Everything Richmond is known for
Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Richmond.
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 influence.
Sugar Land got its name the most literal way possible: it was land covered in sugar. In 1828, Stephen F. Austin granted this rich Brazos River bottomland to his secretary, Samuel May Williams, who called it Oakland Plantation for its oak groves. But it was sugar cane that thrived in the humid, fertile soil, and the Williams family built a raw-sugar mill to work it. When William Kyle and Benjamin Terry bought the plantation and its mill in the early 1850s, improved it, and pushed a railroad toward it, they gave the new town the plainest name that fit: Sugar Land. In 1907, Isaac Kempner and William Eldridge folded the old mill into the Imperial Sugar Company -- named, oddly, after a hotel in New York -- and built the place into a true company town. For decades, Imperial Sugar didn't just operate in Sugar Land; it more or less was Sugar Land, right down to the refinery that still anchors the skyline.
The eight-story brick tower over Sugar Land -- the Char House, built in 1925 -- hides a great piece of chemistry. Table sugar is really one molecule: sucrose, C12H22O11, twelve carbons, twenty-two hydrogens, eleven oxygens -- a unit of glucose locked to a unit of fructose. Sugar cane is just a tall grass that builds that molecule out of sunlight, water, and air, so a spoonful of sugar is basically captured sunshine. But raw cane sugar comes out amber-brown, stained by molasses. To make it white, Imperial pumped the amber syrup to the top of the Char House and let gravity pull it down through about thirty cast-iron tanks packed with bone char -- charred cattle bone, a cousin of activated charcoal. The char grabbed the color and impurities, and the liquid that dripped out the bottom was 'water white,' about 99.7 percent pure. And here's one for the kids in the car: crush a sugar cube, or bite a wintergreen mint, in a dark room, and you'll catch tiny blue sparks. Sucrose crystals are lopsided enough that snapping them actually flickers light. It's called triboluminescence.
(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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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…
A house covered in 50000 flattened beer cans. 18 years of drinking and decorating.
World-class art museum that's completely free. Rothko Chapel next door.
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…
278 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
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.
Richmond, Texas, while now a blend of suburban life and old-town charm, owes much of its early identity to its location along the Brazos River. The river, of course, is a defining feature of this part of Texas, and for…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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.…
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!…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
You're driving through Fort Bend County, near Richmond. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1836</say-as>, Thomas Jefferson Smith found himself in a desperate situation. He fought at the Battle of…
You're driving through Fort Bend County, and right here, in what is now this area, Walter C. White was planting corn back in 1821. He came to Texas with the Long expedition, but broke off to farm on the Trinity River.…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
(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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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 portion of General Santa Anna's Mexican Army used this crossing point on the…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
Rosenberg is a town built on the railroad, quite literally. Back in 1883, when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway started chugging through these parts, a community sprang up around it. But it was the Galveston,…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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,…
You're driving through what used to be Juliff, Texas, a place that earned itself a wild reputation. Originally settled as a shipping point on the Brazos River and later a stop for the railroad, Juliff became known for…
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…
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…
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…
You're driving through Fort Bend County, and right here, the waters of Oyster Creek begin their journey to the Gulf of Mexico. Some historians believe that way back in 1528, the Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
You're driving through Guy, Texas, a community with a unique origin story. Back in 1890, Philip Ward was the first settler here. But the town itself got its name from a little girl, Una Guy Rowland. Her father, Orr…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
You're driving past Sienna Plantation, a sprawling residential community southwest of Houston. But long before it was homes, this land was a massive plantation, started in 1840 by Jonathan D. Waters. He even had his own…
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…
You're driving through Fort Bend County, and right here is the site of Crabb, Texas. This community owes its existence to a railroad and a woman's land ownership. In 1879, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway pushed…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
This master-planned community officially opened its doors in 1989. For years, it existed as a census-designated place within Fort Bend County, residing in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Sugar Land. This…
Travis (Richmond, TX) placed on the 6A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Rhett Koudelka (3 HR).
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…
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…
Randle (Richmond, TX) placed on the 5A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Mason Mixon (0.465 avg).
