John Greenville McNeel came to Texas in 1822 with his parents and brothers. Each of the men received land grants from the Mexican government as members of Stephen F. Austin's "Old Three Hundred" colony.
Located near this site was the Ellerslie Plantation, home of John Greenville McNeel and his family. One of the largest sugar plantations in the area, it consisted of a large home, sugar mill, hospital, overseer's house, and slave quarters. Large entrance gates to the property were topped by carved figures of playing card suits— heart, spade, club, and diamond.
The two-story plantation home was built of slave-made bricks. The 21-room structure featured front and rear galleries supported by brick columns. The sugar mill, also made of brick, was an immense structure. Hand-made brick was also used to build the hospital and overseer's house, as well as a number of two-room slave cabins.
Following McNeel's death in 1876, the plantation was acquired by a niece, Elizabeth Huntington, and her family. The large home burned in the 1890s, and the family moved into the former hospital. After it was destroyed in the 1900 storm they relocated to the overseer's house. It was destroyed in a 1983 fire. (1989)
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