About the City of Brenham

The City of Brenham was first settled in 1843 and was originally known as the Hickory Grove community. The name was changed to Brenham in 1844 in honor of Dr. Richard Fox Brenham, a native of Kentucky who practiced medicine in Washington County. He actually never lived inside the city limits. Dr. Brenham was a member of the Mier expedition.

He is described in 1915 by Mrs. R. E. Pennington as:

"All nature combined to make Dr. Brenham a model man; and physically, intellectually and morally his life is worthy of emulation by the youth of Brenham. He was a strikingly handsome man, of tall and commanding physique; around his broad forehead were masses of light brown hair, and his classical features were lighted by dark brown eyes in which gleaned the fires of intelligence. He possessed superior education, magnetic personality, a cheerful disposition, a rare gift of oratory, and being naturally witty always pleased a crowd. Many incidents illustrating the sterling character of Dr. Brenham were told by the early settlers. When he lived in Washington County he had many friends among the men, women and little children; and they so loved this bright and skillful physician, that when the time came to name the town of Brenham the brave and good man and his services were not forgotten..."

Brenham was named the county seat of Washington County in 1844 and has remained the county seat since that time. It formally incorporated in 1858 with the first elections held on May 29, 1858. In 2008, the City celebrated its Sesquicentennial with a Mayor's Gala and other festivities.

Brenham is a Home-Rule City, having adopted the City Manager/Council form of government in 1968.

In 1848, the Galveston & Red River Railway Company was incorporated, making it the second railroad company in Texas. Plans were to extend the tracks from Galveston to the Red River, with a branch running through Brenham. By 1853, tracks had reached Houston and construction was started toward Hempstead. However, the company changed its policy in 1856 and prohibited any branches being built until the main line reached the Red River. This change of plan was unacceptable to the businessmen in Brenham who had been eagerly awaiting a more stable form of transportation for their products. Local citizens took matters into their own hands and led by Jabez Demming (J.D.) Giddings and his brother, Dewitt Clinton (D.C.), the 21 miles of tracks needed to reach Hempstead were laid. The outbreak of the Civil War slowed the progress of construction somewhat, but by 1861 the Washington County Railroad was built.

All railroad construction in Texas halted after the beginning of the Civil War, so for the next 10 years, the only sizable Texas railroad towns were Brenham, Houston, and Galveston. Trains operated to and from the coast throughout the Civil War, with goods from Washington County shipped to the east coast and around the world. This advantage made Brenham economically important and laid the foundation for the area's growth and prosperity.

The railroad is still very active in Brenham, with approximately 40 trains coming through on a daily basis. In 2011, the City established a Railroad Quiet Zone, which prohibits the trains from blowing their horns through the town.

One of Brenham's greatest stories, retold in a recently constructed downtown park called Toubin Park, is the Burning of Brenham. Not only did over half the town burn, it was the impetus that created the Brenham Fire Department. It was in September of 1866; Brenham had been living under federal martial law for the past year and hostilities were evident between Union soldiers and residents. The local newspaper editor had been arrested twice for his writings against the Union soldiers.

Local legend has it that a group of Union soldiers was roaming the streets, looking for a fight. They came to a dance being held to raise funds to build a new black school. The attendees, mostly freedmen, had all paid a small admission fee. The Union soldiers were asked to do the same and upon refusing to do so, were refused entrance to the dance. They forced their way in and started creating problems, so the dance was ended. The soldiers became so enraged they started fighting and soon the fighting spilled over into the streets. The Union major in command ordered the soldiers to set fire to the town, to which they are said to have responded "We have set the town afire? All hell can't save it now!"

A report of the Joint Select Committee on the part of the Texas Senate and House of Representatives formed to investigate the fire did indeed lay the blame for the fire on the actions of the Union soldiers. As a result of the fire, it was realized there must be some means of protection from both fires and Union troops. Thus, the Brenham Fire Department was organized, on the surface, for protection against fire. However, the underlying reason for this formation was to suppress the lawlessness of Union troops stationed in Brenham. This military organization, disguised as the Volunteer Fire Department, held the responsibility of protecting the citizens of Brenham as well as their property during Reconstruction.

The fire department's history is very much intertwined with the City's. It was the Fire Department that purchased 14 acres in 1883 that eventually became Fireman's Park. In 1917 it was deeded to the City as the first city park. It is the home of Fireman's Field, where the State Champion Brenham Cub Baseball team plays. The Cubs are one of three teams in the state to have reached the state championship 15 times; they have won it seven times. Brenham is known in the baseball world as "The Baseball Capital of Texas."

