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Historic Places Stories & local character

Liendo's Story Includes Enslavement, War, and Art

Waller County History & Culture

About five miles north of Hempstead off FM 1488, Liendo stands on land granted to José Justo Liendo. Leonard W. Groce's house was completed in 1853 using enslaved labor. The plantation operated with about 300 enslaved people, a fact that belongs at the front of its story rather than behind the architecture.

During the Civil War, Camp Groce served as a training camp and then as a prisoner-of-war center. From September 1 through December 1, 1865, Gen. George A. Custer and his command camped at the plantation.

Sculptor Elisabet Ney and Edmund D. Montgomery bought the 1,100-acre homestead tract in 1873. Ownership began changing through deeds in 1909, while Montgomery kept living at Liendo until his death in 1911. The property ties those histories together, but it is not a tour stop today: its official site says all public and private tours and events have ended.

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More stories and useful context near Waller County

A balanced next shelf: local character first, with practical context close by.

Stories & local character

Hempstead Grew Because of the Railroad, Not the River

Hempstead became the county seat of Waller County because the Houston and Texas Central Railway chose it as a terminus in 1858, making it a major trade hub almost overnight.

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Stories & local character

The City of Waller Grew Along Main Street and US 290

The city of Waller began as a prairie town of cotton, corn, cattle, stores, and wagons before US 290 cut a new path beside the railroad.

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Practical

The Brazos River Runs Along the Western Edge of the County

The Brazos River forms Waller County's western border and is the main surface water feature, useful for fishing but subject to flooding and access limits.

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Stories & local character

One of Texas's First Cotton Plantations Stood in This County

In early 1822, Jared Groce set up a plantation near present-day Hempstead. It helped shape early Texas farming — and the area's plantation history is part of why Prairie View A&M is located here.

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Place pages in Waller County

BrookshireHempsteadHoustonKatyPattisonPine Island

Nearby county shelves

Austin (6) Washington (11) Montgomery (55) Fort Bend (58) Harris (64) Grimes (10)