Meritt Drane
Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1837-1895) Born in Shelby County, Kentucky, to Stephen and Birthia (Ford) Drane, Meritt Drane exemplified leadership in early Navarro County. His father was a wealthy farmer and stock raiser. Meritt's education consisted of homeschooling and learning how to manage his father's agricultural pursuits. In 1858, he decided to set out for Texas. In his own words, "The fire of youth...inspired us to seek the unseen and untried." In 1860, he married Malvina Todd Neal (1842-1896). The couple settled on 640 acres which his father later gave him, near Corsicana. Unable to fight in the Confederate army due to disability, Drane helped conduct the business dealings of the wives whose husbands were at war. After the war, he focused on farming and stock raising, finding great success and teaching many of his neighbors farming techniques in the Blackland soil. In 1874, his family moved to Corsicana. From then to his death in 1895, Drane was a prominent business and civic leader in Corsicana and Navarro County. At first, he sold agricultural implements and machinery. He shared his business expertise to grow the commercial enterprises of the city. Later, he served on the school committee when the first three public schools were opened in 1882. The next year, Senator Roger Q. Mills named a new U.S. post office 'Drane' in honor of his many contributions to the county. Drane also played an active role in establishing the State Orphan Asylum (later changed to State Orphan Home) in Corsicana. His attentive eye to its development and condition, once opened in 1889, helped to make the home efficient and prosperous. Meritt Drane's dedication to economic prospects, education and the community led to the growth of the area, benefiting both the county and the state of Texas. (2022)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Kentucky to a wealthy farming family, Meritt Drane set out for Texas in 1858, drawn by "the fire of youth." Unable to serve in the Confederate army because of a disability, he instead helped manage the affairs of soldiers' wives during the Civil War, then built lasting success in farming and stock raising in Navarro County's rich Blackland soil. As a Corsicana civic leader he sold farm machinery, served on the school committee that opened the town's first public schools in 1882, and helped establish the State Orphan Home—so respected that a post office was named "Drane" in his honor.
Why it matters
His life traces how a settler-farmer became a builder of civic institutions—schools and an orphanage—during Texas's post-Civil War growth.
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Related people
- · Meritt Drane
- · Malvina Todd Neal Drane
- · Roger Q. Mills
Related events
- · Establishment of the State Orphan Home in Corsicana
Themes & tags
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