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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThose Were the Days, A Mural THOSE WER£ TxE DAYS BRYAN BRAZOS COUNTY 1821 - 1921 A MURAL ( ~, ~ `~' `\` ~~ 1. ~~ 1~= ..~_ i ~.. KEY Ol MILLICAN, 1821, FIRST SETTLEMENT IN COUNTY • Community settled by Robert Millican from Ireland, a member of Stephen F. Austin's colony of 300 2O BOONVILLE, 1843, FIRST BRAZOS CO. COURTHOUSE • Town named for Mordecai Boon, Sr., a relative of hunter and explorer Daniel Boone • structure built by twenty volun- teers in one day; made of post oak boards, one door, no windows and split log seats 3O INDIANS NEAR DUNN'S FORT WHICH SERVED ROBERTSON AND BRAZOS COUNTIES, 1834 • Tonkawa and Comanche tribes used area for hunting and camping • circular tort built by colonists on both sides of EI Camino Real on land near home of James Dunn 4O KURTEN, 1852, COMMUNITY OF GERMAN IMMIGRANTS • founded by Henry Kurten, a native of Cologne, Germany • he visited Texas in 1851 on furlough from the German army where he served as one of the Kaiser's body- guards • encouraged others to leave Germany and settle in the rich farm lands of Brazos County • the Kurten home served as a post office for many years • the Kurtens donated land for several churches, the school and built the community's first schoolhouse O5 EL CAMINO REAL, C. 1850, WESTERN BOUNDARY OF COUNTY • Old San Antonio Road or King's Highway • 600 mile route between Monclova, Mexico, and East Texas missions traveled as early as 1691 © BRYAN, ESTABLISHED 1855, COUNTY SEAT, 1866 • town named for nephew of Stephen F. Austin, William Joel Bryan, early settler who donated the townsite of 640 acres O RAILROAD, HOUSTON AND TEXAS CENTRAL, FIRST IN COUNTY, MILLICAN, 1860 • searching for a route from Houston to North Texas, construction began in 1853 in Houston • rich farmlands of the Brazos bottom would be first to be served • at out-break of Civil War in 1860, construction halted making Millican a distributing point for a radius of 200 miles O STAGECOACH, SAWYER-RISHER LINE, HEMPSTEAD TO WACO VIA BOON V I LLE, C. 1861 • four-horse coach connected with H & T C Railroad in Hempstead departed Hempstead every other day 10 A.M., arrived at Waco third day at 6 A.M. O BRAZOS RIVER • once called Brazos de Dios, "Arms of God" • the longest river in Texas, it flows 840 miles to the Gulf of Mexico forms southwestern boundary of county • provides rich farm land devoted largely to cotton production 10 STEAMBOATS ON THE BRAZOS • the side-wheeler Mustang made runs as far as Port Sullivan in Milam County in the 1840's • others went as far as Waco 11 NAVASOTA RIVER • eastern boundary of county • tlows into Brazos provides rich farm lands 12 KOPPE BRIDGE, C. 1896 • originally designed to span the Brazos River at the Batts Ferry Crossing but, finally constructed several miles upriver • linked Brazos and Burleson Counties 13 BRYAN CITY CEMETERY, 1868 • large dark cedars mark areas where many of town fathers are buried • other important old cemeteries in county include Boonville, Kurten, Bickham, Wheat, Steep Hollow, Weaver and Tryon 14 OLD MAIN BUILDING, TEXAS A&M COLLEGE, 1876 • A&M was state's first attempt at higher education • original objective was the teaching of agriculture and related branches and mechanical arts • "Old Main" was the first building erected • it and Gathright Hall, the second building and named for the college's first president, were A&M until further construction ten years later 15 OLD WELLBORN ROAD • original route from Bryan to Houston • town of Wellborn never incorporated but was an important shipping point for cattle on the H & T C Railroad 16 HARVEY, 1879, FARMING COMMUNITY NAMED FOR PIONEER, HARVEY MITCHELL • six miles northeast of Bryan l7 PLANTATION SYSTEM, C. 1880, SMETANA, RIVERSIDE, MUDVILLE • area reached a peak during the Civil War with access to the railroad • Smetana, six miles west of Bryan, settled in 1885 by Bohemian immigrants • Riverside, 1887, a farming community near Smetana • Mudville, in Brazos Bottom, twelve miles southwest of Bryan 18 RELIANCE, TABOR, EDGE, STEEP HOLLOW, C. 1880, FARMING COMMUNITIES • Reliance, in