Calendar: Museums and History

Coming This Fall to the Brenham Heritage Museum!

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 23rd, when noted historian and author Dr. Paul Spellman returns for a compelling presentation: “June, 1865 – The Civil War Ends in Texas.”

In this engaging talk, Dr. Spellman will explore the dramatic final days of the Civil War as they unfolded in Texas—a region far from the eastern battlefields but deeply involved in the war’s closing chapter. From battles fought even after General Lee’s surrender to the arrival of Union forces in Galveston and the eventual emancipation of enslaved people, Texas played a unique and often overlooked role in the war’s conclusion. Through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis, Dr. Spellman brings to life the tension, uncertainty, and transformation that defined June 1865, when the news of the Confederacy’s defeat finally reached the Lone Star State. Discover how these pivotal events shaped the beginning of Reconstruction and laid the foundation for a new era in Texas and U.S. history.

📍 Location: 105 S Market St, Brenham, TX
📅 Date: Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025

🕠 Time:
5:30 PM – Members-Only Reception/Meet the Author, with light bites and beverages
6:00–7:00 PM – Presentation

🎟️ Admission:
FREE for museum members
$10 for non-members

📩 RSVP: Please email admin@brenhamheritagemuseum.org to reserve your spot.

Beginning Wednesday, September 3, 2025, the Brenham Heritage Museum will present Sam Houston: Texas Icon, an exhibition produced by Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. This exhibition is made possible in part by funding from the Summerlee Foundation.

Sam Houston remains a larger-than-life figure in Texas and American history with a career that spanned the Texas Revolution, the Republic of Texas, annexation and early statehood, and the state’s secession from the Union in 1861. Sam Houston: Texas Icon traces the life and career of Houston from his boyhood in Virginia and Tennessee through his retirement and eventual passing in Huntsville, Texas.

The exhibition will be available to the public from September 3 to November 1, 2025 at 105 South Market Street, Brenham, TX 77833. Admission is $5 for non-members and free for members and children 12 and under. The museum is open from 10am-4pm Wednesday-Saturday.