
Photographic Memories
It’s said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and we couldn’t agree more. We’ve asked Bryan residents to send us their historic photographs and tell us the stories behind them. It’s yet another way that we’re able to connect with our past.
Welcome to Bryan
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Bryan’s namesake
William Joel Bryan was Stephen F. Austin’s nephew and inherited large land holdings when Austin died in 1836 at only 43 years old.
In 1859, William Joel Bryan granted right-of-way through portions of these land holdings to the Houston and Texas Central Railroad.
On April 9, 1860, he went one step further, deeding the land for the original 640-acre town site to H&TC railroad officials William R. Baker and Abraham Groesbeck for a price of $3,200. The town that they established was named “Bryan” in William Joel Bryan’s honor.
Early Churches
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“The Father of Brazos County”
Harvey Mitchell was one of Bryan’s first and most influential residents. He organized the first school in 1841 and served as its first teacher, holding class in the home of Richard Carter.
According to the Texas State Historical Association’s Handbook of Texas, he was also a justice of the peace, minister, hotel and store owner, surveyor and a blacksmith.
His crowning achievement occurred in 1871, when he arranged for the new land-grant college in Texas to be located in Brazos County. Today, we know it as Texas A&M University.
📷 View photos of Harvey Mitchell’s surveying equipment
📷 Read Harvey Mitchell’s Last Will and Testament
Historic Homes and Buildings
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1878: Cavitt House on E. 30th Street 1880: Original Bryan School 1885: The Bryan School for Colored 1902: Eugene Edge House on E. 30th Street 1904: Astin Porter House on E. 29th Street. 1904: Dansby Hall House on E. 29th Street 1905: Carnegie Library in Downtown Bryan Pre-1909: Grand Opera House in Downtown Bryan 1912: Sanders House on E. 29th Street. 1920s: Federal Building in Downtown Bryan 1920s: First National Bank 1928: The LaSalle Hotel in Downtown Bryan 1930s: Bryan City Hall and Fire Station 1937: Brazos County Courthouse 1938: The Palace Theater in Downtown Bryan 1938: Stephen F. Austin High School 1948-49: Varisco Building 1950s: St. Joseph Hospital 1950s: Acme glass in Downtown Bryan 1957: Brazos County Courthouse
Municipal Government
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1900: Levi Neal was Bryan’s first African American peace officer. He was killed in the line of duty in 1900. This memorial marker is in Bryan City Cemetery. 1900-1910: Tyler Haswell, who would become Mayor of Bryan in the 1920s. 1920s: Bryan utilities workers, city engineers and other city leaders in the Ice House in Downtown Bryan. 1929: Groundbreaking ceremony for the new Bryan City Hall with names of people in attendance. View the Municipal Building construction specifications booklet 1933: Bryan Police Officer Howard Lee. 1935: Bryan Fire Department 1946: Postcard showing the Bryan Municipal Building and Park. Late 1940s: Council members attend a Bryan City Council meeting. From left to right (standing) Charles Ramsey and Roy Vick; (seated) Noah Dansby, Mills Walker, Lucy Harrison, Roland Dansby, E. R. Bryant, and Ivan Langford (front). 1947-1949: Lucy Harrison. Bryan’s first female City Council member. 1968: Bryan Police Department staff photo. 1968: Harmon “Son” Bell. Bryan’s first African American City Council member. 1969: Anastacio “Andy” Herrera. Bryan’s first Hispanic City Council member. 1980s: Solid Waste workers collecting trash. 1983-85: Fire Chief Herman Rice, Mayor Ron Blatchley and others salute a flag given to the city by E.C. Oates of the Elks Lodge. 1987: Current Bryan Municipal Office Building under construction. 1990s: BTU workers monitoring gauges. Late 2000s: City of Bryan workers replacing a sewer line. 2009: At the Texas Reds Festival, Council members Jason Bienski, Ann Horton and Mayor Mark Conlee with musician Robert Earl Keen. 2021: City Council members Flynn Adcock, Reuben Marin, Bobby Gutierrez, Mayor Andrew Nelson, Buppy Simank, Prentiss Madison and City Manager Kean Register at the groundbreaking for the Legends Event Center.
School Days
1930s-40s: Ibarra School class photo. Ibarra Elementary served Mexican students throughout the 1930s and 40s. 1951: Ibarra Elementary School fifth grade basketball team. Circa 1961: The new E.A. Kemp High School (seen here) served only African American students until the 1971 desegregation of Bryan schools. Bryan’s first school for African Americans, Bryan Public School for Colored, was founded in 1885. The school was renamed Washington Elementary in 1930 when E.A. Kemp Junior-Senior High School was built. E.A. Kemp Junior-Senior High educated African American students for 30 years until the new E.A. Kemp High School was built. The Junior-Senior High was renamed R.C. Neal Junior High School at that time. Bryan schools were not integrated until 1971.
Unless otherwise credited, all photos are courtesy of the Carnegie History Center or the City of Bryan, Texas.