Richmond – In a town known as the Space City, you’d expect to find nothing but modern conveniences and the big city way of life. But just a few miles from the hustle and bustle of Houston, you’ll find the George Ranch in Richmond. Here, life is like it was when Texas was a Republic. “Texans feel it’s important for them to know of their heritage, and we are excited to be able to show them that history in a different setting,” said Adrienne Barker.
Adrienne is the Executive Director of the Historic George Ranch Association and she’s in charge of running this 20,000-acre ranch that’s only 30 miles from Downtown Houston. However, many Texans haven’t heard of it. “We’ve kind of flown under the radar for 200 years,” said Adrienne. “We are older than the King Ranch. We were founded 200 years ago in 1824, and we like to say we were here before Texas, because this was part of Mexico when the ranch was founded.”
Just seeing fields of green not far from the concrete jungle is a refreshing way to spend the day, but then, there’s the history. “We teach 100 years of Texas history starting at about 1830 and running through 1930,” said Adrienne. “We like to bring that history to life for the kids who read about it in their classrooms, then they can come here and actually see people who teach the history live in a setting that’s appropriate to that time.”
Considering this was a cattle ranch for so long, you’ll still find steers soaking up the Texas sun and avoiding the cowboys any way they can. It’s part of the demonstration to show what life was like, and how it still is, for those who work the ranch. “They actually work the cattle, the kids get to see the cattle and the cowboys and the horses up close, and they get to really get into that golden age of the cattle drive period that is taught in their Texas history courses,” said Adrienne.
Turns out the cattle are really just trying to avoid bath time even though they seem to enjoy it as much as the onlookers do. “There’s a little bit of splashing when a cow goes into the dipping vat, and that’s always fun,” said Adrienne. “We tell them to step back and they look at us rather skeptically, and then the first cow jumps in and they move back, and it always brings a smile and a cheer. Just a lot of fun to get to see that up close.”
The George Ranch was established by Henry and Nancy Jones who were some of the first settlers under Stephen F. Austin’s first colonial contract in Mexican Texas. “Henry and Nancy Jones came here a little over 200 years ago, and they were the first English-speaking settlers in the area,” said Adrienne. “Obviously, there were indigenous folks here, and they established the ranch as one of Austin’s first 300 families.”
The association has preserved the memory of that very early way of life here at the ranch. “This is the second cabin of Henry and Nancy Jones,” said Adrienne. “It’s a replica of the original that was here on the ranch. And they lived here with their 11 children. This is actually a pretty upscale cabin, and it’s one of our most popular sites with all of the students and the people who visit because it’s so different from how they live now.”
Seeing what life was like back in the 1830’s is one thing, but here kids can actually experience it. “We put them to work doing some chores and they get to do a lot of hands-on things so that they can really see what it was like to live back then,” said Adrienne. “Our interpreter here, J.R. Thomas is very good at getting the kids involved and getting them to do lots of different things for him, helping with his work.”
From there the Jones’ moved to this prairie home in the 1860s. “This was actually the third home of Henry Jones, and he built it very near the end of his life,” said Adrienne. “Oddly, he never really liked this house. He really wanted his cabin. He was most comfortable there, but he built this house and then wasn’t really that happy here.”
The third home on the property is a Victorian complex built in the 1890’s by the third generation of Jones’ family. “We have now moved into the 1890s, the Victorian age, so you’ll see a much higher level of wealth shown, many more items on display,” said Adrienne. “That was the Victorian way.”
And the final home on the ranch was built by the 4th generation of Jones’ Mary Elizabeth, who was also known as Mamie. “This house is set in the 1930s,” said Adrienne. “It was the home of AP and Mamie George. Mamie was the final generation of the family story, and this was the house they built together for their married life.”
With no living heirs, it was the George’s who established the Foundation that continues to this day providing Texans with a glimpse back in time while giving back to the community. “We wonder if they knew what they were creating,” said Adrienne. “It’s a pretty amazing legacy. You always think that yes, they had in mind charitable good and supporting the community, but they really think it would ever become this big, and we just have to be the best stewards we can of that legacy. Just seeing this land and heritage kept in place, it’s really, really nice to know that there are some pockets like this that will remain and we’ll continue to tell our Texas history, and for people to enjoy the outdoors and agriculture and cattle and cowboys, all those things that are very Texas.”