Brenham, Texas
HISTORY
Welcome to Brenham, Texas
Go Each Spring To Travel The Bluebonnet Trail.
Brenham, Texas is located in Washington County at the intersection of US Highway 290 and State Highway 36. In 1843 the Hickory Grove community renamed itself Brenham to honor Dr. Richard Fox Brenham, an area doctor and a Republic of Texas Hero. Jesse Farral and James Hurt donated 100 acres to create the current townsite, and Brenham had become the county seat in 1844. A post office opened in 1846, and incorporation followed in 1858. Today Brenham is a thriving weekend getaway destination for Houstonians and home to Texas' favorite ice cream, Blue Bell.
PHOTOS
Sights Around Brenham, Texas
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MAMIYA 6 & KODAK TRI-X
Behind Winkelmann Village
Winkelmann Village, located outside of Brenham, Texas, once consisted of 20 buildings that made up the "town." Ray Winkelmann, an antique dealer from Brenham, wanted to create a historic town for people traveling between Austin and Houston to enjoy in 1983. There was an old west saloon, general store, restaurant, and dancehall on-site. Unfortunately, Ray Winkelmann lost the property to the bank in 1986, and total demolition began in 2020.
MAMIYA 6 & FUJI VELVIA 50
The Missing Lock
Exercise equipment and kitchen equipment are chained together behind a small-town downtown building. The chains suggest that these items were the most valued items stored outside in the elements, but the lack of a lock linking the two ends of the chain together is perplexing.
Do you know what happened to the missing lock?
MAMIYA 6 & FUJI VELVIA 50
Southern Pacific Lines
Built by the Houston & Texas Central Railway around 1916, this red brick building in Brenham, Texas is known as the Southern Pacific Freight Depot.
The railroads were an essential part of Brenham's history as two major railroad lines, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway and the Houston & Texas Central Railway, intersected there. One railroad ran from Galveston to the Red River, and the other ran from Houston to Austin.
Both railroads shared a passenger depot, and each had separate freight depots. The shared passenger depot was demolished sometime in the 1940s, and the Santa Fe Freight Depot still stands today.
Are you a fan of trains?
