Mebane House
Lockhart, Caldwell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Alexander Duff Mebane (1855-1923) built this house for his family in 1918. A cotton farmer, Mebane developed a high-lint, drought-, storm-, and boll weevil-resistant cotton that would become known worldwide as Mebane Triumph Cotton. Exhibiting influences of the prairie school style, this two-story brick structure features pedimented portico entrances at two sides. The home remained in the Mebane family until 1947. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Cotton farmer Alexander Duff Mebane built this prairie-school brick house in 1918 near the fields where he did his life's work. He bred a hardy, high-yielding cotton that resisted drought, storms, and the boll weevil, and it spread worldwide under the name Mebane Triumph. The home stayed in his family until 1947.
Why it matters
Mebane's improved cotton was a quiet agricultural innovation that helped farmers across the South fight the boll weevil that was devastating the crop.
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Related people
- Β· Alexander Duff Mebane
Themes & tags
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