TexasEscapes.com HOME Welcome to Texas Escapes
A magazine written by Texas
Custom Search
New   |   Texas Towns   |   Ghost Towns   |   Counties   |   Trips   |   Features   |   Columns   |   Architecture   |   Images   |   Archives   |   Site Map

 TX Fort Bend County location
Fort Bend County

Counties
Texas Counties


Texas Towns
A - Z

Richmond/
Rosenberg Hotels


More Hotels

 


RICHMOND, TEXAS


Fort Bend County Seat, Texas Gulf Coast

29° 34' 51" N, 95° 45' 47" W (29.580833, -95.763056)

Hwy 59 and U.S. Highway 90A

30 miles SW of downtown Houston
NE of Rosenberg
8 miles W of Sugar Land
19 miles E of East Bernard
ZIP codes 77406, 77407, 77469
Area code 281/346/713/832
Population: 11,627 (2020)
11,679 (2010) 2000 11,081 (2000) 9,801 (1990)

Book Hotel Here > Richmond / Rosenberg Hotels

Richmond TX Depot
Richmond Depot
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009
More Texas Depots | Texas Railroads

History in a Pecan Shell

Deaf Smith, Mirabeau B. Lamar and Jane Long were once Richmond residents. Jane Long is buried in the cemetery and there is a statue of Lamar directly in front of the courthouse.
A timeline of Richmond history:

1822: First settlers arrived, closely followed by members of Austin's "Old 300" The settlement was named after a log fortification on a bend of the Brazos River - the location was an important ford on the river.
1836: Evacuated during "The Runaway Scrape"
1837: The town is platted, promoted and named after Richmond, England. Incorporated in May of 1837 and becoming county seat when Fort Bend County was organized later in the year.
1839: First newspaper - the Richmond Telescope and Texas Literary Register, was published
1842: First courthouse built
1853: Yellow Fever epidemic hits Richmond
1855: The Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railroad arrives
1866: Freedman's Bureau opens when enamcipated slaves leave plantations and move to the city
1867: Union occupation troops stationed at Richmond
1871: New Courthouse
1878: The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe RR bypasses Richmond by 3 miles - giving birth to Rosenburg, Texas
1888: First bridge across the Brazos is built
1893: First steel bridge is built
1899: Brazos floods
1908: Fourth County Courthouse
1920s: Population is 1,273. Oil discoveries add to the economy - rice, sugar and cotton are main crops
After WWII, the more mobile population moved to Houston for better jobs. The population was stagnant until people started commuting from Houston in the 1970s.

Book Hotel Here > Richmond/Rosenberg Hotels

Richmond, Texas
Landmarks / Attractions



Richmond TX - 1908 Fort Bend County Courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, May 2006
Fort Bend County Courthouse

  • John Moore Home, c. 1883
  • Long-Smith Cottage
  • Confederate Museum
  • Fort Bend Historical Museum: 500 Houston Street

  • Richmond Texas - Fort Bend County jail
    Former Ft. Bend County Jail c. 1896
    Just SW of downtown Richmond - across the tracks.

    TE photo, 2001

    Fort Bend County Jail

    Completed in 1897, this structure was the third jail building in Fort Bend County. Built to communicate strength and justice to the area's lawless elements, the imposing Romanesque revival style structure features terra cotta decoration and massive arches. The interior included living quarters for the sheriff and a third floor gallows. It served as the Fort Bend County Jail until 1955.
    Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1985

    Richmond Texas - Fort Bend County jail
    Fort Bend County jail architectural details
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009
    More Texas Jails


    Richmond Tx - Historic Building
    Richmond historic building
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009


    Richmond Tx - Classic Building
    Richmond classic building
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009


    Richmond Tx - Lamar Statue
    Mirabeau Lamar Statue
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009

    More Texas Statues


    Richmond Texas Historic Home - McNabb House
    Historic Home - McNabb House
    TE photo


