The historic courthouse in the center of Richmond was the scene of one of Texas's most violent political conflicts. After the Civil War, a biracial coalition known as the 'Woodpeckers' held political power in Fort Bend County. These were former Republicans, kept in office by Black voters, who by the late eighteen-eighties had come to control the county's own Democratic Party and its offices. That control was deeply resented by the all-white 'regular Democrats,' a rival faction who called themselves the 'Jaybirds.' It was less a fight between two parties than a struggle inside the Democratic Party itself over Black voting rights. For years, tensions simmered, erupting in assassinations and intimidation. It all came to a head on August 16, 1889. A gunfight broke out right in front of the courthouse, turning downtown Richmond into a battlefield. When the shooting stopped, the county sheriff was dead and several others were killed or wounded. The Texas Rangers and state militia had to be called in to restore order. In the end, the Jaybirds won, ousting the Woodpeckers and establishing a whites-only political system that dominated the county for the next 70 years.

RoadyGoat →

The Log Fort That Named a County RoadyGoat

As you cross the Brazos here, you're passing the spot that gave Fort Bend County its name. In early 1822, a small group of settlers tied to Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred camped near the present city and built a log fort at a prominent bend in the river. The little settlement became known as Fort Bend, or simply the Fort Settlement, and the name eventually spread to the whole county. During the Texas Revolution, residents abandoned the place in the Runaway Scrape of 1836, joining the panicked eastward flight ahead of Santa Anna's army. Once the danger passed, Robert Eden Handy and William Lusk laid out the town of Richmond the following year, and it became the county seat in December 1837. The original cabin and stockade are long gone, so there's nothing to see of the fort itself, but the river bend it guarded is still right here. Unlike most counties named for politicians or soldiers, Fort Bend was named for an actual structure standing at an actual landform, the curve of the Brazos in front of you. (Source: Handbook of Texas.)

RoadyGoat →

A Texas Valhalla RoadyGoat

Richmond is a special place for anyone who loves Texas history, because it's where some of the Republic's most iconic figures ended up. Think of it as a Texas hall of fame in a town of a few thousand. The most prominent is Mirabeau B. Lamar, second President of the Republic of Texas, who lived on a plantation inside what are now the city limits and lies in the historic Morton Cemetery. Buried in Morton too is Jane Long, the tough-as-nails pioneer they call the Mother of Texas. And then there's Erastus 'Deaf' Smith, Sam Houston's most trusted scout during the Revolution. Smith died right here in Richmond on the thirtieth of November, 1837, in the home of Randall Jones. Where exactly they laid him nobody can say anymore — the grave was lost. What survives is a modest marker in the Episcopal churchyard that reads simply, 'Deaf Smith, the Texas Spy.' That these foundational figures lived, died and were laid down here tells you how much this small town on the Brazos once mattered.

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Smith, Erastus ("Deaf")

1821

(April 17, 1787 - November 30, 1837) Most famous scout in Texas War for Independence. Obeyed Gen. Sam Houston's strategic order, then raised San Jacinto Battle Cry: "Fight for your lives! Vince's Bridge has been cut down." A native of New York, Smith settled in 1821 in San Antonio. Trading in land and goods, he traveled Texas province, making him invaluable guide for Army during the War for Independence. He married Guadalupe Ruiz Duran. They had three daughters. Dying here in home of Randall Jones (a friend), he was buried in Calvary Churchyard, Houston at 6th. Grave is now unidentified.

Historical Marker →

Lamar, Mirabeau Buonaparte

1835

President of the Republic of Texas A native of Georgia, Mirabeau B. Lamar came to Texas in 1835 and immediately became involved in the movement for independence from Mexico. Upon the fall of the Alamo and news of the Goliad Massacre, he joined the Texas Army, in the rank of private, as Houston's troops moved eastward toward San Jacinto. In a swiftly moving chain of events, he was made colonel on the eve of the Battle of San Jacinto, and there commanded the cavalry with distinction. Ten days later he was Secretary of War in the ad interim government, and a month later was appointed commander-in-chief of the army. Lamar was elected vice-president in the first national election in 1836. Anti-Sam Houston leaders sponsored him for president in 1837. He won the election and took office in 1838 for a 3-year term. His administration was known for its opposition to annexation, a forceful Indian policy, and the recognition of Texas by Great Britain and France. Lamar is credited with laying the foundation for the first system of public education in Texas. He died in 1859 at his plantation near Richmond, and is buried here in the Morton Cemetery.

Historical Marker →

Jaybird-Woodpecker War - Richmond

1889

In 1889, a political feud between white supremacist Democrats (Jaybirds) and Republican officeholders (Woodpeckers) in Fort Bend County erupted in a shootout on the Richmond courthouse steps.

Historical Marker →

Barnett, Thomas

1823

Thomas Barnett, pioneer settler and public official, was born on January 18, 1798, in Logan County, Kentucky. Before 1821 he moved to Livingston County, Kentucky, where he was sheriff for two years. In 1823 he moved to Texas as one of Stephen F. Austin 's Old Three Hundred and on July 10, 1824, received title to a league of land on the east bank of the Brazos River in what is now southeastern Fort Bend County. The 1826 census of Austin's colony noted that Barnett owned two slaves. About 1825 he married Mrs. Nancy Spencer ( see GRAY, NANCY ). They had six children. On February 10, 1828, Barnett was elected comisario of the district of Victoria in the ayuntamiento of San Felipe de Austin. In 1829 he was elected alcalde ; he represented Austin Municipality at the Consultation and on November 18, 1835, was elected a supernumerary member of the General Council . He was one of the three delegates from Austin Municipality to the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos, where he signed the Texas Declaration of Independence . On December 20, 1836, President Sam Houston appointed him chief justice of Austin County. Barnett represented Fort Bend County in the House of the Third and Fourth congresses of the republic, 1838–40. He died at his home in Fort Bend County on September 20, 1843, and was buried in the family cemetery, eight miles from Richmond.

