Sugar Land History - Sugar Land Heritage Foundation

The Sugar Land Heritage Foundation has prepared the following timeline and will continue to update it as more historical information becomes available.

Author: Bettye Anhaiser, Member of SLHF Board of Directors

1828

Samuel May Williams receives land

Sugar Land is on Oyster Creek and U.S. Highway 90A, east of the Brazos River and seven miles northeast of Richmond in Northeastern Fort Bend County. The area was originally granted to Samuel M. Williams in 1828 for his service as secretary to Stephen F. Austin. Samuel started growing sugar cane here.

1838

Nathaniel F. Williams Purchases the Land

Nathaniel F. Williams purchased the land from his brother in 1838, and there he and a third brother, Matthew R. Williams, operated Oakland Plantation, which grew cotton, corn, and sugarcane.

1843

Sugar Mill Established

In 1843 Matthew Williams established a commercial sugar mill on the banks of Oyster Creek at the current site of Imperial Sugar.

1853

Oakland Plantation Purchased

In 1853 Oakland Plantation was purchased by Benjamin F. Terry and William J. Kyle, who were instrumental in extending the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway through the property.

1858

Post Office Established

A post office was established in Sugar Land in 1858. After the deaths of Terry in 1861 and Kyle in 1864, the plantation began to languish. The post office was closed in 1886.

1890

1890’s- Land Accumulation, Industrial Growth, Rail Station & 2nd Post Office

E. H. Cunningham of San Antonio accumulated more than 12,000 acres of the property over time and invested more than $1 million in a sugar refinery, a new raw-sugar mill, a paper mill, and the fourteen-mile Sugar Land Railroad in the 1890s. Sugar Land was one of the rail stations. In 1890 a second post office opened. At that time much of the labor force was leased from the nearby state prison farms. The inmates worked in the wet sugarcane fields, many falling victim to the periodic epidemics of fevers. The brutal working conditions caused bitter convicts to call Sugar Land the “Hell hole on the Brazos.”

1892

Pop. 500

In 1892 the town had one physician and a population of 500.

1906

Isaac H. Kempner and William T. Eldridge Acquisitions and Expansion

From 1906 to 1908 Isaac H. Kempner of Galveston and William T. Eldridge of Eagle Lake acquired the Ellis and Cunningham plantations and the Cunningham Sugar Company, modernized the facilities, and made the community a company town for the Imperial Sugar Company, the Sugarland Industries, and Sugar Land Railroad (Missouri Pacific).

1908

Kempner and Eldridge Modernize Imperial Sugar

In 1908 I.H. Kempner and W.T. Eldridge purchased and modernized the refinery & gave it the name “Imperial.”

1913

Levees and Ditches Constructed

In 1913 the sugar company built 8 miles of levee, along with twenty miles of drainage ditches, to keep the Brazos River from flooding Sugar Land.

1914

Pop.200, Businesses Increases

By 1914 the population had dropped to 200, but the number of businesses had increased to include a paper manufacturer and a bank.

1917

Pools, Lakes, and Creek Dredging

Between 1917 and 1928, dredging of the many shallow pools, lakes, creeks, and Oyster Creek reclaimed acreage to provide necessary drainage and more farmland.

1918

Lakeview Elementary School Built

In 1918 Imperial Sugar built Lakeview Elementary School in order to attract quality workers to the area.

1923

Hospital and Fire Station Built

Imperial Sugar built and staffed its own hospital and fire station to accommodate the needs of Sugar Land’s residents.

1925

Population grows from 1,000 to 2,500 and Char House Constructed

In 1925 the population was listed at 1,000; four years later that figure had expanded to 2,500. It was also the year the iconic Char House was constructed.

1928

Last Sugar Cane Crop Harvest

The last sugar cane crop in Fort Bend County was harvested in 1928. Plant disease and the high federal protective tax on cane sugar ended local cane farming, and thereafter raw sugar was imported for the refinery.

1936

Pop. 1,500 and Employment Struggles during Great Depression.

With the Great Depression the town lost residents, and in 1936 population was registered at 1,500, where it remained through the 1940s. The refinery and town did their best to keep everyone employed during this difficult time.

1946

Kempner Family Become Sole Owners

In 1946 the Kempner family became sole owners of the town.

1956

Pop. 2,285

By 1956 some 2,285 people called Sugar Land home.

1959

Town Incorporated. T.E. Harman first Mayor

The town was incorporated in 1959, a year after Imperial Sugar and Sugarland Industries, also owned by the Kempner family, began selling the businesses, homes, and land for development. T. E. Harman was the first mayor.

1964

Population reaches 3,100

By 1964 the population had increased to 3,100.

1970

Pop. 3,499, 28 Businesses. Master Planned Community

In 1970 the town listed 3,499 citizens and twenty-eight businesses.The master planned community is introduced to Sugar Land.

1980

Pop. 4,173, 95 Businesses Including Major Corporations

In 1980 it had 4,173 residents and ninety-five businesses. Sugar Land began to attract the attention of the major corporations, who made the city their home.

1988

Pop. 14,898 and 423 Businesses

Spurred by development from nearby Houston, the population had climbed in 1988 to 14,898, and businesses numbered 423.

1989

Pop. 19,874

In 1989 the population was 19,874. In 1990 it was 24,529.

1990

Pop. 24,529 “Fastest Growing in Nation”

In 1990, the population reached 24,529. Sugar Land was named one of the fastest growing communities in the nation.

2000

Pop. 63,328

The population was 63,328 in 2000.

2009

Best for Business

In 2009 Sugar Land was rated the “Best Small City in Texas for Business Startups.”