Region: Hill Country
Settled in the mid-1800s, the town became the seat of McCulloch County in
1876. It is at the edge of the Hill Country on the former Dodge Cattle Trail.
The town is named after Texas Ranger Peter Brady, who discovered Brady
Creek.
Several historical markers note the geographical center of Texas: one is on
the picturesque courthouse square, another is about 15 miles north on U.S. 377,
and a third is on private property and was pinpointed as the exact center point
by the Texas Association of Professional Surveyors. A historical marker, seven
miles east of city off U.S. 190, commemorates Soldier's Watering Hole, where a
group of 18 immigrants were killed by Native Americans in the mid-1800s.
The longest fenced cattle trail in the world once extended from a railhead at
Brady to Sonora.
The town is nestled around a picturesque courthouse square that features
unique craft and antique shops. It offers fishing year-round and excellent
parks, including Richards Park, which has RV hookups, showers, restrooms and
primitive campsites. Brady celebrates the annual Heart of Texas Thunder Drag
Boat Races during the first weekend in June and the World Championship Barbecue
Goat Cook-Off every Labor Day weekend.