Tsha Handbook →

Burton, Walter Moses

1869

Walter Moses Burton, Black state senator, was born on August 9, 1840, and brought to Texas as a slave from North Carolina about 1858 at around the age of eighteen. He belonged to a planter, Thomas Burke Burton, who owned a plantation and several large farms in Fort Bend County ( see SLAVERY ). While a slave, Walter Burton was taught how to read and write by his master, a skill that served him well in later years. Thomas Burton sold Walter several large plots of land for $1,900 dollars. This land made the freedman one of the wealthiest and most influential Blacks in Fort Bend County. He became involved in politics as early as 1869, when he was elected sheriff and tax collector of Fort Bend County. He was the first Black sheriff elected to office in Texas and the first Black elected sheriff in the country. Along with these duties, he also served as the president of the Fort Bend County Union League ( see UNION LEAGUE ). In 1873 Burton campaigned for and won a seat in the Texas Senate, where he served for seven years-from 1874 to 1875 and from 1876 to 1882. In the Senate he championed the education of Blacks. Among the many bills that he helped push through was one that called for the establishment of Prairie View Normal School (now Prairie View A&M University). In the Republican party Burton served as a member of the State Executive Committee at the state convention of 1873, as a vice president of the 1878 and 1880 conventions, and as a member of the Committee on Platform and Resolutions at the 1892 convention. His first term in the Senate was shortened by a contested election, as well as the calling of the Constitutional Convention of 1875 . In January 1874 he was granted a certificate of election from the Thirteenth Senatorial District, but a White Democrat contested the election on the grounds that Burton's name was listed three different ways on the ballot and that, consequently, each name received votes in various counties of the district. The Senate committee on election at first recommended the seating of the Democratic candidate but later reconsidered its decision and based the outcome of the election on the intent of the voters who cast ballots for the different Burtons. The Senate confirmed Burton's election on February 20, 1874. By that time, half of the first session of the Fourteenth Legislature was over, and the second session was abbreviated because of the call for a constitutional convention. Burton ran for and was reelected to the Senate in 1876. He left the Senate in January 1883 and upon the request of a White colleague was given an ebony and gold cane for his service in that chamber. He was the last Black state senator elected in Texas until Barbara Jordan 's electoral win in 1966. Walter Moses Burton married Abby "Hattie" Jones on September 26, 1868, in Fort Bend County. In 1869 the couple had one son, Horace, who died in 1895. He remained active in state and local politics until his death on June 4, 1913. He was buried in the Morton Cemetery , where Mirabeau B. Lamar , Jane Long , and Clem Bassett were interred, in Richmond, Texas ( see JAYBIRD-WOODPECKER WAR ). In 1996 the Fort Bend Independent School District named an elementary school in his honor. The school is located in Fresno, Texas, and their mascot is known as the Burton Sheriff.

Tsha Handbook →

Ferguson, Charles M.

1888

Charles M. Ferguson, political leader, county official, and civil servant, was born in Houston, Texas, about 1860 of mixed racial ancestry; he was probably born a slave. He graduated from Fisk University at Nashville, Tennessee, in 1880. He then moved to Fort Bend County and with his brother, Henry Clay Ferguson , began a career of government service. Ferguson was living in Richmond and owned a 1,500-acre plantation on Jones Creek when he won election to the position of clerk of the district court in Fort Bend County in 1882, 1884, and 1886. He did not complete the final year of his last term. On September 6, 1888, White members of a political association known as the Jaybirds ordered Ferguson and several other black political leaders to leave the county. Facing threats upon his life and detested by many White residents for his efforts aimed at organizing African Americans, Ferguson moved temporarily to Nashville. He and James D. Davis, another exiled black political leader, filed a civil rights suit against the Jaybirds in a federal court at Galveston in 1889. In an out-of-court settlement Ferguson received a $13,000 payment for his damages. His involvement in the political and racial controversies of Fort Bend County were a part of the infamous Jaybird-Woodpecker War . Ferguson returned to Texas permanently in 1889 and represented the state on the executive committee of the Bureau of Relief, which met in Washington, D.C., in 1889. He had served as a delegate to the national Republican party convention in 1888 and did so again in 1892, 1896, 1900, and 1904. Ferguson frequently opposed Norris Wright Cuney in intraparty battles and successfully fought Robert Lloyd Smith 's appointment to the United States Treasury Department. Although Ferguson occasionally cooperated with the People's party during the 1890s, he always retained his Republican affiliation and was rewarded with appointments to federal government positions. He reportedly refused an appointment to a South American consulate, but by 1892 he began a period of service as clerk of the Federal District Court in Paris, Texas. President William McKinley named him deputy collector of customs in San Antonio in 1900; Ferguson remained at that position for the rest of his life. San Antonio newspapers described him as "uniformly courteous" and "respected by the Whites as well as the negroes" in the performance of his duties. On his deathbed he answered correspondence pertaining to his job until an hour before his passing. He was a Methodist and a leader of the Grand Order of the Odd Fellows. He was married and the father of two children. He died in San Antonio on July 21, 1906, after a short illness resulting from complications relating to Bright's Disease. He was buried in Houston in Olivewood Cemetery.

Tsha Handbook →

Things to Do in Richmond

historical 22.2 mi away

The Astrodome

The Astrodome opened in 1965 as the worlds first fully enclosed air-conditioned stadium -- the Eighth Wonder of the World the Houston papers called it. Judge…

quirky 22.8 mi away

Eclectic Menagerie Park

An outdoor display of giant welded-metal sculptures along the edge of the Texas Pipe and Supply pipe yard including a King Kong hanging from a crane a 20-foot…

quirky 24.0 mi away

Beer Can House

A house covered in 50000 flattened beer cans. 18 years of drinking and decorating.

historical 24.3 mi away

The Menil Collection

World-class art museum that's completely free. Rothko Chapel next door.

quirky 3.1 mi away

Trio of Jumping Cows

A trio of multicolored fiberglass steers mounted to look like they are leaping skyward and salvaged from the 2001 CowParade Houston charity event now rises…

day trip

Day Trip to Richmond 🔭 (FULL EPISODE) S7 E11

Featured on The Daytripper — a full-episode local travel guide.

Everything Near Richmond

690 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the nearest 200 are listed here — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

The Jaybird-Woodpecker War
The historic courthouse in the center of Richmond was the scene of one of Texas's most violent political conflicts. After the Civil War, a biracial coalition known as the 'Woodpeckers' held political power in Fort Bend…
The Log Fort That Named a County
As you cross the Brazos here, you're passing the spot that gave Fort Bend County its name. In early 1822, a small group of settlers tied to Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred camped near the present city and built a…
A Texas Valhalla
Richmond is a special place for anyone who loves Texas history, because it's where some of the Republic's most iconic figures ended up. Think of it as a Texas hall of fame in a town of a few thousand. The most prominent…
Taming the Brazos
The Brazos River is Richmond’s creator and its greatest threat. The town owes its existence to the river's gift of rich soil and transportation. But living on a floodplain comes at a price. For decades, the town lived…
Richmond, TX
On August 16, 1889, Richmond was the site of the 'Battle of Richmond', an armed conflict that marked the end of the Jaybird-Woodpecker War, a violent feud over post-Reconstruction political control of Fort Bend County.
How a River Gauge Can Trigger an Evacuation
The Brazos sliding under the US 90A bridge is watched around the clock by a USGS river gauge, and during a big storm that single instrument can help decide whether hundreds of thousands of people leave their homes. A…
Jaybird-Woodpecker War - Richmond · Historical Marker
In 1889, a political feud between white supremacist Democrats (Jaybirds) and Republican officeholders (Woodpeckers) in Fort Bend County erupted in a shootout on the Richmond courthouse steps.
Carry Nation, Richmond Hotelkeeper
Long before Carry A. Nation became famous for marching into American saloons and smashing them apart with a hatchet, she was running a hotel right here in Richmond. While her husband, David Nation, practiced law and got…
One Railroad Built Richmond, Another Went Around It
Richmond's whole relationship with its closest neighbor was decided by a railroad map. The town first grew prosperous because Texas's earliest railroad reached it in the 1850s, turning Richmond into a transfer point for…
George Ranch's Perfect 16-0 Season
South of historic Richmond, out where the suburban grid still gives way to old ranching country, the George Ranch Longhorns put together one of the great seasons in Fort Bend County high-school football history. In…
The Hurricane That Brought an NFL Star to Richmond
A future NFL star landed in the Richmond area because of a disaster. When Hurricane Katrina forced CeeDee Lamb's family out of Louisiana in 2005, they resettled here, and Lamb went on to become a standout wide receiver…
Before the Hatchet
Long before she became famous for taking a hatchet to saloons, the temperance crusader Carry Nation lived right here in Richmond. She and her husband David came to Texas in 1879 and tried a cotton plantation over in…

