Haynie-Sanders Farm Home

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way out in Grimes County, there's a piece of land that's seen more than most. It starts in 1855, when Thomas Jefferson Haynie and his wife Sarah Jane packed up their lives in Georgia and made the long journey west to this very spot in Texas.

They didn't come empty-handed, and they didn't waste time. With the aid of slaves, they raised up a two-story Texas style home right here, built from what the land itself offered: native pine, post oak, and rock. That house wasn't just a shelter.

It was a statement. Thomas Jefferson Haynie became a man of standing in the area, influential in local politics, and he gave something lasting to the community by providing land for the establishment of the Fairview School. A home, a school, a foothold in the world.

Then the calendar turns, as it always does. In 1923, the farm changed hands. Dr.

Guy Cecil Sanders, a prominent physician out of Richards, purchased the place. And under his ownership, that old two-story home found a new kind of life. It became a gathering place.

Community get-togethers, Fourth of July celebrations, political rallies. The same walls that went up out of Georgia ambition and Texas timber ended up echoing with the noise of a whole county coming together. Some places just have that pull.

This farm has had it since 1855.

What the marker says

Thomas Jefferson Haynie and his wife Sarah Jane migrated to this area from Georgia in 1855. With the aid of slaves, they constructed their two-story Texas style home at this site, using native pine, post oak, and rock. Haynie was influential in area politics and provided land for the establishment of the Fairview School. In 1923 the farm was purchased by Dr. Guy Cecil Sanders, a prominent Richards physician. During his ownership it was the scene of community gatherings, Fourth of July celebrations, and political rallies. (1981)