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…
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…
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…
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).
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
You're driving through Sugar Land, a town born from the California Gold Rush! In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1853</say-as>, B.F. Terry and W.J. Kyle returned from California with fortunes. They bought a sugar…
Sugar Land got its name the most literal way possible: it was land covered in sugar. In 1828, Stephen F. Austin granted this rich Brazos River bottomland to his secretary, Samuel May Williams, who called it Oakland…
The eight-story brick tower over Sugar Land -- the Char House, built in 1925 -- hides a great piece of chemistry. Table sugar is really one molecule: sucrose, C12H22O11, twelve carbons, twenty-two hydrogens, eleven…
Here's why a whole town bet its name on sugar: cane is the biggest crop on Earth. Farmers grow more sugarcane by weight than wheat, rice, or corn -- over two billion tons a year, more than any other plant humans raise.…
The sugar in your pantry has a wilder cousin that bees invent. Take sucrose -- ordinary table sugar -- and split it back into its two halves, glucose and fructose, and you get 'invert sugar,' which is sweeter and…
That golden caramel on a flan or a candy apple is sugar in the act of falling apart. Heat plain table sugar past about three hundred forty degrees and the sucrose doesn't just melt -- the molecules shatter and recombine…
There's a reason some folks pay extra for Coke in a glass bottle from Mexico. Around 1980, to dodge high US sugar prices, Coca-Cola and most American soda makers swapped cane sugar for cheaper high-fructose corn syrup;…
Sugar Land's always been a place of ambition, a city carved from the cane fields south of Houston. For generations, Imperial Sugar defined the town, its towering refinery a constant presence on the horizon. But in…
You're driving through Sugar Land, a place that owes its name and existence to sugar cane. Back in the 1820s, Stephen F. Austin's colonists brought the crop here. By 1843, brothers Nathaniel and Matthew Williams were…
Here's something that sounds impossible: sugar can explode. Not a sugar cube, but sugar dust -- the fine powder that drifts off the line in any refinery. Suspended thick enough in the air and given a spark, it ignites…
Why did a whole town grow up around sugar? Because sugar is unusually useful. It's pure, fast energy -- about four calories a gram of almost instant fuel -- and it's a quiet preservative: pack fruit or meat in enough…
Every batch of white sugar leaves behind a dark, sticky reject: molasses, the syrup that won't crystallize because too much of it has broken down into loose glucose and fructose. Imperial's own byproduct was blackstrap…
Not all sugar comes from a tropical grass. Crack open a sugar beet -- a pale, knobby root that grows happily in cold northern fields -- and it's packed with the exact same sucrose as cane. Chemically the two are…
You're cruising past the Sugar Land Auditorium, the oldest public building still standing and in use in this city. Built way back in 1917, it was the heart of an eleven-building school complex, designed by an engineer…
You're driving through Sugar Land, a town that grew up around the sugar cane industry. Back in 1912, families moving here needed a school, so one was established. Then, in 1918, the state officially created Sugar Land…
You're driving through Fort Bend County, near Fulshear, where a massive land grant was issued way back on August 3rd, 1824. This 4,428-acre plot on the Brazos River went to David Randon and his partner, Isaac…
Four Corners started as a close-knit community, built around the connections of extended families. Over time, this area began to change. By 2011, it was experiencing rapid suburban growth, transforming the landscape.…
You're driving past Pleasant Hill Cemetery, a place that's been serving this community for over a century. In 1910, two acres of land were deeded to the Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church right here. By 1930, the…
