Conroe businesswoman to gift bronze bust she sculpted of town’s founder to the city

Conroe businesswoman Lyn Hawthorne-Howard will present a bronze bust she sculpted of Isaac Conroe, the town’s founder, to the city. 

Howard, 82, will present the bust at the Thursday City Council meeting.

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Key part of visitors center

The bust will eventually be on display in the city of Conroe’s visitors center that is being created on the first floor of Conroe Tower in downtown. 

“As Visit Conroe continues its efforts to establish itself as the local story keeper and story teller, there is no more important story than that of the man who founded Conroe — and what better story starter than Issac Conroe’s bronze bust so generously donated by the Hawthorne-Howard Family,” said Sherry Chaney Morgan, manager of Visit Conroe. “We are honored to showcase and share this exquisite piece of art and history and to have its installation as Visit Conroe’s inaugural exhibit and display.”

Isaac Conroe was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, in 1835. 

At the outbreak of the Civil War, he was in the postal service in Chicago and there he enlisted and became part of the 12th Illinois Cavalry. He served with distinction and was promoted to the rank of captain.

At the close of his service, he mustered out in Houston. He became engaged in the wood and freighting business between Lynchburg and Houston.

Conroe went on to establish a sawmill site that would become the town of Conroe. 

He would ride the railroad up from Houston where his family lived and his stop at his mill became known as Conroe’s Switch. The name later was shortened to Conroe. He died at his mill at age 62 on Aug. 2, 1897. 

Champion of Conroe’s legacy

Howard has been a flight attendant, former Kilgore College Rangerette, an educator, pageant title holder, an entrepreneur and an auctioneer. 

She has also long been a champion of keeping Conroe’s legacy alive in the city. 

She and husband, Carl, renovated the Isaac Conroe home on Avenue A in Conroe. She also launched an annual Founder’s Day celebration in honor of Conroe at his home. 

When she took up sculpting, a bust of Conroe was on her wish list to complete. 

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“I’m a Conroeite. I wasn’t born here but just like Isaac, this is where we chose to live our lives and this is where I’ll be when it’s all over,” Howard said. 

She has always had an appreciation for art and received a minor in art at Texas Women’s University. 

“It’s just so neat to me to be able to mold something to resemble someone. It’s kind of a lasting art. They did that in Rome and Italy,” she said. 

She had told her herself “When I get old I’m going to make time to sculpt.” Then she realized a few years ago that time is now. 

Howard gave local sculptor Craig Campobella space to create the Texas Lady Liberty statue. In turn, he gave her pointers to start sculpting. 

She first sculpted a bust of her husband, Carl. Then she did one of Donald Trump. It’s her hope to get Trump’s bust to him eventually. 

Then she began work on Conroe. The busts begin life as clay then the clay form is taken to a foundry in Houston which bronzes the bust. 

On Thursday night, she’ll donate the bust to Conroe. 

“We need to honor those who got us here and this is my way of contributing and giving back,” she said. 

Howard is also the host of the annual Isaac Conroe Founder’s Day celebration. The event was typically held on Aug. 2, Conroe’s death date. Extreme heat in 2023 caused Howard to move the event to a cooler month. 

The celebration will take place on Feb. 11, 2025 in the month of Conroe’s birth. It will be at the Issac Conroe home that is owned by the city at 202 Avenue A.

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