Courtesy Pearland Historical Society
The Pearland Historical Society has begun awarding plaques for historic homes. It recently did so for two in the Old Townsite -- one that's been in the same family since 1910 and the other a structure built around that time by Canadian immigrants. See these then-and-now photos of the homes.

The oak south of Pearland State Bank was planted in 1927 in honor of an early Pearland postmaster.: Courtesy Pearland Hist orical Society
When the Texas Department of Transportation announced that Main Street would be widened from Beltway 8 to Walnut Street, many Pearland residents were concerned about what would happen to the oak tree south of the Pearland State Bank. One woman said she would chain herself to the tree to keep it from being cut down.

University of Houston Professor of Archeology Ken Brown (cq) shows what is a part of a toy doll found at the Jordan Plantation.: Nick de la Torre/Chronicle
Part of Brazoria County's heritage is that of slaves and freedmen who coped with overwhelming obstacles in the antebellum, Civil War and Reconstruction periods. But because those residents didn't leave written accounts, much of that story has been a mystery, which University of Houston anthropologist Kenneth Brown has worked for years to unravel. Brown will lead a tour of the plantation's cabin sites on Saturday, with the bus leaving from St. James Church, 3129 Southmore, Houston, at 9 a.m.

Steve Wynn and son Jason with Buster circa 1980.: Photo courtesy Steve WynnOldtime Pearland residents probably remember the bar owner who used a beer-drinking bison as a roadside attraction.