James Tarrant Pattison Homesite
Pattison, Waller County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located at important junction of Atascosito Road and the San Felipe Trail, this homesite was established by James Tarrant and Sarah Smith Pattison on their Republic of Texas land grant, and became a stagecoach stop. Their plantation of 5,000 acres had its own grist mill, sawmill, and cotton gin. The first church and school in the community were founded through the efforts of Pattison. Town developed here before 1854 was named by a son, George Madison, for the original settler, James Tarrant Pattison (1810-72). Heirs still live here. (1971)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
At the crossing of the Atascosito Road and the San Felipe Trail, James Tarrant Pattison and his wife Sarah settled a Republic of Texas land grant that grew into a 5,000-acre plantation with its own grist mill, sawmill, and cotton gin. The homesite doubled as a stagecoach stop, and the Pattisons founded the community's first church and school. The town that grew up here took the founder's name, and his heirs still live on the land.
Why it matters
The homestead shows how a single frontier family at a key road junction could seed an entire town's church, school, and economy in Republic-era Texas.
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Related people
- ยท James Tarrant Pattison
- ยท Sarah Smith Pattison
Themes & tags
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