The George Ranch Blog
06 May2020
By MEGAN CROMEENS Site Lead, 1860s Ryon Prairie Home Sometimes the past dishes up some…unusual…dinner options. The following five recipes were immensely popular in the mid-19th century and were found in “Mrs. Beeton’s Every Day Cookery and Housekeeping Book,” which was originally published in 1861. If you had to try one today, which one...
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05 May2020
By ALLISON PARROTT Site Lead, 1930s George Ranch Home If you have ever visited the 1890s Davis Victorian Mansion, you may have noticed the original family cemetery fenced off to the side underneath some beautiful large oak trees. Most of the family’s first and second generations are buried there; later generations were buried at...
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05 May2020
Willie Thomas was born on January 30, 1930 in Richmond, Texas. He was born to Johnnie and Josephine Thomas who had worked on the Ranch since 1925. He attended school in Crabb, just down the road from Richmond, until the age of 9 when he left school to help his family. Willie started working...
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04 May2020
By ALLISON PARROTT Site Lead, 1930s George Ranch Home Curious about the plants we’re growing in our Victory Garden at the George Ranch Home? Here are the plants that are currently growing or will be growing later this summer in our garden, along with planting tips. Did you plant a Victory Garden this spring?...
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01 May2020
By ALLISON PARROTT Site Lead, 1930s George Ranch Home Looking for a fun stay-at-home date for you and your special someone? Try dining the proper Victorian way tonight! During the Victorian era, the dining room was not just a room to eat meals; it was also a way to display your wealth with every...
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27 Apr2020
Dyeing is the process of adding color to material. Until 1856, all dyes, paints and colors had to be taken from natural sources such as plants, animals and minerals. The process of dyeing is quite simple: Soak the item to be dyed in mordant. Mordant makes the dye colorfast. Soak the item in dye....
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24 Apr2020
This is a continuation of a blog series on the families who lived and worked alongside the Jones, Ryon, Davis and George families here at the George Ranch. Click here for part one. Click here for part two. Click here for part three. When Mamie George built a new home in the late 1800s, she...
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22 Apr2020
The Victorian era (1837-1901) was a time filled with rules and regulations for proper etiquette. Especially for the upper class, the time period had “dos and don’ts” for every aspect of daily life — including what could and couldn’t be said during conversations. Enter the complex world of floriography — the silent language of...
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19 Apr2020
By ALLISON HARRELL, Texian Time Machine & Outreach Coordinator The Spaniards brought cattle with them to the New World (or America) in 1541. With the introduction of cattle to the ecosystem, they also introduced the occupation of ranching. Here in Fort Bend County, the Georges, Moores and Dews, to name a few, were all part...
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13 Apr2020
The first steam locomotive was built in 1801 by Richard Trevithick in England. Here in Texas, the first railroad was built starting in 1850 when the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway was incorporated. The railroad made it to Stafford in in 1853, and arrived here in Richmond in 1855. Nearby, the Galveston, Colorado,...
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