City of Brenham · 1936
Established in 1844; named in honor of Dr. Richard Fox Brenham; 1810-1843, surgeon in the army of the Republic of Texas; member of the Mier Expedition; killed at Salado, Mexico; February 11, 1843
View on map ↗Washington County, Texas
Historical Markers in Brenham, Texas
Brenham is home to 73 official Texas Historical Commission markers — each one telling a piece of the city’s story. Browse the markers below, then find them on the map and discover more nearby with RoadHistorical.
George Washington Petty · 1936
A San Jacinto veteran; Born in Tennessee; April 7, 1812; Died July 27, 1901
View on map ↗Blinn College · 1962
Founded as "Mission Institute", March 28, 1883. Methodist affiliated. 1887 gift of Rev. Christian Blinn of New York built main hall. Name was changed 1889 to Blinn Memorial. This main building erected 1906. Became…
View on map ↗Brenham · 1964
Founded 1843. Named for Richard Fox Brenham (1810-1843), Republic of Texas patriot. Railhead and supply center in Civil War. Blinn Memorial College founded here, 1883. Center for farming, trade and manufacturing. Home…
View on map ↗Brenham Fire Department · 1965
Two volunteer organizations, Brenham Hook and Ladder Co. and the Fire Protection Co., were started May 28, 1867, ostensibly to fight fires. In reality they were also military companies to suppress lawlessness until in…
View on map ↗St. Peter's Episcopal Church · 1965
Founded among Austin colony settlers. Parish, fourth oldest in Texas, organized May 2, 1848, by missionary Bishop Geo. W. Freeman, of Arkansas. Rebuilt. Dedicated June 29, 1965, by Bishop J. M. Richardson.
View on map ↗Texas Confederate County Commissioners Court · 1965
Composed of a chief justice (now county judge) and four county commissioners, these elected governing boards directed vital Civil War programs. Provided arms, clothing, horses and saddles for troops from county. Gave…
View on map ↗100th Anniversary Brenham "Banner-Press" · 1966
(1866-1966) Founded Jan. 1, 1866, as weekly "Southern Banner", by Dan McGary and John C. Rankin, Confederate veterans. For his independent policies, editor McGary was jailed that year; shop and nearby businesses burned.…
View on map ↗Brenham Public Library · 1966
First in county. Founded 1901 and still maintained by Fortnightly Literary Club, with county and city support. All housing has been donated. First call for books brought 1,000 volumes. In 1934 occupied present quarters…
View on map ↗Pampell-Day Homestead · 1966
Built 1844. Native pine and sand brick. Hudson River style front wing added in 1875 by T. J. Pampell, Civil War veteran, owner of store and mule-drawn street cars. Home of Pampells and Days for 3 generations. Owned by…
View on map ↗Early Texas River Steamers · 1967
River-shipping efforts in pioneer Texas by steamboat were centered primarily on the Brazos (about 2 mi. E.), and Washington-on-the-Brazos (about 15 mi. N.) was an important distribution point for commercial interests.…
View on map ↗First Baptist Church · 1967
Organized Dec. 20, 1846, as New Year's Creek Church, at a school house in Allcorn area. Founders were Judge R. E. B. Baylor, W. W. Buster, and Hosea Garrett. Rev. A. D. Fisher was chosen as the church's first pastor in…
View on map ↗Glenblythe Plantation, Home of Thomas Affleck · 1967
In the 19th century, one of the world's foremost researcher-writers on agriculture and horticulture lived 1858-1868 on his 3,500-acre plantation (2 mi. S) of here, developing famous "central Texas nurseries" and…
View on map ↗Site of Old St. Anthony Hotel · 1967
Center of Brenham hospitality for 122 years. Originally a two-story log stage depot adjoined by a log cabin complex called the Washington County Hotel. Changed owners several times through the years. General Sam Houston…
View on map ↗Washington County, C.S.A. · 1967
Washington County was the most populous in the state during the Civil War. It served as a center for production, warehousing, transportation and communications, and had a large quartermaster depot. Local wartime…
