Charles Stillman

Charles Stillman (November 4, 1810 – December 18, 1875) was the founder of Brownsville, Texas, and was part owner of a successful river boat company on the Rio Grande.

Early life He was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, United States, to Capt. Francis Stillman and Harriet Stillman ( Robbins). In February 1828, he went by way of New Orleans to Matamoros and established himself as an entrepreneur. He was involved in cotton brokerage and real estate in addition to silver mines in Nuevo León and Tamaulipas.

Texas and Mexico Fort Brown Before the Mexican–American War the United States government was looking to build a permanent fort along the Rio Grande. Charles Stillman, having a deed to the land, offered to lease it to the government to build a fort on. This land was part of the Espiritu Santo land grant, but due to a complication involving the owners not listing the land with the Mexican or Texas government a land dispute ensued which reached the Supreme Court.

The founding of Brownsville Charles Stillman founded Brownsville, Texas, on January 13, 1849, around the same time as the establishment of Fort Brown. The land, which was less than a mile from the fort, was also disputed. Stillman had bought large pieces of land north and northeast of Matamoros from the heirs of José Narciso Cavazos. Stillman offered the Cavazos family $33,000 for their land even though it was worth $214,000. The Cavazos family accepted the offer to avoid paying legal fees. However, Stillman never paid the Cavazos family the $33,000 for the land. Since the land belonged to the heirs of his second marriage. This was one of the reasons the Cortina Wars happened.

Legacy Charles Stillman is believed to have named the first three streets in Brownsville after himself, his wife, Elizabeth, and his father, Francis. These Streets are named St. Charles, Elizabeth St. and St. Francis. It is believed that the sign-making company which made the street signs originally misread the order and mistook Street (abbreviated "St.") for Saint (which also is abbreviated "St.").

A middle school in Brownsville, Texas, is named after Stillman.