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Michael has a BA in History & American Studies and an MSc in American History from the University of Edinburgh. He comes from a proud military family and has spent most of his career as an educator in the Middle East and Asia. His passion is travel, and he seizes any opportunity to share his experiences in the most immersive way possible, whether at sea or on the land.

Part of our in-depth series exploring the forts of Comancheria


Fort Bend
500 Houston Street
Richmond, Texas
Phone: 281-342-6478
Museum Hours

Tuesday - Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years Days

The Fort Bend Museum portrays Fort Bend County history from Austin's Colony in 1822 to 1945. The Fort Bend Museum Complex includes the Museum, the Long Smith Cottage, the 1883 John M. Moore Home, and the McFarlane House. At the Fort Bend Museum journey through time and experience life on the Brazos River and the Fort Bend story through dioramas and displays. Walk through galleries representing the 1821 settlement of Spanish Texas by Anglo American colonists and the role of Stephen F. Austin in that settlement; the Texas Revolution, its causes and the role of Fort Bend County in the encampment of the Mexican Army during the battle at San Jacinto, the plantation period of the 1850s and 1860s and the importance of the thriving sugar and cotton industries; the Civil War interpretation which centers on the role of B.F. Terry and Terry's Texas Rangers; and an exhibit on the contributions of the Czech and German immigrants to the development of Fort Bend County.

The Long Smith Cottage was built in the 1840s on property owned by Jane Long, the "Mother of Texas" on Jackson Street in Richmond, and later owned by Goliad survivor Thomas Jefferson Smith (thus named Long-Smith Cottage). This cottage was moved to the museum property in 1987.

The Long-Smith Cottage, one of the oldest buildings in Richmond, is furnished to illustrate middle class life in Richmond during the 1840s and 1860s. It is built in the Greek Revival Style of braced frame construction. Furnishings include many pieces of furniture hand-made in Texas including several articles that belonged to Jane Long.

Communities and Related Links
Richmond Community
Fort Bend Web Site

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