You're driving through Rosenberg, and right here is Concord Cemetery. It started in the late 1800s as a burial ground for a community of Mennonites who settled nearby. The first folks laid to rest here were likely…
This area began to take shape in the early 1980s, experiencing significant growth over the next decade. By 1990, it was home to nearly 25,000 residents. The early 2000s saw a shift, with many residents commuting to…
You're driving through Fairchilds, a community named for an early settler, Philo Fairchilds. But the town really got its start in 1896 when a colony of northern Mennonites bought land here. Fifty families set up a whole…
You're driving through Thompsons, a community that owes its existence to a widow's remarriage! It all started around 1830 when Robert Bohannon settled here. After his death, his wife married Hiram Thompson, and he named…
You're driving past the resting place of Paschal Paolo Borden, a soldier who came all the way from New York to fight for Texas independence. He arrived on December 17, 1829, and jumped right into the fight,…
You're driving past the site of the old Stafford Plantation, right here in what's now Stafford. In 1822, William Joseph Stafford and his family arrived as part of Stephen F. Austin's original colony. They built a…
You're driving through Fulshear, Texas, the birthplace of Dolph Briscoe, Sr. He wasn't your typical rancher; he started young, not in college, but out on the range, horse trading and even running a newspaper route to…
You're driving through Fulshear, a town named for Churchill Fulshear. He was a French immigrant who arrived in Texas in 1824, one of Stephen F. Austin's original colonists. He settled here on a large land grant, raising…
You're driving through Fulshear, a town that owes its very existence to a railroad right-of-way. Back in 1888, Churchill Fulshear, Jr. granted the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway permission to cross his land. This…
You're driving through Fulshear, Texas, birthplace of Dr. Titus Holliday Harris, a pioneer in neuropsychiatry. Back in 1913, Harris was captain of the Southwestern University football team. The next year, he captained…
You're driving through Fort Bend County, not far from Fulshear. Right here, the community of Pittsville once thrived. It started as plantation owners sought higher ground away from the Brazos River's floods. The Pitts…
You're driving past Fulshear, Texas, the birthplace of Joseph Elward Clayton. Born in 1879, Clayton dedicated his life to improving the lives of African Americans. From 1908 to 1923, he served as principal of the…
You're driving past the site of Prairie Grove Cemetery, a final resting place for early African American pioneers in Alief. By 1910, families like the Outleys and Burlesons began settling here, many working as farm…
Fulshear (Fulshear, TX) placed on the 6A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Trey Giametta (6 HR); Mark Macklin (3 HR); Braden Schumann (3 HR); Logan Wallace (3 HR).
You're driving through Stafford, Texas, a town with roots stretching back to Stephen F. Austin's original colonists. Look around – this area was once Stafford's Point, founded in <say-as interpret-as="date"…
You're driving through Beasley, a town that owes its existence to Cecil A. Beasley and the railroad. He founded this spot in 1894, right along the Texas & New Orleans line. It was first called Dyer, but Beasley renamed…
You're driving through Beasley, Texas, a town that almost had a different name entirely! <break time="400ms"/> It was laid out in the mid-1890s by Cecil A. Beasley, a local banker. <break time="400ms"/> He originally…
You're driving past the site of Hope Lutheran Church in Beasley. Back in the 1910s, a pastor from nearby Needville started holding services for local Lutherans in the Beasley School. By 1918, these folks were organized…
Fulshear, Texas, might seem like a quiet spot on the map, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of place west of Houston. But scratch the surface, and you'll find a surprising connection to a figure who shaped Texas music.