Show all 200 nearby places

Texas's First Railroad Ran Into a River
Texas's very first operating railroad reached Richmond and then slammed into a problem it couldn't lay track over: the Brazos. By January 1856, the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway had pushed as far as East…
Buckley, Constantine W. · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Richmond area, home to Constantine W. Buckley, a key figure in Texas during the Civil War. From 1861 to 1865, Buckley served as Speaker of the Texas House, guiding the state through wartime…
The Fever That Swept Richmond in 1853
The historic downtown around the old courthouse district carries a public-health memory that's easy to overlook today. In 1853, a yellow-fever epidemic swept through Richmond, striking just two years before the railroad…
Two Houses, Two Eras at the Fort Bend Museum
At 410 South Fifth Street, the Fort Bend Museum tells the story of Richmond and its county through buildings you can walk up to and compare. The complex anchors itself on two very different homes that bracket the 19th…
Where County Business Gets Done Over Coffee
In a county-seat town, some decisions get made in the courthouse, and others get made over coffee a block away. Joseph's Coffee & Fine Cigars, in the historic downtown Morton Street area, carries on that second…
The Gunfight That Lasted Generations · 0.1 mi
The plaza in front of Richmond City Hall, at 402 Morton Street, sits on the old courthouse square where one of Texas's most consequential political battles played out. After the Civil War, Richmond became the center of…
The Mayor Who Held the Office for Sixty-Three Years · 0.1 mi
That bronze outside Richmond City Hall is Hilmar Moore, and the story on him is hard to believe until you check it. He was appointed mayor in September of 1949 to finish somebody else's unexpired term. He then won…
Barnett, Thomas · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Thomas Barnett, pioneer settler and public official, was born on January 18, 1798, in Logan County, Kentucky. Before 1821 he moved to Livingston County, Kentucky, where he was sheriff for two years. In 1823 he moved to…
Burton, Walter Moses · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Walter Moses Burton, Black state senator, was born on August 9, 1840, and brought to Texas as a slave from North Carolina about 1858 at around the age of eighteen. He belonged to a planter, Thomas Burke Burton, who…
Ferguson, Charles M. · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Charles M. Ferguson, political leader, county official, and civil servant, was born in Houston, Texas, about 1860 of mixed racial ancestry; he was probably born a slave. He graduated from Fisk University at Nashville,…
Jaybird-Woodpecker War · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, and right here in Richmond, things got wild back in the late 1880s. It was called the Jaybird-Woodpecker War, a bitter political feud that turned neighbors into enemies. The…
Wood, David L. · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what was once Fayette County, Texas, but this story takes us south, to Reynosa, Mexico. In 1858, David L. Wood, a Texas newspaperman, was living there with his wife, Sophronia, and their children.…
Jane Long Boarding House · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Richmond, and you're passing the site of Jane Long's second famous boarding house, opened in 1837. Known as the 'Mother of Texas,' Jane Long operated this establishment which became a hub for…
Fleming, Arizona · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Arizona Fleming, Black civil-rights activist, was born on March 23, 1884, in Richmond, Texas, the daughter of Beauregard (Bully) and Laura Fleming. She attended segregated schools through the twelfth grade, then entered…
The 1908 Courthouse on Jackson Street · 0.1 mi
Rising over downtown at 401 Jackson Street is the Fort Bend County Courthouse, the formal heart of a county that has been governed from Richmond since 1837. The building you're looking at was completed in 1908 and…
Richmond, City of · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Richmond, a town with roots stretching all the way back to 1822, when it was known as 'Fort Settlement.' It became the official county seat in 1838. This place was home to some real Texas legends!…
Dyer, Clement C. · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, near Richmond, where Clement C. Dyer lived out his days. Dyer was one of Stephen F. Austin's first colonists, arriving in Texas in 1822. He married Sarah Stafford and received…
Fort Bend County · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, a place born from the very first waves of Anglo settlement in Texas. Imagine a schooner, the Lively, sailing from New Orleans in 1821. A group of those passengers traveled inland…
Handy, Robert Eden · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, near Richmond, a town co-founded by Robert Eden Handy. Handy arrived in Texas in 1834 and quickly became involved in the fight for independence. He was on Sam Houston's staff and…
Jones, Randal · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Fort Bend County, near Richmond. Just a couple of miles up Jones Creek, Randal Jones, one of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred colonists, settled his land grant back in 1824. But…
Little, William W. · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, and right here is the area where William W. Little, one of Stephen F. Austin's original Old Three Hundred colonists, made his mark. Little arrived in Texas in 1821, sailing on…
New York, Texas and Mexican Railway · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what was once the ambitious path of the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway. <break time="400ms"/> Conceived by an Italian Count, Joseph Telfener, this line was meant to connect New York City all…
Oshman's Sporting Goods · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through the heart of Texas, and right here, in Richmond, is where a Texas retail giant got its start. In 1919, a 19-year-old Russian immigrant named Jacob S. Oshman opened a small department store. He'd…
Courthouse Square, Early · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Richmond, the heart of Fort Bend County. This very square, deeded way back in 1838, was once the site of the county courthouse. But it's most famous for a violent clash in 1889 – the…
Richmond, TX · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Richmond, Texas, a town with roots stretching back to 1822. It started as a simple camp for Stephen F. Austin's colonists, right here on the Brazos River. They built a log fort, which became the…
Evans, Larry Quincy · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Larry Quincy Evans, orator, civil rights lawyer, and state legislator, youngest of five children born to Newell and Ida Mae (Blakeney) Evans, was born on October 13, 1948, in Richmond, Texas. Evans attended the public…
Smith, Thomas Jefferson · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Thomas Jefferson Smith, soldier, sheriff, and blacksmith, was born in Virginia in 1808, orphaned as a small child, and reared by relatives in Georgia. He entered Texas in 1835 as a member of the Georgia Battalion and…
White, Walter C. · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Walter C. White, early settler, merchant, and public official, came to Texas with the Long expedition in 1821. He left James Long 's forces and with a single companion planted a corn crop on the Trinity River in what is…
Cars, Letters, Prescriptions, and Now Broccoli-Cheese Soup · 0.1 mi
The 1900 building at 314 Morton Street has sold Richmond just about everything over the years, and these days it sells lunch. Sandy McGee's restaurant occupies it now, but the address has lived several commercial lives:…
Moore Home · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Moore Home in Richmond, a house that saw history unfold within its walls. Built in 1883 by John M. Moore for his new bride, this home was more than just a residence. It was a hub for Texas…
Battle, Mills M. · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, maybe near Richmond. Right here, back in 1824, Mills M. Battle was getting started as one of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred colonists. He landed in Texas from North…
