Sugar Land�s earliest settlers arrived in the 1820s with Stephen F. Austin; �the Father of Texas.� Originally named Oakland Plantation; the area was planted with cotton; corn; and sugar cane; and by 1843; it had its own sugar mill. Benjamin Franklin Terry; famous for leading Terry�s Texas Rangers; and William Jefferson Kyle purchased the plantation in 1852 and were the first to name it Sugar Land. Col. Edward H. Cunningham; a Confederate veteran; later bought the property and built the first sugar refinery as well as a railroad to transport cane from nearby plantations. Under his ownership; a fledgling town emerged that included a store; post office; paper mill; acid plant; meat market; boardinghouse; and depot. The town; refinery; and surrounding 12;500 acres were acquired by Isaac H. Kempner and William T. Eldridge in 1908. Their vision resulted in Imperial Sugar; a thriving business and company town.
#2334590 in eBooks 2010-08-02 2010-08-02File Name: B0099UY9YU
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