You're driving through Fulshear, a town with roots stretching back to the earliest days of Texas. It all started in 1824 when Churchill Fulshear, one of Stephen F. Austin's original 300 settlers, received a land grant…
You're driving past Fulshear Black Cemetery, a final resting place with roots stretching back to the days of Churchill Fulshear's plantation. While oral tradition points to earlier burials, the oldest marked grave here…
Meadows Place, Texas, while primarily a residential community today, has roots intertwined with the region's agricultural past. Before the houses and well-manicured lawns, this area, like much of Fort Bend County, was…
Stafford is named for William Stafford, one of Austin's Old Three Hundred, who took title to his land grant here in 1824 and by 1830 was running a cane mill and a horse-powered cotton gin said to be Austin's colony's…
You're driving past the Cesinger Cemetery near Needville. This quiet resting place began with a family tragedy. In 1894, George Cesinger deeded one acre of land for a family burial ground after his sister Philipina died…
You're driving through Missouri City, passing the site of St. John Missionary Baptist Church. This congregation began in 1869, formed by formerly enslaved people from the DeWalt Plantation, led by Rev. Dave King. They…
You're driving past Fulshear Cemetery, but this place has roots stretching way back to 1824. That's when Churchill Fulshear, Jr., one of Stephen F. Austin's 'Old 300' colonists, acquired this land. By 1851, he donated…
You're driving through Fort Bend County, near Stafford, where Leo Roark settled with his family way back in 1824. He was just a kid when he got land here in 1825, and he even learned Spanish to help out his neighbors…
You're driving through Stafford, Texas, the birthplace of Robert Shaw, a legendary barrelhouse blues pianist. Born in 1908, Shaw's father opposed his musical dreams, but young Robert would sneak away to listen to music…
You're driving through Stafford, Texas, a community with roots stretching back to the earliest days of Texas settlement. Right here, back in 1830, William Stafford set up what's believed to be the very first cotton gin…
You're driving through Fort Bend County, not far from where Stafford's Point once stood. William Joseph Stafford, one of Stephen F. Austin's original colonists, was a farmer and slave owner here in the 1820s. His…
You're driving past Alief Cemetery, a quiet reminder of a community forged in hardship. It all started in 1896 when Dr. John Magee and his wife, Alief, settled here. The town was even named for her when she became the…
You're driving past Stafford, Texas, where history was made on rails. Back in 1853, this was the end of the line for the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Railway, the very first railroad in Texas. Imagine the excitement…
You're driving through Orchard, Texas, a community that owes its existence to a railroad and a visionary rancher. Back in 1890, S.K. Cross saw opportunity, selling off parts of his ranch to settlers, many of them…
You're driving past Houston's second oldest Masonic Lodge, Gray Lodge Number 329. It was founded way back in 1870 by twenty-two Master Masons who saw Houston growing fast and wanted a new lodge. They got their charter…
Lizzo (Melissa Viviane Jefferson, born Detroit April 27, 1988) moved with her family to Houston at age 10 (~1998), settling in Alief. At Alief Elsik High School (class of 2006) she was first-chair flute and a marching…
You're driving past Needville, where this small cemetery holds the stories of early German Methodist immigrants. The land was purchased in 1896, but the first burial here was in 1903, for the infant son of Pastor…
Alief Elsik High School in Houston is where Rashard Lewis averaged about 28 points a game and decided to jump straight from high school to the NBA in 1998. He famously slid to the 32nd pick, sitting in the green room in…
You're driving past Stafford, a town with a long educational history. By the 1830s, a one-room schoolhouse with ten students served the children here. Later, classes even met in the local blacksmith shop! Fast forward…
You're driving through Needville, a town that literally started because it needed more! In 1892, August Schendel opened a general store on his land. By 1894, he'd added a blacksmith, a cotton gin, and even the post…
You're driving past the site of Needville United Methodist Church. This congregation started in 1892 as the German Methodist Episcopal Church, North, founded by missionary Jacob Ott. For years, worship services were…
You're driving past the site of Alief, a Houston neighborhood with a story that begins way back in 1861. That's when Reynolds Reynolds claimed over a thousand acres here. The land changed hands, and by 1889, a railroad…
Coleton Black is a country artist born and raised in Katy, Texas, and part of one of the best-known families in country music: his father is Kevin Black and his uncles are Brian Black and country star Clint Black, who…
