Hidalgo County, Texas
Mission is home to 19 official Texas Historical Commission markers — each one telling a piece of the city’s story. Browse the markers below, then find them on the map and discover more nearby with RoadHistorical.
(1860 - - 1925) Once the lands of the Mission of the Oblate Fathers, this property (160 acres) was owned by Bryan from 1910 to 1916 - - While residing here he wrote many articles and engaged in a magazine debate with…
View on map ↗Lands for La Lomita ("The Little Hill") Mission came from the 1767 Spanish grant of Joseph A. Cántu, and were donated in 1861. Used as farms and ranches, the lands supported the priests and their charities. The original…
View on map ↗In 1849 Catholic priests of the missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate began mission work in Texas under the direction of Bishop Jean Marie Odin. From Brownsville, they traveled throughout the lower Rio Grande Valley,…
View on map ↗First known as Teatro La Paz (Peace Theatre), this cultural arts center was built about 1912 by Juan Bautista Barberá, a native of Spain who came to the United States in 1905. A bricklayer by profession, Barberá brought…
View on map ↗Begun in 1912 when dirt roads hampered area transportation, the San Benito & Rio Grande Valley Railroad was instrumental in the early development of the region's towns and commerce. It grew from the Brownsville Street…
View on map ↗David Gregg Wood, Sr. (1876-1965) originally came to the Valley in 1893 and settled in Mission in 1908. Wood, who served as mayor, city commissioner, and president of the First National Bank, led the way for many…
View on map ↗In 1916 the City of Mission entered into a 99-year lease agreement with the Missionary Society of Oblate Fathers for the purpose of creating a public park for the use and benefit of all its citizens. Named for this…
View on map ↗In 1907, John J. Conway and James W. Hoit began the Mission Canal Co. Irrigation System, which was instrumental in the early agricultural growth of the area. Here they built the first pump station out of hand made brick…
View on map ↗El Granjeno Cemetery was established in 1872 with the burial of Don Antonio Garza. His brother, Don Juan Garza Escheverria, donated the surrounding land for use by the communities of El Granjeno and nearby Madero. A…
View on map ↗Before colonization, this valley was a lush thicket of woodlands and brush, nourished with rich soil deposited by the Rio Grande. Throughout the Lower Valley the landscape represented a broad variety of plants and…
View on map ↗In the 1920s John H. Shary, citrus grower and local developer, began plans to promote locally grown citrus crops on a large scale. The first Texas Citrus Fiesta, with the theme "Coronation and Pageant of Citrus" was…
View on map ↗This church was established in 1899 as the first mission of the historic La Lomita Church (5 mi. S). Originally known as Our Lady of the Mission (Nuestra Senora de la Mission), it was renamed Our Lady of Guadalupe…
View on map ↗John Davis Bradburn (1787-1842) was born in Virginia and reared in Kentucky. He entered Mexico in 1817 with Francisco Mina's army to help upset Spanish colonial forces in the War of Independence. He became a naturalized…
View on map ↗Designed by San Antonio architect Harvey P. Smith, this two-story edifice was constructed of brick with white stone trimming and erected on the site of Mission founder John Conway's business offices. Intended to house…
View on map ↗A fine example of a mid-20th century motion picture theater with regional stylistic influences, the Border Theater was completed in 1942. Dallas architect William J. Moore designed the structure, which was built by…
View on map ↗This burial ground has served the Mission community since 1913, when graves were moved here from the first city cemetery because of unsuitable land conditions. Those buried here include John J. Conway (d. 1931), city of…
View on map ↗(February 17, 1899 - April 25, 1978) Leonardo Alaniz, better known as Leo Najo, was one of the first Mexican-Americans to play professional baseball in the United States. Born in the Mexican community of La Lajilla,…
View on map ↗In 1909, Dr. Samuel McPheeters Glasgow gave the first sermon in Mission and organized a Sunday school class. Along with Dr. M.W. Doggett, Dr. Glasgow organized first Presbyterian Church of Mission on January 9, 1910.…
View on map ↗Mission women formed the Tuesday Club in 1910 and four years later organized the Civic League of Mission to care for a city park and start a library. The library occupied a shelf in an empty store and moved between…
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