Nassau Plantation

One-half mile south stood the site of Nassau Plantation, an extensive tract of land purchased in 1843 for colonization by German emigrants and named for Duke Adolf of Nassau, protector of the emigration society. Once one of the show places of Texas, its 4,428 acres might have served as a half-way station for German colonists on the long journey to western lands, but Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels, commissioner general of the Adelsverein, or German Emigration Society, rejected that use because he feared the nearby non-German settlements would cause his people to lose their distinctive national culture. Though never colonized, Nassau became a welcome place for relaxation during difficult periods of the emigration movement. There the prince enjoyed horse racing and held feasts costing thousands of dollars, while his successor as commissioner, John O. Meusebach, came for less extravagant entertainment. The plantation's main dwelling was a two-story oak house that had two glass windows even in frontier days, and cotton was grown on the land. In 1848 the bankrupt Adelsverein sold Nassau, which was later divided into small farms cultivated by descendants of the original German pioneers.

Texas · United States