The Varner–Hogg Plantation State Historic Site is a historic site operated by the

Texas Historical Commission The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas. The commission also identifies Recorded Texas Historic La ...

. The site was the home of former

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

James S. Hogg James Stephen "Jim" Hogg (March 24, 1851March 3, 1906) was an American lawyer and statesman, and the List of Governors of Texas, 20th Governor of Texas. He was born near Rusk, Texas. Hogg was a follower of the conservativism, conservative New ...

and his family. The site is located outside West Columbia, in Brazoria County.

History

The property was originally the home of

Martin Varner Martin Varner (March 3, 1785 – February 14, 1844) was one of the original American settlers in Mexican Texas, known as the Old Three Hundred, and was a veteran of the Texas Revolution. Early life Born in German Township, Fayette County, Pe ...

, one of the Old Three Hundred and a veteran of the Texas Revolution. His was the nineteenth land grant offered in Stephen F. Austin's colony and consisted of over . He built the first house, a log cabin, on the property in 1824. Varner raised

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

and sugar cane on the land, and had at least two

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

working for him. It is possible that he distilled rum from the sugar cane. In 1834, Varner sold his holdings to Columbus R. Patton, representing his father, John D. Patton. The

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

was known as the Patton Plantation through the rest of the 19th century. The Pattons built what is now the main house on the same site as Varner's cabin. The Patton family developed the property into a sugar plantation. Columbus Patton brought slaves with him from Kentucky, and in 1833 sixty-six slaves were working the 13,500 acres of land. Several members of the Patton family were active in the Texas Revolution and one, William H. Patton, was aide-de-camp to

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two i ...

. William was part of the group that guarded Antonio López de Santa Anna after his capture at the Battle of San Jacinto. Santa Anna was briefly held at the Patton Plantation. Columbus Patton was declared insane in 1854, at which time his property was placed under the control of Brazoria County farmer and merchant John Adriance. Upon Patton's death in 1856, the estate was placed into

probate Probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased, or whereby the estate is settled according to the laws of intestacy in the sta ...

, since Patton had died intestate. Soon after Patton's death, Adriance found Patton's 1853

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

. Patton's will not only left a bulk of his estate to his nieces, but also stipulated that 4 of the slaves not be hired out, be allowed to choose their residence among Patton's heirs, and receive $100 per year until their death. One of the slaves mentioned in his will was his

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...

, Rachel. However, although his will was found, it was

disputed Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite d ...

in court by Patton's nieces and nephews. Eventually, when a partial agreement was reached in 1857, Rachel was given her financial support and freedom to move among Patton family-owned properties. Patton's family gave a portion of the land to Adriance, but eventually regained control of the property. They sold it by 1869. The property was run through a convict lease system through the Texas prison system until the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 knocked down most of the buildings, but left the farm house intact. Former Governor

Jim Hogg James Stephen "Jim" Hogg (March 24, 1851March 3, 1906) was an American lawyer and statesman, and the 20th Governor of Texas. He was born near Rusk, Texas. Hogg was a follower of the conservative New South Creed which became popular following ...

bought the property in 1902. Although the family used it as a second home, Hogg intended to use it as an investment. He was convinced that there was a great deal of oil on the grounds, and began

drilling Drilling is a cutting process where a drill bit is spun to cut a hole of circular cross-section in solid materials. The drill bit is usually a rotary cutting tool, often multi-point. The bit is pressed against the work-piece and rotated at ra ...

soon after the purchase, but he died in 1906, 14 years before oil was found. The 1920 oil strike proved to be the cornerstone of his children's wealth. The family leased the property for

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to roam around and consume wild vegetations in order to convert the otherwise indigestible (by human gut) cellulose within grass and other ...

and

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

. The Governor's daughter,

Ima Hogg Ima Hogg (July 10, 1882 – August 19, 1975), known as "The First Lady of Texas", was an American society leader, philanthropist, mental health advocate, patron and collector of the arts, and one of the most respected women in Texas during th ...

, refurbished the house, and in 1958, she donated it to the state to commemorate her father and the heroes of Texas and America. During her renovations, Ima Hogg chose to assign each room of the house to a period of

Texas history The recorded history of Texas begins with the arrival of the first Spanish conquistadors in the region of North America now known as Texas in 1519, who found the region occupied by numerous Native American tribes. The name ''Texas'' derives ...

Geography and description

The Site is located on Farm to Market Road 2852 off State Highway 35, two miles north of West Columbia. The site is near in size. Varner Creek runs through the property. An 1835-era farmhouse, refurbished by Miss Ima, is located on the site. The house and other buildings demonstrate a view of

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ar ...

Texas plantation life. The property was named to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on April 9, 1980.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historical Site Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Museums in Brazoria County, Texas Texas state historic sites Historic house museums in Texas Plantation houses in Texas Protected areas of Brazoria County, Texas West Columbia, Texas Houses in Brazoria County, Texas National Register of Historic Places in Brazoria County, Texas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks Governor of Texas

History

Geography and description

See also

References

External links