Texas City: 1867 Settlement Historic District

Texas City: 1867 Settlement Historic District

  • <p>Small wood frame house with narrative marker in front about Settlement Community</p>
  • <p>Branding calves at John Moore Ranch in Fort Bend County, c. 1920s. (Fort Bend County Museum Association)</p> <p>Men branding cattle</p>
  • <p>Ben Kinchlow in 1937, age 89. (Library of Congress)</p> <p>Photo of a man named Ben Kinchlow in 1937 at age 89</p>
  • <p>Calvin Bell (Galveston County Historical Commission 1867 Settlement Historic District Collection)</p> <p>Portrait of Calvin Bell</p>
  • <p>Frank Bell, Jr. (Galveston County Historical Commission 1867 Settlement Historic District Collection)</p> <p>Man on a horse next to a truck</p>
  • <p>Rodeo, 1950 (Galveston County Historical Commission 1867 Settlement Historic District Collection)</p> <p>Cowboys participating in a rodeo</p>
  • <p>Butler Longhorn Museum in League City.</p> <p>Steer heads mounted on a wall </p>

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The 1867 Settlement Historic District, the only Reconstruction-era African American community in Galveston County, was established by a group of formerly enslaved African American cowboys. While employed by the nearby Butler Ranch, land was purchased with money earned in part by driving cattle up the Chisholm Trail. Interpretative kiosks are located throughout the district.

Take a short drive to League City and visit the Butler Longhorn Museum, which tells the story of the Butler Ranch and Milby Butler’s efforts to conserve the Texas Longhorn through selective breeding.

1867 Settlement Historic District

  • 117 S. Bell Drive, Texas City, TX
  • National Register of Historic Places

Butler Longhorn Museum

  • Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Thursdays until 7 p.m.
  • Admission: Adults: $10, Senior/Military/Child (6-12): $9
  • 1220 Coryell St., League City, TX
  • 281-332-1393
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