The Fire Department is also responsible for revitalizing Brenham's Maifest an annual springtime festival that celebrates the youth of the community. It was originally started in 1874, but due to financial difficulties, the fire department took over running the festivities until after World War I.

One of Brenham's greatest assets is its Flying Horses Carousel. Located in Fireman's Park, the City's records indicate that the carousel was found in a field next to a railroad track approximately twenty miles northeast of Brenham in 1932. Learn more about the history of the Carousel here.

In 1875, the Texas Legislature authorized incorporated towns to organize and maintain public schools. Brenham's city council voted on April 26, 1875, on the organization of a public school system and Brenham established the first public school system in Texas. A school Board and the course of study were set up in August of 1875.

Pickard High School was an esteemed Texas school established about 1875 by the Brenham Public School system for black pupils of elementary through high school grades. It was the first high school in Texas for black students.

After the school had been a part of the city government of Brenham for half a century, the school authorities asked for an Independent School District, which was created by the State Legislature on September 27, 1926. On October 4 of the same year, the city commission passed a resolution transferring the control and title of the property to the trustees of the Brenham Independent School District.

Brenham public schools have developed over the years and have maintained high standards. The schools have been a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools since 1915, and also a member of the Texas Education Agency. Brenham public schools were the first to receive accreditation in Texas.

Brenham has a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 census. The City employs over 200 people and owns all utilities, including electric, gas, water, wastewater, and sanitation. It is one of approximately 10 cities in the state that own and maintain all utilities.

Social Media Policy - The City of Brenham uses multiple social media accounts and platforms to better communicate with you. This social media policy defines how you should expect to interact with our accounts and how posts may be moderated, archived, and removed if necessary. The gist of the policy: be kind to each other.

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Brenham Economic Development

The City of Brenham aspires to be the city of choice for both present and future generations.

We will achieve our vision through proactive leadership, open communications, and by employing high ethical standards;
We aspire to develop a strong economic climate, balanced by our desire to maintain a beautiful, clean, and safe environment;
We value our rich and diverse heritage and will preserve our friendly hometown atmosphere;
We are committed to providing our employees with a safe and stable work environment. In addition, all employees will be treated with a high level of care and respect and they are expected to share the same with every citizen in our community; and
Together staff and Council pledge to be open and responsive to the warranted needs of the community and will develop proactive governance that is accessible, efficient, fair, and accountable.

Your privacy is important to The City of Brenham. This privacy statement provides information about the personal information that The City of Brenham collects and the ways in which The City of Brenham uses that personal information.

Credit: This document was created using a Contractology template.

Personal information collection

The City of Brenham may collect and use the following kinds of personal information:

information about your use of this website (including pages visited, time spent on site);
information that you provide using for the purpose of registering with the website (including title, name, address, phone number, e-mail address, date of birth);
information about transactions carried out over this website (including facility rentals, activity registration, Aquatic Center membership);]
information that you provide for the purpose of subscribing to the website services (including Aquatic Center and PARK Central e-mail lists); and
any other information that you send to The City of Brenham.

Using personal information

The City of Brenham may use your personal information to:

administer this website;
personalize the website for you;
enable your access to and use of the website services;
supply to you services that you purchase;
send to you statements and invoices;
collect payments from you; and
send you marketing communications.

Where The City of Brenham discloses your personal information to its agents or sub-contractors for these purposes, the agent or sub-contractor in question will be obligated to use that personal information in accordance with the terms of this privacy statement.

In addition to the disclosures reasonably necessary for the purposes identified elsewhere above, The City of Brenham may disclose your personal information to the extent that it is required to do so by law, in connection with any legal proceedings or prospective legal proceedings, and in order to establish, exercise or defend its legal rights.

Securing your data

The City of Brenham will take reasonable technical and organizational precautions to prevent the loss, misuse, or alteration of your personal information.

The City of Brenham will store all the personal information you provide on its secure servers.

Information relating to electronic transactions entered into via this website will be protected by encryption technology.

Cross-border data transfers

Information that The City of Brenham collects may be stored and processed in and transferred between any of the countries in which The City of Brenham operates to enable the use of the information in accordance with this privacy policy.

[In addition, personal information that you submit for publication on the website will be published on the internet and may be available around the world.]

You agree to such cross-border transfers of personal information.

Updating this statement

The City of Brenham may update this privacy policy by posting a new version on this website.

You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are familiar with any changes.

Other websites

This website contains links to other websites.

The City of Brenham is not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of any third party.

Contact The City of Brenham

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or The City of Brenham's treatment of your personal information, please write:

by email to webmaster@cityofbrenham.org; or
by mail to P.O. Box 1059, Brenham, TX 77834-1059.

Brenham, TX