How it started
Established with a Mexican land grant to Churchill Fulshear Sr.—one of the“Old Three Hundred,” who were the first 300 people to buy land from Stephen F. Austin—on July 16, 1824, Fulshear began as a small agriculture community west of Houston, bringing a new plantation with a cotton gin and flour mill, Fulshear Historical Association President Heather McAdoo said.
Agriculture was the driving industry that put Fulshear on the map, with primary crops including cotton and pecan orchards, McAdoo said. Ranching was also a primary industry, especially for the founder’s son, Churchill Fulshear Jr., who ran a race horse track for a number of years in the area.
In 1888, Churchill Fulshear Jr. gave permission for the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway to come in, bringing with it rapid development including a post office, school and church.
Though many areas were destroyed in historic fires in 1910, McAdoo said there are still a few historic buildings around today, including the Fulshear Historic Switch House, Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church and some older cemeteries that aren’t open to the public.
How it’s going
With the addition of master-planned communities, Fulshear has grown to a population of 16,856 as of 2020 and is only continuing to grow, Fulshear Mayor Aaron Groff said. Both Groff and McAdoo attributed the growth to the flourishing education systems.
As Fulshear continues to grow toward the next 200-year milestone, Groff said he expects the city to continue to see growth and new developments.
“You're gonna continue to see this growth in almost an ever-changing landscape, but it will continue to hold on to that rich history,” Groff said.
What to expect
To memorialize the 200-year milestone, Groff said the community will have a celebration March 23 at Fulshear High School featuring vendors, historical displays and even a drone show.
Throughout the year, McAdoo said the Fulshear Historical Association is making a big push to uncover more about the history of Fulshear and those who made the community what it is today.
“We know that Texas history is being taught in schools and that this is sort of a hand-in-hand component to Texas history for our students, but a lot of them don't get the local knowledge,” McAdoo said. “So, 2024 really opens up an opportunity for us to share that history.”
The association will also host an event July 13, in conjunction with the San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site, to commemorate the original land grant.
