Inside Rocking C Ranch, a $3.4 Million Historic Estate in Texas Spread Across 60 Acres
A distinguished ranch with ties to what’s known as “The Old 300” just pranced onto the market in southeast central Texas. Known as the Rocking C Ranch, the historic spread sprawls over 60 acres in Washington County with a custom-built residence and a saltwater pool. Before its modern creature comforts came to fruition, however, the $3.4 million listing, held by Bryan Beene at Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty, played a larger role in the early beginnings of the Lone Star State.
The Old 300 refers to the early group of settlers who received land grants in Stephen F. Austin’s first colony, according to the Texas State Historical Association. At the time, Texas was part of Spain’s territory in the New World and then part of the Mexican empire when it gained independence in 1821. Austin’s father, Moses, received a permit from the Spanish to settle 300 families in Texas but died before fulfilling his plans. His son then took on the responsibility, shepherding the original settlers throughout the bottom lands of the state’s Brazos, Colorado, and San Bernard rivers from 1824 to 1827.
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Rocking C Ranch is part of the initial grants and holds significance for being homesteaded by Mary Ann Kennedy (Early) Pankey in 1831. Thought to be the first female property owner of The Old 300, she traveled from Missouri to Kentucky before eventually settling in the Jackson Creek area, now known as Washington County. Following her husband Michael Early’s death in 1827, she received a grant of 4,400 acres in 1831, which she held through the Texas Revolution, the Republic, and 1845 when Texas entered the union as the 28th state.
RELATED: Inside a Sprawling Texas Hill Country Ranch House Designed for a Multigenerational Family
Just 10 miles away from the small town (and county seat) of Brenham, the ranch now features a traditional-style home that was built in 2006 with four bedrooms and six bathrooms spread across its 5,700 square feet. At the end of long, tree-lined gravel drive, the foyer features a rusticated limestone wall and a star shape embedded into the wood floor. A wood-burning limestone fireplace with a raised hearth heats up the great room, opposite a spacious kitchen with a large center island. French doors in both spaces provide easy access to a covered patio with a BBQ grill.
The primary bedroom includes a separate sitting room and a spacious en-suite bath. Three other bedrooms are located upstairs; elsewhere are a home office and a game room with a balcony. In addition to 1.75 acres of irrigated lawns, a utility barn stands close to the main residence that can be used for storing hay or tending to livestock.
Click here for images of the sprawling Texas ranch.
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