Jagou Plantation

It’s considered the heart of Southmost, with trees that were likely in place from the colonial times and remains of structures from the 19th century. Celestine Jagou bought the land in 1872 from Captains Richard King, Mifflin Kenedy and others. He tested crops that had not been established in South Texas, and was able to determine which were fruitful for the region, which is why he is considered “The Father of South Texas Agriculture”. “He had wine grapes, cork trees, he had all kinds of exotic fruit trees, he was quite an innovative person,” said Eugene Fernandez, Historic Brownsville Museum Manager.  Also on his land, the giant Montezuma Cypresses. “There are 30 of them along this route here that have diameters in excess of 3 feet,” Fernandez said. The area is likely the largest concentration of Montezuma cypress trees in the United States. At the time of the Civil War thousands of Montezuma Cypress were cut down to make a temporary bridge to White’s Ranch from Boca Chica. “As pristine as all of that palm jungle is now, is the way it looked back at the turn of the century,” he said. The heart of Southmost will likely continue to be admired for a long time, as the city plans to convert the area into a nature trail.