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Brenham, Texas

Bluebonnet Country

July 2002 - Present

The saga continues...............In May of 2002 while searching for a place to call home close to immediate family (son Mike and his family), we drove west from Cypress about 45 miles on route 290 and came across the quaint little town of Brenham. We arrived around 9:00am and loved the area at first sight and by noon we had found a home, signed a contract and had been approved for a loan from a local bank with possession to be in July. We then headed back to Cassville, Mo and put our home there on the market and were back in Brenham with all our household items by early July for settlement on the home here. Within a few weeks

we found another place to call home located out in the country six miles north of Brenham:

St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Prairie Hill

Visit our Church Web Site at the URL below:

www.stjohnprairiehill.org

Brenham, Texas - History of Brenham

The City of Brenham is the county seat for this historical and beautiful region. Brenham was established in 1844 and named for Richard Fox Brenham, a hero of the Mier Expedition. The city was incorporated in 1858. It was occupied by federal troops during the Civil War, who partially burned the city in 1867 following a confrontation with local troops.

German immigration began in the county in the 1850's and increased after the Civil War. Most of the large farms were divided into smaller ones and settled by the German immigrants.

Brenham is located approximately 70 miles northwest of Houston, 80 miles east of Austin, and 45 miles from Bryan/College Station. The county is noted for its beautiful, green rolling hills which are blanketed with bluebonnets and other wildflowers in the spring.

Brenham has been home to many firsts -- including the first public school district in Texas and the first public high school. Brenham ISD has three elementary schools, one middle school, one junior high and one high school. Blinn College was founded in Brenham in 1883 and became the first county-owned junior college in Texas. Blinn's main campus is located in Brenham, but it has expanded into Bryan/College Station and Schulenberg.

The Bluebonnet - LORE OF THE BLUEBONNET

Bluebonnets have been loved since man first trod the vast prairies of Texas. Indians wove fascinating folk tales around them. The early-day Spanish priests gathered the seeds and grew them around their missions. This practice gave rise to the myth that the padres had brought the plant from Spain, but this cannot be true since the two predominant species of bluebonnets are found growing naturally only in Texas and at no other location in the world.

As historian Jack Maguire so aptly wrote, "It's not only the state flower but also a kind of floral trademark almost as well known to outsiders as cowboy boots and the Stetson hat." He goes on to affirm that "The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland."

The ballad of our singing governor, the late W. Lee O'Daniel, goes, "you may be on the plains or the mountains or down where the sea breezes blow, but bluebonnets are one of the prime factors that make the state the most beautiful land that we know.

Washington County - Washington County is the Birthplace of Texas. A region filled with history, fun, food and a diversity of attractions.

Story by Dorothea S. Michelman:

A drafty, humble wooden building in Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park is the setting of the birthplace of the Republic of Texas. It is located about 60 miles northwest of Houston and only a few miles of the county seat of Washington County in the town of Brenham.

It was on this spot that 59 men under the leadership of Sam Houston drafted the Declaration of Independence from Mexico. Patterned after the American Declaration of Independence with a listing of grievances and the need for revolution. It was here that Sam Houston proclaimed on March 2, 1836 “Let the citizens of the East march to the combat. The enemy must be driven from our soil or ruin and desolation will accompany their march upon us.”

The assembly also established a constitution and set up an interim government declaring Texas a “Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic.”

Inside the reconstructed Independence Hall a ranger explains to visitors of the many problems faced by the assembly at the time when Santa Anna and his troops were only a few days away from the Alamo, the site of the imminent disaster.

The park also features the town site of the former state capital Washington. The town site trail with its historical markers remind visitors of the earlier importance of Washington as a major political and commercial center. Alas, starting in 1860, the town began its decline to disappear altogether in the 1880s. Austin had replaced Washington as the state’s capital.

By the turn of the century there were only four men, one dog and a rooster left. The last historical structure burned in 1912. Today, the only remains of Washington is a cistern. The excellent visitor center in the park is filled with displays and many hands-on-exhibits.

Another splendid attraction at the park is The Star of the Republic Museum which traces the life and times of the brief history from 1836-1846 of The Lone Star State as a separate nation. The many displays focus on Texas history from cattle to cotton. Interactive exhibits and a number of audio-visual presentations highlight the visit.

Blue Bell Creameries - It was a hot day late in August of 1907 when the Brenham Creamery Company opened its doors. In the beginning they only made butter, but by 1911, they made a gallon or two of ice cream a day. They packed it in a large wooden tub with ice and salt and delivered it by horse and wagon to a few of their friends and neighbors around Brenham. Their ice cream had to be pretty special back then because everybody made their own. Naturally, they used the very best ingredients by buying their milk, cream, eggs, and fruits fresh from the farmers around Brenham. Then they mixed in their secret way of making homemade ice cream.

You know how small towns are given to gossip so it didn't take long before word got around just how really good their ice cream was. Some folks said they made the best ice cream in these parts, maybe the whole country. The little creamery really began to grow when they traded their horse and wagon for a horseless carriage in the late 1920's. By 1930, they had become Blue Bell Creameries and were on their way. In the past 100 years, a lot has changed at Blue Bell Creameries, but the quality of their ice cream hasn't changed one bit. It's still the best in the country. They know because they eat all they can and sell the rest.

Personal Notes - After living here in Bluebonnet Country for a little over five years, and it being our third area of permanent retirement, we plan to stay put. We are located about forty-five minutes from our son and family and have been able to get together with them at least a couple of times a month. With both the son and his wife working 5-6 days a week we usually see them on a Sunday afternoon. If time is of the essence we meet at the half-way point for a short visit and a meal.

We seem to still have plenty to do, especially Barbara. In addition to Church and Adult Sunday School on Sunday, she belongs to a Women's Circle at Church which meets once a month, quilts once a month with ladies of the Church, gets together once a month with close lady friends for lunch to celebrate those who have Birthdays that month, belongs to a Book Club which meets for lunch once a month.

We both belong to SHARE (Help, Accept, Reach out, Enjoy) - a group of senior citizens at

Church that get together every other month for an afternoon of fellowship and games. We also both volunteer as Stephen Ministers to make weekly visits with residents of the Kruse Memorial Lutheran Village under the direction of the Chaplin.

I have tried to take a less active roll as I am somewhat physically limited to how long I can stand or walk. I keep a little busy by maintaining the Church Web Site by weekly updating the Bulletins/Announcements and other events as they happen. I belong to the Men In Mission - - Brotherhood which meets once a month, Men's Breakfast on the third Saturday of the month and have recently joined the Men's Choir with practices on Wednesday evenings and sings at the 10:05 Service the fourth Sunday of each month.

So far we both have been able to take care of all that is involved in owning and maintaining a home without outside help.

Retirement years are tough, but someone has to do it!

Below are a few of our favorite photo taken in and around the Brenham area. Please click on the thumbnails for a larger photo.

Author's (Web Master's) Note: As of this posting we have been fully retired for eighteen years and there are many more things we would like to see and do. Barbara has always wanted and still plans on making a solo sky dive. On her 40th Birthday she went up in a hot air balloon and I tell her to wait a few more years and make the jump on her 80th Birthday. Every 40 years ought to be often enough to try something daring and maybe by then she will come to her senses. I, myself am thrilled to feel my feet touch the floor when I get out of bed in the morning and walk my body into the bathroom. I thank God each day that Barbara has stuck it out with me for these 55 years come December and especially doing it 24-7 during these first 18 years of retirement. We both look forward to doing at least another 18 years.

THANKS AGAIN BARBARA!!!!!