Borden, Sidney Gail · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through San Patricio County, and right here is where a true Texas entrepreneur, Sidney Gail Borden, made his mark. Born in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1846</say-as>, Borden wasn't just a…
Herndon, John Hunter · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, maybe near Richmond, and you're passing through the heart of where one of Texas's wealthiest men once lived. John Hunter Herndon arrived in Texas in 1838, a lawyer by training.…
Kuykendall, Joseph · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, near Richmond, where Joseph Kuykendall settled as one of Stephen F. Austin's first colonists. He arrived in Texas in 1821, eventually receiving land and becoming a commissioner…
Moore, John Matthew · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, not far from Richmond, where John Matthew Moore, known as 'Jaybird' Moore, was a major political player. From 1888 to 1892, he led the Fort Bend County Jaybird Democratic…
Museum of Southern History · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, and right here is Richmond, the starting point for a unique Texas museum. Back in the late 1970s, Joella Morris began preserving Civil War artifacts, eventually establishing the…
Fort Bend County Courthouse · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the fifth courthouse for Fort Bend County, a grand Classical Revival building dedicated in 1909. Designed by C. H. Page, its exterior boasts a copper dome and statue, while the interior features a…
McFarlane House, The · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the McFarlane House in Richmond, a beautiful example of Italianate architecture. Built in the early 1880s for Isaac McFarlane, a Scottish immigrant who fought with Terry's Texas Rangers in the Civil…
Ferguson, Thomas Jefferson · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Right here in Richmond, you're passing through the community that was home to Thomas Jefferson Ferguson. Born in 1877, Ferguson was a prominent Black business executive who got his start right here, serving as assistant…
Sons of the Republic of Texas · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Right here in Richmond, Texas, back in April of 1893, a group of Texans decided to honor their revolutionary ancestors. These were the sons and grandsons of folks who fought for Texas independence. They formed the Sons…
St. John's United Methodist Church · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of St. John's United Methodist Church in Richmond. This congregation was organized way back on January 22nd, 1839, with early members including some of Stephen F. Austin's original…
Morton Lodge No. 72, A. F. & A. M. · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Morton Lodge No. 72, chartered in 1851 and named for early colonist William Morton. The lodge has met in several buildings since 1850, with its third facility built here before being…
Smith, Erastus ("Deaf") · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
(April 17, 1787 - November 30, 1837) Most famous scout in Texas War for Independence. Obeyed Gen. Sam Houston's strategic order, then raised San Jacinto Battle Cry: "Fight for your lives! Vince's Bridge has been cut…
The Jail That Was Also a Family Home and a Gallows · 0.2 mi
At 602 Preston Street stands one of Richmond's most unsettling pieces of architecture, the old Fort Bend County Jail, completed in 1897. Built in the heavy, fortress-like Romanesque Revival style, it was designed to…
Fort Bend County Jail · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the old Fort Bend County Jail in Richmond. Completed in 1897, this imposing Romanesque Revival building was designed to strike fear into the hearts of lawless elements. Look for those massive arches…
Site of the Home of Randal Jones · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Randal Jones's home, a man who saw a lot of Texas history unfold. Back in 1819, he was part of Long's expedition. By 1824, he was a militia captain under Stephen F. Austin. He even served…
McNabb House · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the McNabb House in Richmond. This home was built in the 1850s by Phillip Vogel, a German merchant, and it shows off that simple Greek Revival style. Later, in 1887, A. D. McNabb bought it. He owned…
A Cemetery Holding Several Texases at Once · 0.3 mi
Morton Cemetery, at 900 Morton Street, was established in Richmond's earliest days, and the people buried inside it represent wildly different chapters of Texas, sometimes only yards apart. Here lies Jane Long, the…
Morton Cemetery · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the final resting place of some of Texas's earliest and most important figures. This is Morton Cemetery, founded in 1825 by William Morton, one of Austin's 'Old 300' colonists. He established it…
Walter Moses Burton · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Fort Bend County, passing the birthplace of a remarkable Texan, Walter Moses Burton. Born enslaved in North Carolina in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1840</say-as>, he was brought to…
Smith, Thomas Jefferson · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of a man who saw some serious Texas history! Thomas Jefferson Smith was born in Virginia in 1808, but he ended up fighting for Texas independence in 1836. He was captured at Goliad, spared…
Darst-Yoder House, The · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Darst-Yoder House, a grand Classical Revival home built in 1908. Look for its 11-foot ceilings and four fireplaces, all crafted from cypress and pine. This massive 14-room house was the creation…
Morton-McCloy House · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Morton-McCloy House, a home that's seen over 150 years of Texas history. Back in the 1820s, William Morton, one of Stephen F. Austin's 'Old 300' settlers, operated a ferry right here. The core of…
Peareson-Winston House, The · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Peareson-Winston House in Richmond. This home has roots stretching back to Texas' earliest days. It sits on land originally granted in 1827 to Jane Long, known as the 'Mother of Texas.' Colonel…
Church Of The Living God, Pillar And Ground Of Truth · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Richmond, and you're passing the site of the Church of the Living God, Pillar and Ground of Truth. Established in 1918 by evangelist Isom Ford, this was the very first church of its kind and…
Richmond's Link to Houston Tex-Mex Royalty · 0.4 mi
Larry's Original Mexican Restaurant, at 116 East Highway 90A, has been serving Richmond since 1960, and its roots reach straight into the most influential families in Houston Tex-Mex history. The place was founded by…
Wyly Martin · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising past the marker for Wyly Martin, a man who saw a lot of history unfold. Born way back in Georgia in 1776, Martin was a scout under General William Henry Harrison in 1813 and served with Andrew Jackson in…
McNabb, John · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Richmond, Texas, where John McNabb once lived. Born in Scotland, McNabb was a member of the ill-fated Santa Fe Expedition back in 1841. Imagine that journey, far from home, seeking trade and…
Calvary Episcopal Church · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Calvary Episcopal Church in Richmond, a congregation with roots stretching back to the earliest days of the Republic of Texas. It all started with missionary efforts, and in 1859, Judge W. E. Kendall…
Mrs. Jane Herbert Wilkinson Long · 0.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the former home of Jane Long, the pioneer Anglo-American woman in Texas. Born in 1789, she was the wife of Dr. James Long, who led an expedition in 1819 aiming to free Texas from Spanish rule. Jane…
Fort Bend · 0.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Fort Bend, built way back in November of 1821. It was constructed by a small group of men: William Little, William Smithers, Charles Beard, Joseph Polly, and Henry Holster. This early…
Lamar, Mirabeau B., Site of the Home of · 0.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site where Mirabeau B. Lamar, the Father of Texas Education, lived out his final years. Lamar served as President of the Republic of Texas from 1836 to 1841, guiding the young nation through its…
