The George Ranch Blog
26 Mar2020
In Fort Bend County, on land that later became known as the George Ranch, the Jones and Ryon families were slave owners. Henry Jones, the Ranch’s founder, had acquired 47 slaves through purchase, trade and birth by his death in 1861. Likewise, Polly Ryon and her husband William owned 16 slaves by the end...
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23 Mar2020
By Allison Parrott Site Lead, 1930s George Ranch Home During World War I, many farmers went off to war, leaving their crops to die in the fields. As the war waged on, a food crisis ensued and people throughout Europe began to starve. To help with the food shortage, American Charles Lathrop Pack created...
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16 Mar2020
With the uncertain and evolving COVID-19 health situation here in our community and around the world, our top priority is ensuring that our guests, volunteers and staff members stay healthy. In response to the latest guidelines and information from the CDC and local officials, the Fort Bend History Association’s Board of Trustees has decided...
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11 Mar2020
We want all visitors and guests of our programs to be safe and healthy while exploring Texas history. The Fort Bend History Association has practices that include daily cleaning and sanitizing here at the George Ranch Historical Park — and we have implemented additional measures to ensure extra hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes are...
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11 Feb2020
For more than 100 years, black cowboys played an essential role in Fort Bend County ranching operations. At the George Ranch specifically, four generations of black cowboys worked alongside four generations of the George family, leaving behind a rich legacy of black cowboy heritage that is unique to this part of Texas. This Saturday,...
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11 Feb2020
By Megan Cromeens, 1860s Ryon Prairie Home Site Lead While the origins of Valentine’s Day can be traced back to the ancient Romans, the holiday wasn’t widely celebrated commercially until near the end of the 19th century. However, this didn’t mean that people in the Victorian era (1837-1901) didn’t take time to socialize or...
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30 Dec2019
Education is the heart of our mission, and we are honored to bring Texas history to life for more than 25,000 school children and their chaperones each year! Starting January 21, 2020, the George Ranch Historical Park will debut a new operational model designed to maximize educational impact in Fort Bend County. This means...
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25 Nov2019
Christmas cards, first introduced in America in 1875, were enormously popular in the 1930s through the 1950s. The following vintage cards come from the Fort Bend History Association’s archives and were sent to and from Mamie and Albert George during that time period. Enjoy this festive walk down holiday card history here at the...
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19 Jun2019
By KRYSTAL WILLEBY Director of Programs On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, Union General Gordon Granger declared, “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” This simple act broke the chains of slavery in Texas and changed the...
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05 Apr2019
A newly-discovered turn-of-the-century cookbook is bringing some exciting new menu items to the Historic Foodways program at the George Ranch Historical Park. “The Ladies’ Aid Society Cook Book of the Baptist Church” was discovered in the archives of the Fort Bend History Association earlier this year. It likely dates from the 1890s and includes...
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