The City of Bryan Celebrates 150 Years!

1870 Downtown Bryan

Saturday, Nov. 13 Community Thanksgiving Meal From 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. • Brazos County Expo Center 5827 Leonard Rd., Bryan, TX 77807 Everyone in the community is invited to a Community Thanksgiving Meal. The event will include a buffet meal, musical entertainment and a program.

Tickets are free but subject to availability and seating capacity. If you RSVP after Friday, Oct. 8, you will be added to a waitlist and your attendance will not be confirmed until you are contacted by a City of Bryan representative and receive an additional confirmation.

Monday, Nov. 29 • Official Anniversary Incorporation of the City of Bryan Bryan Municipal Office Building, 300 S. Texas Ave., Bryan, TX 77803 The City of Bryan was officially incorporated and recognized by the State of Texas as a municipality on Nov. 29, 1871. Today, we mark the 150th anniversary of this historic event. Celebrate with us throughout the day.

Ring a bell, raise a glass, or just take a moment to stop and think about this impressive milestone.

Friday, Nov. 5 • Guided History Tour From 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. • Downtown Bryan Destination Bryan and the City of Bryan will be providing in-person guided walking history tours of Downtown Bryan as part of the city’s 150th Anniversary celebration. The tours will be held in conjunction with First Fridays in Downtown. Pre-registration is required. Register at 150. bryantx.gov/events/

Tuesday, Nov. 9 • Time Capsule Burial at the Municipal Office Building (Time TBA) Bryan Municipal Office Building, 300 S. Texas Ave., Bryan, TX 77803 Celebrate with us as we mark 150 years of the City of Bryan by burying a time capsule next to the capsule that was buried on our 125th anniversary. The capsule will be opened in 50 years.

Friday, Nov. 12 • Free Concert Palace Theater • Music starts at 7 p.m.

Downtown Bryan, 105 S. Main Street, Bryan, TX 77803 Enjoy a free concert as part of the 150th Anniversary festivities. Musical guests: Midnight Express, Kane Alvarado, Music starts at 7 p.m.

2 | City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special

Bryan on 150 years as an incorporated city in the State of Texas

48 Texas Historical Markers within the City of Bryan 10 Texas Historical Markers in Bryan’s ETJ 3 additional Texas Historical Markers recently approved by the THC 40+ National Historic Register structures, sites, and districts in Bryan 640 acres (1 square mile) in original town site (est. 1860) 2388 acres and in the range of 3000 citizens at incorporation (1871) 34,700 acres (54 square miles) in the City of Bryan today 85,000+ citizens in Bryan today

Brazos County Historical Commission www.BrazosCountyHistory.org T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

Guaranty Bank & Trust would like to wish the City of Bryan a Happy 150th Anniversary! We are excited to be celebrating the past, present and now the future of our city. It is an honor to be serving the citizens of Bryan alongside you. Here is to another 150 years!

Bryan: 2800 S. Texas Ave | 979.703.8930 College Station: 710 William D. Fitch Parkway | 979.703.8915 2700 Earl Rudder Freeway | 979.485.5880 www.gnty.com | Member FDIC

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special | 3

established between the A&M campus and Bryan, and other new ideas and innovations were on the way.

FOREVER CONNECTED Bryan and its residents have had a special bond with Texas A&M University since the college’s formative days, and for good reason. After all, Bryan is the birthplace of Texas A&M. That shared relationship has benefited both the city and the university for nearly 150 years.

The birthplace of Texas A&M Bryan is where the three members of the state university selection commission were “wined and dined” by local residents on June 13, 1871, and where those locals talked of contributing significant amounts of money toward the new college.

Bryan is where Harvey Mitchell embarked on the most vital task he’d ever undertaken: Securing the site of the college.

According to John Henry Brown’s 1896 history book Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas: “It was the highest ambition of his [Mitchell’s] life.

He was fully impressed with its importance as a source of revenue to his people, for all time to come, as thousands

of dollars would annually be brought into the county and disbursed among the people for labor and supplies.”

And Bryan is where Mitchell, having rushed frantically back from the site selection meetings in Houston, got local residents together and secured the deeds for the land needed to win the selection competition. The deal was struck on June 20, 1871, and thus, the college would be established here.

Finally, on Oct. 4, 1876, the big day arrived as the Inauguration of the State Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas occurred in Bryan. Texas Gov. Richard Coke and College President Thomas S. Gathright spoke at the ceremony.

In the first decade of the 20th century, the roots of our greater community were still squarely based in agriculture, and you can begin to see the benefits of having an agricultural research college so close by.

In 1906, more wagon cotton was brought to market in Bryan than any other town or city in the world. That’s a lot of cotton. A unique and symbiotic relationship was growing between A&M, the greater agricultural community and Bryan itself.

Starting in 1910, the BryanCollege Interurban Railway was a trolley line that literally connected Downtown Bryan to Texas A&M, just four miles to the southeast. The trip from Bryan took 30 minutes, and the cost to ride was 15 cents roundtrip.

Its reliability was often called into question, particularly in its early years when it was propelled along its tracks by an underpowered gasoline engine.

When difficulties occurred, and they often did, the accepted cry was “Ladies, keep your seats; Profs, get out and walk; and Cadets, get out and push!”