Dismounted Texas Cavalry · 1.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Richmond, Texas, where the Civil War brought a strange twist for the proud Texas cavalrymen. These guys loved their horses, their mobility was their edge. But the Confederacy needed foot soldiers,…
Lamar, Mirabeau Buonaparte · 1.8 mi · Historical Marker
President of the Republic of Texas A native of Georgia, Mirabeau B. Lamar came to Texas in 1835 and immediately became involved in the movement for independence from Mexico. Upon the fall of the Alamo and news of the…
Site of Thompson's Ferry · 2.1 mi
You're driving past the site of Thompson's Ferry near Richmond. On April 14, 1836, a pivotal moment in Texas history unfolded right here. A river crossing was a bottleneck no army could skip, because with the Brazos…
Cumings, TX · 2.3 mi
Cumings is located north of the center of Fort Bend County, with coordinates 29°34′25″N 95°48′12″W. It is bordered to the south and west by the city of Rosenberg, and the southern and eastern edge of Cumings is the…
The Sore-Backed Backup Won the Battle of the ’Berg · 2.6 mi
The 31st Battle of the 'Berg, on September 3, 2021 at Traylor Stadium, went to Terry 17-14 in about as unlikely a way as a rivalry game can. Sophomore backup quarterback Marcus Townsend had strained his back and barely…
Six-Foot-Seven, and a State Basketball Title to Go With It · 2.6 mi
Derrick Griffin came out of B.F. Terry as a 6-foot-7, 210-pound wide receiver, a four-star recruit rated among the top receivers in the country and a selection to the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. But his signature…
The One Loss on an Undefeated Season · 2.6 mi
B.F. Terry entered the 2012 area round at 8-3 to face a Houston North Forest team that was 11-0 and had won its district at 9-0. Terry won 26-25 at Galena Park ISD Stadium on November 24 — the only loss North Forest…
Twenty-Six Seasons: The Man Who Built Terry Football · 2.6 mi
Tim Teykl coached B.F. Terry for 26 seasons — he joined the school's staff in 1991 and became head coach in 1992, per the program's own coaching page — and left after 2017 as the winningest football coach in both Terry…
Ray, Taylor · 3.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Rosenberg, and right here is the site of a man who helped build this town from the ground up: Taylor Ray. Born in Indiana in 1863, Ray came to Rosenberg as a railroad freight agent and decided to…
Fort Bend Telephone Company · 3.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Rosenberg, and right here is the story of the Fort Bend Telephone Company. It all started back in 1914, when Charles H. Waddell bought just nine phone lines and set up a central switchboard in…
Waddell, Charles Harvey · 3.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of a man who helped build Rosenberg. Charles Harvey Waddell arrived in Texas as a boy and by 1910, he was selling cars! Just four years later, he started the Fort Bend Telephone Company,…
Rosenberg Post Office · 3.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Rosenberg, a town that grew up fast thanks to the railroad. Established in 1881, just a year after the town itself was founded on the Santa Fe line, this post office was a key part of that growth.…
Trio of Jumping Cows · 3.1 mi · Things to Do
A trio of multicolored fiberglass steers mounted to look like they are leaping skyward and salvaged from the 2001 CowParade Houston charity event now rises…
The Hub of the Gulf Coast · 3.2 mi
In the golden age of steam, Rosenberg earned the nickname 'The Hub of the Gulf Coast.' It was no exaggeration. Imagine standing near the tracks downtown and seeing two of the most important rail lines in Texas cross…
Tower 17: Engineering a Crossroads · 3.2 mi
Rosenberg exists because two railroads crossed here — the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe cutting across the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio line in 1880, with the town platted three years later. But how do you keep…
Texas Bought Harlem and Made It a Model Prison Farm · 3.2 mi
On the land around you, Texas built one of its first state prison farms. The state bought the roughly 2,500-acre Harlem Plantation in 1885 or 1886 for a reported $25,000, and the sale came with agricultural equipment,…
Eight Men Died in the Dark Cell · 3.2 mi
On the prison-farm land near here, a grim thing happened on September 6, 1913. After a dispute over cotton picking and working conditions, guards at the Harlem farm punished twelve Black prisoners by confining them…
Searching for Harlem's Lost Convict Cemetery · 3.2 mi
Somewhere along Harlem Road, historical records suggest a prison cemetery once existed, but its precise boundaries have never been verified. The question turned urgent when Fort Bend ISD acquired former prison-farm land…
The City That Began With Another City Saying No · 3.2 mi
The town outside your window exists because a neighbor turned the railroad down. In the late 1870s the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway wanted a route through Fort Bend County, and Richmond, the established county…
The Day Smoke Rose From Rosenberg's Oldest Block · 3.2 mi
The brick commercial block on the 1900 block of Avenue G is one of the oldest buildings in downtown Rosenberg, put up in 1910 by Jacob Gray. Louis A. Vogelsang leased it for his general merchandise business in 1912,…
The Cowboy History Hollywood Left Out · 3.2 mi
At 1104 Third Street, an ordinary downtown storefront holds one of the region's more important collections of Black cowboy history. The Black Cowboy Museum was founded by Larry Callies, a local cowboy, rodeo rider, and…
The Italian Count and the Macaroni Line · 3.2 mi
In 1881 an Italian count named Joseph Telfener, a railroad promoter, set up the headquarters of the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway right here in Rosenberg. His line pushed toward Victoria and picked up a nickname…
The Fury of the Brazos · 3.2 mi
The Brazos River, flowing just east of here, is the lifeblood of this region, creating the fertile soil that drew farmers for generations. But it's also a powerful and destructive force. The people of Rosenberg learned…
Tower 17 and the Machine That Kept Trains Apart · 3.2 mi
Several major railroad lines still cross in Rosenberg, and a century ago that created a dangerous problem: how do you keep two trains from being routed through the same crossing at the same instant? The answer stands…
Cole Theatre · 3.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the old Cole Theatre in Rosenberg. Opened in 1919 as the Liberty Theatre by Czech immigrants, it was renamed Cole Theatre in 1935. This place hosted stars like The Ink Spots and John…
The Texas Harlem That May Have Been Named for Manhattan · 3.2 mi
The vanished place you're near, east of Richmond in Fort Bend County, was once Harlem Plantation, a spread of farmland assembled from several earlier tracts beside Oyster Creek. The name first surfaces in writing in an…
Harlem Was an Industrial Complex, Not Just a Farm · 3.2 mi
It's easy to picture a prison farm as just fields, but Harlem was closer to a self-contained industrial operation. Prisoners cultivated sugarcane, cotton, corn, rice and alfalfa, tended livestock, ran a cotton gin,…
Mudtown: The City That Moved Uphill · 3.2 mi
Early Rosenberg had a blunt nickname: Mudtown, earned by unpaved streets and the Brazos River's habit of climbing out of its banks. The original business district stood north of the tracks, around a public square near…
The Theatre Where John Wayne Once Stood · 3.2 mi
On the 900 block of Third Street stands a building waiting for its second act. It opened in 1919 as the Liberty Theatre and operated for decades as the Cole Theatre, showing films, hosting the Rosenberg Opry, and…
Half the Town's Football Plays on This Field · 3.2 mi
Guy K. Traylor Stadium at 4606 Mustang Avenue has been Rosenberg's shared football stage since it opened in 1960. In a typical year it hosts more than 70 games and events involving roughly 13,000 students across several…
Eating Inside the Building Rosenberg Nearly Lost · 3.2 mi
The Ol' Railroad Cafe sits at 1901 Avenue G, inside part of the 1910 Vogelsang Building, and a meal here now comes with a survival story attached. The cafe opened around 2012 in the historic brick block, serving…
The Shadow of the Jaybirds · 3.2 mi