View on map ↗First Methodist Church · 1968
Brenham's first church; was established year Brenham founded, 1844. Early member R. B. Wells wrote and published "Christian Advocate", church magazine of Texas Methodists here in 1846. By 1868 church had reached such…
View on map ↗First Public High School in Brenham · 1969
Established in Independent School District No. 1, in 1875. First free public high school in Texas to be set up under landmark school law of 1875. Nine grades were offered, with scientific or classical courses of study…
View on map ↗Former Bank Building of Giddings & Giddings · 1971
A private firm; Brenham's first bank, founded 1866 by lawyer-brothers J. D. and D. C. Giddings. This building was erected 1872 for bank, with Brenham Chapter No. 5, Royal Arch Masons, owning third floor. Bank closed in…
View on map ↗La Bahia Road · 1971
One of the first overland routes used by European explorers of Texas, La Bahia Road was originally an east-west Indian trail in southeastern Texas and Louisiana. Earlier it may have been an animal trail. Although not as…
View on map ↗Seelhorst-Lehrmann House · 1973
Handsome Victorian residence with 18' x 18' ground floor rooms; 13" plastered brick walls; and a copper roof from which rain is piped to cistern on back porch. Constructed about 1879 by W. E. Seelhorst, a German settler…
View on map ↗Site of Masonic Academy · 1973
Replaced Hickory Grove School, organized 1840. Land was given to Graham Lodge No. 20, A.F. & A.M.; lodge built Masonic Academy in 1849, only school in the area. Texas Public School Act of 1875 caused academy to close,…
View on map ↗Eben-Ezer Evangelical Lutheran Church · 1974
Spiritual center of the Berlin community, which was settled by Germans in 1847. On a missionary visit, Dec. 24, 1854, The Rev. Johann Ebinger (1828-1908) of Harris County held earliest Lutheran service in Washington…
View on map ↗Site of Rees Sanitarium · 1974
Brenham's first hospital. Dr. H. Clay Rees (1864-1914), president of a Waco medical and surgical clinic, built (1897) a 2-story sanitarium on this site. Dispensary and surgery were in a detached building. By 19th…
View on map ↗The Wood-Hughes House · 1974
W. A. Wood (1851-1909) and his wife Fannie (Wheeler) built this house in 1897. A lumber yard owner, Wood used fine materials--oak, heart pine, Louisiana cypress--and had siding milled to simulate cut stone. This is an…
View on map ↗Evangelical Lutheran Colleges of Texas · 1976
The first Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Texas was organized in 1851 by eight pastors who would gather fellow-immigrants from Europe in congregations. Synod bought an existing campus at Rutersville in 1872 and operated…
View on map ↗Giddings-Wilkin House · 1976
Jabez Deming Giddings (1814-1878) of Pennsylvania bought this land in 1837. A lawyer, businessman, and civic leader, he built this residence of hand-hewn cypress boards before his marriage in 1843 to Ann Tarver…
View on map ↗Salem Lutheran Church · 1981
This church was organized in the Salem community on Nov. 22, 1856, by The Rev. Johann G. Ebinger and 17 charter members. Worship services were first held in a log cabin on land deeded by Wilhelm Bohne (.3 mi. SW). In…
View on map ↗Brenham Presbyterian Church · 1983
This fellowship was founded in 1877 by The Rev. Warner B. Riggs and a small group of charter members. Within three years there were more than fifty names on the church roll, and a sanctuary had been erected on West Main…
View on map ↗Moses Baine · 1983
A native of Ireland, Moses Baine came to the United States in 1819. In 1830 Baine and his wife, Cecilia (Inglesby), joined Stephen F. Austin's colony at San Felipe. A veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, Baine…
View on map ↗The Brenham Maifest · 1983
The Brenham Maifest has evolved from the German Volksfest, a spring festival carried to this area by German Texans who settled near Brenham. When the Brenham Fire Department assumed the duties of the Volksfest…
View on map ↗First Christian Church of Brenham · 1984
