Excavating an 1850s Cistern

For the past several months, members of the Fort Bend County Historical Commission have excavated the cistern on Mirabeau Lamar's home site in south Richmond. I made a very, very rough 9-minute video of the project just as we started. 

We've now dug a 4-ft. test hole in the silt at the bottom, and we're just about finished. I'll post more video and a summary of the results in the future.  But for now, here's a quick look at what the inside looks like.  Click the image to access the clip.
  

Miscellany

A colleague recently directed me to a superb collection of photos taken in 1979 & '80 by Sandra Batey for the Texas Historical Commission.  I thought I'd post four.

The first shows the 1927 Sugar Land Depot in 1980. Click the image to view a larger version. Many of you know it was located on the north side of the tracks where they cross Ulrich St. The depot was moved to Commerce Green Blvd. in 1985 and extensively remodeled. It now houses the Fort Bend County Chamber of Commerce.

 

Sugar Land's 1927 Railroad Depot in 1980. (The Portal to Texas History)

 

The second shows Captain Brooks's home, which was located on what was called Dam Rd. in 1980. In today's topography, it's roughly where Sugar Lakes Dr. crosses Kingfisher Dr. The house was demolished in the 1980s. Click the image to view a larger version.

  

Captain Brooks Home in 1980.
(The Portal to Texas History)

 
The third photo shows the old Schulze Store on FM 359 north of Richmond. It is now home to the Foster Creek Vet Hospital. Click here for a current view. Click the image below for a full view taken in 1980.
  

Old Schulze Store in 1980.
(The Portal to Texas History)

  

The final image shows the Scanlan House near Arcola.  It has a fascinating history, which you can read by clicking this link.  Click the image below for a view from 1980.
   

Scanlan House in 1980.
(The Portal to Texas History)

Rosenberg etc

I've found a terrific site on Facebook called Rosenberg etc.  The old photos are superb. Click here to view the site.  I've taken the liberty of selecting a few that may pique your interest.  Click on the image below to view them.

Rosenberg etc images.

Flooding & Water Control - Part 1

  

Most of you have probably seen newscasts covering the recent flooding.  I've collected a few photos for the blog.  

I will post an item about the history of water management and flood control in the next update. It's something we take for granted, but appreciate in times like these.  

Click on the images to view the albums of flood photos.

  

Aerials of 2016 Flood.

Images of Richmond during 2016 Flood.

Images of Morton Cemetery during 2016 Flood.

More Miscellaneous Items

  

Some of you may have seen that the City of Sugar Land recently completed its purchase of Central Unit No. 1 of the old prison farm. Click here to view a newspaper article summarizing the sale.  (My thanks to Patsy Sims for sending the link to me.)

Those of you who watch Channel 8 (Houston PBS) may have seen The DayTripper, a Texas travel program from KLRU in Austin.  The host, Chet Garner, paid a visit to Richmond (before the floods) and recorded a 30-minute segment.  Click here to view the video - it's in the lower video box on the right side of the page.

Thompson's Ferry Marker

I want to thank John Walker, member of the Fort Bend County Historical Commission, for sending me these items.  He scanned photos of the site where a corps of Santa Anna's army crossed the Brazos River in April 1836 and headed east to San Jacinto.  

What's ironic is they crossed the river heading west at a spot just a bit north of the cotton seed plant on Highway 90A between Richmond and Rosenberg.  In effect, they headed toward Rosenberg to get across the river!  Once they reached the west bank, they made an immediate right turn and headed north towards Fulshear, but turned east after crossing Jones Creek. They stayed north of Oyster Creek never crossing it.

The State of Texas put a granite monument near the east (Richmond) side of the ferry crossing, but the land it sits on is now private property.  Fort Bend County is in the process of relocating the marker by a public road, so it can be viewed by the public.

John's scans come from an Eye's of Texas Guide, published by Cordovan Publishers in 1977.  Click here to view a scan of the complete guide on John's Web site, "Life on the Brazos."

Updates on Recent Posts

I've mentioned recently that Haroldetta Robertson has a piece of the 1927 Richmond Bridge demolished in 1987.  She has graciously provided the following photos of that big event.
    

View looking east toward bridge.

View looking east toward bridge.

View looking east toward bridge.

Many thanks to Jackie James (SLHS '57) for sending me this obituary for Bruce Edwards, Jr.

Bruce Franklin Edwards, Jr. passed away after battling three kinds of cancer for over 10 years on Sunday, August 3, 2014 in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas where he had lived for the past 5 years after retiring. Bruce was born on March 27, 1947 in Bryan, Texas. He is the son of Dorothy Louise Bynum and Bruce Franklin Edwards, Sr.

