The Fulshear
Land Grant
Explore the landscape, settlement opportunities, and key figures that contributed to Fulshear's early history.
Landscape
IN THE 1800S, THE LAND THAT WOULD LATER BECOME
FULSHEAR, TEXAS REMAINED PRIMARILY WILDERNESS,
CHARACTERIZED BY PRAIRIES, FORESTS AND WATERWAYS.
The Brazos River served as a lifeline for indigenous people and later settlers, supplying vital fresh water. This water source sustained communities, facilitated transportation, and nurtured diverse wildlife.
Along the river and its tributaries, sturdy hardwood trees like oak and pecan provided essential shade and ecological support. Beyond, the expansive tallgrass prairies filtered water and enriched the soil.
These combined natural resources had a profound influence on the regions growth and development, creating an ideal environment for agriculture and ranching practices.
SETTLEMENT
FOLLOWING MEXICO'S INDEPENDENCE FROM SPAIN IN 1821, AUTHORITIES ACTIVELY ENCOURAGED SETTLEMENT IN TEXAS BY ALLOWING EMPRESARIOS, OR CONTRACTORS, TO OFFER LAND GRANTS TO AMERICAN SETTLERS.
These land grants played a significant role in populating Mexican Texas. Stephen F. Austin was the first and most successful empresario who settled along the Colorado and Brazos rivers. He founded San Felipe de Austin in 1823 as the capital of his colony.
Located twenty miles northwest of present-day Fulshear, it was the site of important political and administrative activities related to colonization.
Stephen F. Austin
IN 1820, MOSES AUSTIN INITIATED PLANS TO ESTABLISH A COLONY IN TEXAS, BUT DIED IN 1821, LEAVING THE RESPONSIBILITY TO HIS SON STEPHEN FULLER AUSTIN.
While his father had secured permission from the Spanish government to establish the colony, Stephen F. Austin was tasked with obtaining approval from the new Mexican authorities.
Successful in this endeavor, Austin began recruiting settlers from the United States to relocate to Mexican Texas. His first contract was for three hundred families. These families became known as Austin's "Old 300."
While some of these settlers arrived as early as 1821, land grants were distributed beginning in the summer of 1824. These grants were divided into two categories, providing Austin's family with a labor (177 acres) for farming and a sitio, or league (4,428 acres), for ranching.
Churchill Fulshear Sr.
AMONG AUSTIN'S "OLD 300" WAS CHURCHILL FULSHEAR SR., WHO HAD PETITIONED FOR PROPERTY IN AUSTIN'S COLONY AND MADE THE JOURNEY FROM TENNESSEE WITH HIS FAMILY.
On July 16, 1824, Fulshear was granted a sitio of land situated near the Brazos River in what is now Fort Bend County. There, he and his three sons began farming and raising livestock while living in a log cabin with his wife, daughter and one servant.
Despite his age, Fulshear Sr. aspired to hold a position on the ayuntamiento, the town council of San Felipe de Austin. Although his initial attempt in 1829 was unsuccessful, he was elected as regidor, or council member, the following year and helped oversee the affairs of the colony.
While dedicated to his duties, Churchill Fulshear Sr.'s time in this role was brief, as he passed away on January 18, 1831, leaving his land to his family. Nearly 60 years later, this land would become the town of Fulshear, named after its original settler.
Timeline:
1821-1836
Scroll left or right on the timeline below to
see the series of events that impacted the
region and the Fulshear family
Exhibit Activities
Founding Fulshear, Texas
Learn about Fulshear's founder, the town's agrarian and sharecropping history, and how the railroad changed the destiny of two local towns.
Churchill Fulshear Jr.
BORN IN TENNESSEE IN 1808, CHURCHILL FULSHEAR JR. RELOCATED TO TEXAS WITH HIS PARENTS AND SIBLINGS IN THE EARLY 1820S, WHEN HIS FATHER, ONE OF AUSTIN'S "OLD 300," WAS SELECTED TO RECEIVE A LEAGUE OF LAND IN THE SUMMER OF 1824.
Upon his father's passing, Fulshear Jr. and his two brothers inherited the land in what is today Fort Bend County and, by the 1830s, had expanded their holdings to include additional territory from DeWitt's colony in Gonzales. During the Texas Revolution, Fulshear Jr. served as a scout, observing Santa Anna's army as they crossed at Stafford's Point. Surviving the encounter, he went on to fight in the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.
Playing a significant role in the development and leadership of the region, Fulshear Jr. was not only known for his military contributions and land ownership, but also as a knowledgeable rancher and horseman. Between the 1850s and the 1870s, he successfully owned and operated Churchill Downs racecourse, assisted by horse trainer John Huggins.
Student rendering: Halle McAdoo, formerly of jordan high school
original artwork at Fort Bend history Association
Slavery & agrarian life
The fulshear estate, which included a cotton gin and flour mill, became a central part of the local economy, contributing to the agriculture and livestock production that supported the burgeoning texan settlements.
Leveraging the fertile soil along the Brazos River, the plantation relied upon the labor of enslaved people to produce its primary resources. These skilled laborers worked the land, cultivating and harvesting cotton, corn, rice, and pecans. Additional responsibilities were to livestock, which included maintaining cattle and horses, such as Fulshear Jr.'s prized thoroughbreds.
Following the abolition of slavery, sharecropping allowed newly emancipated individuals to use land for farming. While it provided opportunities, it often resulted in economic challenges for tenants, who gave a portion of their crops to landowners. Despite these difficulties, local sharecroppers grew cotton, potatoes, beans, watermelons, chickens and eggs, which helped contribute to the local economy.
Town of Pittsville
Settled north of Fulshear in the 1840s, this small town appealed to landowners who sought the elevated prairie landscape as a reprieve from the brazos river.
This move away from the water protected the townspeople from disease, allowing the population to flourish. Named after the Pitts family, who operated a local store and post office, Pittsville consisted largely of farmers and ranchers. By the 1860s, the town included a variety of occupations and was home to about 240 residents.
While railroad development was promising, the effects of the Civil War, along with poorly timed decisions by landowners, left the town without a railway. This ultimately led to the decline of Pittsville as residents moved away. The last remnant of the town, a stone cistern, can still be seen today off of FM 359.
San Antonio & Aransas Pass
Chartered in 1884 to connect san antonio with aransas bay, the sa&ap railway extended a track towards houston, creating transportation for agricultural towns nearby.
In the late 1880s, the SA&AP approached Pittsville landowners for approval to expand through the town. When this request was denied, they turned to Churchill Fulshear Jr. who agreed to give right-of-way across his land. This decision proved fruitful as settlers from Pittsville and the surrounding towns moved to the area to be closer to the track. In 1890, the railroad platted the Town of Fulshear and a post office was constructed.
As the SA&AP suffered substantial setbacks, including derailment and debt, the track through Fulshear was later acquired by the Southern Pacific Railroad. While ultimately abandoned, the railroad put Fulshear on the map and solidified the town's growth and prosperity.
Timeline:
1808-1892
Scroll left or right on the timeline below to
see the series of events that impacted the
development of the city of Fulshear
Exhibit Activities
Special thanks to FHA donors
Shaping Fulshear, a two-part Bicentennial exhibit, was made possible by contributions from the following individuals
