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San Benito Depot,
1917
Courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
History in
a Pecan Shell
In 1904 the San
Benito Land and Water Company was formed
1907: Lots are sold.
A post office was opened under the name San Benito. According to the
Handbook of Texas - the town was first called Bessie, after
the daughter of Benjamin Franklin Yoakum, a St. Louis, Brownsville
and Mexico Railway official. The name San Benito was an invention
of Rafael Moreno, who combined the given names of Benny Hicks and
Sam Robertson.
Sam became San and Benny became Benito.
1915-16: San Benito was a base camp for Oklahoma, South Dakota, and
Tennessee National Guard troops.
1916: The train to Brownsville
was derailed at Olmito - ten miles
south of San Benito.
San Benito was a major shipper of citrus fruits and vegetables. The
last citrus-packing facility was said to have closed after the freeze
of 1983, but produce delivery continues - at least locally.
The Community-owned Dolly Vinsant Memorial Hospital, was named for
Lt. Wilma R. (Dolly) Vinsant Shea, an army flight nurse, killed over
Germany in May 1945.
The Stonewall Jackson, a former hotel, is now in used as a retirement
home. |
San Benito
Vintage Images
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View of San
Benito, Texas, 1910
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
San Benito Depot,
1930
Courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/
More Texas Depots |
"Dolly
Visant Memorial Hospital, San Benito, Texas", 1940s
The Community-owned hospital was named for Lt. Wilma R. (Dolly) Vinsant
Shea, an army flight nurse, killed over Germany in May 1945.
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
"Hog Waddle,
Cabbage Day, San Benito, Texas"
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/
See Texas Animals |
Samuel
Arthur Robertson
by Mike Cox ("Texas Tales" column)
[Robertson founded] the city of San Benito and later supervised construction
of an irrigation system capable of watering 68,000 acres. He also
built a system of rail feeder spurs across the Valley and established
the area’s first ice plants to facilitate the shipment of produce
from the farms that sprang up because of the irrigation network he
helped develop. While he was at it, he served as San Benito’s first
postmaster and twice as sheriff of Cameron County... more |
"Public
Library, San Benito, Texas"
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
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Queen
Citriana Betty Jo Knox
Photo courtesy Cruse Aviation |
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Flying
into San Benito, 1946
Photo courtesy Cruse Aviation |
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| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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