Varner-Hogg Plantation

Today, David and I went to the Varner-Hogg Plantation in West Columbia, Texas. You can read more about the plantation here: Varner-Hogg Plantation.

Here are a couple of the photos that I took there today. I have posted them on Instagram, but wanted to share them here, too.

A visit to the Varner-Hogg Plantation in West Columbia, Texas was today's adventure. We have been there several times over the years, but this is the first time that we have toured the mansion. Although it is furnished in 1850s style, members of the Hogg Family lived there until the 1950s. The two oldest children never married. The two younger children married but never had children. It was thought that tuberculosis was hereditary. If I remember correctly, their mother died of tuberculosis while in her early 40s. They didn't have children because they were afraid the children would have it. What a sad scene this cradle makes, knowing that the last residents of this home had no children.

What a cool bath tub! However, I know that neither David nor I, nor any adult that I know, could fit in it for a bath. The tour guide said that people were much smaller in the 1850s than they are now.

It was a great day!

A Visit to the Past

As I have battled depression over the last year, there have often been far more moments of tears than of smiles. Today, though the weather has been dreary, wet, and overcast, had more smiles. I have wanted for a long time to visit the graves of Elias Wallis Roberts (one of David's maternal great-grandfathers) and his second wife Margaret "Maggie" Gotthardt Roberts. Papa Elias's first wife Johnnie/Jonnie Cooper Roberts died when their only child - David's maternal grandfather- was about 8 months old from complications of childbirth. My goal was to see the graves of all of our great-grandparents before I joined them and today that goal was reached. Nona and Papa were the last. Now, on to the great-great-grandparents!

On the way back from Beeville, we stopped in Berclair. The Berclair Mansion looks like a fun place to tour, but they were not open today. They are only open on the last Sunday of each month...so, we were a week late. Maybe next time. This will give me some time to research the history of the house and town.

The last fun thing of a history nature that we did today was stop in the town of Goliad. We saw a really cool old Victorian house that is being used as a funeral home now. I didn't get a picture of that, but was able to get one of the beautiful courthouse there.





 I love the vintage filter in Snapseed. This app is available at the App Store on iPhone. It was a free app when I got it and is one of my favorite!