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First plot of land to be cultivated in Tom Green County; projected as a German colony and named for Otto Von Bismarck, the strong-willed "Iron Chancellor" of Germany who was rising to power when this farm was started in 1868. J. C. (Jake) Marshall, first owner and astute real estate promoter, developed the 2,300-acre tract. In early years, the entire crop of vegetables and forage was sold to Fort Concho, a U.S. Army outpost on the Indian-infested frontier. The farm house complex, also built about 1868, has 22-inch stone walls. The front building was originally used as a residence and the rear one as a shed for horses of the Ben Ficklin Stage Line. In 1872 the farm was sold to the first in a long line of owners, among whom were some of the best-known citizens of the area. Over the years, crops were diversified and more forts served. Since then, the land has been divided into smaller tracts. In 1882 the roof of the sturdy farm house saved several persons during the disastrous flood which virtually leveled the nearby town of Ben Ficklin. Although heavily damaged by fire in 1954 and later repaired and modernized somewhat, the house looks much as it did in the 19th century. (1968) |
