BRAZOS COUNTY, TX — Brazos County is not only home to Texas A&M University. There is also lots of history inside the county itself.
In this GMT on Tour: Brazos County, we visited Bryan, College Station, the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library, parks and different museums in the area. You can learn about the different cities, and their history in the videos above.
Here are some things you might not know:
Brazos County history
Brazos County was formed in 1841 and was originally known as Navasota County.
The first court in the county was presided over Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor, who was one of the founding fathers of Baylor University.
In January 1842, the county was then renamed to Brazos County. Eventually, citizens voted to make Bryan their county seat.
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M is the state of Texas' first public institution of higher education. The university got its start after the state of Texas agreed to create a college under the Morrill Act in 1866.
However, the university wasn't officially formed until the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas was established on April 17, 1871. When A&M first started, all students were required to participate in military training.
Under the President James Earl Rudder, the university underwent several changes in the 1960s.
In 1997, the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum opened on the A&M campus. it made it one of the only few universities to host a presidential library on its campus.
Brazos County Valley African American Museum
The museum was built on the site of one of the original African American schools in the Brazos Valley.
It was the first establishment of its kind to promote the history of African American citizens in the Brazos Valley.
The museum opened its doors in July 2006.
For more information on the museum, click here.
