The 20th Annual Texian Market Days brings you the sights and sounds of more than 150 years of Texas history with these authentic activities and enactments.
For teachers, students, or just lovers of Texas history we have a more detailed description of the TMD events in the Education section of this web site: download the TMD overview.
Jones Stock Farm
Visitors to the 1830s Jones Stock Farm join re-enactors in hands-on activities such as pioneer cooking, corn shucking, shelling and grinding, cotton and wool dyeing, spinning and weaving, soap making, basket weaving, bullet molding, firearms demonstrations, leather working and games of skill and chance. Visitors can also join in the debates and controversies that determine the future of Austin’s Colony.
1890s Sam Ryon Sharecropper Farm
This 1890s cotton farm of sharecropper Sam Ryon presents the post-slavery life of African Americans in Fort Bend County.
Archeological Excavation
Fort Bend Archeological Society conducts an excavation on the grounds of the George Ranch House. Visitors can pick up a trowel and help at the excavation site in an effort to uncover foundation features of the original ranch house that burned to the ground in the late 1880s.
Civil War Encampment
The Civil War encampment features scores of re-enactors, both Federal and Confederate from all over the state. There are medicines shows, troop drills, military skirmishes, temperance tableau, recruiting and camp life of both soldiers and families of the 1860s.
1890s Cowboy Camp
The 1890s Cowboy Camp at Texian Market Days brings to life the experiences of the cowboy way of life. See tools, clothing, and personal effects of the working cowboy of 100 years ago and witness enactments that illustrate the real cowboy--not the Hollywood myth.
Davis Mansion
Step back 100 years when you enter the home of the J.H.P. Davis family – one of the oldest, most prominent in the county. The home is furnished and interpreted to reflect the year 1896. Trained guides tell the history of the family and their home.
Henry and Nancy Jones Memorial Cemetery
This cemetery is the final resting place for the first two generations that lived and worked on the George Ranch and dates back to the mid 1830s when Henry and Nance Jones first settle the land as part of Stephen F. Austin’s “Old 300."
Blacksmith Shop
The restored turn of the century blacksmith shop from Oldenburg, Texas, provides the backdrop for demonstrations of traditional blacksmithing and woodworking. The early 1900s blacksmith shop produced iron goods, as well as furniture and coffins and sold kerosene and electricity.
1930s Working Cattle Ranch Area
Cattle working and demonstrations include branding and sorting of calves, yoking and stretching of steers, and working cattle in the chute. Cattle are led to the dipping vat or, as children call it, “the cow’s bath” where cattle were dipped in a chemical mixture to ward off disease. George Ranch cowboys team up to demonstrate the remarkable relationship between horse and cowboy when working cattle.
The George Ranch House
The George Ranch House served as the residence of A.P. and Mamie George and as headquarters for their cattle business. Trained guides interpret the history of the home, family, and ranch life during the 1930s and 40s. The Ranch House includes out buildings--the cistern house where butter and cheese were made and where food was stored before refrigeration, the smokehouse, greenhouse, tool shed and pump house, servants house, and garage.
The Wild Horsecatcher
The tale of The Wild Horsecatcher, a man that grew up on the Texas Frontier during the 1840s and 50s features re-enactor Larry Heidbreder and his registered Appaloosa stallion, Shadow Mystery.
