Sunday, August 26, 2012

Where in Brazos County? August Contest

Commencing in March, the Brazos Heritage Society began conducting a monthly contest in which readers of Heritage Brazos are asked to identify a structure or a location in Brazos County. 


In this sixth contest, readers are being asked to identify the building in the above photograph and its location.  Submissions may be sent to Dan Beto at dan.beto@gmail.com.  The submission received by September 15, 2012, with the greatest specificity will be declared the winner.

The winner of this contest will be provided a book – Historic Brazos County

16th Annual Alton C. Allen Historical Conference

Doug Kubicek, Chair of the Lavaca County Historical Commission provides information about a conference that members of the Brazos Heritage Society may have an interest.

On October 20, 2012, the Lavaca County Historical Commission and the Dickson-Allen Foundation will sponsor the 16th Annual Alton C. Allen Historical Conference at the American Legion Hall in Hallettsville, Texas.  This year the theme is The Texas Rangers: The Frontier Battalion, 1874-1901.  Three renowned authors and experts on the Texas Rangers will be presenting papers and answering questions from the audience – Harold Weiss, Chuck Parsons, and Paul Spellman.  The Texas Ranger Museum from Waco is hosting a session in the afternoon dealing with various topics from their archives.

Additional information about this training opportunity is available at this link: http://www.lavacacountyhistory.org/historical_commission.htm.  Also available at this site is a registration form.

We thank Henry Mayo, Chair of the Brazos County Historical Commission, for bringing this program to our attention.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

President’s Message, August 2012

Once again our Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration was a tremendous success!  The Band – Proud Country – did a great job and I heard a number of people commenting on how good they were.  We really enjoyed the mix of music they presented for us.  And the Sojourners always make this patriotic event special by their presence.

It was great to see so many of the Society members and a number of people new to this Independence Day celebration with us in Heritage Park this year.  There was so much more to see and do.  This did not happen on its own, special thanks again goes to our hard-working Executive Committee.  Without them, we would not have had all the exhibitors we did, all the silent auction items, the fabulous cars and trucks, the flyers for advertising, or the patriotic programs handed out at the Celebration.  And, we certainly don’t want to forget the time and effort spent on cooking, preparing, and selling the hot dogs and popcorn, as well as slicing all those watermelons for our enjoyment, and dispensing cold water and lemonade.   

Many thanks also to all the Committee members and volunteers who helped with our booths and lead the Children’s Parade.  Way to go guys!

There are several exciting things I want to report in this message:
  • We plan to hold the unveiling and presentation of the Society’s Community Historic Boonville Jail Marker very soon. 
  • Cross your fingers, we submitted our grant proposal to the Astin Foundation for funds to help get the rest of the Vintage Astin Clothes restored for display.  We should hear about this in early October.
  • The Society now has a Facebook page; if you are a Facebook user, please search of “Brazos Heritage Society,” go to the Society’s page, and click “Like.”
  • The plans for our Harvest Tea are coming together.  I will talk more about this later in the newsletter.
  • We are working on plans for a full membership meeting to be held sometime in September.  More information about this event will be forthcoming.
  • I would like to see the Heritage Society sponsor a float in Bryan’s Christmas Parade; we will definitely need volunteers to help with this.
  • Last, but by no means least, we will be working on plans for a Christmas Stroll in Heritage Park and the East Side Historic District for December 15, 2012.
Let’s talk a little bit about our Harvest Tea.  We are so pleased to announce that this event will be held in College Station’s Historic District this year, in the Abbott-Blakely-Chavis Home.  The Harvest Tea will be held on October 27, 2012, only, with two seatings, one at 1:00 p.m. and the other at 4:00 p.m.  Each seating will accommodate 48 people, so get your orders in early for tickets!  The owner of the home has graciously volunteered to arrange a tour of this historic home after each seating.  This tour will be included in the price of the Tea Tickets, which will be $40.00 this year.

We made our first appearance at the Historic Downtown Bryan First Friday event on August 3rd.  We handed out over 50 of the Guide to Historic Brazos County booklets, along with a short description of the Brazos Heritage Society and its activities, and Brazos Heritage Society membership forms.  We also got the chance to talk with some nice folks who were strolling by.  We would like to continue to have a presence at the First Fridays, but we will need volunteers to help us man the table for a couple hours each month.

We will also have a booth at the Boonville Days Living History Fair at the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History on Saturday, October 6th.  Our Treasurer, Beverly Myers, will be demonstrating her quilt piecing skills and I will be demonstrating how butter was made in old fashioned churns.  We also plan to sell some of our Boonville books.  If anyone is interested in helping with this booth please email me at nathilliard@verizon.net or call me at 979-229-2468.

                                                                                                Nat Hilliard, President

Treasurer’s Report, August 2012

The following is an overview of the finance condition of the Brazos Heritage Society as of August 20, 2012.

At Prosperity Bank we have a certificate of deposit valued at $8,368.77 and our checking account at the bank has a balance of $6,768.11, for a total of $15,136.88.

For more detailed information about the Society’s financial condition, please do not hesitate to contact me at 979-229-9414 or by email at mycobra@suddenlink.net.

                                                                                                Beverly Myers, Treasurer

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Fall Membership Meeting and Social Scheduled

The Brazos Heritage Society will hold its fall Membership Meeting and Social on Thursday, September 27, 2012, at 7:00 PM at the Matthew Winsper Knobel Memorial Gazebo in Heritage Park, 600 South Hutchins Street, in Bryan’s Historic District.  The purpose of the meeting is to provide members and prospective members with an update on the activities of the Society. 


Hot dogs, snacks, and drinks will be served.  Plan to attend to learn more about the activities of the Society and to enjoy some enjoyable fellowship.  Please bring a chair for seating.

If you have friends you think might be interested in becoming involved, feel free to invite them to attend.

If planning to attend, please RSVP by Tuesday, September 25, 2012, by calling Beverly Myers at 979-823-6824 or Dan Beto at 979-822-1273.  You may also RSVP by email at brazos.heritage@gmail.com.

Texas Insights

The Texas State Historical Association, in cooperative with its partners, is proud to offer Texas Insights, an electronic newsletter designed to share opportunities for Texas teachers and students while promoting effective instructional practices.  This newsletter is distributed via email in August, October, January, March, and May.

The August 2012 (Vol. III, Issue 1) edition of this electronic publication may be accessed at: http://www.teachingtexas.org/enewsletter/august2012.