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www.robertsoncounty.info |
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H I S T O R I C B R E M O N D T O U R |
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www.robertsoncounty.info |
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H I S T O R I C B R E M O N D T O U R |
A Tour Of Places, Buildings, & Homes With Architectural & Historical Significance In Bremond
Additional Information About Historic Bremond Is Available
At:
Handbook Of Texas Online,
Bremond
Website,
Robertson County
Post Offices,
Leonard
Kubiak's Bremond & Wootan Wells Website,
History Of Bremond,
Texas
Escapes,
History Of Robertson County by James Walter
Baker, &
Historical Recollections Of Robertson County
by Richard Denny Parker
If you have pictures of Robertson County, its towns, communities, rivers, streams, bridges, fields, cemeteries, houses, government buildings, businesses, farms, churches, farm machinery, crops, farm animals, wild animals, oil wells, gas wells, drilling platforms, cotton gins, bluebonnets, dogwood trees, or any other pictures which give glimpses of what life is like in Robertson County, please send them to William Kent Brunette. |
U N D E R C O N S T R U C T I O N
| # On Map | Sketches & Photographs |
Names & Descriptions Of Places, Buildings, &
Houses |
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Bremond Historic Marker 31 09 57 N / -96 40 32 W, [117 S. Main Street], Map Texas Historic Marker reads: "art of the 1841 Mary Peterson grant, the land on this site was sold to William Baker and a group of investors in 1869. The investors immediately granted right-of-way to the Houston and Texas Central Railway. The first train pulled into Bremond, named for railroad executive Paul Bremond, in 1870. It was met by a crowd of more than 1,000. The town was incorporated and a post office opened that year with Sam Morehead as postmaster. By 1871 Bremond had several merchants, churches, three doctors, a law firm, a school and a newspaper called The Central Texan. Joseph Bartula and his family were among the first of many Polish immigrants to arrive in the 1870s. The town continued to grow throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1999, Bremond had an estimated population of 1,300."
THC Marker |
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Polish Collection Starting in the 1870s, a number of immigrants from various places in Poland settled in Bremond. Lots of information about these immigrants is online at this site.
Polish Collection |
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Saint Mary's Catholic Church Historic Marker 31 10 18 N / -96 40 19 W, [800 N. Main Street, Corner FM 2954 & FM 2413], Map Texas Historic Marker reads: "Founded 1876 to serve Poles settling in Bremond that decade. First church built 1879. Since 1908 [date of this edifice] has been parish school. Fathers A. Krypajtis [died 1907] and I. J. Szymanski [died 1941] led building of this Gothic structure. Parish made sacrifices, gave much labor to create edifice of old world charm. Font and sacred art came from the 1879 structure. Settlers and heirs come yearly from far away to worship here."
THC Marker
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Saint Mary's Catholic Cemetery 31 10 20.7 N / - 96 40 16.4 W, Map Saint Mary's Catholic Cemetery |
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Joseph & Catherine Bartula Historic Marker 31 10 20.7 N / -96 40 16.4 W, [Saint Mary's Catholic Cemetery, FM 2854 & FM 2413], Map Texas Historic Marker reads: "Born in Poland, Joseph [1840-1919] and Catherine [1841-1907] Bartula overcame many hardships after migrating to Texas in 1873. They became the first Polish settlers in Robertson County in 1875. Assisted by J. C. and Mary Roberts, on whose farm he worked, Bartula wrote letters urging other Polish immigrants to join him. Soon 50 families arrived from Poland and 60 moved here from the Marlin area. By 1885, the town of Bremond had the largest Polish settlement in Texas, 345 families. Bartula later bought his own farm and became a leader in community and church affairs. The Bartulas had ten children."
