Fort Bend County Historical Commission

06/24/2026

06/12/2026

Good afternoon! If you haven’t yet checked out our Resource Hub, now is the perfect time!

Our events calendar containing Fort Bend County area 250th Anniversary celebrations is updated and don’t forget to check out the interactive database of county historical markers.

The winning essays from our recent contest are available along with a great timeline of events in history.

It’s definitely worth a look!

As we prepare for the upcoming 250th Anniversary of our nation's founding, our Turning 250 Resource Hub is up and running!

It's calendar will be updated as events are planned. Check out the Historical Spotlight or explore the Interactive Map of Historical Markers in Fort Bend County. Our recent winning student essays are also posted.

You may access the site via the link below, or through the QR code.

Link: https://www.fbctx.gov/america-250

Feel free to share these with family and friends and check back often for updates!

05/21/2026

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

To start the celebration of Juneteenth 2026, the Exchange Club of Sugar Land is going to do some needed maintenance and cleaning of a historic African American cemetery in Stafford. We need volunteers to help us!

WE NEED YOU!!!!

WHEN: Sunday, June 14, noon-2pm

WHERE: New Hope/F.I.S. Cemetery, 3000 Fifth Street, Stafford

WHO: Exchange Club of Sugar Land, Stafford City Council Members (invited), State and Fort Bend County elected officials (invited), service clubs, scouts, and local press.

WHY: Americanism is a focused, community service program of the Exchange Club. To celebrate our unique heritage and Americanism, the Exchange Club of Sugar Land has led a county-wide effort to restore dignity to historic cemeteries in Fort Bend County. It started in February 2022, when one of our club members found something unacceptable in Kendleton’s Bates Allen Park. The final resting site of the first African American elected to represent Fort Bend in the Texas Legislature, Benjamin Franklin Williams, was completely covered with dirt, weeds, and fire ants. Over the next two years, the club led six volunteer efforts to restore dignity and honor to Representative Williams’ grave site. Our volunteer effort was a huge success - the county is building the African American Heritage Memorial Monument in Kendleton because of our actions.

Stafford’s current New Hope Cemetery was initially called the Stafford Colored Cemetery, set aside for African Americans in the era of Jim Crow laws in Texas. The first burial was in 1910. It later became the Farmers’ Improvement Society (F.I.S.) cemetery. It is an active cemetery with 347 graves. In the latter part of last century, Hispanic Americans were allow to be buried in the northwest corner of New Hope Cemetery. Veterans as far back as World War I lie in eternal glory in New Hope. The cemetery’s official recognition from Fort Bend County is FB-C023.

A large number of these sacred eternal resting spots need simple maintenance: weeds removed, debris raked up, low branches clipped, fallen tombstones restored, and illegible words made legible with a soft brush and water.

VOLUNTEER NEEDS: Parking in the New Hope Cemetery is very limited. No volunteers will be allowed to park in the cemetery. The Exchange Club of Sugar Land has rented out the nearby Fort Bend County Fifth Street Community Center for parking, restroom needs, and water for the scrubbing buckets. It is a very short walk from the Community Center to the cemetery. The Exchange Club will provide drinking water for all volunteers. All volunteers need to wear covered shoes. Work gloves and sunscreen are highly recommended. The Club has a limited number of loppers, brushes, and water buckets. Volunteers are encouraged to bring any tools they may need.

QUESTIONS? Please text or call Pete Olson at 281-216-0842.

03/12/2026

As we prepare for the upcoming 250th Anniversary of our nation's founding, our Turning 250 Resource Hub is up and running!

It's calendar will be updated as events are planned. Check out the Historical Spotlight or explore the Interactive Map of Historical Markers in Fort Bend County. Our recent winning student essays are also posted.

You may access the site via the link below, or through the QR code.

Link: https://www.fbctx.gov/america-250

Feel free to share these with family and friends and check back often for updates!

