Eighty Texas women from 21 Texas counties venture into Brownwood Friday for the annual District II Workshop of The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 6-7.

The Brownwood DRT chapter will treat their guests to tours of Downtown Brownwood, a history fete at Teddy’s Brewhaus, a keynote lecture by historic preservation architect Laurie Limbacher, and entertainment by Jeff Gore, Cowboy Minister/Entertainer.

“We are thrilled to be able to host The Daughters of the Republic of Texas 2021 District II Workshop in Brownwood this weekend,” said Dr. Julie Welker, president, Brownwood’s Welcome W. Chandler chapter. “It’s an honor to get to share our beautiful community and revitalized downtown area with our DRT family.”

“Our Friday events are designed to showcase the local history of Brown County, followed by dinner and a historical presentation and band at Teddy’s Brewhaus,” said Welker.

“The Saturday portion of the workshop is specifically for current and prospective members of DRT. Our sessions are comprised of officer reports and updates, followed by this year’s keynote speaker, Laurie Limbacher, AIA, who will speak about Texas state park historical renovations, and cowboy entertainer, Jeff Gore,” said Welker.

Friday Downtown tours include the Depot, Harvey House, Train Museum, The Lyric Theater, Lehnis Museum, some quirky buildings that have endured since the Camp Bowie days, and boutique shopping at The Glamour Shop and Hamilton’s. The day’s events culminate at Teddy’s Brewhaus with a presentation by 90-year-old Brownwood native Martha Hurlbut Shelton. Mrs. Shelton will speak about the history of the Teddy’s building, which her grandfather Bertrand Edwards Hurlbut built in 1888. Her presentation will include a performance by the Sean Lucy band of Austin and Las Cruces, NM.

Saturday’s keynote, Laurie Limbacher, will speak about her recent architectural work on Texas Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) parks. Limbacher is president of Limbacher & Godfrey Architects, an Austin-based historic preservation, architecture and planning practice that she co-founded in 1996. Throughout her career, she has been a leading advocate for preserving and celebrating Texas architectural heritage. She currently serves on the Texas Historical Commission, and she is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. She belongs to the Texas Society of Architects, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Society of Architectural Historians and the Association for Preservation Technology.

On Saturday the DRT women will also be treated with a performance by Jeff Gore, a cowboy entertainer who travels the United States and abroad performing poetry, cowboy songs and gospel music. Gore is the recipient of a lifetime achievement award for Western Music by the American Cowboy Culture Association.

Counties represented in DRT District II include Brown, Callahan, Clay, Coleman, Comanche, Dallas(portion), Eastland, Erath, Hood, Jack, Johnson, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Shackleford, Somerall, Stephens, Tarrant, Wichita, Wise, and Young. DRT members from across the state and nation will also be in attendance.
Any woman, 16 years and older, who directly descends from a man or woman who resided in Texas prior to it becoming a part of the U.S.A. is eligible for membership in DRT. Texas became a state Feb. 19, 1846.
“As a lineal organization, The Daughters of the Republic of Texas has a rich heritage of promoting the history of Texas, and our focus is to preserve and educate others about Texas’s unique history,” said Welker. She invites Brown County women who are interested in joining DRT and learning about their family’s history in the great state of Texas to contact chapter registrar Karen Fair at [email protected]. The chapter meets the second Mondays of the months September through May.