National Register Listing

Varner-Hogg Plantation

a.k.a. Varner-Hogg State Historical Park

2 mi. NE of West Columbia off SR 2852, West Columbia, TX

The Varner-Hogg Plantation is a rare survivor - an intact homestead dating from Stephen F. Austin's original "Old Three Hundred" colony. Settled first in 1824 by Martin Varner, the property has been the home of other notables, especially Columbus R. Patton, the planter who most likely built the main house, and James Stephen Hogg, the first native Texan to serve as governor. Governor Hogg's children Will and Ima, also occasional residents, led philanthropic and cultural efforts in Texas. Until 1956, the land was under continuous production, ranging from sugar cane and cotton to oil. Now operated by the State as a park, the Varner-Hogg Plantation serves as a showcase for a part of Miss Ima's nineteenth-century furniture collection.

Martin Varner hailed originally from Pennsylvania but had lived in Texas (Jonesborough and Independence) since 1818. In 1824, Varner received a league of land in the Austin colony from the Mexican government; he settled on the property and, according to family tradition, built a two-room cabin on the site of the present house museum. Besides other farm products, Varner grew sugarcane and became the first colonist in Texas to distill rum from molasses. His partner, Israel Water, sent a bottle of his rum to Stephen F. Austin in 1829. Although not enthused with the idea of producing spirits, Austin wished them success with the enterprise. Varner joined Sam Houston's army to fight for Texan independence and later moved to Wood County, Texas, where he died in 1843 or 1844.

In 1834, Varner sold his place to Columbus R. Patton for 13,000 pesos. The large Patton family emigrated to Texas from Kentucky and may have arrived in Texas earlier than 1834. Several of the Patton's including Columbus participated in the Revolution of 1836; William H. Patton was aide-de-camp to Sam Houston and charged with guarding Santa Anna. Patton held the Mexican general on the family plantation for a short time and later accompanied him to Washington. Though William H. Patton later moved to Bexar County, most of the Patton family resided in the home place in Brazoria County. John D. and Columbus R. managed the plantation until John's death in 1840. Columbus took over the place and developed it into a productive sugar plantation. Although as many as 60 slaves lived and worked there, it was not the largest or most productive sugar enterprise in the county but was prosperous and larger than the average. Construction of the plantation house probably occurred during Patton's residence. Other large brick houses of the same type dating from as early as 1832 are known, however, so they may even have been built by Varner.

Patton was committed to a lunatic asylum in 1854, perhaps the result of a brain tumor. A court-appointed administrator maintained the plantation for a number of years. It then changed hands twice, finally becoming part of the holdings of the New York and Texas Land Company.

In 1901, Governor James S. Hogg purchased 4,100 acres of the plantation initially as an investment but soon thought of it as a country home. The scattered family often gathered at "The Varner" for holidays and vacations. Governor Hogg was Texas' first native governor and held office from 1891-95. He was instrumental in establishing the Texas Railroad Commission and necessary prison reforms. Hogg predicted that the property was a probable site for oil comparable to Spindletop, and instructed his children to retain the property for exploration after his death, which occurred in 1906.

The West Columbia Oil Field came in in 1920, creating a boom for the people of nearby West Columbia as well as for the Hogg children. The Hogg's remodeled the house in 1920, incorporating decorative elements from the Governor's Mansion in Austin and their own interpretation of traditional southern plantation architecture. Miss Ima furnished the main house with nineteenth-century antiques in 1956, along with her minor restoration. She then presented the house with 52.67 acres of land to the State of Texas for use as a park. One of Texas' foremost philanthropists, she was noted for her interests in American and Texan antique furnishings, music, and arts education. She died in 1975.

Varner-Hogg State Historical Park is now a popular museum and picnic spot. A wealth of archival material concerning the plantation, its contents, furnishings, management, and occupants has been carefully conserved and made available to the public, adding another dimension to the significance of this site and the general area. Opportunities for an investigation into agricultural and social practices of the day are also available from the ruins still extant both above and below ground level.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1980.