DUANE
Duane's take
The way the official marker tells it, here's the story of Richmond, Texas — and it's got more layers than a good brisket. It all starts in 1822, when members of Stephen F. Austin's colony settled this stretch of land and called their little community Fort Settlement.
That name had a frontier ring to it, and they were frontier people, so it fit. The earliest known burial in those years was made by a man named Wm. Morton, who donated the land that became Morton Cemetery.
Remember that cemetery — it's going to come up again. Now, Fort Settlement didn't stay Fort Settlement. In 1837, a pair of land promoters by the names of R.
E. Handy and Wm. Lusk came along, formally laid out a town, and named it Richmond — after Richmond, Virginia.
The following year, 1838, the city was elected county seat of Fort Bend County. Things were moving. 1837 was a busy year for this place. That same year, Mrs.
Jane Long arrived and established a plantation here. She also ran the Veranda Hotel. History remembers her as the Mother of Texas — that's not a nickname the marker throws around lightly.
When she passed, she was laid to rest right there in Morton Cemetery. See, told you we'd be back. Also in 1837 — and this one carries some weight — the famous scout Erastus Smith died here.
You may know him by the name folks gave him: Deaf Smith. He was buried in the city. A scout of his reputation, ending his days right here in Richmond.
The town kept growing. The county purchased its first courthouse in 1842, then built a brick one in 1849. And in 1855, something arrived that changed the character of the place entirely — an extension of the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railroad.
That railroad, worth noting, was the first railroad in Texas. That extension brought increased prosperity to Richmond, and the town knew it. Now here's where the story takes a sharp turn.
At some point before she made her name as a vigorous saloon fighter, Carry Nation operated the National Hotel right here in Richmond. She was here before she moved to Kansas. And her departure from Richmond — the marker connects it directly — was tied up in what folks called the Jaybird-Woodpecker political feud.
That feud didn't simmer quietly. It climaxed in a shootout around the Courthouse Square in 1889. You can picture the scene: the brick courthouse they'd built just forty years prior, and gunfire in the square around it.
Carry Nation left for Kansas, and Richmond had a story it would never quite shake. One more name worth carrying with you: John M. Moore, another noted Richmond citizen.
He led the way in raising the quality of range cattle — no small thing in Texas. He went on to serve in the Legislature from 1896 to 1905, then in the U.S. Congress from 1905 to 1913.
From Fort Settlement to county seat, from Jane Long to Deaf Smith, from the first railroad in Texas to a shootout around the courthouse — Richmond, Texas packed a remarkable amount of history into one square of Fort Bend County ground.
What the marker says
Area was settled in 1822 by members of Stephen F. Austin's colony, who first called their community "Fort Settlement." Earliest known burial was made by Wm. Morton, who donated land for Morton Cemetery. Town was formally laid out 1837 by land promoters R. E. Handy and Wm. Lusk, who named it for Richmond, Virginia. City was elected county seat in 1838. Most famous resident was Mrs. Jane Long, "Mother of Texas," who ran Veranda Hotel and established a plantation here in 1837. She is buried in Morton Cemetery. Also in 1837 famous scout Erastus "Deaf" Smith died here and was buried in the city. County purchased first courthouse in 1842; built a brick on in 1849. In 1855 an extension of the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Railroad (the first railroad in Texas) brought increased prosperity. Vigorous saloon fighter Carry Nation operated the National Hotel here prior to moving to Kansas. Her departure was connected with the "Jaybird-Woodpecker" political feud, which climaxed in a shootout around the Courthouse Square in 1889. Another noted Richmond citizen, John M. Moore, led way in raising quality of range cattle. Service in Legislature, 1896-1905, and U. S. Congress, 1905-1913.