A cute pocket park in downtown Brenham preserves the early history of Brenham at a location of the town's cistern and water supply, a marvel of 19th century engineering and infrastructure and a State Archaeological landmark in this small Texas town. A total of 8 signs here detail the early development of Brenham, its growth as a railroad town, its troubled occupation by the Union Army and Freedmen's Bureau troops after the Civil War, and the founding of the city's Hook and Ladder firefighting company.
From the city's website: (
visit link)
"Toubin Park - 208 S. Park Street
Beneath Brenham streets is a State Archaeological Landmark, a large system of historic cisterns. The cisterns were built in the late 1800's to store rainwater for public fire fighting. Private cisterns were also abundant throughout early Washington County, used for bathing, drinking and cooking.
The large system of public cisterns in early Brenham was a rarity. The city was considered very progressive for using the new-fangled contraptions to fight fires. No other Texas cities were known to install public cisterns, or to provide public services so early.
Enjoy the Wild West story of why these cisterns were built. It's a tale of an early railroad, a rough Boom Town, and colorful characters who shaped Washington County's history.
Follow the intriguing details of the 1866 Burning of Brenham and the large gunfight that led to the fire.
Learn how Brenham citizens banded together to protect themselves and their properties from oppressive Union troops during Reconstruction.
See a large private cistern circa 1880 and learn how it was used.
Discover how public cisterns were built and supplied with water by innovative private businesses.
Find out about present-day cisterns and how to harvest rainwater for your landscape, water features, livestock, and even for indoor use."
The waymarked sign of history reads as follows:
"2 EARLY BRENHAM
WILD WEST BOOM TOWN
the railroad brought a surge of people and prosperity to Washington County in a very short time. It had the largest population of all Texas counties during the Civil War.
The 15,500 residents of Washington County far exceeded Houston with 9,000 people, and Austin with only 4,000. Slaves accounted for over half the population - there were numerous extensive ranches and plantations here, some with large elegant homes in the southern tradition.
Brenham streets were alive with businessmen, merchants, shoppers, farmers, plantation owners, travelers, military troops, horses, wagons and stagecoaches.
The large train station was the hub of activity. Because Brenham was the end of the rail line from Galveston and Houston, the busy depot was distribution point for people and cargo.
Incoming trains brought pioneers from Europe and Northeastern US, who sailed into Galveston and rode the train to Brenham. They unloaded their possessions from railroad platforms onto carts and horse-drawn wagons. Some settled in the area. Others headed west and wagon trains or stagecoaches.
Trains also brought merchandise and supplies that were loaded into wagons and warehouses at the depot. Brenham’s bustling stores sold many of these goods, and the rest were hauled in freight wagons to Austin, San Antonio, and beyond.
Trains return to the coast loaded with cotton, corn, cattle and manufactured goods made here. From Galveston, Washington County products were shipped to worldwide markets bringing notoriety and prosperity to local planters, ranchers, and businessmen.
When the famous General George Custer passed through Brenham with his wife, Elizabeth, in August 1865, she wrote in her diary about the town:
“it was lawless country. Each man, even the boys of twelve, went armed. Jayhawkers, bandits and bushwhackers had everything their own way. They had out their bursts of temper when the tack of rage came on. It was a common occurrence to shoot down men here for any offense whatsoever. It was so easy, if a crime was committed, to slip into Mexico.”
Although the constant flood of travelers brought wealth to the community, it also brought problems. Like any boomtown, frequent violent crimes kept lawmen busy. Washington ranked 9th, of 129 Texas counties, for frequency of crime.
Violence swelled at the end of the war when slaves were freed, some turning to crime. Many “freedmen” refused to harvest crops for wages, believing that freedom meant they no longer had to work. As a result, wealthy plantation owners lost their fortunes and developed quick tempers.
“The freedmen are rapidly learning their status and events a better disposition to earn their bread by the sweat of their brow.
Let us give them a fair, unprejudiced trial by using every moral effort to incite them to labor. The interest of the planter is blended with the interest of the labor. One cannot flourish without the aid of the other.” Brenham Enquirer, January 20, 1866.
With a town full of transients, outlaws, and racial tensions, most people walk the streets with weapons. The mood was tense, and conflicts were frequent. This atmosphere prevailed at the end of the Civil War, leading to devastating events in Brenham."