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Chester A. Reynolds Award
Awarded in 2005
Mollie Taylor Stevenson, Jr.
Mollie Taylor Stevenson Jr. grew up on her family’s historic Taylor-Stevenson Ranch in Houston, Texas. After attending Texas Southern University, she built a successful career as a professional model. Yet her greatest calling led her back home, where she dedicated herself to preserving her family’s extraordinary legacy and sharing its cultural significance with future generations.
The Taylor-Stevenson Ranch is one of the oldest Black-owned ranches in the United States. In recognition of more than 100 years of continuous ownership by the same family, it received the rare honor of being named a Texas Century Ranch. Even more remarkable, it was the only African American-owned ranch in Texas to receive this designation.
The foundation of this legacy reaches back to the late 19th century, when Mollie Jr.’s great-grandfather, E. R. Taylor—a white Confederate veteran—and Ann George, a formerly enslaved Black woman, lived together as husband and wife despite laws prohibiting interracial marriage. Together, they raised six children and instilled in them values that defined the family for generations: a commitment to education, stewardship of the land, and service to the community.
Those values continue to guide Mollie Jr. and her family today. In the spirit of public service, the family donated a 26-acre nature preserve to the Houston Parks Board, creating a place where children could learn about ranching and interact with animals. Determined to shine a light on histories often left untold, Mollie Jr. took that mission even further.
In 1988, she founded the American Cowboy Museum on the ranch. The museum highlights the contributions of African Americans, Hispanos, Native Americans, and women to the American West—groups frequently overlooked in traditional Western narratives. Through hands-on programs, field trips, and storytelling, she introduced thousands of young people to real Western history and to the diverse people who shaped it.
Her work has earned national recognition. In 2001, Mollie Taylor Stevenson Jr. and her mother, Mollie Taylor Stevenson Sr., made history once again when they became the first living African American women inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth. Their induction honored not only their contributions to ranching and education but also the enduring legacy of a family whose story challenges stereotypes and expands the definition of the American West.
Today, Mollie Taylor Stevenson Jr. remains a powerful advocate for heritage, history, and representation. Through the Taylor-Stevenson Ranch and the American Cowboy Museum, she ensures that the cultural roots and triumphs of underrepresented Western pioneers are remembered—and that new generations grow up knowing the West belongs to them, too.
Mollie Taylor Stevenson Jr. grew up on her family’s historic Taylor-Stevenson Ranch in Houston, Texas. After attending Texas Southern University, she built a successful career as a professional model. Yet her greatest calling led her back home, where she dedicated herself to preserving her family’s extraordinary legacy and sharing its cultural significance with future generations.
The Taylor-Stevenson Ranch is one of the oldest Black-owned ranches in the United States. In recognition of more than 100 years of continuous ownership by the same family, it received the rare honor of being named a Texas Century Ranch. Even more remarkable, it was the only African American-owned ranch in Texas to receive this designation.
The foundation of this legacy reaches back to the late 19th century, when Mollie Jr.’s great-grandfather, E. R. Taylor—a white Confederate veteran—and Ann George, a formerly enslaved Black woman, lived together as husband and wife despite laws prohibiting interracial marriage. Together, they raised six children and instilled in them values that defined the family for generations: a commitment to education, stewardship of the land, and service to the community.
Those values continue to guide Mollie Jr. and her family today. In the spirit of public service, the family donated a 26-acre nature preserve to the Houston Parks Board, creating a place where children could learn about ranching and interact with animals. Determined to shine a light on histories often left untold, Mollie Jr. took that mission even further.
In 1988, she founded the American Cowboy Museum on the ranch. The museum highlights the contributions of African Americans, Hispanos, Native Americans, and women to the American West—groups frequently overlooked in traditional Western narratives. Through hands-on programs, field trips, and storytelling, she introduced thousands of young people to real Western history and to the diverse people who shaped it.
Her work has earned national recognition. In 2001, Mollie Taylor Stevenson Jr. and her mother, Mollie Taylor Stevenson Sr., made history once again when they became the first living African American women inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth. Their induction honored not only their contributions to ranching and education but also the enduring legacy of a family whose story challenges stereotypes and expands the definition of the American West.
Today, Mollie Taylor Stevenson Jr. remains a powerful advocate for heritage, history, and representation. Through the Taylor-Stevenson Ranch and the American Cowboy Museum, she ensures that the cultural roots and triumphs of underrepresented Western pioneers are remembered—and that new generations grow up knowing the West belongs to them, too.