The Edwards, Sr. family moved to Sugar Land, Texas in 1949 where Bruce grew up. He graduated from Dulles High School, Sugar Land, Texas in 1965 and from Texas A & M University in College Station, Texas in 1969 with a degree in architectural construction. Throughout his career he worked for several construction companies in Houston, Texas, retiring from Tellepsen Builders after 25 years in 2010 as a Vice President.

He married Carmen Thompson Edwards In 1969. They resided in Sugar Land, Texas until moving to Arkansas. Throughout his life, Bruce enjoyed many different hobbies including golf, sailing, hunting, fishing, and stained glass making.
He was preceded in death by his father Bruce Franklin Edwards, Sr., his mother Dorothy and his grandson, Dustin Tyler Edwards.

He is survived by his wife Carmen, his son, Chris and family of Beebe, Arkansas and his daughter, Traci Lockwood and her husband Jason and family of Sugar Land, Texas, his brother Randy and his wife Jan of Sugar Land, Texas and Rick and his wife Karry of Sandy, UT, four grandchildren, Kaylyn and Bryson Edwards and Tyler and Emma Lockwood and numerous nephews and nieces plus great and great great nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held August 16th, 2014 at 10:00 AM at Village United Methodist Church, 200 Carmona Road, Hot Springs Village, AR 71909.  In lieu of flowers, there will be a memorial established in Bruce's name at Village United Methodist Church where he was a member.

Finally, I want to thank Tommy Laird (DHS '67) for sending me information on Morris Hite, President of TracyLocke and good friend of the Laird family.
 

Click this link to view a short article at the Advertizing Hall of Fame.
 

Click this link to view a sketch of Morris Hite written by Dean Rieck.
 

Click this link to view an Amazon page for a 1988 biography of Morris Hite written by Russ Pate.

Richmond Reenacts The Jaybird - Woodpecker Battle

On August 16th Richmond reenacted the Jaybird - Woodpecker Battle, which occurred exactly 125-years earlier. If you want more background on the original event, click this link to an article in the Handbook of Texas.  

If you'd like to read an excellent book on the battle and the aftermath, you can read Pauline Yelderman's definitive history, "Jaybird-Woodpecker War," which the Fort Bend County Historical Commission has recently reprinted.  Copies are available at the Fort Bend County Museum, the Rosenberg Railroad Museum, the Old Foster Community Museum, and the Sugar Land Heritage Society.

I made a short video of the reenactment, which you can view by clicking this link.

A Couple of Items from the Portal to Texas History

I found two more interesting items from the Portal to Texas History.  They come from a copy of The Texas Sun, published in Richmond on October 20, 1855.

The first item is a notice announcing the sale of land owned by Mirabeau B. Lamar, 2nd President of the Republic of Texas.  This land was formerly owned by Jane Long.  It is now the location of Lamar Homestead Park between the county office complex and the Brazos River just south of Richmond.

(From the Portal to Texas History)

The second item is an announcement of the new railroad being extended from Stafford to Richmond.  The work wasn't complete, but it was nearly so.  Notice Benjamin Franklin Terry and William Kyle of Sugar Land are the contractors.

(From the Portal to Texas History)

 

Of course, this railroad was the Buffalo Bayou-Brazos-Colorado RR, precursor of today's Southern Pacific line that runs through the middle of Fort Bend County.

Catching Up After A Long Hiatus

I took some time off and then was swamped with work, so I have some catching up to do.  First, I want to thank Marsha Krause Smith (DHS '68), Tommy Laird (DHS '67), and especially Wayne Boehm (SLHS '55) for help in identifying people in the following Imperial Awards Banquet photo from 1962.

L to R: W. H. Louviere, Sr., Dorothy Jean Kruse Boehm, Curt Schwalbe, Jim Skiles, Julius Johec, W. H. Louviere, Jr., Donald Hoke, Billy C. Smith, and Domingo Garcia.

They celebrated their 5th anniversary with Imperial Sugar that night in 1962.

Travis Gandy (DHS '64) pointed out James Boyd in the photos of Harold Willey's retirement party.

Harold Willey with James Boyd

Wayne also pointed out E. J. Gaiennie in the following photograph.  He's on the far left.  he began working in the Char House when it opened in 1925 and served as a supervisor until his retirement in the 1960s.

