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    Historic Downtown Rosenberg
    Historic Downtown Rosenberg
    Historic Downtown Rosenberg
    Ebook155 pages41 minutes

    Historic Downtown Rosenberg

    By The Rosenberg Historians

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    About this ebook

    Rosenberg was created and thrived with the expansion of the railroad. From the first house in 1883, the city grew to become the "Hub of the Gulf Coast." Rosenberg was the center of commerce for settlers of all nationalities attracted here by fertile land and economic opportunity. In just 30 years, 56 businesses, including banks, loan and land development companies, merchants, doctors, and lawyers, were in the four-block area of the original Downtown Rosenberg Business District. Even celebrities came. For instance, outlaws Bonnie and Clyde ate their last meal at the Eagle Café in 1934. Also, actors John Wayne, Shirley Temple, and Roy Rogers could occasionally be found outside the Cole Theater, and while campaigning, Lyndon B. Johnson had his helicopter land on a downtown roof.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateMay 25, 2015
    ISBN9781439651452
    Historic Downtown Rosenberg
    Author

    The Rosenberg Historians

    The photographs in this book are from treasured family albums, the Fort Bend County Museum Association, and private collections. The Rosenberg Historians have spent three years obtaining photographs and information in order to assemble this labor of love. Members are from all walks of life but are dedicated to one goal--to preserve the history of Downtown Rosenberg for future generations.

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      Book preview

      Historic Downtown Rosenberg - The Rosenberg Historians

      Whitten.

      INTRODUCTION

      The city of Rosenberg began because of the railroad. In 1873, a group of businessmen who wanted to leave Houston’s rail center attempted to organize a railroad in the city of Richmond, but they were turned down. They then curved their rail line around Richmond and founded Rosenberg. The town was named after Henry von Rosenberg, the first president of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad (GC&SF). This was the beginning of Rosenberg.

      In 1881, the New York, Texas & Mexican Railway was built between Rosenberg and Victoria. It was nicknamed the Macaroni Line, because Italian workers laid the tracks.

      In 1883, George Seal, president of the GC&SF, purchased 200 acres and laid out the town. Initially, the town was laid on the north side of the tracks, but floods from the Brazos River necessitated that the town be moved south of the tracks.

      Several businesses, like Mrs. Ebell’s Hotel and Boarding House (the building still remains), the Union Depot, and the Harvey House were built to accommodate railroad commuters. The depot was busy 24 hours a day. During this time, Main Street was the place to be. Farmers came to town to contract workers for cotton picking; children and adults came to town to enjoy a day of entertainment. The town, although very active, was known as the City of Mud because, when it rained, the streets turned soft and wet. They were finally paved in the 1930s. The property owners on Main Street had to help pay for the paving of the street based on how many feet of their property faced the street. The project was very expensive but much needed.

      Many important happenings shaped Main Street. Bonnie and Clyde had their last meal at the Eagle Café before their death in Louisiana. John Wayne, Shirley Temple, and Roy Rogers, to name a few, came to the Cole Theater to promote their movies.

      Downtown Rosenberg was the center of activity for many years. Then the train station was closed as a result of changing transportation methods. With the addition of the freeway and new businesses, downtown Rosenberg began to disappear. The central part of Rosenberg became a ghost town in many ways. The Cole Theater, which had been in downtown since 1919, began to suffer because of competition from modern theaters. It finally shut its doors in the early 1980s. Nothing was left in downtown except a few bars and antique stores. Then, a group of Rosenberg citizens came together to revitalize the area and added a replica Railroad Train Station Museum. Next, a Rosenberg native bought several buildings and began transforming downtown back to the way it once was. It took 10 years, but downtown Rosenberg began a resurgence, and people came to visit the new businesses housed in the remodeled buildings. In 2013, downtown Rosenberg was designated a Cultural Arts District. In 2015, downtown Rosenberg became the 89th Texas Main Street.

      Rosenberg, as many downtowns in the nation, was the center of activity, and many memories remain. This book has been written with the help of many people who grew up in Rosenberg. Their memories are still very vibrant. It is hoped that, upon finishing this book, the reader, too, will have memories to share.

      One

      HISTORIC DOWNTOWN

      A sign in downtown Rosenberg, on the corner of Old Spanish Trail (OST) and Main Street, welcomed visitors to town. These thoroughfares today are known as Highway 90A and Third Street, respectively. Third Street, having the majority of the businesses in town, was informally referred to as Main Street.

      The interior of Cumings Drug Store is seen here in the early 1910s. It began as E.W. (Edward Walter) Cumings Drug Store, operating from 1910 to the early 1920s. The establishment had moved in 1910 from a wooden building at 812 Third Street. Pickard and Huggins Pharmacy and Soda Fountain (1923–1967) purchased it from Cumings. Frank Dedek purchased the business and changed the name to Frank’s Pharmacy in 1967, and he operated it through the early 1980s. Ed Smith became the next owner from the early 1980s until 2001. Another Time Antique Shoppe and Soda Fountain was here from 2001 to 2003. Since then, Another Time Soda Fountain & Café has operated here.

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