Essentially a boosterish history of 19th Century Brenham, Texas, the great fire of 1866 being a significant milestone. Texas was not the site of fighting during the Civil War but having fought on the Confederate side it came under Federal Reconstruction, The Freedman’s Bureau, and Federal Troop occupation. To this day Texans do their best to ignore the existence of a Federal Government and the imposition of Sheridan’s Black troops was not well received.
The success of any community depends on existence of men who can make things happen and rally others behind them. In Brenham the name Giddings stands out. The Railway they helped build gave local products access to a world market. The system of cisterns and fire-fighting was ahead of its time and a model that has yet to catch on in the rest of Texas. The local newspaper man is a model for many a frontier movie opus.
It is obvious that the writer had access to and permission to use well-preserved archives. This 70-page booklet stands out among so many examples of its genre in having been printed in colour. The quality of the reproductions is exemplary.
The success of any community depends on existence of men who can make things happen and rally others behind them. In Brenham the name Giddings stands out. The Railway they helped build gave local products access to a world market. The system of cisterns and fire-fighting was ahead of its time and a model that has yet to catch on in the rest of Texas. The local newspaper man is a model for many a frontier movie opus.
It is obvious that the writer had access to and permission to use well-preserved archives. This 70-page booklet stands out among so many examples of its genre in having been printed in colour. The quality of the reproductions is exemplary.
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