As for the students themselves, well, the college was just that, a college. But Bryan was the city. Bryan was where you went for entertainment, shopping or almost anything – even bonfires. In 1909, Texas A&M students held at least four bonfires, and two of them were in Bryan. Another Bryan bonfire followed in Bryan in 1910, and yet another in 1915.

On Sept 30, 1918, as WWI was winding down and the Spanish Flu pandemic was hitting our area, it was announced that A&M continued on page 6

Early days and new connections Having the college here was a big boon for Bryan and you can see that in some of the advancements in technology and transportation in Bryan in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

For example, in 1883 the first telephone connection was

4 | City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special

The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, seen here in an early photo, was inaugurated in 1876.

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

Visit our gift shop for great surprises!

Our tic d friends! tickets make great gifts for your family and

SHOP IN STORE & ONLINE 18075 FM 974 Bryan, TX 77808 www.animalsafari.com (979) 599-5440 T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special | 5

continued from page 4

In 2008, ground was broken on the new Texas A&M Health Science Center facility located on the western side of Bryan. The center was officially dedicated in 2010.

President William Bizzell had put the college in quarantine preventing the students and soldiers stationed there from leaving campus. The quarantine was aimed at limiting exposure and also preventing soldiers and students from using night trains which might cause them to catch a cold that in turn could develop into the flu.

Where would those students and soldiers have been riding night trains to and from? Bryan of course.

From Bryan Army Air Field to RELLIS Bryan Army Air Field opened in 1943 as a pilot training school during World War II, but after the war, the deactivated base was used as the Texas A&M Annex for freshmen from 1946-49.

Facilities were leased at Bryan Army Air Field to house both returning veterans and incoming Corps freshmen classes. For members of the Aggie classes of 1950-53, their first home at A&M was at the old Bryan air base.

In 1951, the base was reactivated and that, along with explosive growth at Texas A&M, contributed to Bryan’s population boom in the 1950s.

By 1960 Bryan’s population was more than 3 1/2 times the size it was in 1930. And as Bryan and A&M kept getting bigger, the city’s residential and commercial footprint expanded farther and farther outside of the traditional downtown area,

most notably southward toward the university.

In 1962, the Bryan Air Force Base officially closed and the site was deeded to A&M, now officially named Texas A&M University, which added 1,991.39 acres in property. The land was operated as the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center for the next 25 years.

In 1988, the Research and Extension Center got a name change. Renamed the Riverside Campus it became the research home of numerous University and A&M System-related ventures, including the Texas A&M Engineering Training Service (TEEX), the Texas A&M Engineering Research Station (TEES), and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

That iteration of the facility would last for 28 years. And then in 2016, the site got more than just a name change. It got a complete game change. The Texas A&M University System’s RELLIS Campus was founded

6 | City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special

on the site of the Riverside Campus and the former Bryan Air Force Base.

The RELLIS Campus, whose name is an acronym for Texas A&M’s core values of respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity, and selfless service, is now a technology and testing research hub that facilitates collaboration between private and public-sector companies and provides unique educational opportunities for students. It serves as an ecosystem that fosters cutting-

edge research, technology development, higher education and workforce training with state-of-the-art research laboratories, and testing and proving grounds.

In 2019, recognizing its potential, the City of Bryan annexed the area around and including the RELLIS Campus.

And that looks like it was a good idea for both parties since growth doesn’t appear to be subsiding anytime soon.

The soon-to-be-completed

The Texas A&M University System’s RELLIS Campus was founded in 2016 on the site of the old Bryan Army Air Base.

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

Bush Combat Development Complex for the U.S. Army Futures Command, a 225,000 square foot Data and Research Center, and the growing demand for advanced research will secure RELLIS and Bryan as a hub for technical development well into the future.

Growing together in Bryan In the mid-2000s, Bryan was presented with an opportunity to strengthen its ties to the university, and for the university to expand its physical footprint in Bryan.

The Texas A&M Health Science Center was expanding rapidly and the City of Bryan offered them a deal, specifically 200 acres of land in west Bryan where they could build a new facility, and additional economic incentives.

This new Health Science Center (HSC) would serve many goals, but primarily it would bring all of the A&M Health academic programs and administration scattered across Bryan and College Station into one campus. And it would help spur growth on the western side of Bryan. Considering that the Traditions Club golf course and residential community were right next door to the site of the new HSC, the plan made a lot of sense. (Incidentally, the Traditions Golf Course in Bryan is the home of the A&M men’s and women’s golf teams.)

The deal was a win-win for T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

both Bryan and A&M, and in 2007 the city formally gifted the 200 acres to the university.

Ground was broken in 2008 and the formal dedication ceremony for the new facility was held in July 2010.

The results have been outstanding. The establishment of the HSC in west Bryan was a catalyst for new innovation and development in that area. Sometimes called the “bio-corridor,” the area encompassing the HSC and Traditions has become the home of multiple technology and science-oriented businesses. More recently, the establishment of The Stella Hotel and the Lake Walk Town Center in the area have created a thriving mixeduse recreational, living and entertainment district.

And let’s not forget Downtown Bryan. In November 2018, the City of Bryan and Texas A&M entered an agreement for the university to lease property in Downtown Bryan for the College of Architecture’s departments of Visualization and Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning.

