Egypt Plantation Museum is a non-profit study and research museum of Texas History.

Housed in both the 1900 Egypt Railroad Depot and the 1849 Heard Northington Home

It's rich history also still lives as the private home of six, generations of Heard Northington descendents whose family built the plantation in the early days of Mexico's Sovereignty Texas soil.

HEARD NORTHINGTON TEXAS FAMILY HISTORY

When Moses and son, Stephen F. Austin called for American Colonist to move to Texas in the 1820's, husband and wife, Stephen Rhoades and Jemima Menefee Heard and their ten children signed up with the Second Colonization Group. They had known the Austin's for many generations from Virginia and strove for more fertile land than their central Tennessee and later, northern Alabama farms.

In 1830, Cpt. W.J.E. Heard, son of Stephen and Jemima, purchased 2,200 acres from John. C. Clark in 1830 for $ 111.00 in gold coins. Arriving first in Jackson County where other family members had already settled, Heard sought more fertile lands in then Colorado County (now Wharton County.) He brought with him, his parents, nine siblings and slaves. It was in the Egypt settlement that Heard constructed a double pen, log home for his family, slave housing, sugar cane, corn and cotton mills.

Cpt. W.J.E. Heard

The property fronts the east bank of the Colorado River and contains portions of the original Atascosita Trail that ran from Texana (Jackson County, Texas) to Richmond (Ft. Bend County) crossing the Colorado River at Mercer's Ferry. The significance of the location placed the Heards at the crossroad of commerce both by river and road in rich River bottom land. Maj. Andrew Northington maintained a Stage Coach from Houston to Texana with a stop overs in Richmond and Egypt, across these trails in the 1830's - 50's. The Heard and Northington families became good friends through hard times resulting the marriage of Cpt. and American Morton Heard's eldest daughter, Elizabeth, to Mentor Northington, son of Andrew and Pricilla Dawson Northington.

Our family thrived even under the ravages of droughts, fevers and invasions by Mexican Soldiers as they moved eastward to the final battleground at San Jacinto. The Heards held to their Christian faith as leaders and as a church home in the formation of the earliest Methodist Church in the Stephen F. Austin Colony. As community builders our home was the frequent site of strategic military planning to protect the colonial families and defend the liberties of democracy during unsettled times. After the establishment of Republic of Texas and later statehood, the Heard Northington's continued to support the economic development of the region and state not only their own enterprises but political systems that support free enterprise.

EGYPT PLANTATION SETTING, OUTBUILDINGS and RANCHING OPERATIONS

Situated on a high point on Peach Creek above the east bank of the Colorado River, Egypt Plantation remain nestled among mossy oaks, red cedars and pecan trees. It fronts a slow highway but is set back, deep into the shade taking advantage of the nearly constant coastal breezes.

FARMING and RANCHING

The Plantation homestead contains many of the outbuildings necessary for the operations of farming and ranching. Over the years the Plantation acreage grew from the original 2,500 to over 50,000 acres which various members of the family still remain a large part of today. Producers of Sugar Cane, Cotton, Corn, Pecans and later Rice, the farming operations changed over time with market.

The Heard Northington's ventured into both the cattle and horse business even as early as the 1840's along with cousins, Joel and Rachel Dawson Northington Hudgins of Hungerford, who later introduced Registered Beef-type Brahman cattle to the United States and who's family still operates one of the world's largest Brahman herds.

Working the cattle by horse, they also bred and trained Registered Quarter Horses for herding the cattle (called a Cutting Horse) and racing in Mentor Northington's nearby Horse Race Track (maintained until the 1950's). Many of the Northington children grew up caring for, riding, showing and even racing their fine livestock in regional races and shows including the Houston Fat Stock Show.