And finally, I need to correct a story I posted a few months ago.  I said Haroldetta Robertson's brother-in-law, Henry Robertson (SLHS '51), gave her a relic from the old Richmond bridge built in 1925.  It was a different b-i-l: Herman Klawitter.  But as I said, she still has the relic in her backyard.

Richmond Showcased on San Antonio Television

Our friends in Richmond were spotlighted as a tourist destination on San Antonio television.  It's a short segment covering Richmond as an attractive and pleasant town.  Click the link below to view the video.

Link to San Antonio Channel 4 travel segment.

Richmond Academy, 1855

I've been researching old newspapers and found the following article in The Texas Sun, published in Richmond, Texas on July 28, 1855.  (Click here to read the complete newspaper at The Portal to Texas History, an excellent Web site by the way.)

The Handbook of Texas says the academy was in operation in 1850, but closed due to bankruptcy in 1858.  At its peak it had 3 instructors teaching 70 white students.  You can see from the newspaper ad the subjects they studied.  Prices seem reasonable at first glance, but people didn't make much money back in those days.

 

Two Follow Up Items

I asked Haroldetta Robertson about the demolition of the old Richmond Bridge.  (I posted a photo of it a couple of weeks ago.)  I learned that it was demolished on July 14, 1988.  The home where Haroldetta grew up was on the east bank of the Brazos near the foot of the bridge.  She said her late brother-in-law, Henry Robertson (SLHS '51), collected a few pieces of the debris, which she still has.

Belinda Jenkins Faison (DHS '69) recently asked about the old fire whistles.  Many of you will remember they were coded so Sugar Land residents (and volunteer firemen) knew where the fire was located.  Here's an old poster I've posted in the past, explaining the different blasts.  I guess you could say these are a blast from the past.

Click here to view the complete post.

Timely Topics Tersely Treated

["Timely Topics Tersely Treated" was the title of a regular feature of the Texas Farm and Industrial News, Sugar Land's newspaper of the early 20th century.]

  

Click this link to view a newspaper article with more about the Jaybird - Woodpecker event in Richmond.

     

The Fort Bend County Historical Commission has created a new Web page listing cemeteries in the County.  Click here to view the page.  We intend to have more history-related information online in the future.

Bill Williams, Houston Restauranteur & Capon King

 

A group of local residents & former residents were discussing Bill Williams Restaurants on Facebook recently.  Donna Christopher Baker (DHS '63) posted this picture of the man himself posing with his championship fryers in 1969.  I recall his restaurants in Houston and, of course, the one in Richmond.

Here's a good article on Bill Williams that appeared in The Houston Chronicle a few years ago.

Here's a short video of my family enjoying a short Labor Day vacation at his Richmond motel in September 1958.

The Old Fort Bend County Court House Restoration Is Complete

The County's project to restore the 1909 court house is complete.  I've had a quick tour, and I have to say the building looks wonderful.  If you're in Richmond, stop by and take a look.

Here's a newspaper article with pictures showing the remodeling.

 

Archeological Survey of Old Fort Bend in Richmond

A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to join the Fort Bend Archeological Society in an exploratory dig in the area where old Fort Bend stood back in the 1820s & '30s.  I made a 7-minute video of the work we did that Saturday morning.

The Brazos River's west bank has eroded over time, so the spot where the fort was located in now in the River.  The area we explored was where old Richmond grew up around the fort.  

The Archeological Society has found several artifacts, the most recent being a torpedo bottle made in Ireland around 1820.  A torpedo bottle has a round bottom, which prevents standing it on end.  The idea is to ensure it lies on its side so its cork won't dry out.

Link to video.

 

Jane Long Historical Marker Dedication

On December 2, 2012 the Fort Bend County Historical Commission relocated a state historical marker commemorating Jane Wilkinson Long.  It was placed on her land in Richmond along the Brazos River in 1936 as part of the state's centennial celebration.  

That part of Richmond, like other parts of Fort Bend County, has changed considerably since the 1930s, so the marker has been relocated to Hutchinson Elementary School on Williams Way Boulevard.  It's not far from the new complex of County buildings in south Richmond along the River.

Click here to view the 16-minute video I took of the event.

 

A Short Video, "Richmond: Where History Meets Opportunity"

I saw this short video on Richmond and thought it well worth posting.

Link to video "Richmond: Where History Meets Opportunity"

 

Richmond Celebrates Its 175th Birthday

On Saturday, September 15th, the City of Richmond celebrated its 175th anniversary with a day-long street festival.  I've produced a 15-minute video of the event for the Fort Bend Museum Association.  I thoroughly enjoyed the festivities.  I hope they repeat this type of event in the future.

Click here to view the video.