By Chris Godbold
Fulshear, in north Fort Bend County, sits on land granted to Churchill Fulshear, an ex-sailor, who came to Texas by 1824. He came from Tennessee and received a land grant from the Mexican …

 
By Chris Godbold
A quilt is a padded bed coverlet or bedspread made of two layers of fabric with a soft filling between them. It is stitched in patterns or tufted with crisscross seams through all …

By Chris Godbold
There is an old burned-out, charred window in the Fort Bend County Museum collections. All traces of its paint are gone. Small shards of glass remain where panes of glass used to stand. …

By Chris Godbold
The first engines that drove the Fort Bend County machine were agricultural. Cotton and sugar plantations sprang up and ranch pastures became dotted with livestock. And so it remained for about the first …

By Chris Godbold
Take a look at these photographs of early Sugar Land. How things have changed! Originally farm land as far as the eye could see with tall sugar cane plants for miles, Sugar Land …

Rosenberg was founded in 1883 at the junction of the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railroad and the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad. By 1919, the town had a bustling commercial center clustered around …

By Chris Godbold
News of Texas came to William Stafford early. He was living in Tennessee at the time with his four children: Adam, born in 1806; Sarah, born in 1809; Harvey, born in 1811; and …

 
Have you heard of Texian Campaigne china? It is a set of pottery dinnerware with military scenes depicted on them made for the U.S. market. The plates are transferware, a process where a scene is …

In the 1830s and 1840s, salted paper prints were developed that used salt and silver solutions to create an image on paper when exposed to light. In the 1850s, the salt solution was replaced with …

By Chris Godbold
Most of the state leaders supported peaceful efforts to maintain good relations with the existing centralist powers in Mexico City and keep troops out of Texas. However, the Mexican government was determined to …

By 1800, the United States had gained its independence and started to expand to the west. That same year, France was given Louisiana by Spain. In 1803, the United States bought Louisiana from France and …

Editor’s Note: With the State of Texas celebrating its 175th birthday this year, the Fort Bend County Museum Assocation’s Chris Godbold will be taking a look at Texas’ varied history throughout the year. Keep tuned. …

The first colonists to enter Fort Bend County found a land filled with potential. There were large prairies, swampy bottomlands, the wide Brazos River and several creeks and dense forests. The area was not completely …

Farming communities sprang up throughout Fort Bend County in the 1800s as more and more people immigrated to the area to work its fertile land. Even more towns were established as railroads extended their tracks …

Cotton, corn, hay and the like have been grown in Fort Bend County since the Old 300 settled around the Brazos River. Of these crops, cotton ruled the county. It was — by a large …

A winter in Texas was a time for farmers and their families to stay indoors during the long cold day. Fields were put to bed. The harvest was in and the next planting was not …

An important sign of prosperity in 19th and early 20th century Fort Bend County was the construction of a home. Houses sprang up throughout the county in towns, on farms and on ranches as residents …

Fall is bazaar and festival time in Texas. Every little country town seems to have their own event from oatmeal and watermelon festivals to fairs celebrating local crafts and food. There’s something for everybody — …

One of Rosenberg’s most important early citizens came to Fort Bend County in 1871. Born in Louisville, Ky., on March  4, 1854, Richard T. Mulcahy, came to Texas with his parents Col. and Mrs. John …

In these days of nonstop immediate news coverage, it might be refreshing to look at the news media of the past when the cycle was slower. Until the early 20th century, newspapers delivered the news.
When …

Farming was one of the earliest industries in Fort Bend County. Settlers immigrating to the county in the 1800s immediately began building their farms, planting corn, sugar cane and cotton. Later, around 1900, rice farming …

Help preserve the history of the city for future generations
The Sugar Land Heritage Foundation is gearing up for a very busy summer. Building renovations are under way at the foundation’s temporary museum and headquarters …

Modesty was the name of the game. In the mid-19th century it was unseemly to show bare skin in public. Bathing suits for ladies were ankle length dresses with bloomers underneath, often made of wool. …

Lemonade Day, an innovative youth program that got its start right here in Houston, is teaching children how to build the American dream and become entrepreneurs. The program provides youth with free materials and support, …

Cowboys have branded cattle in Texas since it was a Spanish colony. Early Texan colonists used initials, numbers or pictures on their brands. Brands were used to mark ownership of livestock. Ranchers could claim any …