The Medallion, Volume 49, Number 4, Fall 2011 Page: 9
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Clockwise from right: the 12,000-square foot Lake
Jackson Historical Museum showcases plantation culture
and regional heritage; a THC marker documenting West
Columbia's significant history; an exhibit at Clute's
Brazosport Museum of Natural Science.BRAZORIA COUNTY BECKONS
In addition to the THC's historic sites, Brazoria County
offers a bounty of heritage attractions, encompassing an
impressive breadth of Texas history, from centuries-old
coastal communities to
early colonists to a chemical
4 T kVERN'_ _company town.
HF Just down the road from
Varner-Hogg Plantation in
r OS West Columbia is a small
walking trail on a busy
highway intersection dedicated
tephen F Austin as she at abod Jun to one of the most significant
sites in Texas history. Dubbed
........................ .t the Capitol of Texas Park, the
r,.........nd o,,,t ,o 18334 nut block-long walkway contains
d ha ofhe : THC historical markers and
several interpretive panels
chronicling the site of the
Republic of Texas' first
capital. Nearby is the modest
yet noteworthy ColumbiaHistorical Museum, containing a diorama of the town as it
likely appeared in the 1820s along with artifacts and artwork
related to the city's Republic-era heritage.
Exhibits related to similar subject matters-particularly
the events and settlers associated with Stephen
F. Austin's Old Three Hundred land grants and
pioneering colony-are highlighted
in several regional museums. The
Brazoria County Historical Museum,
housed in Angleton's stately 1897
county courthouse, focuses primarily
on historical research material but also
features artifacts and displays related to
the county's colonial legacy.
Ten miles south, the Lake Jackson
Historical Museum documents the
intriguing heritage of the region's
plantation era along with the city's *
relatively recent development as a
company town for Dow Chemical
in 1944. The 12,000-square foot, .
two-story museum showcases the
former sugarcane operations at town *
namesake Abner Jackson's plantation,
as well as the innovative urban
planning of Alden Dow, who designed
FALL 2011CAIT
LOISthe community , I
with a
naturalistic
approach to *
residential
development.
This south-
eastern portion ia
of Brazoria County, known as the Brazosport Area, is also
rich in maritime heritage, offering visitors an opportunity to
discover lesser-known stories of Texas' Gulf Coast and the
fascinating array of people and nature that shaped the region.
A good starting place is Sea Center in Lake Jackson,
a Texas Parks and Wildlife property that showcases marine
life and the related cultural connections to the area. Visitors
marvel at enormous saltwater aquariums, which are
sequenced by gulf depth and overflowing with information
about the sea creatures, vegetation, and human activity
associated with each zone.
Similarly, the Brazosport Museum of Natural Science
in nearby Clute offers natural history exhibits and artifacts,
including the largest display of seashells in the South. Of
particular interest is an exhibit containing artifacts related to
Old Velasco, a settlement at the mouth of the Brazos River
that thrived in the 1830s but was eventually decimated by
hurricanes. The community of Surfside Beach now occupies
the former townsite.
Peppered throughout Surfside Beach and the
adjacent community of Quintana are
several THC historical markers offering
insight about the area's significance
to Republic-era commerce. Before
its destruction by the hurricane of
1900, Quintana was a major seaport
for Austin's colony and a popular
destination for Brazoria County's
plantation families.
For additional information
about heritage tourism destinations
in Brazoria County, order a free copy
of the THC's Texas Independence
Trail Region travel guide by
calling 866.276.6219 or visiting
www.texastimetravel.com. *. . . .NUCIN FICA DTE
0 * *
*.Photos by Randy Mallory
and Andy RhodesTEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
SU
0
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Texas Historical Commission. The Medallion, Volume 49, Number 4, Fall 2011, periodical, Autumn 2011; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth253479/m1/9/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Commission.