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History in
a Pecan Shell
Lake Jackson is on the site of a former 3,000 acre cotton
and sugar plantation. Prior to the Civil War (1843 to 1845) it belonged
to Abner Jackson. After slavery was abolished, the plantation used
convict labor to produce sugar. Freed slaves formed the nucleus of
the town. The Dow Chemical Company bought the former plantation (which
includes four separate lakes) in the early 1940s and designed it to
provide housing for employees, including land to be left for private
development. By 1950 the population was nearing 3,000 and eight years
later it had reached over 11,000.
Being a new town with no existing business history, it wasn't until
the late 60s and 70s that the town became self-sufficient from a business
standpoint. A mall opened in 1976 and the completeion of Highway 288
from Houston gave the town
an extra boost. The population reached 22,776 by the 1990 census.
The city has since built a replica of Jackson's plantation house and
provides access to the banks of the Brazos through Wilderness Park,
an undeveloped area. |
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