.EARLY DAYS IN BROWNWOOD,
TEXASby Lorene Bishop
.EARLY DAYS IN BROWNWOOD,
TEXAS
by
Lorene Bishop
Brownwood, the county seat of Brown County, is almost in the exact geographical center
of Texas. It is situated in the Pecan Valley on the Pecan Bayou and surrounded by hills
and rolling prairies.
Brownwood was one of the smaller villages in Brown County until the railroad came in 1885.
Brownwood was to be the county seat of the newly organized county in 1857 but there was a
struggle to keep and maintain the county government during the first thirty years of the
county's existence.
Brownwood changed locations three times. The threat of Indians was constant and often
disrupted life in general. The Civil War and Reconstruction days brought changes in local
government and then there was another village in Brown County making its bid for the
county seat.
The citizens of the village were thrifty, ambitious, yet careful people who began working
together to make changes. By the turn of the century Brownwood had become the
"gateway to the west".
In 1858 a log cabin was built to serve as the courthouse for the newly organized Brown
County. The cabin was located on land north of the Bayou near the W. W. Chandler home. The
first village was one and a half miles from the present day courthouse and on land behind
the present day Ross Company. Failing to obtain water, the log cabin was moved down
stream.
The second location was on the William Connell farm and was about three hundred yards east
of where the Santa Fe Railway crossed the Pecan Bayou and near the present day County Road
2126. The post office remained at the W. W. Chandler home. A clear title to the land could
not be obtained.
In 1860 Judge Greenleaf Fisk moved to Brownwood and built his home on the southern banks
of the Bayou. He owned many acres of land and offered sixty acres for a town and one
hundred acres for government purposes. County officials accepted the offer and the move
took place about 1870.
The marauding Indians caused constant fear to the settlement. Horses were stolen and five
people lost their lives in Brown County. In 1858 Icabod Adams went to Austin to meet with
the legislature and was able to get $70,000 appropriated for the protection of the
frontier. Fifteen Brown County men enlisted in a special ranger regiment to protect the
white people from the Indians.
The Reconstruction days that followed the Civil War affected the local government. The
Confederate government had ceased to exist and Brown County officials were appointed, not
elected by the people.
Sometime during this period of time, a group of men from Byrds, Texas made their bid for
the county seat. When the votes were counted Brownwood won by one vote.
While at the Connell Farm the Mason's built a second story on the log cabin courthouse.
About 1870 the two story log cabin courthouse was moved to a site on East Broadway.
There was a need for a jail. In 1876 a two story building of native sandstone was erected.
The dimensions of the building was twenty-two feet by forty-two feet. The jail was on the
first floor and the courthouse records on the second floor. On March 29, 1880 this
courthouse was destroyed by fire, records included.
Two separate buildings were subsequently built for the jail and courthouse.
The roads that led into Brownwood served as a cattle trail, wagon train route, the road
for freight wagons, stagecoaches and individuals.
The Chisholm Trail that opened in 1867 did not come through Brown County. Some of the
trail drovers preferred to make a detour through Brown County because of the water and
grass, and in choosing this route the cattle were driven down the main street of
Brownwood.
The approaching herd of cattle was a signal for merchants to close their doors until the
herd had passed through the town and the dust had settled.
Wagon Trains and other travelers who came up the same roads were welcomed. Many times they
camped along the Bayou and stayed a few days. Brownwood was the last town on the frontier.
The local people heard news from the outside world and there was a lot of trading between
the locals and travelers. Some of the families decided to stay in the area and build
homes.
Transportation was the greatest problem that faced the citizenry of Brownwood. The nearest
city for Brownwood to get supplies from was one hundred and twenty miles away. It took at
least two weeks and even a month for Brown County freighters to go after supplies and
return. Those who drove the oxen teams went toward Austin because of good grazing.
Freighters with teams of mules or horses got the supplies from Waco or Fort Worth because
they could buy feed from the farmers.
In 1880 it was announced that the railroad tracks were to be laid into the area. A town
who wanted tracks built into their town had to raise a certain amount of money and get the
right-of-ways prepared. Residents of Brownwood raised the amount needed and purchased the
right-of-ways for the tracks. The first train rolled into Brownwood on December 1, 1885
and regular train service began in February of 1886.
The coming of the railroad was to change Brownwood completely. A little town that had
struggled for thirty years became the trade center of Central Texas.
By 1910, Brownwood had become the junction of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, and Frisco
Railways. Freight and passenger trains came and went from all directions.
By law, the passenger trains were required to stop at each town that had a station.
Residents along the tracks boarded the passenger train to make a visit, to shop in
Brownwood or to make connections to other destinations. The ride was faster and more
comfortable than the horse and buggy.
When a stop was made newspapers were left for the customers of the town, thus giving rural
folks current news.
Brownwood became the largest cotton buying center west of Fort Worth. By 1924 it was
reported that twenty-five manufacturing and industrial plants were located in Brownwood
and were making and distributing all kinds or products.