02/27/2026

CHASSIDY OLAINU-ALADE NAMED AS 2026 BLEIL AWARD HONOREE BY FORT BEND COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION

Chassidy Olainu-Alade, the Chief Communications Officer of Fort Bend ISD, will be presented with the 2026 Bert E. Bleil Heritage Award by the Fort Bend County Historical Commission. The award will be presented at a ceremony on Thursday, March 5, 2026 in the Fort Bend Museum located at 410 S. Fifth St. in Richmond, Texas. A “Meet and Greet” reception and “Local History Bingo” event beginning at 5:30 pm will precede the award program. Both the program and the reception are free of charge and open to the public.

The Bleil Award has been presented annually by the Fort Bend County Historical Commission since 2009 to a person or organization for exceptional efforts and achievements in developing and promoting heritage tourism, promoting an awareness of and appreciation for historical preservation, the identification and protection of historic sites and features, and the preservation of historical and cultural resources in Fort Bend County.

The award is named for the late Bert E. Bleil, the former Chair of the Fort Bend County Historical Commission, who first envisioned this method of acknowledging exceptional achievements in historic and cultural preservation.

This year’s honoree, Chassidy Olainu-Alade, is a career educator and advocate for Social Studies and History education. Over the course of her twenty years of employment with Fort Bend ISD she has served in many roles, including middle school social studies teacher, instruction coach, and social studies curriculum coordinator. Among her many awards and achievements, in 2021 she was named the Texas Social Studies Supervisor of the Year and she was subsequently recognized in 2022 as the National Social Studies Leader of the Year by the National Social Studies Supervisors Association. From 2019 through 2024, in her role as the Coordinator of Community and Civic Engagement with FBISD, she emerged as a leader of the Sugar Land 95 Memorial Project.
During her work focused on the Sugar Land 95 discovery, Mrs. Olainu-Alade has contributed to the adoption of state standards to address convict leasing at the state and local level. In 2020 she led the creation of the Sugar Land 95 Exhibit within the James C. Reese Career and Technical Center, which has welcomed many visitors from across the United States. She dedicates herself to ensuring that the discovery of the Sugar Land 95 serves as a model of transformative memorialization and an example of how addressing hard history can have a healing effect on communities.

Mrs. Olainu-Alade is a long-serving appointee to the Fort Bend County Historical Commission. She actively serves on the Public Affairs Committee and is a member of the Commission’s annual historical essay contest subcommittee. In that capacity she helps select the essay topics for 4th and 7th grade students that live or go to school in Fort Bend County. She also previously served as Chair of the Missouri City Ethics Commission, Board Member of the Fort Bend History Association, and as an Advisory Board Member for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia.

For further information about the Fort Bend County Historical Commission or the Bert E. Bleil Heritage Award please contact:
Chris Godbold, Chair: [email protected]
Patsey McKnight, Secretary: [email protected]
Jeff Hoffman, Treasurer: [email protected]

12/15/2025

HISTORICAL COMMISSION ANNOUNCES 2025 ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS


Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once observed “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” Understanding today requires that we educate ourselves about the people and events of yesterday. That is the spirit behind the countywide essay contest sponsored by the Fort Bend County Historical Commission for 4th and 7th grade students.

The essay contest was open to all 4th and 7th grade students who either reside in or go to school in Fort Bend County. In past years the essay contest has centered on themes about the history of Fort Bend County in particular, and Texas in general. However, since next year will be the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, the Commission decided to broaden the themes to be explored by the students this year to include comparisons between elements of both Texas and US history.

The theme of the 4th grade contest this year was “Symbols of Freedom.” Students were asked to compare and contrast the history and meaning behind either the flags, anthems, or pledges of allegiance of the United States and Texas. After choosing which symbol they wanted to investigate, the students prepared essays about when and how the symbol was created and adopted, the meaning behind the symbol or its individual elements, and the extent to which it may have changed over time.

The 7th graders were asked to investigate one of three topics related to the “Struggle for Independence” by both the United States and Texas. They were asked to compare and contrast either George Washington and Sam Houston as military and political leaders, the preambles to both the US and Texas Declarations of Independence, or the causes of both the US and Texas Revolutionary Wars.

