By News and Internal Communications

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, in collaboration with Texas Southmost College and the National Parks Service, is set to launch a series of new additions to the trail guide and webpage on Fort Brown.

The project, part of the Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools Program, or CHAPS, will showcase the changes at the College of Liberal Arts NEXUS expo event on Monday, April 23, at the university library on the Brownsville Campus.

The project was done in part by UTRGV anthropology and history students, as part of an upper level course titled “Public Heritage of the Rio Grande Valley.”

The project includes a new audio podcast that will be featured on the webpage, a map guide and brochure, and an exhibit at the university library called “Discovering Fort Brown.” 

The new additions are all bilingual.

Dr. Russel Skowronek, UTRGV professor of history and anthropology and CHAPS principal investigator, said he is excited to see the project come together.

“This is something we have been working on this since last August,” he said. “It’s a complete overhaul. And it’s bilingual, which is something it has never been before.”

Ana Garza, a senior anthropology major, is hoping the project can help educate the community on the area’s rich history.

“We hope that the chronology that is established gives a better understanding of not only how Fort Brown came to be, but also of the way of life throughout South Texas,” she said.

The CHAPS program was established in 2009 in an effort to provide regional educators with curriculum to teach Rio Grande Valley K-12 students, and create archaeologically and historically literate citizens.