Missouri City started as a railroad stop, plain and simple. The Missouri-Kansas-Texas line cut through the prairie here back in the late 19th century, and that's what put it on the map. But it wasn't just about moving…
You're driving through Missouri City, Texas, but did you know this area was home to a filmmaker whose work captured the heart of post-World War II America? Shadrack Edmond Graham, or Shad, started his career as a child…
You're driving through Missouri City, a place born from a marketing slogan. Back in 1893, real estate investor W. R. McElroy wanted to boost sales for land southwest of Houston. He saw that other investors were…
You're driving through Needville, a town that started as a bit of a joke. Back in 1891, August Schendel founded it and called it Schendelville. When he applied for a post office in 1894, he jokingly named it Needmore,…
You're driving through what used to be Pittsville, a bustling prairie settlement founded in the 1840s. Named for store owners A.R. and Amanda Pitts, this town became a major commercial hub by 1860. During the Civil War,…
You're driving past the site of the historic H7 Ranch, founded by Emil Henry Marks. He registered the H7 cattle brand way back in 1898. By the early 1930s, his herd had exploded to over six thousand head, grazing on…
You're driving past Richmond, and right here is the resting place of Andrew Jackson Beard. He fought in the Battle of San Jacinto, earning his place as a Texas hero. Born in Arkansas in 1814, Beard lived a long life,…
You're driving past the Brown-Beard Cemetery, a final resting place for some of the earliest settlers in this area. It started as the Pentecost Graveyard, with the first recorded burial in 1841: George S. Pentecost, one…
You're cruising through Katy, and right here is the site of the First Baptist Church. Imagine this: November 20th, 1898. Reverend T. L. Scruggs leads the very first meeting, with just twelve charter members, many from…
You're driving through Simonton, Texas, a place that became a national potato powerhouse! Back in 1910, three men from Kansas – John Spencer and the Mullins brothers – bought a huge tract of land right here. They had a…
The Jon Kott Band is a Texas country and Red Dirt group from Katy, Texas, founded by frontman Jon Kott in early 2023, with a sound at the crossroads of country and rock and roll. The band was named a 2023 Artist to…
You're driving past the site of the old Barker Post Office. This little building started life in 1898, serving a new settlement that popped up along the Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad. Postmaster G. T. Miller ran it out…
The fertile lands around Beasley, Texas, first drew German immigrants in the mid-19th century, part of a broader migration to the state. They brought with them a strong agricultural tradition and the German language,…
You're driving past Simonton, where a schoolhouse once stood that was more than just classrooms. It all started back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1893</say-as>, when the Simonton Common School District was…
Old downtown Katy grew up around the railroad. The town started as Cane Island in eighteen-seventy-two; the M-K-T — the Katy line — pushed through in the eighteen-nineties, and the depot you're near was built in…
The ground under Katy is one of the more remarkable pieces of energy engineering in Texas. In the mid-1930s drillers found a natural gas field here so rich that during World War Two it was called the most important…
Katy's a town where Friday night lights shine bright, and not just because of the high school football. We've sent some serious talent out into the world. You might not realize it, but a few folks who've made it big…
Freeman (Katy, TX) placed on the 4A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Casen Cooley (4 HR).
You're cruising past the Old Dyer House, a Victorian beauty built way back in 1890. Imagine this: J. T. Dyer, the builder, was hammering away with square nails, using heart pine and cypress. But things got dangerous!…
Kimberly Caldwell is a singer and television host born in Katy, Texas, in 1982. She won the Star Search junior vocalist title five times as a child, performed at the Grand Ole Opry, and in 1995 sang at the 50th wedding…
Katy High School in Katy, Texas qualified for the 2026 UIL state softball championships, reaching the state tournament (final four) in Class six A, Division Two.
Katy High School (Katy, TX): Most recent: 51-14 over Cedar Hill · 2020 6A Division 2 final.
Garner might seem like a quiet spot on the map, but this land has a story to tell. You can feel it in the air, especially when you stand up on one of those hills – Garner sits over a thousand feet high, giving you a…
You're cruising through Katy, a town with roots stretching back to the Karankawa Indians who hunted buffalo right here as late as the 1820s. The road you're on might even follow the old San Felipe Road, used by Stephen…
Needville (Needville, TX) placed on the 4A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Angelo Aprea (0.494 avg, 5 HR); Jaydon Ortiz (3 HR); Ralphie Ortiz (2 HR).