As you can see, the fortunes of Bryan and Texas A&M have been forever entwined. The city and the university have grown together throughout history, they’ve nurtured each other in good times and bad, and they’ve created a strong foundation for the future of both institutions.

First United Methodist Church, Bryan Since 1868 506 E. 28th Street, Bryan, Texas

First United Methodist Church, Bryan officially began in 1868, and held its first worship service in its first sanctuary in September of 1869. This congregation of believers was founded before Bryan was incorporated as a city in 1871. In 1902, a sanctuary was built that burned to the ground and a new sanctuary was built in 1906 based on the exact same building plans form 1902. On December 10, 1951, the members left the old sanctuary on the corner of Houston and 27th street and walked over to the new sanctuary on Houston and 28th street.

We are a historic church with a great legacy, but we are also a contemporary church with a passion for our city and ministries that impact our community. Our mission is to love, witness and serve.

Join us on Sunday mornings for worship in person or online!

8:30 AM & 11 AM Traditional Worship 9 AM The Awakening, Contemporary Worship 11 AM Hispanic Worship www.fumcbryan.org City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special | 7

EDUCATION

was also instrumental in Texas A&M being located here.

facility was destroyed during the hurricane of 1900.

In 1880, the first taxsupported public school in Bryan opened as the Bryan Grade School on the site of the current Fannin Elementary School, east of downtown.

In spite of a beautiful 50-acre campus that was connected to Main Street via the interurban trolley in 1913, the academy was never able to enroll enough students to sustain itself. In the summer of 1929, the Sisters moved back to Galveston, where their convent had been restored.

Five years later, Bryan’s first school for African Americans, Bryan School for Colored, was founded at E. 19th Street and Preston Avenue. Over the next 86 years, that location would support a school building, of one form or another, for the education of segregated African American students.

For 20 years, this was the state of public schools in Bryan.

But as Bryan grew, so did the school system. In 1905, West Side School opened on 26th Street to relieve overcrowding and keep younger children from having to cross the railroad tracks to get to school.

The Bowie School building occupies this site today.

Bryan High School students are seen here in 1896.

From its earliest days, Bryan had a special connection with education. That probably doesn’t seem like a big surprise considering Bryan is the birthplace of Texas A&M University.

But even before Texas A&M grew to its current stature, Bryan residents had a commitment to education, both public and private, which stretched back to before the

city was even founded. And it’s interesting to delve into these early stories of education in Bryan

Early schools Going all the way back to 1841, we find that Harvey Mitchell himself, the “father of Brazos County,” organized the first school and served as the teacher. The classes took place in the home of Richard Carter.

Of course, Harvey Mitchell

8 | City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special

On the private school side, there were multiple schools and colleges that formed in Bryan in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Some of them are gone, and some remain viable academic institutions to this day.

In 1899, Allen Academy moved to Bryan as a boys’ college preparatory school, followed in 1901 with the addition of Villa Maria Ursuline Academy for girls, and in 1905 by the Texas Women’s College.

The Villa Maria Ursuline Academy and Convent moved to Bryan after its Galveston

The Texas Women’s College was founded by Bryan Baptists with the pastor of First Baptist Church, Dr. George B. Butler, serving as its first president.

Just four years after its founding, the college became the Bryan Baptist Academy, but the institution was shortlived and operations were discontinued in 1914.

One interesting fact about Allen Academy is that military training was added to the curriculum in 1917, likely because of the United States’ entrance into World War I, and military training remained a part of the school’s fabric until the 1980s. In 1988, the school moved to a new campus on Boonville Road, and began admitting girls into a pre-K through 12th grade college prep curriculum.

Education amid segregation Bryan’s public-school system was segregated for 86 years, from 1885 until 1971.

Generations of students and Bryan residents didn’t know it any other way. And that division shaped the culture in T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

Bryan for decades. And all the while, Bryan was growing and the need for more schools was growing, too.

Multiple new schools for

white students were built in Bryan between 1918 and 1938.

1918: A new high school in Bryan on Baker Street. The school had 40 classrooms and

an auditorium that seated 1,000. It replaced the original Bryan Public School that was built in 1880. Today it is the site of Fannin Elementary School 1922: Bowie School adjacent to West Side School. West Side was demolished and became the site of the gymnasium for Bowie.

1927: Travis Elementary School was constructed at 901 East 25th Street.

In 1918 a new Bryan High School was constructed on the site of the current Fannin Elementary School. These students attended Bryan High in the 1920s.

Saint Andrew’s Welcomes you!

Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church Est. 1867 Celebrating the past, present and future in downtown Bryan Sunday Worship Services and special programs throughout the year

It is now the administration building for Bryan ISD. And during that time period, only one new school was built for African American students.

In 1930, the new E. A. Kemp Junior-Senior High School was constructed on W. 19th Street.

The new school was named after the local African American educator and principal who had died the previous year. At the same time, the name of Bryan School for Colored was changed to Washington Elementary School.

1938: The new Stephen F. Austin High School opened at 801 S. Ennis St. Designed by W. Dr. Oswell Person is an E. O. Sanders, Jr., this Art DecoA. Kemp graduate and author style building served as a high of African American Bryan, school until 1971 when Bryan schools were fully integrated. continued on page 10

FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST)

900 S Ennis, Bryan TX 77803 979-823-5451 Rev. Michael Townsend, Minister www.firstchristianbcs.org Established in 1866

Facebook: BryanCollegeSta�onDisciples

217 W. 26th Street, Bryan | www.standrewsbcs.org

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special | 9

continued from page 9 Texas: Celebrating the Past.

