Columbia Historical Museum

05/28/2026

Museum Hosting Reading in the Rosenwald in June May 28, 2026 | Events | 0 comments Submit a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Δ

05/28/2026

Summer Passport Program Kicks Off Saturday at Museum May 28, 2026 | Events | 0 comments Submit a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Δ

05/26/2026

BIG NEWS FOR WEST COLUMBIA VISITORS & LOCALS! 🗺️✨

Looking for the ultimate guide to exploring the First Capitol of the Republic of Texas? We’ve got you covered! Our newly revised West Columbia Tourism Brochure & Map is officially here!

Whether you're planning a day trip, a weekend getaway, or you're a local looking to rediscover your own backyard, this is your all-in-one pass to the best of West Columbia.

Inside the new guide, you’ll find:

🍽️ Where to Eat: From mexican food to home-style comfort food to local coffee spots and sweet treats.

🛍️ Retail Therapy: A curated list of our charming boutique shops, antique stores, and unique local markets.

📜 Step Back in Time: A guide to our iconic historical markers and legendary sites that shaped the history of Texas.

🎉 Annual Events: Mark your calendars! Don't miss our community festivals, parades, and seasonal celebrations.

🗺️ The Ultimate Map: An easy-to-use visual map that plots out exactly where to Do, Eat, and Shop so you won't miss a thing.

📍 Where to pick one up:
Stop by the Chamber of Commerce, City Hall, or any of our participating local businesses and historical sites to grab your physical copy today!

👉 Planning your visit right now? Let us know your favorite West Columbia spot in the comments below! 👇

https://heyzine.com/flip-book/b92406d3aa.html /1

05/26/2026

Mark your calendar, this year's Brazoria County Summer Museum Passport kicks off on Saturday, May 30th! Visit any participating site to pick up your passport, begin collecting stamps, and enjoy a special kick off day activity! See the list of participating sites to find the one closest to you!

Not able to make it on May 30th? No worries! Passports will be available at each site throughout the summer, or you can print it at home. Check out our website for more information and to download* the printable passport: https://bcsummerpassport.org/

*Passports may NOT be stamped until May 30th.

05/25/2026

Lots of exciting things going on at the museum!!!! Don’t miss out!!!

05/25/2026

By Tracy Gupton

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is a prominent national memorial dedicated to the men and women who served in the Vietnam War. The memorial’s most striking feature is the wall itself, inscribed with the names of the more than 58,000 service members who died or remain missing during the conflict in Vietnam.

The names of at least two brave men who occupy a small branch of my personal family tree are among those 58,000 plus who lost their lives in Vietnam. A first cousin, Danny Louis Broadway, my mother’s sister’s son, came home from two tours of duty in Vietnam with his body intact, but the same could not be said for his mental state. I am now the president of the Columbia Cemetery Association where my cousin Danny’s grave remains a constant reminder to me of the tragic turn his life took when he was drafted into the U.S. Army as a young man living in East Columbia.

By Tracy Gupton The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is a prominent national memorial dedicated to the men and women who served in the Vietnam

05/24/2026

By Tracy Gupton

As our nation remembers those brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives in battles over the ages on this Memorial Day Weekend, this son of a World War II veteran was grateful that my father and his three brothers all survived and returned to West Columbia to live out their respective lives. But that wasn't the case for the many who perished trying to keep America free.

I am the current president of the Columbia Cemetery Association Board of Directors. There are five generations of my father's family interred at Columbia Cemetery. My wife and I own burial plots there, but please forgive me if we don't get in any hurry to occupy those spaces near my Mom and Dad. There are military markers placed at the graves of my Dad, Rex Gupton, and his brothers Thurman and S.D. Gupton. They all served their country with pride during what Archie Bunker referred to as, "the big war." As did their brother, Aubrey Gupton, who is buried in Baytown, Texas.

By Tracy Gupton As our nation remembers those brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives in battles over the ages on this Memorial Day Weekend, this son of a

05/22/2026

By Tracy Gupton

It is speculated that whenever the Columbia 1836 First Capitol of the Republic of Texas state historic site in downtown West Columbia project is finished, it is expected to resemble the San Felipe de Austin site near Sealy. Earlier this year I accompanied Sandy Weems on a trip from West Columbia to Sealy to visit the San Felipe site. Wes Griggs, president of the Columbia 1836 First Capitol project committee and a fellow West Columbia Rotarian with Sandy and I, had shared with us how impressed he was with the state historic site at San Felipe. He wasn't wrong.

For those interested in touring that site, it is located at 220 Second Street in San Felipe, Texas. You can call ahead at (979) 885-2181 to inquire about tours and to gather information about what the San Felipe site has to offer. It is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

By Tracy Gupton It is speculated that whenever the Columbia 1836 First Capitol of the Republic of Texas state historic site in downtown West Columbia project

05/18/2026

By Tracy Gupton

The collaboration between Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington led to the building of nearly 5,000 schoolhouses for African American children across the South. By the time segregation ended, the "Rosenwald Schools" that sprang from this unlikely partnership were educating one-third of the South's Black children and represented a significant step in the ongoing endeavor to bring high-quality education to every child in America.

Rosenwald was the president of Sears, Roebuck and Company and a leader in Chicago's Jewish community. While Washington was the founder of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and the most esteemed Black man in the country in 1911 when he and Rosenwald got together.

"It was a chance encounter on a train and their mutual connection to the YMCA movement that led to the meeting, which later seemed so invevitable, between Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald," writes Stephanie Deutsch in her 2011 book titled 'You Need a Schoolhouse: Booker T.

By Tracy Gupton The collaboration between Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington led to the building of nearly 5,000 schoolhouses for African American chi

05/14/2026

By Tracy Gupton

After coaching his son Jeff in the 1979-80 school year, former Columbia High School athletics director and head football coach Jack Hays put away his whistle and closed the book on his illustrious coaching career. Today the West Columbia community is mourning the passing of this legendary football coach who touched so many lives in the many years he and his wife Ellen were valuable residents of our little town.

"The final gun sounded on the extraordinary life of Coach Jack R. Hays on April 27, 2026," reads his newspaper obituary. "He was 92 years old. Born on November 4th, 1933, in Prosper, Texas, Jack grew up in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas and attended Sunset High School. He excelled at baseball and football and was an integral member of the Bison's 1950 state championship football team.

By Tracy Gupton After coaching his son Jeff in the 1979-80 school year, former Columbia High School athletics director and head football coach Jack Hays put