BRENHAM OFFICIALLY NAMED ‘ICE CREAM CAPITAL OF TEXAS’
The Texas Legislature has officially designated the City of Brenham as the “Ice Cream Capital of Texas”.
House Concurrent Resolution 80, filed by Representative Trey Wharton (R-Huntsville) and sponsored by Senator Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham), passed unanimously in both chambers. A release from Kolkhorst’s office states that the resolution “acknowledges the city’s longstanding association with Blue Bell Creameries, a brand synonymous with ice cream not only in Texas but across the nation.”
Wharton said Brenham, as the home of Blue Bell, “has truly earned the title of Ice Cream Capital of Texas”. He said, “It’s a place where tradition, community pride, and economic impact all come together. I’m honored to help designate Brenham as the official Ice Cream Capital of Texas—a sweet tribute to a community that has made an outsized impact on our state’s culture and economy.”
Blue Bell Creameries was founded in 1907 as the Brenham Creamery Company, beginning its journey by producing butter with excess cream from local farms. A few years later, the company ventured into ice cream production, delivering treats via horse-drawn wagons. The company was renamed in 1930 to Blue Bell Creameries after the state flower and fully committed to ice cream production in 1958.
Today, Blue Bell stands as one of the top-selling ice cream manufacturers in the United States, with its products available in 23 states.
Kolkhorst said, “The longstanding popularity of Blue Bell ice cream has had a significant impact on the development and economic prosperity of Brenham. It is a favorite destination for visitors from across Texas and the nation, and it’s an honor to have my hometown of Brenham recognized in this way.”
The designation will remain in effect until the tenth anniversary of the resolution’s passage by the legislature.
Hearing the “Blue Bell” train go by on the spur, I have long thought one of the organizations promoting tourism and Downtown Brenham might work out with BB to have a passenger car attached and include a short nostalgic train ride to the Creamery, include a tour, get a sample of the product, and return to downtown. Get tickets at the little office across from Schleider Furniture.
(is that the Chamber office, I forget)
This is cool and all but it’s ashamed nobody of like the historical society or tourism ppl in Brenham will lift a finger to push to help restore the original plant on creamery street to its glory, would make a great ice cream shop/sandwich gift shop with some of the old equipment as a backdrop inside, already having an historical marker out front to make it a destination already.
That is really great to hear this is a feather in BlueBell’s cap hope it will be happy days again for all the people that work there and the stock owners they all took a hard hit with the listeria ordeal . Yeah how about making the old Tutti-fruitty ice cream flavor bet it would sell good just saying the name would make people smile and maybe burst in the song yeah tutti-fruitty!
FYI the state flower is a Bluebonnet, not a Blue Bell which is another common Texas wildflower.
FYI we’re talking about Brenham, not just Texas. Under the right climate conditions, plenty a Blue Bell to be found.
Blue Bell flowers were in the all around the Brenham area. It is my understanding that is where Blue Bell Creamery got its name