He discussed the bond that E. A. Kemp graduates share in an interview in 2012.

“The fact that we were segregated. The fact that we had in common this one school,” Dr. Person said. “If you lived in Bryan from the 1940s forward, to the point in which the schools merged and were desegregated, you met at E. A. Kemp High at some point in your life. You had that experience.”

When people talk about segregated schools in the 20th century, most of the time they are referencing the split between schools serving African American students and the schools serving white students. But in Bryan beginning in the 1930s, there was also another split: Hispanic students.

From the mid-1930s to the early 1950s, Ibarra School on the west side of Bryan served as the primary school for Hispanic children. While it’s not clear that Ibarra was ever intended to be a segregated school, that was the de facto result since it was built in an area where only Hispanic students were within walking distance to attend.

But there was also another uniqueness about Ibarra. It only served students through the 5th grade. After the 5th grade, students had to go to a different school – in most cases Bowie Elementary for one year – before entering junior high.

So, while Ibarra was de facto segregated, Hispanic students were still not completely segregated at all age groups like their fellow African American students.

From integration to today With the Supreme Court’s verdict in the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case, segregation in schools took its first major hit.

And though it would take many years, and many other lawsuits, to end institutional segregation, the writing was on the wall.

Students pose for a class picture at Ibarra Elementary School in the late 1940s.

Ibarra Elementary served Hispanic children from the mid 1930s into the 1950s.

In 1961, a new E. A. Kemp High School, was built to serve African American students and the old Kemp High was renamed R.C. Neal Junior High School. But the era of these segregated schools in Bryan was coming to an end.

In 1971, Bryan schools became fully integrated with the new Bryan High School opening that September.

The new E.A. Kemp High School, seen here in about 1961, served only African American students until the 1971 desegregation of Bryan schools. Bryan’s first school for African Americans, Bryan Public School for Colored, was founded in 1885.

It should be pointed out that Bryan had implemented a school choice program in 1965 where African American students could choose which school they wanted to attend, as well as setting up a yearby-year phase-in plan to completely integrate grades one at a time over several years.

These plans kept the schools from running afoul of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and ensured they would continue to receive federal funding. While some African American students

10 | City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special

Students study plants during their agriculture class at E. A. Kemp High School in the 1960s.

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

did enroll at the formerly all-white campuses, no white students enrolled in the African American schools.

It is also notable that the final integration was hastened along by a series of suspicious fires at four Bryan schools in 1970: Washington Elementary, Neal Junior High, Carver Elementary and Fannin Elementary. Washington, Neal and Carver were African American schools. Fannin was not. But both the Carver and Fannin fires were deemed to be arson.

Finally, on July 23, 1971, Judge James Noel found that Bryan still had five schools that were considered illegally segregated and ordered the

immediate desegregation.

Bryan High School served only 11th and 12th grades that first year, and then became a full grades 9-12 high school in 1972.

The former E.A. Kemp High School was repurposed as a school for 6th grade students at that time.

Bryan’s public schools have grown a lot since 1971, and have added many innovative programs, such as the new Career and Technical Education program, which began in 2019.

But arguably the biggest addition came in 2008, when the new Rudder High School opened to relieve overcrowding at Bryan High. The school is named in honor of World War

II hero, and former president of Texas A&M, James Earl Rudder.

The college years Blinn College began offering night classes at Allen Academy in Bryan in 1971, and this would be the beginning of a long-term and expansive investment in post-secondary education in Bryan.

In 1997, Blinn College opened their Bryan campus on Villa Maria Road near E. 29th Street.

This addition to the local educational landscape was a huge benefit to Bryan and its young people.

Now, in addition to the four-year programs offered at Texas A&M, a student could go to Blinn for two years, get

an associate’s degree and then consider transferring to a four-year program at another university.

Over the past two decades, Blinn’s footprint in Bryan has continued to expand adding new programs including vocational training programs.

With more than 10,000 students at the Bryan campus, Blinn is one of the largest junior/community colleges in Texas and consistently has the highest transfer rate to a four- year college in the state.

The school also has the highest percentage of students who go on to earn bachelor’s degrees, and it transfers more students to Texas A&M University than any other community college.

a heritage of hospitality since 1918 2301 E 29th ST., BRYAN, TX

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

H

DIAL 979-822-1571 DAY OR NIGHT C i t y o f B r y a n S e s q u i c e n t e n n i a l S p e c i a l | 11

150 YEARS One of the core initiatives of the City of Bryan’s 150th Anniversary celebration has been the creation of a new website to commemorate this milestone in Bryan’s history and to tell that history in a new and innovative way. Over the course of this year, we’ve attempted to summarize more than 150 years of history into a format that is easily accessible and, hopefully, entertaining as well.

We’ve done extensive research in all of the usual places such as the Carnegie History Center, the Cushing Library at Texas A&M University and the numerous books that have previously been written about the history of Bryan and Brazos County. But we’ve also done new fact-finding and interviews to try to unearth tidbits of the past that may not have seen the light of day in decades, or perhaps ever.

