Brenham, Washington County, Texas

Brenham, Texas – An Overview

Brenham, the county seat of Washington County, is on U.S. Highway 290 seventy-two miles northwest of Houston. The Hickory Grove community changed its name in 1843 to Brenham in honor of Republic of Texas hero Dr. Richard Fox Brenham, who had practiced medicine in the vicinity. In February 1844 Brenham became the county seat through the electoral efforts of Jabez D. Giddings and Jesse Farral's and James Hurt's offer of 100 acres as a townsite. A post office was established in 1846. In 1858 the new county seat, a rapidly growing supply center for a prosperous agricultural area, was incorporated. With the construction of the Washington County Railroad in 1860, Brenham, the rail terminus, served as a distribution point for the state's interior until 1871, when the Houston and Texas Central was extended to Austin.

Brenham has served as a regional educational center since Reconstruction, when a large freedmen's school was established there. In 1875 the town began operating the first tax-supported school system in Texas, including a school for blacks. One of six Texas school systems to receive Peabody Funds, Brenham schools achieved a reputation as one of the state's best educational organizations. German Methodists of Brenham founded Mission Institute (1883), later renamed Blinn Memorial College (now Blinn College) in appreciation of financial support from Rev. Christian Blinn (1889). The Lutheran College (1891) and a black female college also provided higher education in later nineteenth-century Brenham.

The population rose rapidly, from 7,740 in 1960 to 12,796 in 1988. The population increase was triggered by the influx of Houston-area and rural Washington County residents, expansion of processing and light industry, and the advent of new manufacturers, encouraged by the Brenham Industrial Foundation, established in 1953. Brenham State School, established in 1974, is a leader in the field of managing mental retardation. Blue Bell Creameries, which began as Brenham Creamery Company in 1907, became the biggest ice cream producer in Texas in 1970 and by 1987 had annual sales of over $100 million. Firemen's Park, established in 1884, and Henderson Park, established in the 1920s to serve the black community, are Brenham's oldest parks. Several Victorian residences in town have been restored, and the Main Street Program has renovated downtown Brenham to encourage tourism. This effort has been supported by the Washington County Heritage Society. In 1990 the population was 11,952. The population grew to 13,507 in 2000.

Play Construction & Equipment Provider in Brenham, Texas - All Play Inc.

ALL PLAY Incorporated is the exclusive Little Tikes Commercial representative in the Brenham area of Washington County, Texas. We provide turn-key park, playground, athletic and recreational constructions, besides also offering playground equipment, park furnishings, park shelters, water parks, shade canopies and much more from a number of good brands. Our playground construction and equipment company conforms to the U.S. safety guidelines for designing, constructing, operating and maintaining safe playgrounds for kids in schools, day care centers, community centers, parks and recreational areas in the city of Brenham.

Quick Facts about Brenham, Texas

Geographic Coordinates

30°9′43″N 96°23′49″W

County

Washington County, Texas

Area

 8.8 square mile, all of it land.

Elevation

341 ft

Time Zone

Central Standard Time (6 hours behind GMT)

Climate

Warmest month - August (94.60o F – Avg. Max. Temp)Coldest month - January (35.20o F – Avg. Min. Temp) Annual average precipitation - 56.39”