| |
| | The
Old Benavides Bank
TE Photo, 2001 |
History
in a Pecan shell
The
wide median that bisects the town leaves no doubt that the town was born with
the arrival of the railroad. The namesake of the town was Placido Benavides who
had served in the Confederate army. After the Civil War he devoted himself to
raising cattle and his ranch became one of the largest in Duval County. He generously
allowed a depot to be built on his property in 1880 and the following year donated
80 acres for a townsite. |
| | A
former business in Benavides
TE Photo, 2001 |
In 1882 Archer Parr
moved to Benavides and in time became the "Boss" of Duval County.
He
set into place a corrupt dynasty with his son and grandson continuing his legacy
of creative bookkeeping, voting fraud and outright assassination. For anyone interested
in how corrupt and totally controlled a place can be and still be in the United
States - The Fall of the Duke of Duval by John E. Clark, Eakin Press, 1995
is recommended. |
| | An
architectural detail from the bank
TE Photo |
By 1884 Benavides
was Duval County's second largest town.
By 1914 Parr attempted to form
a new county with Benavides as the seat of government. It was to be called Pat
Dunn County after the State Legislator who was introducing the bill. A clause
in the State Constitution prohibited the act - depriving Parr of another County
Treasury to loot. |
| | A
relic of better years
TE Photo |
The estimated population
of Benavides had dropped to 250 but by the mid-1920s had risen to 1,897.
A bank was established in 1928, when the population was about 1200 people.
By the 1940s the town was prospering with 80 businesses and a population just
over 3,000. |
| |
The Santa Rosa de Lima Catholic Church in Benavides
TE photo, 2001 |
| In 1950 Benavide's
businesses did $2,084,000 in sales. The population began a decline that lasted
until the 80's when it rose to just over 2,000 people. |
Benavides
Texas Forum
Subject: Church in Benavides
I happen to grow up in San
Diego Texas and came across your website today. The information was interesting
except for a photo of the church. The church you placed under San Diego , TX is
the wrong Church. The church you have pictured is actually the church of a near
by town, Benavides, TX. Their church's name is Santa Rosa de Lima Catholic Church.
The church in San Diego is Saint Francis de Paula Catholic Church. You can find
it on Victoria St. in San Diego. It is a really beautiful church with lots of
history itself. Thank you, Elaine Montemayor-Gonzalez, April 17, 2006 |
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