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:
"1 EARLY BRENHAM
THE RAILROAD
The story of Brenham’s cistern systems begins with the completion of the Washington County Railroad in 1861. As only the 2nd railroad built in Texas, it defined Brenham’s inventive spirit and set the stage for events to come.
Washington County was renowned for its cotton, corn, cattle and manufactured goods. Getting these products to markets was painfully slow and treacherous by freight wagons and steamboats on the Brazos River. Deliveries took weeks and sometimes months, with routine losses and damage.
JD Giddings, a prominent Brenham lawyer, was the first to see the benefits of building a railroad into Washington County. A 21-mile rail to Hempstead would link Brenham with the new railroad to Houston and Galveston. He promoted the idea with his brother, D. C. Giddings, and other local businessmen and plantation owners.
To prevent the failure of the risky project, the Giddings brothers personally oversaw the building of the railroad. They advanced their own money in return for company stock, and arranged for loans and land donations. JD traveled to New York and Pennsylvania to by train cars, rails, and supplies.
The outbreak of the Civil War in eighteen sixty-one slowed construction, but the Giddings brothers were determined. A grand celebration marked the completion of the railroad in April of that year. Trains operated to and from the coast throughout the Civil War, although the schedules were sporadic.
At the completion of the Washington County Railroad, all railroad construction in Texas was halted due to the Civil War. For the next decade, the only sizable Texas railroad towns were Brenham, Houston, and Galveston. Brenham had unprecedented access to these thriving markets, and to world trade beyond the busy Galveston port.
Almost overnight, Washington County became extremely prosperous and economically important. Bustling with business and travelers, Brenham developed a vibrant, colorful character.
[inset photo]
The “JD Giddings”
This is believed to be the first locomotive on the Washington County Railroad, named after JD Giddings, whose vision and hard work made it possible. Considered the finest in Texas, this engine burned a great deal of wood. The spewing spark sometimes caught fire to prairie grasses and bales of cotton stacked on depot platforms. Trains were met at the station by men with water buckets."