FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – It's a wealth of African-American history just minutes from the heart of Houston.
From bull riders to hall of fame cowboys, The Black Cowboy Museum will zip you back in time during Black History Month.
Larry Callies has been a cowboy all of his life, and was only the second black cowboy in Texas to make it to state finals in 1971.
By opening The Black Cowboy Museum in Rosenberg, he wants to share his family's history as a rodeo roper and the rich history of black cowboys with the entire community.
"I worked in Jones Ranch, I started to learn the history of the black cowboys at the ranch, and I said I know this guy, I know this guy
and I know this guy, and I just started reading up on black cowboys and said this is fascinating," Larry Callies said.
Callies, who was also a country singer, was inspired when he found old records from his family's past.
Records that show his slave ancestors had children by white plantation owners.
He said black cowboys came from slaves in Fort Bend County.
PHOTOS: Inside The Black Cowboy Museum
"They had a house boy. They had a yard boy. They had somebody that worked the cows. He was called a cowboy. So that's where the word cowboy came from," said Callies.
And a lot of the magnificent pieces were donated, like a fascinating wooden carving.
The story it tells is that of a young slave who was separated from his mother.
To remember what she looked like, he carved her face out of a tree stump.
Visitors say they just can't get enough.
"You don't see this anywhere and they're really good. He has a lot of good stuff out here," Mary Allen said.
You can check out all the rich history the entire month of February.
Admission is free for both adults and children to honor Black History Month.
