| Marker Number |
3048 |
| Atlas Number |
5061003048 |
| Marker Title |
Launching Site of First U.S. Army Warplane |
| Index Entry |
Launching Site of First U.S. Army Warplane |
| Address |
98 Taylor Avenue |
| City |
Brownsville |
| County |
Cameron |
| UTM Zone |
14 |
| UTM Easting |
650996 |
| UTM Northing |
2865370 |
| Subject Codes |
aviation; military topics |
| Marker Year |
1966 |
| Recorded Texas Historic Landmark |
Yes |
| Marker Location |
Fort Brown Reservation on May Street, near intersection of May Street and Taylor Avenue |
| Private Property |
No |
| Marker Condition |
In Situ |
| Marker Size |
18" x 28" |
| Marker Text |
From Old Fort Brown Cavalry Drill Field, near this spot, was made the first flight of a U.S. Army plane to be fired upon in armed hostilities, April 20, 1915. Two Signal Corps officers, Lts. Byron Q. Jones and Thos. Milling, flew a Martin T.O. Curtiss 75 on the border to spot movements of Mexican revolutionist Pancho Villa. They reached 2,600 feet; were up 20 minutes. Though they did not cross the Rio Grande, the plane was hit by machine gun and small arms fire. Their patrols lasted 6 weeks. Planes were used more effectively in fighting against Villa in 1916. |
