Charlie Brown
West Columbia, Brazoria County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Charlie Brown, born a slave in the late 1820s, came to the Brazoria County area from Virginia before the Civil War. Despite being illiterate and using an X for his mark beside his name on legal transactions, Brown acquired a vast amount of land according to the Brazoria County tax records. Between 1889 and 1910, he owned approximately 3,000 acres, including much of the land in West Columbia. He donated some parcels for area churches and schools. In 1896, Brown deeded land in School District Sixteen (Colored) within the city limits of West Columbia. This school at West Bernard and Brown Street, was the first in the community to serve African American students and was later named Charlie Brown School in his honor. Brown married Isabella, a former slave from the Dance Plantation. When he died in 1920, he owned several businesses, including grist, sugar and saw mills and the countys first cotton gin. A Houston Post article identified him as a millionaire and the wealthiest African American in the state. Brown was the single largest landowner and taxpayer in Brazoria County and was appreciated by a diverse citizenship of West Columbia. He was buried in Brown Family Cemetery at Danciger. The City of West Columbia formally honored Brown at least twice. At a special session of the City Council on February 28, 1955,, Brown Street was named for him. The city also proclaimed August 30, 2014, to be observed as Charlie Brown Day. On February 24, 2015, the State of Texas recognized Brown when the 84th Texas Legislature passed House Concurrent Resolution 58 for this man whose life and legacy are indeed worthy of tribute. His impact on his neighbors and his community continues to be felt today. (2015)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born into slavery in the late 1820s and brought to Brazoria County from Virginia before the Civil War, Charlie Brown could not read or write yet built one of the largest fortunes in Texas. Between 1889 and 1910 he owned some 3,000 acres, including much of West Columbia, and ran grist, sugar, and saw mills and the county's first cotton gin. He donated land for churches and for the first school serving African American children in West Columbia, later named in his honor, and by his death in 1920 was called the wealthiest African American in the state.
Why it matters
Charlie Brown's rise from bondage to become his county's largest landowner and taxpayer is a remarkable post-emancipation success story, and his gifts of land for Black schools and churches shaped his community for generations.
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Related people
- · Charlie Brown
- · Isabella Brown
Related events
- · Emancipation
Themes & tags
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