We’re just connecting the dots
WINTER TEXAN Volume 11 • Issue 1 October 29, 2025
lo h el
isti
by Eryn Reddell Wingert
Kr
Welcome Home!
A Jail, a Hanging Tower, and a Cat Spirit?
fro m
I don’t know about you, but I am so ready to get this party started! It feels like we blinked and the off-season flew right by — but what a fun stretch it’s been. Between the laughter, the little adventures, and a few harmless shenanigans, we’ve kept the good times rolling while counting down the days until you were back in town. Now, if you know us, you know we don’t sit still for long. Our Summer Supper Club kept us busy (and well-fed!), and our travel department decided to shake things up with a few “firsts” of their own. We didn’t want to wait for the Winter Texan season to explore, so we packed our bags and headed north — first for an Alaskan cruise with a few extra days in Seattle, then east for a stunning Fall Foliage cruise paired with a land tour through historic Boston. But that wasn’t the end of it — not by a long shot! The travel team just rolled back in from a Haunted Halloween bus tour to Galveston. Three nights of ghost stories, laughter, and a whole lot of fun. Who says the off-season has to be quiet? Now that the season is officially here, we’re just getting warmed up. We’ve got a full calendar of local tours and excursions lined up — from Brownsville to Roma and all the charming towns in between. Whether you’re chasing adventure, culture, or just a good excuse to get out and explore, we’ve got a trip with your name on it. So, grab your hat, pack your sense of humor, and buckle up — because this season, we’re going places. From the Rio Grande Valley to beyond, the journey starts right here with Welcome Home RGV.
Thank You
SEASON SPONSORS 2025-2026
O
ne hundred twelve years ago, Hidalgo County conducted its one and only hanging of a convicted criminal. His name was Abram Ortiz. His crimes: kidnapping and murder. Ortiz was hung from the second story of the Hidalgo County Jail, a building that--quite remarkably-still stands today. Historic County Jail The Old Hidalgo County Jail was hastily built in 1909-1910 after the county seat was moved to Chapin, Texas, and the county seat was required to have a jail. “I’m really proud we made it The hanging trap cupola of the historic Old Hidalgo County Jail. last over 100 years,” says Museum of South Texas History senior archivist, encasing the hanging trap in concrete--according Melissa Pena. “It wasn’t meant to. Not to a 1967 article in The Monitor. The Hidalgo a lot of effort was put into it.” The jail was one of the first buildings in County Historical Society spearheaded acquiring Edinburg, previously named Chapin. It sits and converting the old jail into a museum. downtown, due north of the Hidalgo County Courthouse. It’s most significant feature: a towered The Hanging Trap In February 1912, husband and wife Martin and cupola, notoriously home to a hanging trap. Despite the ominous feature, the old jail Florencia Martinez were violently attacked by two served the local community in a variety of ways men. Martin was beaten to death, and Florencia before becoming the cornerstone of the Museum was kidnapped, assaulted, and held captive for of South Texas History. After a new jail was built in days. Pena reports that Florencia was able to 1922, the building was repurposed and expanded for City offices, the fire and police departments, escape--but only with the help of a cleaning woman, because of the terrain. “The other woman and a community center for club gatherings. Edinburg’s oldest building was almost turned showed her how to get out and where to go.” One of the men, Abram Ortiz, was arrested, into an H.E.B. parking lot, according to Pena, but was saved by Hurricane Beulah in 1963. Flooding tried, and sentenced to death. Hundreds gathered around the jail on the day in downtown Edinburg caused the grocery store of his execution. “Everyone came out that day,” chain to rethink its location. Five years later. the jail received historic Texas says Pena. “They picnicked and watched the hanging. It was a big day.” landmark status. A plaque in the Museum’s hanging room By the late 1960s. the jail had been through numerous remodels and renovations--including CONTINUED ON PAGE 2