Organized with 18 members in 1877, this congregation grew out of the early missionary efforts of A. J. Bush and W. J. Jones. Many prominent Washington County settlers were among its earliest members. The fellowship…
View on map ↗Bassett and Bassett Banking House · 1985
Benjamin H. and Thomas J. Bassett opened their newly-created bank and located their law office in this building soon after its completion in 1873. Built with bricks manufactured by the local Wild & Co. Brickyard, the…
View on map ↗St. Peter's Lutheran Church · 1985
This congregation was founded by German immigrants who came to the Gay Hill community in the 1880s. In 1884, they purchased land at this site and constructed a church building. Pastors of neighboring congregations held…
View on map ↗Thomas Affleck · 1985
Born and educated in Scotland, Thomas Affleck (1812-1868) emigrated in 1832 to the United States, where he became one of the most well-known agriculturalists of his time. A prolific writer, Affleck was associated with…
View on map ↗Washington County Courthouse · 1985
Built in 1940 with funds granted by the Public Works Administration. This is the fourth courthouse to serve Washington County since its formation in 1835. Constructed during the tenure of County Judge Sam Low, the…
View on map ↗Washington County State Bank · 1985
James S. Giddings (1849-1940) was the principal organizer of this financial institution, which was established as the result of the creation of a state banking system in 1905. The official date set by the Legislature…
View on map ↗Waul's Texas Legion Campsite · 1986
In the spring of 1862 Thomas N. Waul (1813-1903) recruited men from Washington and the surrounding counties to form a legion for Confederate service. Composed of twelve infantry companies, six cavalry companies, and two…
View on map ↗Henry V. and Rebecca Robertson Homestead · 1988
Tennessee native Henry Villars Robertson (1803-1856) first came to Texas in 1826 with his cousin, the Empresario Sterling Clack Robertson. He returned to Tennessee, where he married Rebecca Oldham (1805-1881) in 1828.…
View on map ↗Milas Roberson "Burney" Parker · 1990
A native Texan and the grandson of a pioneer Nueces County sheriff, Milas Roberson "Burney" Parker grew up in Lee and Washington counties. He served as Washington County Road Superintendent for fourteen years before he…
View on map ↗Robert Starke Armistead · 1990
(November 5, 1800 - June 14, 1866) A native of North Carolina, Robert Starke Armistead moved with his family to Alabama in 1818. He married Ann Sylvesta Carney in 1826 and they came to Texas in 1835. Armistead served in…
View on map ↗Robert Starke Armistead · 1990
(November 5, 1800 - June 14, 1866) Robert Starke Armistead and his wife Ann came to Texas from Alabama in 1835. He served in the Republic of Texas army in 1836 and with forces defending San Antonio during the Vasquez…
View on map ↗St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church · 1990
German immigrants began settling in Washington County in the 1840s. The first German Lutheran congregation began in 1855 in the community of Berlin. The growing German Lutheran community in Brenham organized this…
View on map ↗Giddings-Stone House · 1991
This house was completed in 1870 for prominent Brenham banker, lawyer, and landowner Jabez Giddings (1814-1878) (for whom Giddings, Texas, is named) and his wife Ann (1822-1902). It was later owned by their daughter,…
View on map ↗Bethlehem Cemetery · 1992
Located on land granted to Josiah Lester by the Mexican government prior to Texas independence, this cemetery began in the 1850s after subsequent land-owner Erwin Brown set aside land for a school and church. The site…
View on map ↗Ross-Carroll House · 1992
About 1899, Mary (Dwyer) Ross built this house on land she inherited from her father, Thomas Dwyer. Built of cypress, the Queen Anne style house features Victorian ornamentation in its open tower, a second level porch…
View on map ↗Schmid Bros. Building · 1993