Bartula Journal,
THC Marker
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First Baptist Church Historic Marker 31 09 44 N / -96 40 52 W, [705 S. Austin Street], Map Texas Historic Marker reads: "Local lore dates the origin of this church to 1865; however, the earliest written source indicates that a Bremond Baptist Church was in existence by 1869. The first members met in vacant store buildings under the leadership of the Reverend Mr. Harris. In 1869 or 1870 the church joined the Waco Baptist Association. A red brick structure was erected on this site in 1871. An 1876 record lists the church as the first Missionary Baptist Church of Christ of Bremond. With a membership of 148 in 1879, the church began to prosper under the pastorate of the Reverend C. C. Lee. The congregation joined the Little Brazos Association in 1880 and drew up a church covenant four years later. In 1899, the church joined the Robertson County Baptist Association. By 1933 the church was well established and deeply invested in community and missionary work. Plans for new facilities were underway by June 2, 1945, when a check to apply to a new building was received. That night, a storm destroyed the roof of the original structure. Through insurance, loans from members, and gifts, construction on a modern edifice was completed in 1946. Church members gave their own monies to defray the church's debt. First Baptist church members have long been active in worship and service. Through missionary projects in Mexico and Brazil, local community work, interdenominational services, and educational support, the congregation continues in the traditions of its founders." The Bremond Baptist Church is one of 12 historic places in Robertson County that is preserved in the U.S. Library of Congress American Memory Collection. To view two measured architectural drawings and floor plans of this historic church building, go to Bremond Baptist Church (HABS) (not yet available).
THC Marker
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Grace United
Methodist Church Historic Marker 31 09 55 N / -96 40 47 W, [317 S. Austin Street], Map Texas Historic Marker reads: "This congregation was founded in 1868 as the Bremond Methodist Episcopal Church, South, with the Reverend John R. White serving as pastor. The earliest worship services were held in private homes or in the community's Union church. Two early Methodist church buildings were rebuilt after damage from windstorms, and a new sanctuary replaced the one lost in a 1949 fire. The congregation changed its name to "Grace Methodist Church" in the 1950s."
THC
Marker
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Wootan Wells Historic Marker 31 08 17 N / -96 43 11 W, [Hwy. 6 & FM 1373, 2.5 miles west of Bremond], Map Texas Historic Marker reads: "Famous early health spa and resort. First well was dug 1878 by landowner Francis Wootan. Water tasted good, but turned dishes yellow and clothes red. Even so, it seemed to possess amazing curative properties. Wootan soon built a hotel and in 1879 a resort town made its debut. He formed a promotion company with T. W. Wade and more hotels, a bottling works, dance pavilion, and school sprang up. Leading socialites came from miles to 'take the waters'. Disaster struck in 1915 when fire swept the town. In 1921 the last buildings also burned."
THC Marker,
Wootan Wells Collection
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Bremond Cemetery 31 10 14.3 N / - 96 41 04.6 W, Map
Bremond Cemetery |
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Cloverleaf Rest Cemetery 31 11 01.1 N / - 96 40 03.5 W, Map
Cloverleaf Rest Cemetery |
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Rhodes Chapel Cemetery 31 07 52.3 N / - 96 41 22.6 W, Map
Rhodes
Chapel Cemetery |
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George Holland House Located at 813 South Commerce Street (on State Highway 14), this house was built around 1890. It is a one-story Victorian with a fine brick chimney and 2/2 light windows. It has bays on either side of a central door; one bay is chamfered.
THC Survey |
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John Coleman Roberts House On State Highway 14, 1 mile south of Bremond, this two-story Greek Revival-style home was built about 1865. This white wooden house has a double gallery on square columns, 6/6 light windows with all shutters, dentiled cornice, turned balusters, and pilastered corners.
THC Survey
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Walnut Creek Cemetery 31 10 56 N / -96 36 27 W, [7 miles east of Bremond on FM 2293 to Redbank Creek Road], Map Texas Historic Marker reads: "The Walnut Creek community was established in the 1850s with the arrival of several farming families. J. Grant Taylor came as a child to this area with his parents. Tradition says the Walnut Creek Cemetery began before 1869 with the death of a two-year-old girl. She was the daughter of a horse trader who lived nearby. Taylor gave permission for the child's burial on his 30-acre tract of land. The unmarked grave is at this site under a cedar tree. The first marked grave is located under the same cedar tree and is that of Sarah Lane Johnson [1866-1869], daughter of P. and S. H. Johnson. About 1871 Taylor donated two acres for a burial ground, Union meetinghouse, and school building. Since area students attended Stump Toe School [3 mi. N], a structure was not built here until 1888. Baptist, Church of Christ, and Methodist congregations held services here, constructing brush arbors on the grounds in the summers. Classes were held in the school building until World War II when Walnut Creek consolidated with Bremond schools. Afterward, the schoolhouse was used for annual memorial services. This cemetery is all that remains to mark the Walnut Creek community." [#10955/1979]
Walnut Creek
Cemetery,
THC Marker |
| THC = Texas Historical Commission |
= For additional information |
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