You're driving through Katy, and right here is the site of the First United Methodist Church, a congregation that started way back in 1898. It wasn't just Methodists, though. The very first Sunday School was a Union…
Katy began in 1895 as a stop on the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, the 'K-T' or 'Katy' (the town-name folklore about a railroad official's wife is false; it's the railroad's nickname), and grew into a rice-farming town…
Hayden Baker is a country singer, songwriter, and guitarist raised in Katy, Texas, blending classic honky-tonk with a contemporary edge. He was the first artist and writer signed to Perfect Pitch, the publishing company…
You're driving through Katy, Texas, a place that boomed thanks to a massive natural gas discovery. Back in 1934, the discovery well for the Katy gas field was drilled, kicking off a major industrial development. By…
Legacy Stadium in Katy, Texas, opened in 2017 at a cost of about $70 million for Katy ISD, seating roughly 12,000. At its opening it was the most expensive high school football stadium in the United States, and the…
Paige Lewis is a country singer-songwriter raised in Katy, Texas, where she grew up playing softball to nineties country on her dad's truck radio. She began writing songs at fourteen on her mom's old guitar, signed with…
You're driving through Houston, and right here is where Edward K.T. Chen made his mark. Born in San Francisco, he came to Galveston in 1932 as secretary for the Republic of China's consulate, moving to Houston the next…
You're driving through Waller County, passing the Wade Cemetery. This isn't just any burial ground; it was established in 1846 by William Wade, a Mississippi plantation owner who amassed over 11,000 acres in the…
Stratford High School in Houston (14555 Fern Drive) is where Andrew Luck was both a three-year starting quarterback and class valedictorian. He passed for more than 7,000 career yards and 50-plus touchdowns and was…
This community's story is one of transformation, evolving from a 19th-century plantation reliant on enslaved labor to a modern master-planned development. The land, once a working sugar and cotton farm along the Brazos…
South of Interstate 10 on FM 359 lies the Brookshire Family Cemetery, established around 1850 and designated a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2004. Captain Nathen Brookshire (1793-1853) was born in Tennessee, fought in the…
Willowridge High School near Houston (in Fort Bend County) is where T.J. Ford led the team to a 75-1 record over his final two seasons and two state titles. At the University of Texas he won both the Naismith and Wooden…
You're driving through what used to be Krasna Settlement, a community founded by Czech immigrants right here in Fort Bend County. In 1891, Francis Smith started selling land, and by 1892, he donated four acres for a…
You're driving through Kendleton, a town with roots stretching back to Mexican Texas. Elizabeth Powell's home once served as a stage stop right here. Imagine, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1836</say-as>,…
You're driving past Kendleton, a town with roots stretching back to 1869 when William Kendall sold his plantation land exclusively to Freedmen. By the 1880s, this distinctly African American community was established.…
Westbury (Houston, TX) placed on the 5A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Noah Johnson (0.473 avg); Isaiah Jones (0.450 avg).
You're driving past the Moore Log House, a rustic piece of Houston history. In 1931 and '32, Edith and her husband built this home with pine logs they cut themselves. Look for the stone fireplace and chimney – those…
German immigrants founded the Bear Creek farming community around 1850, homesteading along Bear, Langham and South Mayde creeks west of Houston; Addicks grew as its railroad stop and post office, prospering into the…
You're driving past the site of the Bear Creek Methodist Church and Cemetery, a story that begins with German immigrants in the 1840s. For years, these settlers traveled to other towns for Sunday services. Then, around…
You're driving through Kendleton, a town with roots stretching back to the end of the Civil War. Right here, in the 1860s, plantation owner William E. Kendall divided his land into small farms. He sold these plots to…
Benjamin Franklin Williams, legislator and clergyman, was born a slave in Brunswick County, Virginia, in 1819. He was taken to South Carolina, then to Tennessee in 1830, before being brought to Colorado County, Texas,…
You're driving past Snake Creek Cemetery and Church near Needville. This quiet place holds the stories of early settlers, with names like Hodges, Boon, and Darst etched in stone. Look closely, and you might spot…
You're driving through Brookshire, a town that almost didn't happen. Back in 1835, Captain Nathen Brookshire got land here as part of Stephen F. Austin's fifth colony. Many thought this coastal prairie was too wild to…
You're driving through Wallis, and right here, you're passing the site of Guardian Angel Catholic Church. This congregation started in 1892, organized by Czech families who moved here from Fayette County. They held…
Brookshire is secretly two towns. In 1893, when the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad came through, two rival plats were filed side by side: John Kellner donated land and platted the Town of Kellner, while John…
You're driving through Brookshire, named for Captain Nathen Brookshire. He was born in Tennessee way back in 1793. Brookshire fought in the Texas Army, participating in the storming and capture of Bexar in December of…
You're driving past Arcola, and just ahead is the site of Duke, a community that boomed thanks to sugar. Back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1824</say-as>, settlers like David Fitzgerald and Thomas Barnett, a…
Driving through Arcola, you're passing the story of Daniel Perry, a man who wore many hats in early Texas. Born in Mississippi in 1791, Perry arrived in Texas in 1832. He fought in the Texas Army at the decisive Battle…
You're driving past the Arcola area, once home to the Fitzgerald and Fenn families, pioneers who arrived in Texas as early as 1821. David Fitzgerald, a veteran of two wars, came first. His son-in-law, Eli Fenn, arrived…
You're driving past the First United Methodist Church of Brookshire, a congregation with roots stretching back to 1844. It began as Union Chapel Methodist in a community called Pittsville, about six miles south. The…
Paetow High School (Katy, TX): Most recent: 27-24 (OT) over College Station · 2021 5A Division 1 final.