northeastern part of county, settled in the early seventies by colony from Georgia calling the area "Little Georgia" • Tabor, ten miles north of Bryan, named in 1883 after John J. Tabor, first postmaster • Edge, twenty miles north of Bryan settled in the 1870's and 80's 19 BRAZOS COUNTY JAIL, C, 1890 ~ built on north side of courthouse square at a cost of $10,558 • designed in castellated style to give impression of strength 20 BRAZOS COUNTY COURTHOUSE, C. 1892 • built on site of an earlier courthouse at a cost of $65,000 • constructed of white sandstone from Comanche County and red stone from Pecos County 21 COURTHOUSE CEDAR, TRANSPLANTED FROM SITE OF BOONVILLE COURTHOUSE AND STILL LIVING • from a sapling in 1841 the tree has grown at the site of five Brazos County courthouses 22 GRAND OPERA HOUSE -FIRE DEPARTMENT, C. 1895 • opera house was converted city hall, entered by elaborate outside stairway to the second floor • John B. Mike, lessee and manager • interior of white with gilt moulding • seating capacity of 500 • traveling orchestras, violinists, magicians, orators, poets, and minstrels provided a variety of performances • fire depart- ment housed on first floor • first volunteer firemen known as "Little Alerts" • Burt and Bowser, two well-trained black horses pulled the wagon which was originally pulled by hand 23 ALEXANDER METHODIST CHURCH, 1854, FIRST CHURCH IN COUNTY • organized in old log schoolhouse by circuit rider, Rev. Robert Alexander i ~~ O s' ~ `q ~$ 2 6 \~~' °~ 3 ,>~ .~ '~ F. I~ ~ ~~ 24 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, 1866, BUILDING C. 1882 • temporary services held in building that had been a tenpin alley and saloon with benches made of boards placed on kegs • first frame building located on corner of East 27th and Washington streets 25 FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 1867, BUILDING C. 1914 • began with twenty-four members holding services twice a month in an old warehouse near the railroad • first sanctuary, a frame building, 1872 • second building completed in 1906 of buff-colored brick not formally dedicated until 1914 when all building debts were paid 26 ST. ANDREW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1867, BUILDING C, 1914 • first met in a whitewashed board building seating 300 persons, located at 25th and Parker • brick chapel, "Old Church", added in 1870's • third structure, still in use, of Gothic style designed by Jenkins brothers, contractors from England • same ball rings today as in wooden tower of "Old Church" 21 FIRST METHODIST CHURCH, 1869 • before 1869 a circuit preacher conducted services in an old theatrical hall with a saloon underneath • H & TC railroad donated a lot for a church in 1869 • white frame building used until 1902 when a brick structure was erected • latter church destroyed by fire in 1906 and quickly was rebuilt with same plans over original foundation 28 ST. JOSEPH CHURCH, 1870, BUILDING 1904 • mass first held out-of-doors • first building dedicated in 7878 • during residence of Father J. B, Gleissner, occa- sional sermons were given in French, Polish, Czech, and Spanish • second building served from 1904.1958 29 SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH, 1872, BUILDING C. 1887 • in early days Negro Baptists and Methodists worshiped under the same brush arbor on alternate Sundays • first building was a simple hall facing East 19th Street • improvements completed in 1883 • 1887 church served until 1949 30 KURTEN CHURCH, 1892 • organized by Rev. P. W, Vollbrecht who came from Gay Hill to hold services in homes and later in old Fickey school- house • building dedicated in 1897 as Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church • built of raw boards as they came from the saw mill 31 ST. ANTHONY CHURCH, 1896 • parish established to serve a large group of Italian families who came to Bryan from Louisiana to work on the cotton plantations • original white frame building destroyed by fire in 1926 and replaced by a $75,000 Italian style brick structure at 308 So. Parker Avenue 32 CARNEGIE LIBRARY, 1903 • grant of $10,000 received from the Carnegie Foundation to aid construction • replaced the first library, a rental one located above the James and Fountain Drug Store • post- Civil War headquarters of Hood's Brigade 1919-1933 33 MAIN STREET, C, 1900-1910 • city originally planned to be built around a public square but high cost of lots forced business men to turn west to build and have easy access to the railroad for unloading freight into their stores • Main Street was wide enough to turn a team of fifteen oxen • unpaved, the least rain transformed the street into a quagmire • as many as fifteen saloons in Bryan at the turn-of-the century • Edge's, Parker Lumber Company and First National Bank still operating today at original locations 34 29th STREET • prominent residential area 35 TURN-OF-CENTURY HOMES • homes built around 1900 which have been well preserved, through the years A, ASTIN HOME B. SANDERS HOME C. WILKERSON HOME D. WALDROP HOME E. HALL HOME F. CAVITY HOME G. JENKINS HOME H, OLIVER HOME 36 VILLA MARIA URSULINE ACADEMY, C. 1901 • an academy for girls moved from Galveston after the great 1900 storm • located on fifty acres of land east of the city on St. Ursula's Hill, Ursuline Avenue at Villa Maria Road • closed in 1929 31 BRYAN BAPTIST ACADEMY, 1901, BUILDING C, 1910 • originally Texas Women's College, founded in 1905 • renamed Bryan Baptist Academy (for girls) in 1909 • coeducational in 1910 • two large brick buildings erected on Ennis Street • recognized work in education, music, art and military training 38 ALLEN ACADEMY, 1917 • originally established in 1886 in Madisonville, Texas, as Allen High School • moved to Bryan in 1896 and became a preparatory school for boys • name changed to Allen Military Academy in 1917 and trained cadets from many states and a number of foreign countries 39 BOWIE SCHOOL, 1919 • original West Side School, athree-story brick structure in 1905 • replaced in 1919 with a two-story brick building • construction difficult because of shortages during World War I 40 BRYAN HIGH SCHOOL, BUILDING C. 1919 • built in 1879 to house Bryan's first public school known as Bryan Graded or East Side School • remodeled in 1919 and used as a shop, gymnasium, and gfeteria • grades received at end of month were Excellent, Good, Medium, or Impossible • new structure built in 1919 (on same block) now Fannin Elementary School 41 BRYAN-COLLEGE INTERURBAN, 1910-1923 • a seven-mile electric line built between Bryan and Texas A&M at a cost of $50,000 • also serviced Allen Academy and Villa Maria Convent • four cars in service in 1910, two of open type, two of closed type • ran an hourly schedule • ran first on gasoline, later electricity_• discontinued use in 1918 after coming of automobiles • in 1924 tracks were removed 42 SUE HASWELL PARK • land given by a Bryan mayor, Tyler Haswell, in memory of his parents who were Brazos County pioneers 43 CHAUTAUQUA TENT SHOW, 1917-18 • sponsored by the Bryan Woman's Club • erected on the courthouse grounds, presenting two prograrrs a day for a week • presented by Redpath Bureau in Chicago, named after a series of festivals held yearly on Lake Chautauqua in upstate New York • a potpourri of acrobats, brass bands, orators, xylophonists, and tragediennes at bargain prices 44 LUZA TANK • a popular swimming hole near Twenty-ninth Street and Villa Maria Road • "Posted" signs were seldom heeded on warm summer afternoons The thought of a historical mural to decorate a wall of the Commons Area of Bryan High School became reality in February, 1973, when art classes began gathering research which would take them back in time to the first hundred years of their county's history. Interviewing long-time citizens and turning through old photo albums presented the images needed to portray the buildings, landscapes, and people shown in the final project. Because of a current revival of folk art in the United States, the students chose stitchery as the medium to illustrate their subject and combined applique and crewel techniques to create the 9' x 25' work. Photography and Building-Trades classes aided in the copying of photos and the construction of framework. The center section of the composition represents the city of Bryan with the