By Joan Frances
Rosenberg’s Vogelsang General Merchandise in the late 19th century.
Look around. “It’s” everywhere – from the one hundred-year-old tree dripping with moss to the dilapidated homes and buildings that carry the intrigue of “age.” History is everywhere. Twenty-eight miles south of Houston and about sixty miles from Galveston, a road trip can introduce visitors to the quaint city of Rosenberg. Free of any high rise buildings, driving the 23.9 square miles through the community is a step back in time.
Around 1823, Stephen F. Austin arrived off the coast of Galveston with a group of colonists and began opening businesses and building homes. By 1865, railroads were the main focus of transportation from Galveston to Houston. Henry Von Rosenberg, a wealthy man who invested in railroading, banking and wharfs, became engaged in expanding the railroad. From 1874 to 1877, he was president of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway company. He and several others ventured out of Galveston to establish a railroad that would extend all the way to Temple Texas.
According to the law at the time, all railroads had to be built within a mile of a courthouse. In 1880, the city of Richmond refused the right-of- way of the impending growth of the railroad; thus, the Rosenberg Junction was created. The city was named after the ambitious Swiss immigrant who had the foresight to dream big. A depot was built and the city began to grow.
Most of the residents lived in tents, but one building, Mrs. Ebell’s Hotel and Boarding house, stills stands today. The first business enterprises were a grocery, saloon and the hotel. In 1881, Count Joseph Telfener came to Rosenberg to begin work on the “Macaroni Line.” This was the term used for the railroad tracks laid by the Italians leading to Victoria, Texas. As the railroad expanded, so did the city. By 1884, Wells Fargo Company opened an office, and railroad shipments kept Rosenberg on the map.
In 1902, Rosenberg was officially incorporated, and Robert H. McCormick became the town’s first mayor. R.T. Mulcahy completed McCormack’s term after he left Rosenberg and was given the title “Father of Rosenberg.” He was re-elected twice as mayor. Mulcahy raised funds for a school, donated his own land for a location and was instrumental in the building. He served on the school board for twenty years.
Rosenberg continued to grow as the railroads were used for transportation of goods and a home for train crews and their families. By the turn of the century, the Brazos Valley and Rosenberg advertised to the north and Midwest about the fertile land and beautiful Victorian homes to entice more settlers to the area. People from German, Czech, Polish and Mexican ancestry came to live and contribute to the cities’ welfare making it multicultural. In the early 1920s, oil was found in Fort Bend County, and Rosenberg became a boom town. Sulphur was also discovered.
Nature was not always kind to the residents of this small community. Because of very wet weather and the Brazos River flooding often, floods occurred in 1913, 1922, 1929 and 1957. Rosenberg was nicknamed “The City of Mud.” In 1932, a hurricane ruined the cotton crop, but the city stuck together and everyone found jobs to sustain themselves. The town continued to rebuild and replace what was destroyed.
Rosenberg continues to thrive and grow. Today, the downtown area looks much the same as it did one hundred years ago. Some of the first buildings still remain. The two-story J.H.P. Davis Bank (Reese Building), the Gray & Sons Building, the Cochran Brokers Building and Erp Building (Vogelsang Building) are all located on Avenue G in downtown Rosenberg. These buildings have been renovated and are still in use as offices, antique shops, a wine room, theaters and restaurants. The Rosenberg Railroad Museum boasts one of the most complete displays of the history of the railroad, how it got started and what life was like at the turn of the century.
City leaders are making every effort to preserve the history that makes this city so special. To stroll through the downtown area is a reminder of days gone by. Step back in time, and experience the past in Rosenberg.