As Rosenberg was being born in the 1880s, a violent political war was raging in Fort Bend County, centered just next door in the county seat of Richmond. They called it the Jaybird-Woodpecker feud, and it was no family…
Rosenberg, TX · 3.2 mi
Rosenberg's history is deeply intertwined with the life of Henry Von Rosenberg, a Swiss immigrant who arrived in Texas in 1843. Von Rosenberg played a pivotal role in the settlement of Fort Bend County and the Gulf…
Fifty Years of Smoke and Dancing on FM 359 · 3.2 mi
Out at 3818 FM 359, the pits have gone cold, but for half a century this address was where Richmond went for smoke, dancing, and barbecue. The Swinging Door opened in 1973 as a barbecue restaurant and dance venue, and…
A Soda Fountain in the Old Shopping District · 3.2 mi
At 800 Third Street, Another Time Soda Fountain folds a restaurant, an antiques store, and an old-fashioned soda-fountain counter into one historic downtown space. Founder Renee Butler opened it in 2003, which matters…
Robinowitz Brothers · 3.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Rosenberg, and right here, you're passing the site of a family business that helped shape this town's downtown. The Robinowitz brothers, Cecil, Abe, and Libby, came to Texas from Russia sometime…
Vogelsang Building · 3.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Vogelsang Building, a piece of Rosenberg's early commercial history. Built back in 1910 by Jacob Gray, this spot quickly became a hub for local shoppers. In 1916, Louis Vogelsang leased the space…
The Furniture Man and the Overpass · 3.3 mi
The Farm to Market Road Seven Twenty Three overpass in Rosenberg, the bridge that carries traffic over the Union Pacific tracks, is the John M. Arredondo Bridge. John Arredondo was born in Blanco in nineteen fourteen…
Pecan Grove, TX (Delta County) · 3.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Delta County, and right here, the land you're crossing was once known as Granny's Neck. It started in the 1840s with Benjamin DeSpain building a toll bridge over the South Sulphur River to connect…
From Snowballs in a Gas Station to a Taco Landmark · 3.3 mi
Bob's Taco Station at 1901 Avenue H started about as humbly as a restaurant can. In 1991 Bob Alanis launched it with his parents, Joe and Maria, selling New Orleans-style snowballs out of a reused gas-station building.…
The High School Band That Sold a Million Records · 3.4 mi
The Triumphs got started in Rosenberg in the fall of 1959, put together by Denver Zatyka, Teddy Mensik and Tim Griffith, all of them Lamar Consolidated High School boys. In December they added a singer named B.J.…
Trone-Ray-Lane House · 3.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Trone-Ray-Lane House in Rosenberg, a home built with a purpose: to last. It started in 1909 as a wedding gift for Earl and Clara Trone, a rancher and banker. Clara's parents spared no expense,…
First Baptist Church of Rosenberg · 3.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the First Baptist Church of Rosenberg. It all started in 1896 when three Baptist men decided to organize a church here. The first pastor, T. E. Muse, led from 1898 to 1900. Then, disaster struck. The…
Rosenberg Cemetery · 3.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Rosenberg Cemetery, which began as the Woodmen of the World Cemetery back in 1905. This eight-acre plot was originally for W.O.W. members and their families. Over time, it absorbed two adjacent…
Pecan Grove, TX · 3.5 mi
Pecan Grove has been a launchpad for some remarkable talents. W. A. Criswell, a significant figure in the religious landscape, served two terms as the president of the Southern Baptist Convention, a testament to his…
Teague-Waddell House · 3.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Teague-Waddell House, a beautiful example of Classical Revival architecture built in 1910. Local businessman Norman Teague and his wife Sidney Claire had this two-story home constructed, complete…
Rosenberg · 3.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Rosenberg, a town that owes its start to a railroad crossing. Back in 1830, this was just a nameless shipping point on the Brazos River. But when the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad arrived in…
Pilant, George B. · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Fort Bend County, Texas, a place that saw some serious action during the Texas Revolution and beyond. Right here, George B. Pilant, a young man who arrived in Texas in 1836, signed up…
Powell, Elizabeth · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Fort Bend County, and right here, in 1828, Elizabeth Powell, a widow with five children, arrived as one of Stephen F. Austin's colonists. She received one of the first land grants in…
Terry, Benjamin Franklin · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through an area that was once the heart of Texas's first railroad boom, thanks to Benjamin Franklin Terry. Right here, in 1851, Terry and his partner won the contract to build the very first railroad in…
Waters, Jonathan Dawson · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, an area that once saw a wealthy planter named Jonathan Dawson Waters get away with murder. Waters, who owned one of the largest plantations in Texas, was involved in a property…
Briggs, Elisha Andrews · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what was once the wild Texas frontier, and right here, you're passing through the stomping grounds of Elisha Andrews Briggs. Born in Massachusetts, Briggs made his way to Texas in 1841, first…
Davis, William Kinchen · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Fort Bend County, an area that saw some serious early Texas grit. Back in 1842, William Kinchen Davis was part of the ill-fated Mier Expedition. Captured after a battle, he was marched…
Dodson, Archelaus Bynum · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what was once Harrisburg, Texas, a place that played a small but significant role in the Texas Revolution. Back in 1835, when Texas was gearing up for war, Archelaus Dodson joined a local company.…
Ferguson, Henry Clay · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what was once Fort Bend County, a place where racial tensions ran high after Reconstruction. Right here, in the late 1800s, Henry Clay Ferguson, a former State Police officer, became sheriff. He…
Fort Bend · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County right now, and you're passing near the site of a crucial early Texas outpost. Back in November of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1822</say-as>, Stephen F. Austin's…
Frio Deep-Seated Salt Dome Fields · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Southeast Texas, a region that's a powerhouse for oil production. Right here, under your tires, lie the Frio Deep-Seated Salt Dome fields. Exploration began in the 1920s, but it was Humble Oil and…
Hodge, Alexander · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Fort Bend County, Texas, an area that was once home to Alexander Hodge, one of Stephen F. Austin's original colonists. Hodge, a veteran of the American Revolution, arrived here in 1824…
Huff, George · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, and right here, George Huff was building a life for himself in Mexican Texas. He was one of Stephen F. Austin's original Old Three Hundred colonists, arriving as early as 1824.…
Jester State Prison Farm · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, and right here is the site of a former state prison farm, once known as Harlem Plantation. Established in the late 1880s, it was one of the state's earliest convict labor farms,…
Kuykendall, Wylie Martin · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, the birthplace of Wylie Martin Kuykendall, a man who was punching cattle before he was ten years old. Born in 1839, Kuykendall learned the cattle trade early, trailing herds to…
Milburn, David H. · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Fort Bend County, a landscape that once hosted a pivotal moment in Texas history. Right here, back in November of 1836, David H. Milburn's plantation became an unlikely stop for two…
Morton, William · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Fort Bend County, a place that saw some of the earliest Texas settlement. William Morton, one of Stephen F. Austin's original colonists, arrived in 1822. His journey was rough – his…