Acres Home, that sprawling stretch of northwest Houston, wasn't planned. It just sort of... happened. Back in the early 20th century, when Houston was booming, developers started carving up large tracts of land into…
At Fifth and Cooper in Brookshire stands the Donigan House, built in 1910 by Dr. Paul M. Donigan, an Armenian American physician born in Turkey who came to America for medical school around 1890 and settled in…
You're driving past the Donigan House in Brookshire, built in 1910 by Dr. Paul Donigan. Dr. Donigan himself was a bit of a journey, a native of Turkey who came to the U.S. around 1890 to study medicine. After…
Aldine sits on the flat, coastal plain of southeast Texas, a landscape sculpted by ancient seas and the slow, patient meandering of rivers. The ground is mostly sandy loam, a fertile mix deposited over millennia by the…
On the western edge of Houston, Bear Creek Park sits on the floor of the Addicks flood reservoir. Out in a southern pasture, behind a fourteen-foot federal fence, lies a forgotten pioneer cemetery — the burial ground of…
You're driving through Fort Bend County, and right here, Moses Shipman settled his family after a long journey from North Carolina. He was an Old Three Hundred colonist, arriving in Texas in 1822. His home on the Brazos…
This community's story is one of steady growth, particularly in recent decades. The area began with land patented in 1880, once surrounded by cotton plantations. A post office arrived in 1910, and by 1914, it had a…
You're driving through Arcola, Texas, a community with roots stretching back to one of the largest cotton and sugar plantations in the state. In 1850, Jonathan Dawson Waters acquired a massive league of land and named…
You're driving past the Wallis Cemetery, also known as the Protestant Cemetery. This burial ground has served the Wallis community since the 1890s, with the earliest known burial being Virginia Pennington, who died in…
The concrete towers near downtown Brookshire belong to the Brookshire Drying Company, a rice dryer founded in the 1940s and still operating -- drying, storing, and marketing area farmers' rice and shipping Texas rice to…
You're driving through Wallis, Texas, a town that owes its existence to the railroad and a man named J.E. Wallis. It started out as Bovine Bend back in 1873, when the post office first opened. But when the Gulf,…
Here is a Harris County mystery: nobody can document why Bunker Hill Village is called Bunker Hill. The name sounds like it marched straight out of Revolutionary War Boston, and it probably did, the way so many American…
You're driving through East Bernard, a town named for the San Bernard River. It started on the east side of the river, where Jethro Spivi built the first home around 1850. But the real growth came with the railroad in…
You're driving past the site of the Wallis United Methodist Church. This congregation got its start back in 1890 when M.L.H. Harry deeded land for a new Methodist church. They officially consider 1893 their founding…
Arcola, Texas, a small community in Fort Bend County, carries a name that echoes back to a significant historical event and a prominent local figure. The town was named not for a physical feature or a native plant, but…
You're near The Kinkaid School in Piney Point Village, on Houston's west side. Last December, the Falcons beat Bellaire Episcopal thirty-one to twenty-one to win the S P C Division four A state football championship.…
You're driving past the site of Kellner Townsite, the very first town in this area! It was platted in 1893 by John G. Kellner, who donated land for the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad. Kellner's farm and ranch lands…
Piney Point Village carries one of the oldest place names in Harris County. A grove of tall pines stood at a southward bend of Buffalo Bayou, and on the flat, nearly featureless prairie those trees could be seen for…
