Frank Rabb History Notes
Norman Rozeff, November 2010
Frank Rabb was an important and often controversial figure in the Valley at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th one. The following are notes put together as part of a narrative to be sent to the Texas Historic Commission in an effort to obtain a state marker for the Rabb Plantation House south of Brownsville.
Frank Rabb's plantation was upstream from the region's first large-scale successful commercial sugar manufacturing operation, that of Louis Brulay in 1876.
Frank Rabb had married Lillian Starck, granddaughter of Petra Vidal, who after her husband Col. Luis of the Mexican army had died leaving her with five children (five daughters of whom survived), married Mifflin Kennedy. Their daughter Maria Vicente married Fred Starck, Sr.
Rabb was a professional baseball player (later a steamboat Captain) from Corpus Christi. With his brother-in-law Fred Starck, Jr he developed parts of 20,305 acres extending along the river past Santa Maria between 1876-1880. He left intact 200 acres of the sabal palm forest along the river. [This refers to holdings east of Brownsville, not near the town of Santa Maria]. Later Rabb divorced and married Margaret (Peggy) McCormick.
Frank Rabb was born in Corpus Christi and was a descendent of Texas pioneers. Moving to the Valley, he married Lillian (also sometimes Lillie) May Starck in Brownsville, March 9, 1887. She too was of a prominent local pioneer family. Besides his long-time involvement in ranching and farming, he moved into real estate sales and became president of the Texas Bank and Trust Company of Brownsville. He and his wife had no children. Born in 1870 she was to die in 1933.
In a few years Brulay's neighbors Frank Rabb, and Fred Starck, Jr. were already following Brulay’s example by planting 202 acres of cane on their 3,000 cultivated acres, a mile upstream from Brulay. They began to plant additional acreage on their farm at Santa Maria, south of La Feria. They took their close-by cane to Brulay’s mill for grinding. Rabb and Starck, however, did not maintain their interest in sugar as George Brulay did. At one point, however, Rabb and Starck sent out salesman Ed Shaw with sugarcane and piloncillo among other things. Sugarcane sold for $1.50 per 100 stalks at market. The yield that particular year had been smaller than usual due to drought.
The Rabb-Starck land extended from the river back to a resaca, and as early as 1891, they had 600 acres in cultivation. San Thoms Plantation, as it was called, was one of the most beautiful places in the lower Rio Grande Valley, for in 1890 Rabb had constructed on it an attractive two story mansion for his bride.[Another source names it the Palm Grove Planation, but this may have dbeen a later designation.] A Menge Pump was installed, and the land was irrigated. During the1891-1892 season, San Thoms produced 4,250 tons of cane, yielding 510,000 lbs. (255 tons) of sugar or a 6.0 yield % cane. The sugar was sold at 4¢/lb. bringing $20,400. The 2¢ bounty added another $10,200. The cost of cultivation and manufacture was $12,200, leaving a healthy net profit of $18,400.
In a personal interview, 7/26/62, with Mrs. E. B. Wortman, daughter of George Brulay, Gary Allan Ratkin of McAllen gleaned some interesting information. …Her father never got along with Rabb. They argued about the amount of cane that could be produced. Rabb claimed you could get more than one crop per year. Rabb having experienced some mild winters in the area concluded that cane could be grown and harvested year-round. He tried to talk Brulay into operating his mill continuously. Brulay, however, had been here for a longer period and knew the vagaries of South Texas weather. He rejected Rabb’s proposal, and this created some friction between them. She says that’s why they [Rabb with partner Starck] failed on their venture to grow cane successful.
In the years to follow additional acreage between Rabb's plantation and Brownsville was placed into cane cultivation by new landowners. The growers in this area, about four miles east of Brownsville, lobbied vigorously to have the rail lines extended to their area in order to facilitate the transportation of the cane to the Ohio and Texas mill north of Brownsville as an alternative to hauling it by wagon on sometimes impassable roads. The Brownsville Belt Railroad, also called the Sugar Belt line, would come into existence. Still those at Southmost further east wanted the line extended at least to its farm land. This was abetted when Frank Rabb indicated he would dedicate land for a right-of-way. By December 30,1910 the line was in place to the Little Indiana section and ready to deliver cane. When the rail spur was laid, the track distances from the junction near the International Bridge were to Piper 6 1/8 miles, to Rabb Plantation road 6 ¾, to Brulay Plantation road 8 ¼, and to Southmost Plantation 9 ½.
The Brulay and Rabb/Starck farm lands were above average for cultivation in that they were primarily silty clay loams and well-drained. With even minimal input they would have been quite productive.
The two-storied Rabb ranch house hacienda at Santa Maria, upriver close to the Cameron-Hidalgo County Line, was purchased in 1892 from L.S. Hynes. It has become a historic landmark having served as a stage depot, general store, and telegraph office. A shipping wharf existed nearby on the river. [The site has a Texas Historica Comission marker that reads as follows: Rancho de Santa Maria
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Part of Spain's 1777 La Feria Grant (12.5 leagues), partitioned into 6 units 1843. Here in 1850's was a sub-post of Fort Brown (28 mi. SE) and Fort Ringgold (65 mi. NW). This was proposed site in 1860's for "Homeville", this locality's first small-acreage promotion. Present compound, built 1870 by L.J. Hynes, has buildings for dairy, kitchen, ammunition. Hynes, first Postmaster (1876), had stage depot, general store, telegraph office, shipping wharf on river. Chapel was built 1880. In 1892, Frank Rabb bought the ranch. In 1916 border troubles, U.S. Army established headquarters here. Another nearby THC marker tells of an additional Hynes connection. It reads: Our Lady of Visitation Catholic Church A rare South Texas snowstorm marked the cornerstone laying ceremonies for this church building, Dec. 29, 1880. The Gothic Revival edifice was constructed of bricks made at nearby El Rancho de Santa Maria, owned by L.J. Hynes, who gave land for the church. Built from plans drawn by Father Peter I. Keralum, O.M.I., the structure was dedicated June 29, 1882. The wooden steeple was blown off during a 1933 hurricane. Residents of Bluetown, Santa Maria, and neighboring communities worshiped here.] |
Rabb Road extending from west of La Feria north toward Santa Rosa is a reminder of this pioneer. The buildings presently are owned by cane growers Harry and Kenneth Shimotsu.