    Richmond Texas - McNabb House Historical Marker
    McNabb House Historical Marker
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009


    Richmond Texas Historic House
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009
    More Texas Homes


    Richmond Tx - Love Ministries Church
    Love Ministries Church
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009

    More Texas Churches


    Richmond Tx Tin Man Water tower
    Richmond Water Tower
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009

    More Texas Water Towers


    Richmond Tx - Old Garage
    Old Garage
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009


    Morton Cemetery, Richmond, Texas
    Photo courtesy Teri Brown, 2004
    Morton Cemetery


    Four-spanned Railroad Thru Truss Bridge
    over Brazos River


    Richmond TX - Brazos River Railroad thru truss bridge

    Railroad Thru Truss Bridge
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009



    Richmond TX - Brazos River Railroad thru truss bridge
    The Four-spanned Railroad Thru Truss Bridge
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009


    Richmond TX - Brazos River Railroad thru truss bridge

    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009



    Richmond TX - Brazos River Railroad thru truss bridge

    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009



    Railroad bridge over Brazos River, Richmond Texas
    Railroad bridge over the Brazos
    TE photo, 2001


    Richmond Tx - Charred Outhouse
    Outhouse
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2009
    See Texas Outhouses

    Richmond, Texas Chronicles
  • Jaybird-Woodpecker War by Archie P. McDonald
    ("All Things Historical" Column)

    "In Fort Bend County, a silhouette of the jaybird symbolized the Redeemer portion of the Democratic Party and the woodpecker represented those who had flourished during Radical Republican reconstruction, who also had begun to call themselves Democrats by the 1880s." more

  • TX  Fort Bend County 1907 Postal Map
    1907 postal map showing Richmond, Rosenberg, and
    the Brazos River running through Fort Bend County
    (From Texas state map #2090)

    Courtesy Texas General Land Office

    Take a road trip

    Texas Gulf Coast

    Richmond, Texas Nearby Towns/Cities:
    Rosenberg
    Sugar Land
    East Bernard
    Houston
    See Fort Bend County |
    Harris County | Brazoria County | Wharton County

    Book Hotel Here:
    Richmond/Rosenberg Hotels | More Hotels
    Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact us.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


    Texas Escapes Online Magazine »   Archive Issues » Home »
    TEXAS TOWNS & COUNTIES TEXAS LANDMARKS & IMAGES TEXAS HISTORY & CULTURE TEXAS OUTDOORS MORE
    Texas Counties
    Texas Towns A-Z
    Texas Ghost Towns

    TEXAS REGIONS:
    Central Texas North
    Central Texas South
    Texas Gulf Coast
    Texas Panhandle
    Texas Hill Country
    East Texas
    South Texas
    West Texas

    Courthouses
    Jails
    Churches
    Schoolhouses
    Bridges
    Theaters
    Depots
    Rooms with a Past
    Monuments
    Statues

    Gas Stations
    Post Offices
    Museums
    Water Towers
    Grain Elevators
    Cotton Gins
    Lodges
    Stores
    Banks

    Vintage Photos
    Historic Trees
    Cemeteries
    Old Neon
    Ghost Signs
    Signs
    Murals
    Gargoyles
    Pitted Dates
    Cornerstones
    Then & Now

    Columns: History/Opinion
    Texas History
    Small Town Sagas
    Black History
    WWII
    Texas Centennial
    Ghosts
    People
    Animals
    Food
    Music
    Art

    Books
    Cotton
    Texas Railroads

    Texas Trips
    Texas Drives
    Texas State Parks
    Texas Rivers
    Texas Lakes
    Texas Forts
    Texas Trails
    Texas Maps
    USA
    MEXICO
    HOTELS

    Site Map
    About Us
    Privacy Statement
    Disclaimer
    Contributors
    Staff
    Contact Us

     
    Website Content Copyright Texas Escapes LLC. All Rights Reserved