, 1953 and 1954 contributed to this article.
