The Beasley Depot. Photo courtesy of Fort Bend Historical Museum.
A LITTLE PIECE OF HISTORY
By Joan Frances –
Fort Bend County was established in 1837. Harris County was founded in 1836. Both communities strived to encourage growth in commerce and agriculture. Famous men named the areas and became leaders in society. Fort Bend was named for a blockhouse at the bend of the Brazos River by a group of colonists from Stephen F. Austin’s original 300. Harris County was named after John Richardson Harris, an early settler of the area.
Geographically, these combined areas are one of the most successful, profitable regions in the country. Both counties boast culturally diversified cities rich in tradition and history. One city in Fort Bend with an intriguing past is Beasley.
Located 11 miles southwest of Richmond on Loop 540 at 4th Street, this quaint city originated on the Southern Pacific Railroad route. In 1894, Cecil Aquilla Beasley, a ticket agent for the railroad and later a banker, founded this area and named it Dyer for Isabel Dyer, the woman he later married. Because another town was already named Dyer, the municipal was renamed Beasley. The post office opened May 13, 1898, and commerce began. As the railroad grew, so did Beasley.
Cecil Beasley. Photo courtesy of Fort Bend Historical Museum.
Cotton was the town’s staple export allowing it to become a prosperous trade center for the area around Needville. Working in the cotton fields for many hours in the hot summer sun was grueling and exhausting for the farmers; they were paid one dollar for every 100 pounds they could pick.
Because of its central location and easy access to the railroad, Beasley opened the doors to mobility for its citizens. They could travel to Richmond and even farther south to the big city of Houston to get away. Besides the railroad, transportation was mostly horse drawn, and the dirt roads were difficult to travel when it rained. Muddy paths caused havoc for the residents who needed to travel on foot to work, but life was good for this small town. Families raised cattle, sheep, horses and cotton.
As a result of the railroad, The Stern and Stern Land Company of Kansas City arrived in 1910 and began to promote and sell land through auction in Beasley as a supply and shipping point for settlers. This encouraged population growth, and by 1914, Beasley had 325 residents. Downtown consisted of a bank, a hotel, two churches, a lumber supplier, two cotton gins, three general stores and a telephone service. By the 1920s, a movie house and filling station were built. Schools began to prosper and later merged with Lamar Consolidated ISD and remain united today.
The downtown area became a popular spot for citizens to converge and visit with one another, sharing old and new stories. The “Sit and Spit Club” consisted of older men who talked and spit their tobacco, while younger members engaged in the details of a narrative. Reflections of the Chisholm Trail and the conflicts that early settlers encountered kept the audience well-entertained. With no television, radio or Internet, this weekly gathering brought the town together and bonded friendships that lasted a lifetime. Beasley was incorporated in 1970.
Today, Beasley remains small and intimate with a population of approximately 649 people. Vintage buildings are still in the downtown area. Cotton fields and gins are prevalent and line the roads as travelers drive through the neighborhoods. Back in 1994, Beasley celebrated its 100 year anniversary, and reflections of the past transpired once again. For a moment, the city took a step back to reflect upon simpler times and what life is really all about, reaffirming once again that Fort Bend has it all: growth, tradition and history.