Thomas Affleck
Brenham, Washington County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born and educated in Scotland, Thomas Affleck (1812-1868) emigrated in 1832 to the United States, where he became one of the most well-known agriculturalists of his time. A prolific writer, Affleck was associated with several agricultural and horticultural publications. An early advocate of scientific farming, he wrote and theorized on topics such as forage, erosion control, hedging, livestock improvements, and plantation management. His publication, "Affleck's Southern Rural Almanac and Plantation and Garden Calendar," was published yearly from 1845 to 1861. During the late 1850s, Thomas Affleck and his wife, Anna (Dunbar) Smith, came to Texas and established their Washington County plantation, which included what is now the Gay Hill community. The Affleck plantation, known as "Glenblythe," was extensive and highly organized. It included a wagon factory, where wagons and ambulances were made for the Confederacy. After the end of the Civil War, Thomas Affleck was active in developing plans for Texas' economic recovery. He traveled to England and Scotland, encouraging investment and emigration. Upon his death at the age of 56, Affleck was buried near this site in the graveyard he established on the grounds of "Glenblythe."
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Scottish-born Thomas Affleck emigrated in 1832 and became one of America's best-known agriculturalists, championing scientific farming through his widely read "Affleck's Southern Rural Almanac," published yearly from 1845 to 1861. In the late 1850s he established Glenblythe, a large, highly organized Washington County plantation that even ran a wagon factory turning out wagons and ambulances for the Confederacy. After the Civil War he worked to rebuild Texas's economy, traveling to Britain to encourage investment and emigration before his death in 1868.
Why it matters
Affleck links Old World learning to New World agriculture, showing both the ambitions of the antebellum plantation South and the struggle to rebuild the region after the Civil War.
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Related people
- · Thomas Affleck
- · Anna Dunbar Smith Affleck
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Glenblythe Plantation, Home of Thomas Affleck
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Scottish-born Thomas Affleck (1812–1868) was among the 19th century's most influential writers on agriculture, and from 1858 he ran a 3,500-acre plantation near here with celebrated nurseries and experimental fields. An early champion of conservation farming, he surrounded his Glenblythe mansion with gardens, greenhouses, mills, and workshops, and during the Civil War his workshops built wagons and ambulances and fed a Confederate legion training nearby. After the war he worked to rebuild Texas farming and even traveled to Europe to recruit new settlers.
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