Came to Texas from Tennessee in 1839, and joined "minute men" protecting north frontier from Trinity to Brazos River. Moved to Brazos County; served 1842-1853 in County offices: Deputy Clerk, County Clerk, Surveyor, Chief Justice. Taught school, had a store, farmed. Led in building churches; also Brazos County courthouses of 1846, 1853, 1878. During Civil War, was assessor of Confederate state taxes. As a member of a local committee, his determination and tact secured the location of the A. & M. College of Texas for his county. He rightly deserves title, "Father of Brazos County".

In 1935, the Bryan School Board elected to construct a two-room, wooden school building for Spanish-speaking children for grades one through four. The site chosen was on the Joe Batts property along the new route for Highway 21, west of the city. The site in west Bryan was purchased by the city on June 20, 1935. The school was named for Reverend Guillermo Ibarra who served as the first pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista of Bryan from 1922-1929. He believed that education was the key to social development, achievement, and success. During this time schools were segregated and it was often difficult for Hispanic children to get to school because of distance and the lack of transportation. The principal of the Ibarra School was C.M. Bethany. Esther Price and Philippa Stoneham were the first teachers. They could speak both English and Spanish. Students had mixed experiences, from being segregated to being punished for speaking Spanish. Breakfast and lunch for students was provided by the “relief program.” The parent-teacher association was active and put on a spring program where children would sing and dance. Citizenship classes were offered to Latin American residents who desired to become citizens. Boy Scout meetings were held at Ibarra school under the leadership of Pete L. Rodriguez and Manuel Herrera, Sr. On Friday nights, movies were shown outside on the playground for the community. Ibarra Elementary served children from 1935-1949 when it was renamed San Jacinto Elementary and served as a school until 1960. Ibarra Elementary School was located on the current site of Ibarra Park.

Isom Palmer, whose name has various spellings, was born to Martin and Sarah (Hardwick) Parmer. In 1825, the Palmer (Parmer) family moved to Texas, settling near Nacogdoches the next year, and participated in the 1826 Fredonian Rebellion. Palmer fought under Capt. John M. Bradley during the Siege of Bexar in late 1835. He then served as sergeant-at-arms at the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence at Washington-on-the-Brazos. He later wed Laura E. Dougherty and moved to Brazos County in the early 1870s.

(1821-1904) Ireland native James Wilson immigrated to the United States in 1842. He graduated in 1847 from Lafayette College in Boston, and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1850, the year he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister. Wilson was sent to Texas in 1856 as a missionary in Brazos County. During his 53 year ministry, he served as a circuit preacher and organizer of many Brazos Valley Presbyterian congregations, including those at Wheelock, Bryan and Centerville. He married Laura Barnes, a published poet, in 1866. They are buried near the site of a church he founded. (1997)

Occupying a prominent corner in the southern end of Bryan's central business district, the La Salle hotel is an architectural landmark representative of the city's early 20th-century commercial development. At that time, Bryan was a major railroad stop between Houston and Dallas, and its depot on the Houston and Texas Central rail line (now demolished) once stood across Main Street from the La Salle. Completed in 1928 for leading businessman Robert Wistar Howell (1877-1960), the La Salle Hotel was the tallest building in downtown Bryan at the time of its construction. Austin architect George Louis Walling designed the seven-story building with Classical details and a distinctly vertical emphasis. The first floor included the dining room and coffee shop, while the convention hall and ballroom were located on the second floor. Roughly 100 guest rooms occupied the top five floors. The La Salle accommodated visitors to Bryan and nearby College Station, including families, politicians, society figures, business travelers and military personnel. The building served as a nursing home from 1959 until 1975 and was closed for the last two decades of the 20th century. Following a rehabilitation project, the La Salle returned to its historic use as a downtown hotel in 2000. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2001