A TOUCH OF THE PAST

1919  & 1928 City Directory - John F. Worley Directory Co Inc.905 Main Street; Dallas, Texas

1938 City Directory - Ira W. Curry Directory Co., Dallas, TX 

Brownwood is situated almost in the center of Brown County twenty-six miles east of the exact geographical center of Texas. The post office was established in 1856. It was made the county seat of Brown County in 1857 and incorporated in 1878.

Climate-Mild. Mean Temperature-65 degrees. Prevailing winds-south. Average velocity-12.5 miles per hour. Average annual snowfall-2.9 inches. Average dates of latest and earliest killing frost-March 20th-November 10th.

Newspapers-Brownwood Bulletin, daily except Sunday; Brownwood Banner, weekly; two monthly magazines, County Progress and the Texas Woman.

Hospitals-3, with total capacity of 78 beds.

Parks-3.

Amusements-3 motion picture theatres, 2 bowling alleys, range, golf course, swimming pool, 3 athletic fields, 2 gymnasiums, business men's clubs.

Civic Clubs-Business & Professional Women's Club, Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary, Brownwood Traveling Men.

Financial-2 national banks, total deposits, December, 1937-$2,688,719.00. 2 building and loan associations with total capital of $150,000.00.  4 finance companies, total resources-$200,000.00.

Industry-28 manufacturing and processing concerns. Invested capital-$800,000.00, total annual output-$2,246,100.00. Annual payroll-$400,000.00.

Principal products-Brick, tile, gasoline, crushed stone, mattresses, floor sweep, optical machines, automobile trailers, seed graders, shelled pecans, ice, ice cream, butter, flour, vinegar, peanut butter, canned vegetables, cottonseed products and feed.

Retail trade area-15,369 square miles, population-261,442.

Transportation-Railroads: Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway with lines extending in five directions. Motor transportation: Bowen Motor Coaches, Arrow Coach Lines, Rainbow Coaches, Johnson Motor Lines, Central Texas Freight Lines and Merchants Fast Motor Lines.

Hotels-Hotel Brownwood: 250 rooms; Hotel Southern: 80 rooms; Main Hotel: 50 rooms, and 5 smaller hotels with a total capacity of 150 rooms.

Airport-municipal, 3 standard runways 150 feet wide, located 4.5 miles north near U. S. Highway 283.

Paved roads into Brownwood-State Highways 7, 10 and 23, U. S. Highways 67, 84, and 283, also Cross Cut and Lake Brownwood roads, 7 and 8 miles.

Education-2 standard Class A co-educational colleges, each with splendid buildings, equipment and endowment funds in excess of $250,000.00. Public School Systems-senior and junior high schools, vocational and 6 ward school buildings; business college; dancing school and school of beauty culture; private music schools and kindergarten.

Daniel Baker College-Dr. R. Guy Davis, President and Business Manager; Thomas H. Hart, Dean.

Howard Payne College-Dr. Thomas H. Taylor, President; J. H. Shelton, Vice President and Business Manager; T. R. Havins, Dean.

Public Schools-Board of Trustees

School Principals

Officers

Statistics

Total street mileage, 78; paved, 14.7. Miles of gas mains, 72. Miles of sewers, 24.4. Daily average water used, 1,466,110 gallons. Total water consumption, 1937, 535,130,000 gallons. Miles of water mains, 41.6. Water plant valued at $671,187.00. Number employed by Fire Department, 10. Equipment, $27,225.00. Station Houses (Fire), Property value, $33,742.00. Police Department employs 11 men with 1 station and 3 pieces of motor equipment. Radio cars, 1.

Bonded debt-$537,000.00.

Water Supply-Storage reservoirs on Pecan Bayou. Total water available for city, 16,727 acre feet-approximately 5,436,975,000 gallons.

BROWN COUNTY

Brown County, situated seven miles from the geographical center of the state, was named after Captain Henry S. Brown, who came to Texas with Moses Austin in 1823, and played an important role in bringing law and order to this frontier region. The first permanent settlers came to Brown County in 1856. The county was organized in 1857. The area is 956 square miles, about one-third of which is in cultivation. 'The terrain in general is a rolling plain with wooded hills and valleys, the elevation varying from 1200 to 1760 feet. Trees native to this region are the elm, walnut, pecan, mesquite, black-jack, red-oak, post-oak, Spanish-oak, and live-oak.

Brown County has 115 miles of paved highways and more than 700 miles of highly improved, all-weather lateral roads. No county in Texas has a better system of roads.

Brown County is drained by the Colorado River, Pecan Bayou, Blanket, Clear, Indian and Jim Ned Creeks, and other small streams.

There are 2306 farms in Brown County, 58 percent of which are owned by the occupants and 55 per cent of the farms are free of debt.

Because of the temperate climate and many types of soils, Brown County is peculiarly adapted to diversified farming, livestock raising, poultry and dairy farming. Experience has proven that every sort of farm and orchard crop can be grown profitably here, while pecan growing is a major industry. Farm and orchard crops include corn, wheat, millet, oats, rye, barley, grain sorghums, hay, broomcorn, cotton, peanuts, potatoes, maize, peas, beans, cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, okra, squash, onions, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, egg plant, turnips, watermelons, cantaloupes, apples, peaches, pears, plums, grapes, berries, and apricots.

District Officials

County Officers

County Courts

Commissioners' Court Regular Terms-Every Monday.

Brown County Court Terms-First Monday in January, April, July and October.

County Commissioners