Region: Gulf Coast
Located 35 miles southwest of Houston, Rosenberg was founded on a site in the
original Mexican land grant of early settler Henry Scott, where a small,
nameless shipping point existed on the Brazos River. The town developed after
the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad arrived in 1880 and built a station
where it crossed the Buffalo, Brazos & Colorado Railroad. In 1881, Count
Joseph Telfener, an Italian investor, set up offices in the fledgling community
to build the New York, Texas & Mexican Railway, which extended to Victoria.
In 1883, the GC&SF Railroad bought and platted a 200-acre site and named the
community after the railroad's president, Henry von Rosenberg of Galveston. R.T.
Mulcahy—named the "Father of Rosenberg"—arrived in 1883 and, for 40 years,
promoted schools, business and government.
In 1912, one of the first Boy Scout troops in Texas was chartered here. By
1920, oil and sulphur discoveries along with highway development made Rosenberg
a center of trade and steady growth, and in the 1940s Rosenberg was known as the
"Hub of the Gulf Coast." Today, Rosenberg is experiencing unprecedented growth
in commercial and residential development while holding tight to its roots and
charm.
Rosenberg is home to the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds and the annual Fort
Bend County Fair. Other popular events include the Family Fourth Celebration on
July 4 at Seabourne Creek Park, the Houston Glass Club's annual Festival of
Glass and Antique Show and Sale in August at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds,
and the Spring Fling Car Show in April.