Preserving History

Chula Griffin said she didn’t have much to do with the opening of the Old City Cemetery Center, but some say otherwise.

Had it not been for her persistence in pushing city commissioners for some 20 years to take notice of the old Brownsville City Cemetery, such a center probably might not exist.

“Chula really got this going and did much of the early work,” said Larry Lof, who serves as president of the Brownsville Historical Association. “Things only happen because people start with a vision and this is an example of a person who made a huge difference. The reason we are here today is because she got us started on this road.”

On Thursday, the Old City Cemetery Center was officially dedicated and officials hope that once residents and others visit the center, they will take more interest in the cemetery itself, which has been deemed an historical site.

“(The Brownsville Cemetery Association’s) main purpose was to get (city officials) to recognize that the cemetery is really a valuable asset to the city of Brownsville and it is the holiest place in Brownsville,” Griffin said. “This is a dream come true. I never thought something like this would happen.”

The vision of establishing such as center was that of Priscilla Rodriguez, executive director of the Brownsville Historical Association, who also pushed the city commission to do something about preserving the cemetery and its history.

The center contains much historic information on the cemetery itself. It provides information about founding fathers and founding families of cities who are buried there such as James L. Landrum the founder of San Benito and John McAllen who founded the city of McAllen and Francisco Yturria of Brownsville.

It also has information on funerals, cemetery customs and architecture found at the cemetery.

At the center’s entrance is a more than a 1,000-pound large marble angel that dates back to the late 1800s. Over the years, the angel has been vandalized with her wings and arms broken off.

The Ortiz family turned over the angel, which once towered over the grave of Manuel Ortiz, for display and repair. She is one of several monuments that have been vandalized at the cemetery located on Madison Street.

According to documents on display at the center, the Old City Cemetery and Hebrew Cemetery have had about 30,000 burials. It was established in 1853 and handed over to the city in 1868. The once disregarded cemetery located on Madison Street underwent some major renovations with the installation of security cameras and lights.

The cemetery is recognized by the Texas Historical Commission as an outstanding historical landmark revealing much of the city’s history.