Peebles, Robert · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Fort Bend County, a place with a history tied to land and early Texas politics. Robert Peebles arrived in 1828, a physician who quickly got involved in land speculation. He even…
Roark, Andrew Jackson · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Fort Bend County, near Stafford, where Andrew Jackson Roark settled with his family back in 1824. He was a man who lived through some of Texas's most turbulent times. In 1835, he…
Juliff, TX · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
Juliff is on the Missouri Pacific Railroad, Farm Road 521, and the Brazos River, twenty miles east of Richmond in eastern Fort Bend County. The area was part of the antebellum Arcola plantation, and the community was…
Oyster Creek (Fort Bend County) · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
Oyster Creek rises (at 29°39' N, 95°46' W) just north of Richmond in north central Fort Bend County and runs southeast through Brazoria County for about fifty-two miles before reaching its mouth (at 28°58' N, 95°16' W)…
Barrett, William · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Fort Bend County, a place that William Barrett called home in the early days of Texas. He might have been one of Stephen F. Austin's original settlers, though records are a bit fuzzy.…
Bright, David · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Fort Bend County, but back in the 1820s, this was the wild frontier. David Bright, one of Stephen F. Austin's original colonists, landed here in 1822. He was right in the thick of…
Cartwright, Jesse H. · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what was once Fort Bend County, and right here, Jesse H. Cartwright was trying to build a town. He was one of Stephen F. Austin's original settlers, arriving in Texas in 1825. In 1836, Cartwright…
Foster, John · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, an area that was part of Stephen F. Austin's original Texas colony. Back in 1822, John Foster arrived from Mississippi, becoming one of Austin's first settlers. He was granted…
George Foundation · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, and right here is the legacy of Albert and Mamie George. In 1945, they established the George Foundation, a charitable trust funded by their vast ranching empire. This land,…
Jones, Henry · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, near the Brazos River. Right here, Henry Jones, one of Stephen F. Austin's first colonists, established his plantation. He was a stock raiser, a father of twelve, and served as…
Knight, James · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Fort Bend County, but back in the 1820s, this was the edge of a new world. James Knight, one of Stephen F. Austin's first colonists, arrived in Texas in 1821. He partnered with Walter…
Raine, James W. · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, Texas, a place that saw its share of Civil War action. Right here, James W. Raine, a Kentucky native who’d come to Texas to work as an overseer, answered the call to arms. He…
Ramirez y Sesma, Joaquin · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Fort Bend County, but back in April of 1836, this was the site of a crucial moment in the Texas Revolution. General Joaquin Ramirez y Sesma, leading a brigade of Mexican troops for…
Randon, David · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, a region settled by some of Stephen F. Austin's very first colonists. One of them was David Randon, a planter who arrived in Texas back in 1824. He was described as part Native…
Young, Overton Stephen · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what was once a prosperous plantation area, and right here, Overton Young was building his life. Born in Georgia, he came to Texas in 1851, practiced law briefly, and by 1860 was a wealthy planter…
Guy, TX · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
Guy is at the intersection of State Highway 36 and Farm Road 1994, eighteen miles south of Richmond in Fort Bend County. The first settler in the area was Philip F. Ward in 1890; other settlers who arrived between 1891…
Sienna Plantation, TX · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
Sienna Plantation is a residential community located off State Highway 6 near the Houston Southwest Airport, about twenty miles southwest of Houston and six miles southeast of Missouri City in eastern Fort Bend County.…
Foster, Randolph · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, an area that was home to Randolph Foster, one of Stephen F. Austin's original colonists. Born in Mississippi in 1790, Foster came to Texas in 1822 with his family, establishing a…
Richmond State School · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, not far from Richmond. Right here is the Richmond State School, which opened its doors in April 1968. Built on 242 acres along the Brazos River, it was designed to serve adults…
Roberts, Noel F. · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Fort Bend County, a place that was once home to Noel F. Roberts, one of Stephen F. Austin's original colonists. He was here as early as April 20, 1824, voting in a crucial election at…
Williams, Nathaniel Felton · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, near Oyster Creek. Right here, Nathaniel Felton Williams, a merchant from Rhode Island, developed a sugar plantation that would eventually become the site of the Imperial Sugar…
Crabb, TX · 3.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
Crabb (Crabb Switch) is on Farm Road 762 below the bend of the Brazos River five miles southeast of Richmond in Fort Bend County. The area was originally owned by Old Three Hundred colonists Joseph and Abner Kuykendall…
Holy Rosary Catholic Parish · 3.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Holy Rosary Catholic Parish in Rosenberg. Land was donated for a church in 1895, with the first wooden church built in 1911. After a fire destroyed it in 1924, a new church was…
John Foster · 4.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past John Foster. John Foster John Foster was born on May 25, 1757, in South Carolina to William James and Mary (Hill) Foster. Family history indicates he may have served with his brothers in Charleston…
Randolph Foster · 4.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Richmond, where Randolph Foster once made his home. Born in 1790 in Spanish West Florida, Foster was a hunter, an explorer, and an 'Old Three Hundred' colonist who arrived with Stephen F. Austin in…
Rosenberg, TX · 4.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Rosenberg, a town born from a railroad feud! Back in 1880, the city of Richmond refused to let the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway pass through. So, the railroad built three miles west,…
Banfield, Myra Davis Wilkinson · 4.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, and right here in Rosenberg, a woman named Myra Banfield made her mark. She was the editor of the local newspaper, the Rosenberg Herald, and a community leader. But in 1960, she…
Joerger, F. X. · 4.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Rosenberg, Texas, a town that owes much of its early development to one man: F.X. Joerger. He arrived in 1906 and quickly became a driving force. Joerger established the Rosenberg Abstract…
Scott, Henry · 4.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Rosenberg, but back in 1829, this was the site of Botts Spring, on the Brazos River. That's where farmer Henry Scott, who came from Alabama with a large family, was granted land by the…
Jackson, Andrew Webster · 4.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, near Rosenberg. Right here, Andrew Webster Jackson took over as principal of the black high school after his brother's death in 1915. He served for years, and the school was…
Foster High School, Richmond (CeeDee Lamb) · 4.5 mi
Foster High School in Richmond, Texas is where CeeDee Lamb became a record-setting receiver, catching 98 passes for 2,032 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior. Born in Louisiana, his family evacuated to the Houston area…
New Territory, TX · 4.9 mi
The ethnic heritage of New Territory is diverse, as reflected in the 2000 census data. The racial makeup of the community was 57.56% White, 10.02% African American, 0.22% Native American, 26.07% Asian, 0.04% Pacific…
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Travis (Richmond) · 5.5 mi
