Among the happy responsibilities a County Judge has is the ability to designate a Historical Homestead. While in office, Judge Bill Gravell has twice formally enabled families who have worked and handed down large parcels of farmland to keep them forever.
Last month, Georgetown’s Peggy Bailey and her brother, Larry (above) were pleased to witness, on behalf of their aunt, Julia Mellenbruch, the signature that made their family farm (below) part of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Family Land Heritage. The program honors families who have owned and operated a continuous agricultural enterprise for 100 years or more.
Located in Coupland, the farm was originally purchased in 1889 by Peggy’s great grandfather John Klattenhoff, who came to America when he was 17. He learned to farm while working for his brother, who had come to America previously. He then borrowed money from Henry Pfluger, who would later become his father-in-law, and paid off the land before passing it to his son, who had three daughters, one of whom is Julia.
Peggy says, “Aunt Julia is an absolute treasure. At 104 years old, she has an eidetic memory and thousands of stories about the farm and our family. When we found out about the program, qualifying our farm became a mission for us.”
Peggy visits Julia every week and the two had already been working on a family history for the past five years. For the legacy project, they started with details Aunt Julia could remember about the farm, and Peggy did online research to identify the necessary documentation. “Julia was the starting point for everything and the county archives made it easy to show our legal ownership through the years. I even found the original, handwritten deed from 1889.”
Julia managed the farm until she was 90, then told Peggy it was her turn. “There is no house,” she says, “just great working land that has so much meaning for me, it is hard to describe. My idea of a good time is to go out there and make dirt angels.”
A PLEASURE TO SERVE
Judge Gravell said, “What Peggy did is a simple and kind thing for her family. When I heard about her aunt, I knew we wanted to secure the matter for them and I was all in. No municipality can legally take their land as long as it remains in the family name.”
The Judge adds, “I was happy to learn that the corn crop this year may be their largest ever, thanks to the wet weather. Preserving family heritage is so important, as is the value of our agriculture community and it’s exciting to know they are still counting profits today. Stories like this help our children understand that corn and beef don’t come from the local grocery store; they come from local places like the Klattenhoff farm.”
