Pharr native Romeo Rosales Jr. will present a Sunday Speaker Series Online presentation, “Pharr: A Concise History,” at 2 p.m. on February 28 on the Museum of South Texas History’s Facebook page.
Pioneers come in many forms—sometimes as entire communities with a unique founding story. The All-America City of Pharr, which was incorporated in 1916, is a central community at the heart of the historic Rio Grande Valley. Sugarcane grower Henry Newton Pharr, who was also an engineer and manufacturer, along with his partner John C. Kelly, founded the city of Pharr for their interest in establishing a sugarcane empire.
Rosales Jr., the author of “Images of America: Pharr,” will share Pharr’s foundation and incorporation, stories on the National Guardsmen in the 1910s, agriculture history, and law and order. Copies of Rosales’ 2014 publication of “Images of America: Pharr” are available for purchase in the Museum Store.
Rosales Jr. is a fourth-generation Pharr native. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from The University of Texas-Pan American (now UTRGV) and a Master of Library Science degree from Texas Woman’s University. Currently, Rosales is the Head of Collections & Acquisitions Librarian at BiblioTech Public Library in San Antonio. BiblioTech is the first-ever all-digital public library in the world. He is the only librarian in the country to hold such a position.
The presentation will broadcast at facebook.com/MOSTHistory/live. Viewers are encouraged to interact with panelists by posting comments and questions on the live feed. The presentation will also be recorded and posted for public access on the museum’s website at mosthistory.org.
This program is made possible by the generous support from the Carmen C. Guerra Endowment. Mrs. Guerra was committed to educational causes in the Rio Grande Valley. This named endowment was created by her family to honor her memory and to continue providing educational opportunities for the community.
About Museum of South Texas History
The Museum of South Texas History is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is located downtown Edinburg at 200 North Closner Boulevard on the Hidalgo County Courthouse square. Founded in 1967 as the Hidalgo County Historical Museum in the 1910 Hidalgo County Jail, the museum has grown over the decades through a series of expansions to occupy a full city block. In 2003, following the completion of a 22,500 square foot expansion, the museum was renamed the Museum of South Texas History to better reflect its regional scope. Today, the museum preserves and presents the borderland heritage of South Texas and Northeastern Mexico through its permanent collection and the Margaret H. McAllen Memorial Archives and exhibits spanning prehistory through the 20th century. For more information about MOSTHistory, including becoming a FRIEND, visit MOSTHistory.org, visit on Facebook and Instagram, follow on Twitter, find on YouTube or call (956) 383-6911.