Travis (Richmond, TX) placed on the 6A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Rhett Koudelka (3 HR).
Greatwood, TX · 5.5 mi
Greatwood is nestled in eastern Fort Bend County, with its geography significantly shaped by the presence of water bodies. The community is bounded by Interstate 69/U.S. Route 59 to the north, Crabb River Road to the…
Foster Community · 5.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Foster community, a Texas pioneer settlement that started way back in 1821. Randolph Foster claimed over 11,000 acres here, a massive land grant from Stephen F. Austin himself. Foster…
Oak Hill Baptist Church · 5.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Oak Hill Baptist Church in Richmond. In 1915, eighteen African American residents, former members of Pleasant Green Baptist Church, gathered under the leadership of Rev. A.C. Ray. They…
Spielberg Shot His Theatrical Debut at the Old Prison Farm · 5.9 mi
Before Jaws, E.T. or Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg brought a film crew to the old Harlem prison farm. The Jester prison complex built on the former Harlem land appears in The Sugarland Express, and the prison sequence…
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Randle (Richmond) · 5.9 mi
Randle (Richmond, TX) placed on the 5A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Mason Mixon (0.465 avg).
Oak Hill Cemetery · 5.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Oak Hill Cemetery, established in 1918. It was recognized as a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2004.
Flanagan Road and the Grand Old Man of the Prison Farm · 6.3 mi
Flanagan Road in Sugar Land carries the name of R. J. "Buck" Flanagan (1880-1949), the warden of the prison farm that once sprawled across this corner of Fort Bend County. Flanagan started in the Texas penitentiary…
Texas Prison System Central State Farm Main Building · 6.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Central State Farm Main Building, a structure that represented a major shift in the Texas prison system. The story here starts way back in the late 1870s, when this land was a massive…
Imperial Prison Farm Cemetery · 6.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Imperial Prison Farm Cemetery, a place with a grim history. In 1908, the state bought land nearby to create one of Texas' first state-run prisons, the Imperial State Prison Farm. It…
Harlem Road Texas BBQ · 6.7 mi
If you want a stop that carries the old name forward, Harlem Road Texas BBQ at 9823 Harlem Road in Richmond is it, an independent barbecue joint that takes its name straight from the historic road. Chef and pitmaster…
The Flying Dentist's Cow-Pasture Airport · 6.9 mi
The corporate jets and hangars near Highway 6 and US 90A trace back to a dentist with a biplane. Sugar Land Regional Airport began with Dr. Donald Doc Hull, an oral surgeon who flew around Southeast Texas providing…
The Sugar Land 95 · 7.0 mi
Beneath the modern campus on this site lies one of the most significant physical reckonings with convict leasing found anywhere in the country. Sugar Land's early sugar economy relied in part on Texas's brutal…
The Village That Said 'No' · 7.0 mi
Pleak is named for A.E. Pleak, a real estate developer and oilman who in 1912 donated the land for the community's school. The place itself really got going in the 1920s, on the back of the nearby Pleak oilfield. Farms,…
Foster, John, Land grant · 7.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through land once owned by John Foster, one of Stephen F. Austin's original colonists. He arrived in Texas way back in 1822 and was granted a whopping 12,000 acres by the Mexican government. After his…
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Tomas (Richmond) · 7.2 mi
Tomas (Richmond, TX) placed on the 5A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Urijah Cardoza (0.474 avg, 1 HR); Sam Johnson (3 HR).
Hodge's Bend: An Old Three Hundred Plantation Name · 7.2 mi
Hodge's Bend carries the name of Alexander Hodge, one of the rare Revolutionary War veterans who settled in Texas. Born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, around 1760, Hodge served in South Carolina under Francis…
Hodge's Bend Cemetery · 7.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Sugar Land, and right here is Hodge's Bend Cemetery. This place holds the story of Alexander Hodge, a veteran of the American Revolution who came to Texas in 1825. He was one of Stephen F.…
Hull Lane and the Flying Dentist of Sugar Land · 7.4 mi
Hull Lane runs just north of Sugar Land Regional Airport, and the name almost certainly traces back to the man who started that airfield: Dr. Donald "Doc" Hull, an oral surgeon, not an aviator by trade. In the early…
Davis, John H. Pickens, House, The · 7.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the John H. Pickens Davis House in Richmond. This place has roots going back to a dramatic escape from death in the 1840s Mexican conflict. The builder, J.H. Davis, was the son of a man who survived…
First Colony Boulevard: A Nod to Austin's First Colony · 7.6 mi
First Colony Boulevard is the spine of First Colony, a roughly 9,700-acre master-planned community that developer Gerald Hines and his Sugarland Properties Inc. began building here in 1976. The name is a developer's nod…
Booth · 7.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through what used to be the town of Booth, Fort Bend County. Back in 1885, Freeman Irby Booth arrived in Richmond and married Mildred Ryon Wheat. Together, they bought land and built their home right…
Garcia, Macario · 7.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through the Houston area, and right here, you're passing through the story of Macario García. Born in Mexico, he came to Texas as a child and worked the fields near Sugar Land. In 1944, serving in Europe…
Imperial Sugar Company · 7.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Sugar Land, home to the oldest continuously operating business in Texas: the Imperial Sugar Company. It’s been refining sugar and molasses right here on this site since 1843, even before Fort Bend…
Sugar Land, TX · 7.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Sugar Land, a place that was once called the 'Hell hole on the Brazos.' In the late 1800s, convicts leased from state prison farms were forced to work the brutal sugarcane fields here. Conditions…
Eldridge, William Thomas · 7.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Sugar Land, a place that owes much of its existence to William Thomas Eldridge. After a rough start, including being acquitted of murder charges, Eldridge became a major player in the sugar…
Jamison, Thomas · 7.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Matagorda County, and right here is a place connected to one of Stephen F. Austin's original settlers, Thomas Jamison. <break time="400ms"/> He was here as early as 1823, voting in an election…
Imperial Valley Railway · 7.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, not far from Sugar Land. Back in 1907, the Imperial Sugar Company launched the Imperial Valley Railway. It was meant to be a sixty-mile line, connecting Sugar Land to a junction…
Sugar Land Railway · 7.7 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Fort Bend County, not far from where the Sugar Land Railway first laid its tracks. Chartered in 1893, this wasn't just any railroad; it was built to serve the burgeoning sugar industry right here.…
Voss Road: The Old Richmond Road Namesake · 7.8 mi
Voss Road runs through the western edge of Sugar Land, meeting Old Richmond Road near Cullinan Park off State Highway 6. According to the City of Sugar Land's street-name history, the road carries the name of John Voss,…
Kempner Street and the Family That Built Sugar Land · 7.9 mi
Kempner Street runs through the old company-town core of Sugar Land, and it carries the name of the family that essentially owned this place. Isaac Herbert Kempner (1873-1967), a Galveston businessman, joined with…

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Richmond, Texas

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The Jaybird-Woodpecker War RoadyGoat

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A Texas Valhalla RoadyGoat

Smith, Erastus ("Deaf")

Lamar, Mirabeau Buonaparte

Jaybird-Woodpecker War - Richmond

Barnett, Thomas

Burton, Walter Moses

Ferguson, Charles M.

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