Tijerina House

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, as best as I can pass it along. Now, some families in the Rio Grande Valley carry history the way good brick carries weight. Quiet, solid, built to last.

Tomas Tijerina was that kind of man. He was a descendant of Blas de la Garza Falcon, an eighteenth century settler of the Rio Grande, which means the roots of this story run deep into the soil of South Texas long before Tomas himself ever came along. But come along he did.

In 1904, Tomas Tijerina moved to this very site. Born in 1860, he was a deputy sheriff for many years, the kind of man who knew his ground and knew how to hold it. And when it came time to put down roots in a more permanent way, he didn't just hire somebody and step back.

He designed the residence himself. In 1912, he had the original frame house moved to the back of the lot, making room for what he had in mind. A brick home.

His neighbor Teodoro Perez served as the general carpenter, and together they raised something worth raising. Now, if you look at those exterior brick walls, you'll notice something. Brick buttresses, running along the outside, supporting the whole structure.

That wasn't decoration. This is Cameron County, sitting right on the Gulf Coast, and those buttresses were built for protection from hurricane winds. Tomas Tijerina, the deputy sheriff, the designer, the descendant of an eighteenth century Rio Grande settler, knew what kind of country he was building in.

He died in 1932, but that brick house is still standing, buttresses and all, exactly the way he meant it to be.

What the marker says

A descendant of the 18th Century Rio Grande settler Blas de la Garza Falcon, Tomas Tijerina (1860-1932) moved to this site in 1904. His original frame house was moved to the back of the lot in 1912 when the present brick home was built. Tijerina, a deputy sheriff for many years, designed the residence and his neighbor Teodoro Perez served as general carpenter. The exterior brick walls are supported by brick buttresses for protection from hurricane winds.