First Christian Church of Bryan/College Station

Bryan was first platted as a town in 1860 and was formally incorporated as the City of Bryan in 1871. The First Christian Church was organized in Bryan in 1866 and early meetings were held in local businesses and private homes. Colonel J.S. Proctor and Judge Spencer Ford were prominent in the organization of the First Christian Church and in the civic life of Bryan during this time. The first sanctuary was built in 1868 on the corner of 27th and Dallas Streets, now Texas Avenue. The building was constructed with red brick and featured a steeple and bell but was torn down and replaced with a new building in 1907. However, in December 1925, the church and all records were destroyed by a fire. The congregation held services in the Masonic Lodge building until the new church was completed in 1928.

In the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Bryan and College Station saw a rise in military personnel. With the end of WWII, the area continued to grow and congregants soon realized the need for expansion. The church began acquiring land on Ennis Street, with just over two acres of land by 1962. The new structure on Ennis Street was dedicated in March 1961 with expansions made in 1974 and 2009. Around this time, the church formally changed its name from First Christian Church of Bryan to First Christian Church of Bryan/College Station. Over the years, the church has been involved with many public and church projects and programs, including youth and community outreach, disaster relief, hospice, mission work and more. As one of the first religious organizations in the town of Bryan, the First Christian Church’s heritage of service continues into the 21st century.

Among the circuit riders who preached to early Methodists in this area were The Rev. Robert Alexander, presiding elder of the district, and The Rev. H.V. Philpott, who conducted services in a hall above a saloon. The Rev. H.G. Horton organized this congregation in 1868 and soon raised $500 to build a church on this site, deeded by the Houston & Texas Central Railroad. A brick church, erected in 1902, burned in 1906 and was rebuilt in 1908. During the 1920s, an adjacent residence was bought and remodeled for classrooms and the fellowship hall. A new sanctuary was completed in 1951.

The First National Bank of Bryan traces its history to 1862 when its earliest predecessor, a private lending agency, was established by W.H. Flippen and Milton Parker in Millican. In 1867, after the Houston and Texas Central Railroad extended its line north to the new city of Bryan, Flippen bought out Parker's interest, moved to the new community, and merged his lending operation with that of Guy M. Bryan, Jr., son of the town's founder William Joel Bryan. Guy Bryan, along with partners Frank Clarke and J. W. Howell, reorganized this financial enterprise as a private bank in 1873. J. W. Fowlkes joined Clarke, Bryan, and Howell in 1886, and the institution was renamed the First National Bank of Bryan after being granted the eleventh National Bank Charter issued in Texas. The bank was housed in the Fowlkes and Ticby Building in downtown Bryan until 1919, when it moved to new facilities at 108 Main Street. Throughout its history, the First National Bank has supported community development, survived the Great Depression through careful business management and supported many activities during World War II, including an air base in Bryan. The bank moved its main facility to 2807 Texas Avenue in 1976. (1996)

Organized Nov. 21, 1867, in the Presbytery of Brazos by The Rev. J.H. Hutchinson, this apparently was the second denominational group in Bryan. In 1871, members themselves built their first sanctuary at Washington and 29th Streets. This effort was praised by Synod as "the way to build a church". A new brick structure was erected at the old site in 1906.

Organized Nov. 21, 1867, in the Presbytery of Brazos by The Rev. J.H. Hutchinson, this apparently was the second denominational group in Bryan. In 1871, members themselves built their first sanctuary at Washington and 29th Streets. This effort was praised by Synod as "the way to build a church". A new brick structure was erected at the old site in 1906. At present site, first services were held in educational wing, June 1958. Present sanctuary was completed in 1966. In its first century, congregation was served by seventeen ministers.

At the polls on Oct. 29, 1877, the City of Bryan voted to establish a free public graded school--a very progressive step in an era of private schools. Interested citizens immediately bought and donated this block for the site. Financial help came from the George Peabody Foundation, a philanthropic agency devoted to education in the post-Civil War South. Cornerstone was laid in 1879. The first session opened in the fall of 1880 with noted East Texas educator Percy V. Pennybacker (1860-99) as principal. There were five other teachers and seven grades. Top floor of the 3-story brick building was the auditorium, used for chapel, calisthenics, and other programs. Dormer windows were set into the roof. Classrooms were on first and second floors; heating was by wood-burning stoves throughout the building. The schoolyard had a boys' and a girls' side. On each side there was an arbor with benches and tables where pupils ate lunches brought from home. A cistern with tin cups chained to its rim provided water. Outmoded by 1919, the old "graded" (or "east side") school became an adjunct to a new structure built that year, and housed gymnasium, cafeteria, and shop department. It was razed in 1949.