Howard Bland, Sr.
Taylor, Williamson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1848-1933) Born in Zanesville, Ohio, Howard Bland, Sr., came to Texas in 1878 and began raising sheep on his homestead near this site. An annual sheep shearing contest evolved into a community fair, and Bland donated land for the annual event. His other business interests included real estate, a commodities warehouse, a flour mill, and ice house, a hotel, a local power company, theater, and the Taylor Daily Press, an anti-prohibition newspaper. A community leader, he served on the city council and chamber of commerce, and was a member of the 34th Texas legislature.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Ohio in 1848, Howard Bland, Sr. came to Texas in 1878 and built a homestead near Taylor around raising sheep. His annual sheep-shearing contest grew into a beloved community fair, and Bland donated the land to keep it going. A restless entrepreneur, he ran everything from a flour mill and ice house to a hotel, power company, theater, and newspaper, and served in local government and the state legislature.
Why it matters
Bland embodies the enterprising boosters who knit together the towns of the late-19th-century Texas frontier, mixing agriculture, commerce, and civic life into lasting communities.
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