African American Heritage Room

This room was officially opened at the 1933 Old Elementary School, now called the Brazoria Civic Center and opened on Saturday, June 17, 2006.

James Shotwell from the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, Texas was the featured guest.  Mr. Shotwell introduced a movie about the history of the Buffalo Soldiers.  Movies were shown in the theater for the rest of the afternoon.

The room is sponsored by the Brazoria Heritage Foundation along with the Brazoria Historical Museum at 202 West Smith Street in Brazoria, Texas.

This room represents Black History in Brazoria County.  Nearly all of the items on display were donated from resident’s private collections.  The major donors are Billy Sanders and Black History Chairman Berniece Smith.

Displays

** Old tools used by the enslaved

** A newspaper article advertising the slave trade

** Old shackles

** Old domestic items used in homes long ago

Picture Displays 

** Brazoria County’s most famous former slaves – Charlie Brown & his wife, Isabella.

** Nathan Haller, one of the first two African-Americans elected to the Texas State Legislature . In 1893 he represented Brazoria County during reconstruction.

** Henry O. Tanner, a famous artist from Pennsylvania in which the old black Brazoria school was named after.

** Henry O. Tanner School and Teachers in the 1900’s

**  Paintings donated by local artists