Celebrating 127 years of providing a Catholic Education in the Brazos Valley

St. Joseph Catholic School

Elementary Campus: 901 E Wm Joel Pkwy • Bryan, TX 77803 • (979) 822- 6643 Secondary Campus: 600 S Coulter Dr • Bryan, TX 77803 • (979) 822-6641 stjosephschoolbcs.org • 12 | City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special

@sjcsbcs T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

AND COUNTING We’ve tried to present stories and information from everyone in our community, making sure that the voices of our African American and Hispanic residents were heard. We want this to be one of the most inclusive histories of Bryan ever produced.

While this project is by no means comprehensive and barely scratches the surface of Bryan’s expansive history, we do hope that the stories, artifacts,

photos, maps, videos and audio interviews will give you an accurate glimpse into the rich tapestry that is Bryan, Texas, and how all of us have played a role in laying the foundations for the future.

THE CITY OF BRYAN’S 150TH ANNIVERSARY WEBSITE:

150.bryantx.gov

PROUD TO CALL BRYAN HOME SINCE 1977

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

C i t y o f B r y a n S e s q u i c e n t e n n i a l S p e c i a l | 13

Here’s a sample of the historic artifacts that are a part of the limited-time-only museum display: The 150 Collection at Clara B. Mounce Public Library and the Carnegie History Center. This interactive exhibit will allow you to see pieces of Bryan’s history up close and then scan a QR code to learn more about each item.

See all of the artifacts at

150.bryantx.gov/artifacts

14 | City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special

Rodriguez sombrero Circa 1889 / Courtesy of Rodriguez family via Carnegie History Center This sombrero was worn

by Manuel Rodriguez upon his arrival in Bryan in 1889.

According to the book Brazos County History: Rich Past, Bright Future, “In 1889, a 20-year-old Mexican named Manuel Rodriguez created quite a scene when he walked down Bryan’s Main Street for the first time. He drew a crowd of children who were intrigued by the large sombrero he wore.”

Rodriguez saved his money and opened a restaurant. His legacy lives on today in the form of Casa Rodriguez restaurant in Downtown Bryan.

Replica 1876 Texas A&M Program 1951 / Courtesy of City of Bryan This historical reprint of the original program from the inauguration of the college in 1876 was printed for the 75th anniversary of Texas A&M University in 1951. It includes the text of the speeches of Gov. Richard Coke and College President Thomas S. Gathright, as well as text of an article about the event that ran in the Galveston News on Oct. 5, 1876.

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

Courthouse stone 1892-1954 / Courtesy of Randy Haynes This piece of sandstone is from the exterior of the Brazos Telephone directory Opera House bookmark County Courthouse that was 1891 / Courtesy of Kenneth W. 1928 / Courtesy of Curtis built in 1892 and demolished in Morgan Smith Jr. This telephone directory, dated 1954, when it was replaced in This souvenir bookmark for the same location in Bryan by the performance of “A Breezy November 1928, shows Bryan, Time” at the Grand Opera House College Station and Kurten, with the current courthouse. most numbers still only two or on Thursday, Sept. 24, 1891, is three digits. Some numbers on made of linen, and was used as an advertising and marketing the inside show only a single tool. It was provided to patrons digit or a letter. “with compliments of the proprietors of “The Brazos Pilot,” a local newspaper published from 1877-1909.

Interurban Railway tickets 1910-1923 / Courtesy of Carnegie History Center These are copies of tickets for the Bryan-College Interurban Railway, a trolley line that connected Bryan to Texas A&M College, four miles to the southeast, from 1910 until 1923.

The trip from Bryan took 30 minutes, and the cost to ride was fifteen cents roundtrip. Its reliability was often called into question, particularly in its early years when it was propelled by an underpowered gasoline engine.

continued on page 16

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

C i t y o f B r y a n S e s q u i c e n t e n n i a l S p e c i a l | 15

continued from page 15

Medical instruments Circa 1920-1940 / Courtesy of Elizabeth Buckley These medical instruments were used by Dr. L. O. Wilkerson in his medical practice in Bryan in the 1920s and 1930s. Dr. Wilkerson was a prominent surgeon and aviation pioneer in Bryan who founded the Wilkerson Memorial Clinic (hospital) in 1931. The clinic was renamed Bryan Hospital in 1943 and was located in Downtown Bryan until 1974. The hospital moved several times and eventually became College Station Medical Center.

Kemp Jr.-Sr. High School letter sweater Circa 1931 / Courtesy of Brazos Valley African American Museum This letter sweater belonged to William Howell Hall who was a star football player for Bryan School for Colored and E. A. Kemp Junior-Senior High School. Mr. Hall graduated in 1931 and continued his education, and his football exploits, at Prairie View A&M University. In 1995 he was honored as the oldest active graduate of BSFC and Kemp High at the All-School Reunion in Bryan. Mr. Hall died in 2000.

16 | City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special

SFA High School letter sweaters 1940, 1944 / Courtesy of Matt Poling These two Stephen F. Austin High School letter sweaters were purchased at an auction of items belonging to the late Dr. John “Jack” Marsh, Jr. of Bryan in 2019. The green sweater belonged to Jack Marsh and dates to 1940. The white sweater belonged to Jack’s sister, Louise Marsh, and dates to 1944.

