varner-hogg was a sugar plantation. it is crazy for me to
think that it was established i
n 1834... two years before texas independence... they grew sugar here, and it was good. sugar used to be the big crop here in south east texas, with cotton right behind. so this house was owned by the pattons at that point of time... the pattons were south carolinians by birth, and had moved to texas to find more land to till. columbus patton was the head of the household here,
and he never married, he had a slave mistress who lived in the big house, and wore fancy clothes and carried out the duties of the lady of the house... patton's family had him committed to an insane asylum back in south carolina, where he caught typhoid and died. meanwhile, back in texas, patton's mistress was turned out into the fields by the family, who really didnt like thier columbus' relationship with a slave. so she was sent back into the fields, although, columbus had given her, and a few other slaves an annual pension upon his death. and he gave this plantation to his 12 year old niece, who
sold it, when she came of age... in like the 1870s... following the loss in the war against the yankees, it wasnt quite as profitable, although the plantation had switched to using convict labour to raise cotton and sugar. eventually, the plantation was bought by Governor James Hogg. the first native born Texan governor. before him, they had all been born in other states. so he bought this lovely place out in the country, not far from west columbia, texas, one of the first capitals of Texas. Hogg is famous for being the first native born governor, but also because h named his daugheter, Ima. Ima Hogg is the reason that the plantation now belongs to the people of Texas. she donated the big house and some of the land to Texas State Parks & Wildlife...
i hadnt been to varner-hogg since i was a child, when i was young and in boys choir, we did a christmas concert in front of the house for either a private party or the varner-hogg christmas party... so i wanted to go and see it agan.
think that it was established i
n 1834... two years before texas independence... they grew sugar here, and it was good. sugar used to be the big crop here in south east texas, with cotton right behind. so this house was owned by the pattons at that point of time... the pattons were south carolinians by birth, and had moved to texas to find more land to till. columbus patton was the head of the household here, 
and he never married, he had a slave mistress who lived in the big house, and wore fancy clothes and carried out the duties of the lady of the house... patton's family had him committed to an insane asylum back in south carolina, where he caught typhoid and died. meanwhile, back in texas, patton's mistress was turned out into the fields by the family, who really didnt like thier columbus' relationship with a slave. so she was sent back into the fields, although, columbus had given her, and a few other slaves an annual pension upon his death. and he gave this plantation to his 12 year old niece, who
sold it, when she came of age... in like the 1870s... following the loss in the war against the yankees, it wasnt quite as profitable, although the plantation had switched to using convict labour to raise cotton and sugar. eventually, the plantation was bought by Governor James Hogg. the first native born Texan governor. before him, they had all been born in other states. so he bought this lovely place out in the country, not far from west columbia, texas, one of the first capitals of Texas. Hogg is famous for being the first native born governor, but also because h named his daugheter, Ima. Ima Hogg is the reason that the plantation now belongs to the people of Texas. she donated the big house and some of the land to Texas State Parks & Wildlife...
i hadnt been to varner-hogg since i was a child, when i was young and in boys choir, we did a christmas concert in front of the house for either a private party or the varner-hogg christmas party... so i wanted to go and see it agan.
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