Dedicated in 1850 , the land for this plaza was a gift to the City of Brownsville from the city's founder, Charles Stillman. The fountain was installed in 1929. In 1975 it was restored through a gift from the Yturria family who also gifted the decorative bandstand in 1976 and was once again restored through funding from the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation in 2006.

Sombrero Festival, a three-day event is held in the park the last weekend in February during the annual Charro Days celebration. It features local music, unique food-booths, popular events for participants and the world famous Charro Bean cook-off known as "Frijolympics".