Historical Postcards of Brown County
During the first half of the twentieth century, people bought postcards of places they had visited instead of taking photographs.  Some were mailed.  Since many of these postcards were collected as souvenirs, the rich history of Brown    County and Brownwood can be traced through the more than 260 postcards in this collection.  Notes and comments have been added to these postcards to aid in their appreciation.  These postcards are divided by subject. 

This CD-ROM disk is available for purchase at the Brown County Museum of History.  The museum is open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturdays.  Here is part of a sample page of what this collection looks like.  They can't be used as postcards but will give the viewer on his computer a look at Brown County!
 

Three Postcards Together

This is three pictures combined into one postcard.   On the left is the Daniel Baker College; the Center Avenue postcard; and below that, the dam on Pecan Bayou.

Center Avenue

Here is a postcard showing Center Avenue in the 1920's or early 30's.  Please note the five-story Brownwood National Bank building on the right.  The streets had not been paved when this postcard was printed.  As Henry Ford noted, a Model T can be purchased in any color, provided it’s black.

Center Avenue

The following four postcards of Center Avenue are subtly different.  These photos were taken in the very early part of the 20th Century and shows how active downtown was.

Note the building on the left. Please note how the porch sign changes.  In this postcard, the sign is missing altogether.   In the postcard below, the sign says "coffins."

 

Center Avenue

The "Coffins" sign is shown in this earlier postcard of the same parade.  Furniture and coffins were sold at the same place being as both were made of wood.  Please note Howard Payne College's "Old Main" at the top of the street.

You do not see a "gasoline car" anywhere in the picture.  They weren’t prevalent when this photo was taken. 

The note at the bottom of the postcard reads "Hello Hi!  This is where I spent my Fourth: sure had a good time. Dutch."

Here is how the postcards have been divided into subjects:

Armistice Day Parade
Camp Bowie
General Interest Cards
Lake Brownwood
Banks
Central School
High School
Local Homes
Brownwood
Churches
High School at HP
Post Office
Brownwood Library
County Courthouse
Hotels
Santa Fe Depot
Brownwood State Park
Daniel Baker College
Howard Payne College
Soldiers & Sailors Hall

Cost of the CD-ROM disk is just $11.00 which includes the Texas State Sales Tax.
Go to bottom of this page to see where to order by mail: http://www.browncountyhistory.org/books.html

Return to Brown County Historical Commission Home Page