Brownsville, Texas-November, 2009 -The Brownsville Historical Association recently installed bilingual interpretive signs at 25 gravesites inside the Brownsville Historic City Cemetery as a way to educate the public about the importance of the cemetery. The signs compliment the cemetery walking tours administered by the Brownsville Historical Association.  In the near future, BHA will install bilingual signage at 75 historic sites in the downtown and surrounding areas. 

The bilingual signs are part of a larger City of Brownsville, Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation and Brownsville Historical Association project that includes photomurals, digital MP3 bilingual walking tours of the downtown, as well as bilingual CD driving tours. This project is a component of the Preserve America grant received by the City of Brownsville. Brownsville received its Preserve America designation in 2007. The signs are funded through the Brownsville-21: Discovering Brownsville's Historic Places project sponsored by Preserve America and the Department of the Interior. Preserve America is a federal initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy our priceless cultural and natural heritage. The goals of the program include a greater shared knowledge about the nation's past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities.  For more information on the Brownsville-21 project, please contact Javier Garcia at 956-541-5560.