HistoricSiteMarkers
Early Republic

Jared Ellison Groce

White Hall, Grimes County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Site of the home built in 1833 by Jared Ellison Groce (1782-1836) Generally known as "Groce's Retreat." Here he died November 20, 1836. The name "Retreat" was continued for a post office and village two miles to the east after the house was torn down.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Here in 1833 planter Jared Ellison Groce built the home known as "Groce's Retreat," and here he died on November 20, 1836, the year Texas won its independence. The Retreat name outlived the house, carrying on as a post office and village that grew up two miles east after the original home was torn down. Groce was among the wealthiest of Stephen F. Austin's colonists.

Why it matters

Groce stands among the founding planters of Anglo Texas, whose plantations and provisions helped sustain the settlers and armies of the young Republic.

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