I am pleased to announce that the Pancho Villa Stash House at 331 1/2 Leon Street in Duranguito, across the street from the City’s “Arena Master Plan” area, will be featured on the History Channel the evening of March 1. The episode is titled “Pancho Villa’s Plunder” and is the ninth segment in the weekly series Beyond Oak Island.
Prometheus Entertainment sent a film crew to El Paso July 17-18, 2021 and interviewed me, Jackson Polk, Dr. David Romo, Bernie Sargent, Enrique Guajardo, and Cindy Medina, among others. They then sold the episode to A&E Networks, which is the owner of the History Channel.
Also known as the “Casa Clandestina,” the Pancho Villa Stash House is currently the only property in Duranguito with a Texas historical marker, the text of which reads:
“Mexican revolutionary Francisco (Pancho) Villa and his brother Hipolito stashed the currency, coins and jewelry they used to support themselves and their political activities in this house owned by George Benton during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). On November 9, 1915, Zachary Cobb, the U.S. Collector of Customs in El Paso, ordered a raid on Benton’s home. Custom officials founds $500,000 in American currency and gold coins, along with $30,000 in jewelry, in Benton’s safe. Customs confiscated the valuables, but later returned them to the Villa family once ownership had been established.”
The History Channel is available to more than 96,000,000 American Households and to many millions more in India, Canada, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Yes, the history of Duranguito is worth saving and promoting.
Have a great evening.
Max
Max Grossman, PhD
Board of Directors, Preservation Texas
Vice-Chair, The Trost Society
Co-Chair, Restore Sacred Heart Church
