The George Ranch Blog
02 Apr2020
The Families Who Helped Build a Legacy: The 1890s
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. The Edwards Family Cain Edwards — Cain, like his mother Celia, was born into slavery at the Jones River Place in...31 Mar2020
Rationing for Victory: WWII vs. Today
By ALLISON PARROTT Site Lead, 1930s George Ranch Home In 1940, England began rationing food to assist their soldiers with supplies. The following year, the British government requested that the American government also conserve food to help the Allies overseas; other non-food items were also rationed soon afterward, including nylon, tires, gasoline, silk and...27 Mar2020
The History of Toilet Paper
By MEGAN CROMEENS Site Lead, 1860s Ryon Prairie Home With the uncertain health situation happening across the world right now, one of the history questions we’ve been asked a lot is: What was used before the invention of toilet paper? It may surprise you to find out that toilet paper as we know it hasn’t...26 Mar2020
The Families Who Helped Build A Legacy: The 1830s & 1860s
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...23 Mar2020
Victory Gardens
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...16 Mar2020
George Ranch Historical Park CLOSED March 17-31
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...11 Mar2020
Healthy Practices at the Ranch
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...11 Feb2020
George Ranch Rodeo: Fred, McCullar & Ben Smith
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,...11 Feb2020
Five (Awkward) Ways to be More Victorian this Valentine’s Day
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...30 Dec2019