Fort Bend County officials and community leaders unveiled a new monument in Kendleton, Texas, to honor African American history and announced plans to develop additional educational spaces and memorials that will highlight the legacy of Black residents and Black cowboys in the county.
County commissioners, Kendleton city officials and local historians organized the ceremony at Bates-Allen Park in Kendleton, where they presented the monument as the first phase of a broader initiative to preserve and promote African American heritage in Fort Bend County.
Project organizers stated that the county selected Kendleton for the monument because of its history as one of the earliest freedom colonies in Texas, where newly freed African Americans established homes, churches and schools in the late 19th century.
Fort Bend County officials reported that the initiative will also include the creation of a Black cowboy museum that will document the role of African American cowboys, ranchers and farm workers in the county’s agricultural and cattle industries.
County leaders said they intend to partner with historians, educators and descendants of early Black settlers to gather documents, family records and personal stories that will support both the monument and the planned museum.
Officials explained that the monument and related projects will form part of a larger heritage tourism strategy that aims to attract visitors to Fort Bend County while providing residents with more information about local African American history.
Fort Bend County representatives indicated that they will pursue a combination of county funds, state and federal grants, private donations and corporate sponsorships to finance the museum and additional memorials.
Community members at the unveiling said they expect the new monument and the future museum to serve as educational resources for students, teachers and researchers who study African American history, Texas history and Western heritage.
Organizers announced that they will schedule public meetings and workshops in Kendleton and other Fort Bend communities in 2025 to collect input on museum design, exhibit themes and locations for future markers and memorials.
Officials said they will continue to install additional markers and interpretive panels at Bates-Allen Park and other historical locations in Fort Bend County as part of the ongoing effort to document African American heritage.