The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad was acquired by the Southern Pacific lines in 1892. In February 1894 locals hoped that the line would connect Brownsville through Hidalgo County. Frank Rabb, among others, bought stock after a committee formed and asked for subscribers.. Efforts failed when the line was not extended south of Falfurrias.
With the coming of the railroad to the region in 1904 canal building became a major enterprise. July 1908 saw yet another canal-building company being organized. The La Feria Mutual Canal Company was the offspring of S. J. Schnorenberg and W. V. Fifield of Minneapolis, W. A. McNeil of Santa Maria, Edward Palmer, and Frank Rabb and DeKyle Smith of Brownsville. Plans were for the twelve miles of main canal and eight miles of laterals to service 14,500 acres.
By 1906 Frank Rabb had also become a real estate agent in addition to his farming and ranching activities. In April 1909 Rabb, along with R.N. Magill, escorted famed orator and politician William Jennings Bryan, who had been invited to Brownsville by land prospector John Conway. Bryan did purchase property east of Mission.
In the 1912 Democrat presidential primary, Rabb was to play an important role for South Texas.The story is long and complicated. It revolves primarily on the efforts of the South Texas political bosses to oppose the nomination of Woodrow Wilson. Pro-Wilson Rabb was elected to lead the opposition to the James Wells machine. The state progressives exerted their power and in the absence of regular delegates Rabb was enabled to participate as an alternative at the Baltimore convention. It took 47 ballots before Wilson squeaked in with solid Texas support.
Before vacating office President Taft signed an executive order that provided for the reorganization of custom districts across the country. The decree placed the Corpus Christi, Brownsville and Laredo custom houses in a single district with its headquarters in Laredo. Wilson-supporter Rabb emerged as the leading candidate to manage the new district. This provoked a patronage struggle that lasted more than four years. While progressive Democrats throughout the state promoted Rabb's appointment the old order in South Texas opposed him. Led by Wells, the anti-Rabb petitioners identified him as a member of the "Republican Custom House-Independent Machine." A suporter however portrayed Rabb with "character, ability as a businessman, and fitness for the place" and with the open support of William Jennings Bryan, who sometimes stayed at Rabb's ranch during Valley visits, Rabb was appointed for a four year term by President Wilson in August 1913.
In 1914 when Bryan, by then Secretary of State, "supported Wilson's Mexican intervention it would later involve Rabb and other community leaders and affect the tranquility along the river."[Gen.] Lucio Blanco was critical to Carranza [and his presidential aspirations] since large amounts of arms and ammunition came through Matamoros, facilitated in part by Blanco's friendship with Frank Rabb, who as the chief collector of customes for Brazos Santiago and Laredo controlled four hundred miles of border."
"Through August [1915] attacks [north of the river and of Mexico origin] grew bolder and seemingly more organized. The Rabb Ranch at Palm Garden was raided on August 10. The attack seemed rather curious, given Rabb's assistance to the Carranzistas."
In 1916, after Bandit raids and vigilante activities had caused the flight of thousands of Anglo and Hispanics in 1915, "Collector Frank Rabb's ineptness as a political operator further undercut the Independent's prospects of mobilizing a sizeable Hispanic vote. The insurgents could no longer rely on the customs forces as their organizational base." Rabb's intimacy with General Blanco and his forays into Mexican politics were to generate widespread presuures by his critics including U. S. Representative John Garner. When Rabb's term ended in October 1917 the controversial Rabb was not re-appointed.
In 1918 after years of excess actions by the Texass Rangers. William Hanson was appointed by Gov. William Hobby as inspector for the regular Rangers and the director of the Loyalty Ranger Force. He then purged the Ranger forces of those whose loyalties did not lay with Hobby, i.e. those with the bosses of South Texas. Under his overhaul Frank Rabb received one of the special Rangers commissions for Cameron County.
Although Rabb withdrew from direct sugarcane production, he, in late 1917, was to lease 1,800 acres of his Santa Maria land in west Cameron County to the La Blanca Sugar Co. of Donna for possible cane production. Rabb realized the uniqueness and value of the native sabal palm stand on his Southmost property. In January 1917 he offered the 200 acre grove to the federal government for the establishment of a national park. In the midst of war this offer was not acted upon. In 1922 University of Texas botany professor B.F. Sharp again urged action on the grove. Once more the federal government failed to act on a wonderful opportunity to preserve this unusual and valuable natural heritage.
Thomas Jacob Nye, former silver mine operator, purchased the Brulay land and mill, whose structures still stand, in 1924. His son Spencer, who was employed by the U.S. Geologic Service, took it over in 1931. The site is on FM1419 about one mile east of the National Audubon Society’s Sabal Palm grove. The multi-story impressive white house near the grove is that once inhabited by Frank Rabb. It was purchased in 1957 by Ben F. Vaughan, Jr. of Corpus Christi and was used as a cultural center. In 2010 the Gorgas Science Foundation, Inc. purchased the property.
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