surrounding areas designed to show the various points of interest around Brazos County. Proportion and locations appear exaggerated in order to create a pleasing overall design. The signatures of the two hundred and twenty- eight students who took part in this project are re- produced on panels lining the wall adjoining the stitchery. Included in this display are photographs of early Brazos County and the mural in progress. After sixteen months of working in class, at home, and during the summer months, the mural reached completion in May, 1974. ART STUDENTS Don Amerson Beatrice Abbate Ben Brisw Kenneth Cameron Lewis Benton Relpn Campbell Joel Conde Phyllis Brown Cynthia Conley Robert Field Maria Cerda Joann Fazzino Melvin Ford Olivia Chavarria Esther Flores Kenneth Glenn Juanita Jackson Charles Harris Cynthia Grant Carla Naibert Charlotte Hines Mary Johnson Kay Nash Grechal Johnson Rose LaBarbera Joseph Orozco Jimmy Kearney Cheryl Leitko Vernon Warren Leanne Kenney Mercedes Lopez Nisha Laughlin Michael Kirwan Patrick Kerley David Ford Carol Lane Jane Marino Ernest Bosquez Gary Manthei Eleanor McMurray James Bell Mary Mikulin Andrea Medina Michael Holmgreen Cindy Morris Willie Mitchell Bruce Johnston Jesse Savala I ssac Narro Marilyn Lawrence Karen Sauer Jesse Newman Cheri linden Mark Skinner Harold Nutell Ruben Martinez Debbie Stormer Edward Ontiveros Joan McAtlams Henry Turner Ernestine Savala Kenneth McGee Teresa Bernet Bobby Susteyta Gerald Price Ronald Campbell Gary Tate Etlward Trejo Arthur Henry Paul Tate William VanOverbeek Nicky Andrus James O, Wilson Larry Adams Mechelle Aymond Marilyn Brimberry Debra Avritt Jeffrey Bailey Bicker Cain Charles Banks Bobbie Cooks Kim Curtis Carol Blinks Rorie Cruz Terri Copeland Robert Byer Timothy Dennis Gloria Cordaro Vickie Carter Richard Flores Mark Davenport Ronnie Collins Donna Hanson Susan Eller Alfred Crenshaw Beverly Jackson Luann Faucher Glinda Davis Cynthia Kalinec Catherine German Gary Gilbert Gregory Kelly Janet Goodwin Kirk Huff Freddie Lockett Darlene Hensarling Julie Mikulin Jeannie McQueen Lynda Hudson Annie Moore Susan Newman Marilyn Johnson Mark Morse Parker Raytord Nolan Kearney Charles Mosley Oscar Rodrigue2 Mari Lambert Paula Pillow Dana Kosberg Della Mitchell Lisa Presswood Janice Stockton Manuel Portales Mark Ramirez David Stuart Brenda Retcliff Pete Rodriguez William Tatar Thomas Ruiz Terry Theerl Mark Turman Beverly Tate Steve Tyler Bonnie West Deborah Thomson Paul Wallace Sharon Woods Rose Wilganowski Anthony Wilganowski Patricia Williams Nathaniel Williams Mitchel Menefee Charlie Wyatt Leslie Langston Martin Arredondo Sue Zwak Denise Brown Lynn Playter Albert Fields Brenda Garner Sharon Richards Obbie Toliver Adrian White Bently Robinson Calvin Ross Patricia Alvarez John Robinson Herman Brisco Alice Buford Charles Sandle Marion Johnson Jerry Cotrone Roderich Taylor Rorie Systayta Johnny Cortez Verna Wilganowski Joe Sifuentes Cynthia Dehert Patricia Berrid Be Yolanda Rives Elaine Elmendorf Eric Curry Chris Flores Pedro Feve Mary Degelia Kirk Grimes Jarvis Garvin William Haveron Willie Williams Melva Gonzales Margaret Hejl Charlie Gibbs Rudy Guajerdo Debra Irwin Brenda Drewey Barbara Harris Curtis King Gary Blazek Eva Jones Jack Laird Charlotte Payne Linda Lewis Manuel Lopez Sharon Stuart Josephine Marino Rau ben Nieto Susan Doerge Chester Martel Melanie Record Karen Smith David Martinez Shirley Richards Mary Ann Vaca Elmer McMurray Dorothy Smith Lisa Ryan Ernest Meriweather Sam Weitlo William Nutell Michael Montalbano Shirley Williams Don Overby Raymond Montoya Cynthia Allard Troy Smith Valerie Netka Barbara Nutell Ernest Gibbs Allen Birdwell Edward Shivers Lee Wilson Ruby Harris Meg Pope Judy Baird Paul Martinez James Young Bernie Francois ART TEACHERS Miss Mary Edna Dorsey Mrs. Charl Mattison PHOTOGRAPHY RESEARCH Edward Trejo Miss Mary Edna Dorsey William VanOverbeek Mrs. Sue Bethany Guinn Mr. Charles Scherbel Art Classes and and Photography Classes citizens of Brazos County CONSTRUCTION Mr, James Pledger and Building-Trades Classes BRYAN HIGH SCHOOL East 29th at Barak Lane Bryan, Texas Bobby J. Beard and Don Wiggins, Principals 1973 - 1974