Brazoria, Texas

History

Brazoria was founded in 1828 on land granted by Stephen F. Austin to John Austin, who laid out the town. The town's name was selected by John Austin, "for the single reason that I know of none like it in the world". Supposedly, the first Masonic lodge in Texas was founded in 1835 when six men met under the Masonic Oak in Brazoria. The following year, the town was nearly deserted during the Runaway Scrape. H. M. Shaw opened a school in Brazoria in 1838 and a post office opened in 1846. The community's 1884 population was served by 12 general stores, five churches, three hotels, good schools, cotton gins, and sugar mills. By 1890, the town had become the county seat. Two years later, the Velasco World weekly newspaper began publishing in the town.

The railroad bypassed Brazoria, though, and it lost the county seat to Angleton in 1897. The town went into decline. The Brazoria school boasted three teachers and 142 students in 1906. The Banner weekly news started publishing in 1914. The local discovery of oil and sulfur in 1939 and the construction of a bridge across the Brazos River helped restore the town's fortunes. By 1987, Brazoria counted 50 businesses. Brazoria celebrates Frontier Days in March, the No Name Festival in June, and the Santa Ana Ball in July.

From the History section of Brazoria, Texas on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.