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Varner-Hogg Plantation
Brazoria County
05/05/2018

Pecan orchards, magnolia trees, and generations of Texas history and commerce encapsulate Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site. This property hosted sugarcane production, rum distilling, and oil drilling as it transitioned through families.

We park outside the entrance and walk in past this pretty pillar with light.
	Old tree losing its battle with Spanish Moss. Note the cement.
This is a new building the parks department erected. It is where you pay your entrance fee into the park.
	Inside the registration building is information about the park.
An old John Deere Wagon on display inside the barn.
	A hay rake on the barn’s back porch.
First view of the plantation house and the kitchen next to it.
	Believe it or not, this house only has four rooms. It wasn’t open yet, so we continued our walk.
This metal umbrella stand with mirror was sitting next to the Kitchen (which is a separate building).
	An old barn.
Brick footings of where a slave cabin once stood.
	Ken reading the plaque about the slave cabins.
As we approach this area we see a line of metal tubs. Walk route arrows turn us to walk along the tubs.
	Ed reading the plaque about the Sugar Mill before we turned.
Brick footings for the Sugar Mill.
	One of the cisterns at the sugar mill.
Remains of the Sugar Mill (which was destroyed by the 1900 Hurricane).
	Closer look at the metal bowls.
The other cistern at the mill.
	Marker for the ruins.
One of the outbuildings.
	A different angle of the same building.

More Spanish Moss.
	Walk route leaves the plantation and heads over to another City Park.
Recently graded drainage ditch made a good walking path.
	Crawfish holes.
Entrance to First Capital Park..
	Large park pavilion with lots of tables.
Horseshoe pits have boxes covering the stakes.
	Small gazebo across from the soccer field.

One of three baseball fields in the park.
	Small lake with fishing pier.
Lovely walking trail through the woods.
	Another section of the same trail.
Cactus blooming a the garden along the park walking trail.
	A black duck is something I don’t remember ever seeing in the wild.
Unknown type of water fowl wading in the creek.
	Catherine working the finish table.
After the walk we wandered around the plantation. We found the Patton Family Cemetery.
	Weaving loom on an outbuilding’s front porch.
Outside of the barn and the paddock around it.
	We headed back to the Plantation House for a tour. This dinner bell is outside the kitchen.
Hand pump and sink outside the kitchen.
	Portraits of Gov. & Mrs. Hogg inside the Plantation House.
Sitting Room
	Downstairs bedroom.
My mom had a machine very similar to this one on which she made our clothes. I learned to sew on the treadle machine.
	Upstairs bedroom.
Other upstairs bedroom.
	The kitchen wasn't open. This is peeking in the window.
Kitchen with tall bell tower on the end.
	This cottage and others on the plantation were built by the Hogg family to serve as offices and bunkhouses for oil workers and other visitors.

One of the displays inside the cottage included “old” money.
	Information about the work the slaved did on the plantation. Not sure what how this device was used, but I believe they used it to cut corn stalks.
When oil was discovered in West Columbia.