Harvey Mitchell’s survey tools Circa 1840s / Courtesy of Carnegie History Center As the “Father of Brazos County,” Harvey Mitchell was a man who wore many hats. He was a teacher, justice of the peace, minister, hotel and store owner, blacksmith and a land surveyor.

Mitchell helped survey land throughout Brazos County in its early days and used this Vernier compass and tripod in his surveying.

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

Harvey Mitchell’s Last Will 1899 / Courtesy of Carnegie History Center This is a copy of Harvey Mitchell’s handwritten Last Will and Testament dated July 6, 1899. Harvey Mitchell was one of Bryan’s first and most influential residents. He organized the first school in 1841 and served as its first teacher, holding class in the home of Richard Carter. His crowning achievement occurred in 1871, when he arranged for the new landgrant college in Texas to be located in Brazos County.

Today, we know it as Texas A&M University.

that purpose, my said Full transcribed text of executor is hereby fully Harvey Mitchell’s will authorized to sell, at below: public or private sale and July 6, 1899 make legal, conveyance The State of Texas thereof, any property I Brazos County may own at my death, I, Harvey Mitchell, of the state and either for cash or on time as he may deem best for county aforesaid, being of sound, disposing mind the interest of my estate (save and except my and memory, do hereby make and ordain this my residence, Lots 9 & 10 in Block 22 in the City of last will and testament, Bryan in Brazos County, hereby revoking all others I may have Texas and my American Encyclopedia). heretofore made.

2nd. After all my 1st. It is my desire that my executor, herein debts are so paid I give and bequeath to my after named, shall pay son Jeff P. Mitchell one all my just debts that dollar and no more, he I may owe at the date having already received of my death, including expenses of last sickness from me a larger portion and funeral and for continued on page 19

PROUD TO CALL DOWNTOWN BRYAN OUR HOME!

Unfinished

Finished

With unfinished furniture you will have a piece you can pass down for generations Burr’s Unfinished Furniture has served the greater Bryan and College Station area since 1980 Always family owned and operated We take pride is selling REAL wood furniture and offering great customer service before and after the sale Tel (979) 822-7052 • Email burrsfurniture@frontier.com T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

Burr’s Unfinished Furniture

314 North Main Street Downtown Bryan Close Sunday & Monday Tuesday – Friday 9 am – 5 pm • Saturday 9 am – 4 pm C i t y o f B r y a n S e s q u i c e n t e n n i a l S p e c i a l | 17

FAMILY AND TRADITION FOR 40 YEARS!

HARVEY RD./ HIGHWAY 30 LOCATION • 776-8969 TEXAS AVE LOCATION IN BRYAN • 822-6033 SOUTHWEST PARKWAY/WELLBORN LOCATION • 696-7900

DELIVERY • CARRYOUT • EVENT SPACE CATERING • CUSTOM MENU’S 18 | City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special

2021

www.cjbbq.com T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

continued from page 17 of my estate than any other of my children can obtain of the remainder thereof, and the remainder of my estate I bequeath to my four children, Jennie Weddington and Alice Dean of Bryan, Fannie B. Nash of Waco and James E. Mitchell of Ft. Worth, Texas, to be equally divided among them if living at the date of my death, and if dead, then to their offspring, and should it not be practicable to divide my estate into four equal shares in kind then some portion thereof to be sold and the shares equalized with the proceeds of said sale, so that all four shares may be equal in value.

3rd. To my daughter Alice Dean I give and bequeath as additional and extra to her equal share of my estate, my home in Bryan (Lots No. 9 & 10 in Block 22) also my household goods, except my said American Encyclopedia. This extra share is intended as compensation for her ministrations to me for any comfort during the last years of my life, but in the event that my said daughter, Alice Dean, should die before the date of my death, then this extra bequest shall revert back to my estate and be equally divided between her offspring and my other children or their offspring.

4th. To my son, James.

E. Mitchell, I give and bequeath my American Encyclopedia as

extra and additional to his equal share with the other children, and to my oldest grandson, Harvey Weddington of Waco, Texas, I give and bequeath my watch.

5th. I hereby nominate and appoint my true and tried friend, Guy M. Bryan of the City of Bryan, my executor, without bond, to execute and carry out the provisions of this will and it is my desire that no action be had in regard to the same in my court further than the probate of this will and the filing of an inventory and appraisement of the property comprising my estate, and for compensation of the services to be rendered by my paid executor I desire that the reserve the sum of two

hundred dollars before any division of my effects shall be made among my said children as above provided, and in the event of his death or refusal to act I then desire that my son James E. Mitchell be appointed administrator of my estate with this will annexed with authority to appoint an attorney in fact to carry out the provisions of this will.

Given under my hand this 6th day of July A.D. 1899.

Witness: H.O. Boatwright

Rodney HuRt ‘77 • BRadley HuRt ’00 • nick lutz Ryan caRR • GaRy GRiffin • donna P BeeleR katHy lanGston ‘04 • JoHn tHames • Ricky GReeR anGie dean • kacey BouRke

We are proud to serve the entire state from right here in this great community!

Congratulations on 150 years!

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

Serving the Brazos Valley for over 30 years!

3840 CORPORATE CENTER DR. • B-CS • 9 79.774.3900 SERVICEINSGROUP.COM

C i t y o f B r y a n S e s q u i c e n t e n n i a l S p e c i a l | 19

This is a map of Brazos County from 1867.