Swiss immigrant Josef Schmid began a mercantile business in Brenham in 1880. He was joined by his brothers Benjamin and Sigmund to form Schmid Bros. in 1889, and in 1899-1900 they erected this building to house their…
View on map ↗Germania Mutual Aid Association · 1994
In 1894 Bartlett, Texas, merchant L. A. Niebuhr presented Waco attorney E. W. Hander with a plan to establish a farm mutual aid association to provide farmers insurance against losses due to fire, lightning, and storms.…
View on map ↗Hasskarl House-"Far View" · 1994
Impressive views led Dr. Walter F. Hasskarl (1885-1965) to buy this site. Noted Houston architect Alfred C. Finn designed and local contractor J. R. Nix built this house in 1925. It presents a blend of Prairie School…
View on map ↗Live Oak Female Seminary · 1994
Founded in 1853 by Presbyterian minister James W. Miller (1815-1888), Live Oak Female Seminary provided educational opportunities to female boarding students and male and female day students until 1888. Miller's…
View on map ↗Oak Rest Cemetery and Site of Prospect Presbyterian Church · 1994
The Rev. Hugh Wilson (1794-1868) organized Prospect Presbyterian Church at this site in February 1839. Located on land included in a Mexican land grant to James F. and Emily Perry, it was the second Presbyterian church…
View on map ↗Wittbecker-Weiss House · 1995
Home builder and lumber company owner Frank Wood built this house in 1895 and later that year sold it to bakery owners H. G. and Annie Wittbecker. A late 19th-century L-plan Victorian dwelling, the house features…
View on map ↗Schuerenberg House · 1996
Local blacksmith and hardware merchant Frederick William Schuerenberg, II, and his wife, Bertha Reichardt, lived in this house with their family. Built in 1895 by local contractor Alex Griffin, the house is an excellent…
View on map ↗Birthplace of Hedwig T. Kniker · 1997
(November 13, 1891 - October 12, 1985) Born in Gay Hill, Hedwig Thusnelda Kniker was the child of the second minister of St. Peter's Lutheran Church. Kniker graduated from the University of Texas in 1916 with degrees in…
View on map ↗Gideon Lincecum · 1997
(1793-1874) As a boy Gideon Lincecum moved with his family to various frontier sites in his native Georgia and in Mississippi. It was during this time that he developed insights about natural habitats and cultivated an…
View on map ↗Site of Mound Hill School · 1998
In 1889 residents of the Mound area formed their first school at a nearby Baptist church. By 1891 the Mound School District was organized and forty students were enrolled. The school moved in 1902 to the Live Oak Female…
View on map ↗Reue-Eickenhorst House · 2002
Reue-Eickenhorst House Wilhelm Reue grew up in the Sandy Hill area and married Alma Muegge from the William Penn Community in 1914. A year later, with a new daughter, the couple finished their home here near Prairie…
View on map ↗Southern Pacific Freight Depot · 2003
In the early 1860s, local residents built a county rail line to connect to the Houston & Texas Central Railway, which bought the line in 1869. Brenham became a regional distribution center, and its population grew…
View on map ↗Blue Bell Creameries · 2006
In August 1907, the Brenham Creamery Company formed to purchase excess dairy products from farmers and produce butter local sales. In 1911, the creamery began making ice cream, producing a maximum of two gallons each…
View on map ↗Thomas Deye Owings · 2006
Thomas Deye Owings was born to John Cockey and Colegate Dye Owings on March 7, 1776 at Cockeysville, a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland. The family had met with success as colonial tobacco planters and as partners in the…
View on map ↗Hogan Funeral Home · 2007
In 1914, noted Texas educator Columbus H. Hogan became a founding partner in the Washington County Undertaking Co. on South Park Street in Brenham. It was then the only funeral home in the county for African Americans.…
View on map ↗…and 13 more Brenham markers. Find every one of them on the map in the RoadHistorical app.
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