The winning 4th grade essay, comparing The Star Spangled Banner with Texas, Our Texas, was submitted by Thrishaan Varun from International Leadership of Texas, Richmond. The second place essay for 4th grade, by Aadhinarayan J. Arun from Donald Leonetti Elementary School, compared and contrasted the Stars and Stripes flag with the Lone Star flag as its topic. The 4th grade essays were judged by history students from Wharton County Junior College under the supervision of Dr. Paul N. Spellman.

Students from Everest Academy swept the 7th grade essay contest this year. The winning 7th grade essay, by Nouray Baloch, investigated the causes of the American Revolution with the Texas War for Independence. Second place was won by Zaynab Meghani, with an essay titled ”Voices of Independence”, which compared the preambles of both the Texas and US Declarations of Independence. The 7th grade essays were judged by history professors Theresa Jach and Nicholas Cox at Houston Community College.

1st place winners received a $250 prize and 2nd place winners received a $150 prize. The prizes were provided by the Friends of Fort Bend County Historical Commission, a 501 (c)(3) organization that supports the work of the Commission. Additionally, Dr. Spellman presented each of their schools with a copy of his landmark book, “Old 300: Gone To Texas.” He also provided the schools of the 4th grade winners with a copy of his Adventures of Henry Woods series, written specifically for 4th grade students.

A copy of the winning essays may be viewed on the Fort Bend County Historical Commission page. Follow FBCHC at:

https://www.facebook.com/p/Fort-Bend-County-Historical-Commission-100079977860308/

Commission leadership would like to express their special appreciation to Dr. Spellman and his students, Theresa Jach and Nicholas Cox, as well as the school administrators, teachers and parents of the participating students without whose encouragement and guidance the contest would not be possible. Additionally, the Commission would like to note the financial support provided by the Friends of the Fort Bend County Historical Commission and the efforts of commissioners Linda Burks and Chassidy Olainu-Alade, both of whom played crucial roles in the development of the essay topics and promoting the essay project throughout the County. Finally, the Commission wishes to express its appreciation to the Fort Bend History Association and the Fort Bend County Libraries for making their resources available for the participating students.

The Fort Bend County Historical Commission is an all-volunteer organization whose membership is appointed by the Fort Bend County Commissioners’ Court.

For further information about the Fort Bend County Historical Commission, the essay contest, or planning for future activities, interested parties may contact:

Chris Godbold, Chair: [email protected]
Patsey McKnight, Secretary: [email protected]
Jeff Hoffman, Treasurer: [email protected]

Photo 1 – Everest Academy School 1 Caption:
Left-Right: Hadia Meghani, Zaynab Meghani (2nd place-7th grade), Noman Meghani, Linda Burks (FBCHC Commissioner), Sidra Khalid, Nuray Baloch (1st place-7th grade), Chris Godbold (FBCHC Chair (Photo courtesy of Jeff Hoffman)

Photo 2 – Everest Academy School 2 Caption:
Left-Right: Farah Naz (Principal, Everest Academy), Linda Burks (FBCHC Commissioner), Chris Godbold (FBCHC Chair)

Photo 3 - International Leadership of Texas, Richmond Campus Caption:
Left-Right: Luisana Martinez (4th Grade Administrator), Alex Klondike (Media Specialist), Chris Godbold (FBCHC Chair), Rama Rajagopal, Thrishaan Varun, Varun K. Thiyagarajan, Deanna Woollen (Principal), and Joseph Elkhadem (Asst. Principal)(photo courtesy of Jeff Hoffman)

Photo 4 – Donald Leonetti Elementary School Caption:
Left-Right: Dr. Paul Spellman, Tami Perez (Librarian), Chris Godbold (FBCHC Chair), Andrea Sentell (4th grade ELA), Arun Babu Valiual, Aadhinarayan Arun, Jemini Pillai, Danica Fletcher (Principal), Vanessa John (Asst. Principal), Linda Burks (FBCHC Commissioner), Bruce Lemmie (FBCHC Commissioner), and Jennifer Sexton (4th Grade Math)(photo courtesy of Jeff Hoffman)