It shows the Houston and Texas Central Railway line running through Bryan.

Bryan a city founded by the Railroad

20 | City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

Anyone who has spent any amount of time here knows the sound of the locomotive horns as the Union Pacific trains run through Downtown Bryan. It can sometimes be a bit loud, and a little annoying. But think about this: Without the railroad, Bryan wouldn’t exist.

This Bryan train depot, seen here in about 1909, was constructed for the International and Great Northern Railroad when it started service to Bryan in 1900. The depot was located on the current site of Sale Park in Downtown Bryan.

Bryan wasn’t the first town in Brazos County.

That distinction goes to Boonville. In fact, Boonville predated Bryan by 19 years. It wasn’t until the railroad came through that Bryan took the stage.

In 1859, William Joel Bryan granted rightof-way through land he continued on page 22

Cheers to the City of Bryan for 150 years!

p O

p o s o T i s l ’ , e LL i p Est. 1985

C.

Congratulations Bryan On

150 years!

1755 W 28th St., Bryan, Tx. 77803 979.779.6417 • sales@buppys.com • www.buppys.com T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

979-822-5570 C i t y o f B r y a n S e s q u i c e n t e n n i a l S p e c i a l | 21

continued from page 21 had inherited from his uncle, Stephen F. Austin, to the Houston and Texas Central Railway Company. The H&TC was expanding its rail lines and had plans to connect rail

service to Millican, Bryan, and on to points further north.

On April 9, 1860, William Joel Bryan went one step further. He deeded the land for the original 640-acre town site to H&TC Railroad

officials William R. Baker and Abraham Groesbeck for a price of $3,200. The original 640acre town site, named “Bryan” in William Joel Bryan’s honor, was surveyed and laid out by the H&TC railroad’s chief

engineer, Theodore Kosse, a German immigrant. So, you can legitimately say that the railroad founded Bryan.

Despite rail line construction being halted due to the Civil War, Baker and Groesbeck were still busy selling town lots for the new city. Once the war was over and rail line construction resumed, they were ready.

In 1866, the Brazos County Commissioner’s Court declared to move the county seat, and the seat of justice, from Boonville to Bryan due to the proximity of the forthcoming railroad. Baker and Groesbeck had also signed a deed to the county giving them possession of a designated courthouse block. The post office was also transferred to Bryan in 1866.

Finally, in August 1867, the first H&TC train steamed into Bryan amid a gala celebration.

A new era had begun for Bryan and Brazos County in terms of transportation, but also for communication. With the train’s arrival, the first telegraph was installed in Bryan.

With the move of the county seat, and the arrival of the train, the writing was on the wall. Bryan was going to take the stage as the governmental, commercial, civic and recreational center of Brazos County.

Bryan got a second train line in 1900 when the International & Great Northern Railroad

This 1915 Map of Bryan shows the original 640-acre townsite and has been annotated to show the path of the original Houston and Texas Central Railway line through downtown.

22 | City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special

continued on page 24 T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

C i t y o f B r y a n S e s q u i c e n t e n n i a l S p e c i a l | 23

A train arrives in Bryan in the early 1900s.

continued from page 22 (I&GN) arrived in Bryan. The oft-referenced Bryan train depot, which was located on the site of the present-day Sale

Park, was actually built by the I&GN at that time.

Bryan’s downtown. But one thing will be changing soon.

Today the descendants of those original train lines carry on, transporting cargo through

Thanks to the new “quiet zone” project that has recently begun construction, pretty

soon you won’t hear those train horns as much as you used to.

Whether or not we’ll actually miss them when they’re gone is something we’ll have to wait to find out.

FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED IN BRYAN FOR THE PAST 61 YEARS!

readfieldmeats.com 24 | C i t y o f B r y a n S e s q u i c e n t e n n i a l S p e c i a l

ruffinomeats.com T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

Happy 150 years City of Bryan!

Keep on growing, we’ll keep building spots to put it all

NOW HIRING

THE VERY BEST EMPLOYEES IN THE BRAZOS VALLEY www.kmc.net • 979.775.2906 T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

C i t y o f B r y a n S e s q u i c e n t e n n i a l S p e c i a l | 25

Singular moments in history cannot possibly tell the story of how Bryan became the thriving community it is today, but a handful of milestones stand out momentous building blocks. Following are some of the larger milestones in Bryan’s history.

For a full timeline, visit the 150th Anniversary history timeline at

1860 William Joel Bryan deeds the land for the original 640-acre townsite of Bryan to H&TC railroad officials for $3,200.

1866 After being named the new seat of Brazos County, Bryan also gets a post office, which is transferred from Boonville.

150.bryantx.gov.

1871 Harvey Mitchell secured the land a few miles south of Bryan and struck a deal to bring the Agricultural and Mechanical College to the area.

26 | C i ty of B r ya n Sesq u i ce n te n n i a l S p e c i a l

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

The Texas Legislature provided for the official incorporation of Bryan.

1876 The Inauguration of the State Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas occurred.

1888 The Grand Opera House, which housed the first City Hall

and fire station, was built in Downtown Bryan.

operating Carnegie Library in Texas.

Light Company to run those essential operations itself.

