Land Patent Office

Land Patent Office. . , "Land is the secure ground of home." , - Stephen F. Austin, On March 2, 1836, when Texas declared its independence from Mexico, there were 60,000 people in the entire state of Texas – just a few more than now live in Grapevine. On February 4, 1841, Texas passed a law to encourage good, active, productive and industrious people to settle the empty spaces., Special companies were formed to bring people into Texas to start farms, ranches and towns. The most famous company agent in this area was W. S. Peters and his associates who formed the Texas Emigration and Land Company. By 1848, they had brought 2,205 colonists to Texas. This group of settlers was referred to as the Peters Colony and they helped to settle the Grapevine area., During the summer of 1850, Texas Land Commissioner Thomas William Ward, appointed by Governor Peter Hansbrough Bell, traveled through the area and issued certificates to those who had built a cabin and had settled prior to July 1, 1848. In 1853, colonists were permitted to file their claims directly with the Land Office. Most colonists were issued their Land Patents from 1852 to 1854., Today, the Land Patent also honors Grapevine's title companies, attorneys, insurance agents, realtors and developers. You can see a Land Patent on display in the Grapevine Historical Museum located on the west side of this complex., This building, with its smooth plaster and painted exterior, features Victorian and Italianate influences in keeping with the architecture that would have been found in the business districts of early Texas. Of note are the eyebrow window lintels, wood storefront with transom windows, distinctive wrought iron railing and a gilded eagle in the lunette above the second floor. The zinc cornice with repeating brackets features pine cones, wreathes and shell ornaments. This building façade represents the commitment of the first settlers to the Grape Vine Prairie. , Dedicated May 18, 2012