City of Friendswood

City of Friendswood Municipal Water Report Info

Fig farms, satsuma orange groves, and rice fields once flourished where Friendswood residences now stand. While physical remnants of these early settlements and Quaker homesteads have largely disappeared, their cultural legacy continues to shape the community's character far more profoundly than any buildings could.

In spring 1895, two Quakers – Frank Jacob Brown, a former buffalo hunter, and Thomas Hadley Lewis, an educated schoolteacher – were drawn to this Gulf Coast area to establish a community devoted to faith. Establishing Quaker settlements was common practice during America's westward expansion in the mid-to-late 1800s. Upon discovering 1,538 acres of prairie in Northern Galveston County, well-drained by Clear Creek and its tributaries (Coward's Creek, Mary's Creek, and Chigger Creek) and bordered by thick forests, they felt they had found their "Promised Land."

After negotiating with Galveston banker J.C. League, they secured a deed of trust and officially registered the settlement as "Friendswood" on July 15, 1895. News spread throughout Quaker communities in northern and midwestern states, attracting over a dozen families to join the settlement.

Friendswood developed as a farming community characterized by diligent work, simple living, and deep respect for faith, family, and education. When the colony survived the devastating 1900 Galveston Storm without casualties, they used their sawmill to convert storm-felled trees into lumber for a two-story building called the Academy, which served as church, school, and community center until 1949 when the current stone church was built.

The Academy offered classical education through 1928, attracting students from surrounding towns lacking high schools. From 1895-1915, most newcomers were Quakers joining the settlement. Through 1920, the population grew with farmers attracted by Houston developers' promotions of the Gulf Coast as an agricultural paradise. By the mid-1920s, fig farming expanded to 17,000-18,000 acres from Winnie to San Leon, with two of the seventeen regional fig preserving plants located in Friendswood.

The Depression brought families seeking fresh starts, and late-1930s oil field development provided employment opportunities. While growth slowed during WWII, affluent Houston professionals began purchasing creek-side properties. For Friendswood's first fifty years, amenities were limited to a church, school, post office, general store, and fig plants – no doctor, bank, pharmacy, police, or newspaper.

During the 1950s, Houston families moved to Friendswood, though population remained under 1,000 until 1959. In 1960, forward-thinking locals initiated incorporation, establishing the town's first mayor, council, and law enforcement – preparation that served the community well during the 1960s population boom as NASA employees chose Friendswood for their homes.

Community infrastructure expanded rapidly; by 1966, Friendswood had its first medical clinic, pharmacy, bank, newspaper, and police department. By 1969, population reached 5,200. Growth continued through the 1970s-80s, approaching 29,000 residents. Strong volunteer spirit enabled debt-free construction of a city building in 1965 and, in 1971, a replica of Frank J. Brown's home as a historical repository.

Today, Friendswood spans two counties (northern Galveston and southern Harris) with a population exceeding 36,000. Clear Creek provides water access to the Gulf through Clear Lake and Galveston Bay. Located just 3 miles west of I-45 between Houston and Galveston, the 21-square-mile city is over 70% developed with ample room for further expansion.