1890s

1909

1910

Bryan’s first city park, Oak Grove Park, opens. Today, it is known as Claude Scurry Park.

Following two large-scale fires in Downtown Bryan, voters passed a bond election to establish a city-owned utility.

The city then purchased the Bryan Water, Ice and Electric

The Bryan-College Interurban Railway connects Downtown Bryan and Texas A&M.

1903 The Carnegie Library opens as the city’s first public library.

It now serves as the oldest

The Grand Opera House which housed the first City Hall and fire station was constructed in 1888. It burned in one of two fires in Downtown Bryan in early 1909.

A little girl celebrates on the 4th of July in about 1925.

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

continued on page 28

Waiting on the train in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The Carnegie Library, seen here in the 1940s, opened in 1903 and is the oldest Carnegie Library in Texas still in operation as a library.

C i t y o f B r y a n S e s q u i c e n t e n n i a l S p e c i a l | 27

Bryan Army Air Field opened in 1943 as a pilot training facility. The air base would close at the end of World War II, but was reactivated during the 1950s. The site of the air base is now the Texas A&M University System’s RELLIS Campus.

By 1919, the citizens of Bryan officially owned what was then called the Bryan Power Company. At this time there were about 768 customers being served by the company, primarily for lighting. This organization would later become Bryan Texas Utilities (BTU). This photo shows some of those early power company workers and city engineers in the 1920s.

continued from page 27

1913 The predecessor to the Queen Theatre (operating under several different names) begins showing moving pictures.

1915 The first paved streets in Bryan are Main Street and Bryan Avenue.

1917 The Bryan Country Club and golf course opened.

1938 W. J. Coulter donates land to the City of Bryan for the establishment of an airport, now known as Coulter Airfield.

1943 Bryan Army Air Field opens as a pilot training school.

1947 Former teacher Lucy Harrison is the first woman to serve on the Bryan City Council.

Harrison served from 19471949.

1958 Townshire Center at the corner of Texas and Avondale avenues in south Bryan becomes Bryan’s first major shopping center.

1962 The Bryan Air Force Base closed and the site was deeded to Texas A&M.

1972 Manor East Mall becomes the first enclosed shopping center in the community at the site of the present-day Tejas Center.

The Palace Theater, seen here in 1938, was built on the site of the Bryan City Hall and Opera House building and showed movies for decades in Downtown Bryan. After it collapsed from disrepair in 1986 the City of Bryan worked to convert it into an outdoor entertainment and theater space.

1987 A new Bryan City Hall is constructed at the corner of Texas Avenue and 29th street.

This building continues to serve as the administrative offices of the city to this day.

Bryan Regional Athletic Complex opens.

28 | C i ty of B r ya n Sesq u i ce n te n n i a l S p e c i a l

In 1929, Bryan officially broke ground on a new City Hall building located on Regent Avenue between E. 27th and 28th streets. The building is still standing today T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

1992 Bryan becomes a Texas Main Street City, and receives design and technical assistance from the Texas Historical Commission to redevelop Downtown Bryan.

1999 Development of the Traditions Golf Course and masterplanned community begins.

2005 First Friday is started by local artist and downtown business owner Greta Watkins.

2010 The Texas A&M University Health Science Center opens in west Bryan. continued on page 30

Allen Academy cadets march on N. Main Street during this late 1950s parade. This photo is likely from 1957 since you can see on the Queen Theatre marquee that the movie “The Shadow on the Window” is playing. The movie was released in 1957. Also, notice that the La Salle Hotel is very proud to advertise that its rooms are air conditioned.

50 YEARS OF HISTORY First Financial Bank is proud to support and celebrate the City of Bryan. Working together, we serve others, promote integrity, and advance goodwill to create lasting change — across Bryan, and in our community. Congratulations from your friends at First Financial Bank!

YOU FIRST | FFIN.com

Tim Bryan

Nora Thompson

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

Jerry Fox

Cal McNeill

Joe Salvato

David Stennis

Austin Bryan

Melanie Motley

C i t y o f B r y a n S e s q u i c e n t e n n i a l S p e c i a l | 29

continued from page 29

2014 Downtown Bryan is named a Texas Cultural District.

2018 Wallace Phillips donates the 107-acre Phillips Event Center Golf Course to the City of Bryan. The city renames the course the City Course at the Phillips Event Center and closes the 117-acre Travis B. Bryan Municipal Golf Course.

He would later donate the Phillips Event Center itself to the city in 2021.

The Queen Theatre reopens its doors after more than 30 years.

2019 The City of Bryan annexes the area around and Texas A&M University System’s RELLIS Campus.

2020 Construction begins on Travis Bryan Midtown Park, transforming the site of the former Municipal Golf Course into a regional sports, recreation and tourism destination.

Construction on the new Travis Bryan Midtown Park began in 2020 on the site of the old Bryan Municipal Golf Course.

carlsonattorneys.com 1121 Briarcrest Dr. Ste. 200 979-260-5688

Car Wrecks • Trucking Crashes • Wrongful Deaths • Workplace Injuries • Hablamos Español 30 | City of Bryan Sesquicentennial Special

Kathryn Knotts, Partner T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

CONGRATULATIONS CITY OF BRYAN

PROUDLY SERVING OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1889

T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E

C i t y o f B r y a n S e s q u i c e n t e n n i a l S p e c i a l | 31