Taylor-Stevenson Ranch At 11822 Almeda Rd.

[57Tbird]

Taylor-Stevenson Ranch is an historic 640-acre working ranch located near Reliant Stadium on Almeda Road in Houston, Texas. The ranch was officially designated in the Congressional Record as a "Texas Century Ranch" which recognizes ownership by the same family for over a century. It was also recognized as the only African-American owned ranch in Texas with the century ranch designation.

The ranch was originally purchased in 1875 by Edward Ruthven Taylor at the persuasion of Ann George, who was one of the family's former slaves charged with overseeing Edward during his illness. The two fell in love and lived openly together as husband and wife, although they never officially married because at that time interracial marriage was a violation of Texas law. They raised six children, all of whom received a college education. Their granddaughter, Mollie Taylor Stevenson Sr. (1911-2003), a graduate of Fisk University, and her daughter, Mollie Taylor Stevenson Jr., (1946), who attended Texas Southern University, were both inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2001, the first living African-American women to receive the honor.

American Cowboy Museum

The American Cowboy Museum is located on the Taylor-Stevenson Ranch. Established in 1988 by Mollie Taylor Stevenson Jr., the museum is focused on the art, history, and culture of the contributions of African Americans, Hispanic, Native Americans, and women to the development of the American West.