Category: Historic Preservation

Historic Preservation, Public Communications

History Blog: World War I ended 95 years ago today

City of College Station's 75th AnniversaryNOTE: 2013 marks the City of College Station’s 75th year as an incorporated city. In recognition, we’ve highlighted some interesting moments from our past.

The following message was authored by Henry Mayo, a surveyor and long-time resident of the Bryan-College Station area. As a surveyor and historian, Henry retrieves information from local, state and national resources to assemble history-themed messages for email subscribers in a series titled “This Week in Brazos County History.” To subscribe to Henry’s email series, click here.

 

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ARMISTICE SIGNED – BRYAN MAYOR DECLARES A HOLIDAY (Nov. 11, 1918)

With today being Veterans Day, it’s appropriate that we look back to the end of The Great War, or World War I as it’s known now. The armistice was signed on Monday, Nov. 11, 1918, and was such a greatly anticipated event around the world. The front page of The Eagle ran the headline “Armistice Signed; War Ended Six O’Clock” and carried a holiday proclamation and parade call from Bryan Mayor John M. Lawrence. Continue reading “History Blog: World War I ended 95 years ago today”

Historic Preservation, Public Communications

History Blog: College Station incorporated 75 years ago this month

City of College Station's 75th AnniversaryNOTE: 2013 marks the City of College Station’s 75th year as an incorporated city. In recognition, we’ve highlighted some interesting moments from our past.

The following message was authored by Henry Mayo, a surveyor and long-time resident of the Bryan-College Station area. As a surveyor and historian, Henry retrieves information from local, state and national resources to assemble history-themed messages for email subscribers in a series titled “This Week in Brazos County History.” To subscribe to Henry’s email series, click here.

 

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NOTE: Boy, I feel dumb for missing one of the biggest anniversary dates of the year last week. Being on the College Station 75th anniversary planning committee makes it even worse!

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CITIZENS VOTE TO INCORPORATE COLLEGE STATION (Oct. 19, 1938)

I don’t have a copy of The Eagle or Battalion from last week in 1938, but these clippings from The Eagle are in the scanned College Station publicity notebook on Project HOLD.

Incorporation clipsThe item on the right from Oct.18, 1938 tells of an informational meeting at the A&M Chemistry lecture room on Monday, Oct. 17. I believe the “school situation” mentioned refers to the City of Bryan’s recent southward annexation, including part of the A&M Consolidated school district known as Union Hill. Continue reading “History Blog: College Station incorporated 75 years ago this month”

Historic Preservation, Public Communications

History Blog: Joe Orr, Inc., helped make College Station into what it is today

City of College Station's 75th AnniversaryNOTE: 2013 marks the City of College Station’s 75th year as an incorporated city. In recognition, we’ve highlighted some interesting moments from our past.

The following message was authored by Henry Mayo, a surveyor and long-time resident of the Bryan-College Station area. As a surveyor and historian, Henry retrieves information from local, state and national resources to assemble history-themed messages for email subscribers in a series titled “This Week in Brazos County History.” To subscribe to Henry’s email series, click here.

 

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JOE ORR INCORPORATES HIS SURVEYING/ENGINEERING BUSINESS (Oct. 14, 1963)

LicenseThis history topic is more important to me than most others, but I’ll try to make it interesting and demonstrate its strong connection to our local history.

After receiving his degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M in 1922, Joseph A. Orr worked on railroad projects in South America before joining the A&M faculty in 1928. He taught civil engineering for the next 40 years, and served on the College Station City Council for more than 25 years (1939-1966). He later served on the planning and zoning commission.

Continue reading “History Blog: Joe Orr, Inc., helped make College Station into what it is today”

Historic Preservation, Public Communications

History Blog: A different kind of drought ended in 1971

City of College Station's 75th AnniversaryNOTE: 2013 marks the City of College Station’s 75th year as an incorporated city. In recognition, we’ve highlighted some interesting moments from our past.

The following message was authored by Henry Mayo, a surveyor and long-time resident of the Bryan-College Station area. As a surveyor and historian, Henry retrieves information from local, state and national resources to assemble history-themed messages for email subscribers in a series titled “This Week in Brazos County History.” To subscribe to Henry’s email series, click here.

 

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COLLEGE STATION BECOMES FULLY WET (Oct. 9, 1971)

The headline below that appeared on the front of The Eagle, on Sunday, Oct. 10, 1971, was probably a hot topic after church services that morning. The results of this election allowed liquor stores and the sale of alcohol in the form of mixed drinks. This was the birth of the thriving nightclub business in College Station such as the Northgate bars and clubs. The issue was divisive to the community, but the anti-LBD groups seemed to have accepted what the majority of citizens voted for:

Eagle_Oct10_1971P01_CS-Liquor-election[2]

Eagle_Jun06_1956P01_Bootleggers-Moist-County[1] Continue reading “History Blog: A different kind of drought ended in 1971”

Historic Preservation, Public Communications

History Blog: Old Hrdlicka home had long, storied history

City of College Station's 75th AnniversaryNOTE: 2013 marks the City of College Station’s 75th year as an incorporated city. In recognition, we’ve highlighted some interesting moments from our past.

The following message was authored by Henry Mayo, a surveyor and long-time resident of the Bryan-College Station area. As a surveyor and historian, Henry retrieves information from local, state and national resources to assemble history-themed messages for email subscribers in a series titled “This Week in Brazos County History.” To subscribe to Henry’s email series, click here.

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FORMER HRDLICKA/FUGATE FAMILY HOME BURNS (Sept. 22, 1988) 

The history book that chronicles the College Station Fire Department’s first 25 years (1970-95) includes the following under notable fire calls from 1988:

“September 22 — A house was totally destroyed at Luther Street and Wellborn Road. The house was near collapse from the intense fire on CSFD’s arrival.”

This home and associated businesses have a rich history. In a 1995 interview archived on the City of College Station’s Project HOLD website, Marilyn Hrdlicka Fugate said she was born in the home on Feb. 22, 1922 and that it was built around 1919 by her father, Ed Hrdlicka. It was located on the west corner of a few hundred acres of land owned by the Hrdlicka family. Marilyn and her husband, Jack Fugate, raised their own family there following World War II.

Continue reading “History Blog: Old Hrdlicka home had long, storied history”

Historic Preservation, Public Communications

History Blog: Solving the puzzle of A&M’s Veterans Village

City of College Station's 75th AnniversaryNOTE: 2013 marks the City of College Station’s 75th year as an incorporated city. In recognition, we’ve highlighted some interesting moments from our past.

The following message was authored by Henry Mayo, a surveyor and long-time resident of the Bryan-College Station area. As a surveyor and historian, Henry retrieves information from local, state and national resources to assemble history-themed messages for email subscribers in a series titled “This Week in Brazos County History.” To subscribe to Henry’s email series, click here.

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VETERANS VILLAGE DUPLEX HOUSES FOR SALE (Sept. 17, 1953)

Duplex clipI had heard of the Texas A&M project houses on Jersey Street (now George Bush) and the married-student College View apartments, but I was puzzled about exactly where Veterans Village was located. In the course of my research, I ran across the ad at the right from The Eagle published on Sept. 17, 1953, which refers to duplex houses.

BlackberryadI also found several classified ads (left) for items for sale by Veterans Village residents. Most ran in the late 1940s. Continue reading “History Blog: Solving the puzzle of A&M’s Veterans Village”