Piney Point was a grove of pines on a bend of Buffalo Bayou, a landmark on the old San Felipe-to-Harrisburg trail. In eighteen-twenty-four, John D. Taylor took the westernmost of Stephen F. Austin's 'Old Three Hundred'…
You're driving past the Kinkaid School, Houston's oldest private school, but it started with a real roadblock for its founder. Margaret Hunter Kinkaid wanted to teach, but a rule said married women couldn't work in…
You're driving past what used to be the heart of social life for Czech immigrants in East Bernard. Back in 1905, local Catholic men formed the K.J.T. St. Wenceslaus Society No. 40. They built a big hall right here,…
Cypress Lakes High School in the Cypress area near Houston is where De'Aaron Fox twice scored 50 points in a game. He played one season at Kentucky, was the fifth overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, and became an…
Christie's Seafood & Steaks (6029 Westheimer Rd) is Houston's oldest continuously operating restaurant, though its first 17 years were spent on the Galveston waterfront: Greek immigrant Theodosios Christofidis,…
You're driving through Bellaire, a town with a name that means 'good air' in French. It was founded in 1908 by William Wright Baldwin, president of the South End Land Company. He bought part of the vast ranch once owned…
You're driving through Bellaire, and right here is where the story of the 'Toonerville Trolley' began. In 1909, developers started building a streetcar line to connect this burgeoning town with Houston. Imagine a single…
You're driving past the site of Bellaire Presbyterian Church, the oldest continuing congregation in this community. It all started back in 1911 as a non-denominational church, meeting in the local schoolhouse and even…
James Madison High School (13719 White Heather Dr., Houston, TX), home of the Marlins, is where Vince Young became a high school legend. He started at quarterback for three years, piled up 12,987 yards of total offense,…
You're driving through southwest Harris County, not far from where the fate of Texas was decided. It's April of 1836, just weeks after the fall of the Alamo. General Houston's army is on the move, and so is Santa…
Hedwig Village is named for an actual Hedwig: Hedwig Jankowski Schroeder, who arrived from Germany in 1906, a young woman coming to Houston to join her sister, who ran a hotel and saloon. That same year she married…
Bellaire was a real-estate pitch from the very start, and so was the name. In 1908 William Wright Baldwin, a railroad executive who ran the South End Land Company, bought up part of the old Rice Ranch and set out to…
Spring Branch Memorial (Houston) put 5 players on the statewide leaderboards of the 2026 Texas high school baseball playoffs. Ben Fuqua had the 2nd-fewest hits allowed per inning in the state. Wyatt Baskin had the…
You're driving past Almeda, a town that started with big dreams of citrus in the 1890s. Illinois investors bought this land near an old railroad line, hoping the mild Texas climate would make it a paradise for growing…
You're driving near Bellaire, Texas, a town born from a vision to create an 'elite residential area.' The South End Land Company, chartered in 1902, purchased over 9,000 acres west of Houston with dreams of development.…
You're driving through Bellaire, Texas, a community with a name that evokes fresh Gulf breezes. And that's exactly how William Wright Baldwin, a railroad executive, chose to name it in 1908. He bought land just west of…
You're driving through Bellaire, a Houston suburb that owes its existence to a railroad executive. In 1908, William Wright Baldwin, vice president of the Burlington Railroad, bought this land and envisioned a new…
You're driving through Hedwig Village, a small community just west of Houston. Its story starts with Hedwig Jankowski, who came all the way from Germany in 1906. She settled here, met and married Henry Schroeder, and…
Long before the Memorial Villages, this was raw prairie and pine. In eighteen-thirty-nine a German immigrant named Jacob Schroeder took a six-hundred-forty-acre Republic of Texas land grant and built a log cabin right…