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Harris Co.'s Petrich-Adams farm honored |
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By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas |
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April 25, 2002 -- Honored at the recent Family Land Heritage Awards program for land that has been in continuous agricultural production in the same family for 100 years or more, Tommy and Jackie Adams accepted the award for their mother, Esther Petrich Adams, and other brothers. The land was first bought and settled in 1876 by the six brothers great-grandfather, Fritz Petrich. He purchased 270 acres of land for XXXXX $150 and raised corn, cotton, cattle and sheep, keeping horses and mules for farm work. An excerpt by Jackie Adams in the application to the Family Land Heritage Program, he wrote: "During the American Civil War, the southern ports of the Confederate states were blockaded by the Union Navy. As it was throughout the South, local farmers could not get their cotton crop to the foreign markets." Adams said that before his great-grandfather Fritz became a land owner, he hauled wagon loads of cotton to the port of Matamoros, Mexico, where he traded the cotton for military rifles brought in by British merchant ships. He then hauled the guns back and sold them to the Confederate Army. It was with this money that he started purchasing land, including the Petrich-Adams Farm.
Six children were born to Fritz and his wife, Emilie; and his son, Gustav (Gus) Adolph, became the second generation owner in 1910. Once again, corn and cotton were grown as the "cash crops," along with a pear orchard, and they raised Brahman cattle, sheep, hogs, chickens, geese and horses. Adams said that during the depression, Gus held on the the farm, when many were losing theirs, by hiring out as a carpenter, building houses, barns and even furniture. He served as an election judge and was an "accomplished" musician, loving to play his fiddle at various functions. In 1896, Gus married Theresa Allwelt in the Salem Lutheran Church in Rosehill, (the church recently celebrated it's 150 year anniversary, naming the Petrich family as founding members). To this union were born seven daughters, including Adams mother, Esther Petrich Adams, and two sons. Esther Petrich Adams and her husband, Miller Henry "Jack," became the third generation owners in 1956, continuing with the corn, cattle, hogs, chickens, and even a dairy farm. "In 1937, Jack and Esther Petrich Adams began working the Gus Petrich farm, some 20 years before they actually gained title to the current track of land. From 1937 until 1943, they operated a dairy farm ... milking approximately 25 cows, twice, daily, and they produced, bottled and delivered milk to stores, cafes and private residences in Tomball and to the Humble Oilfield workers just outside of Tomball," said Adams. He said his parents quit the dairy business because they said it was "killing them," even with a hired hand, since all the milking was done by hand, and there were the other farm chores to be done. The third generation of owners continued to raise market cattle and hogs for more than 45 years, along with six sons. Named as owners of the remaining almost 20 acres of farm are Mike, Jackie, Larry, Leroy, Tommy and the late Jerry Adams. No crops have been produced on the land since the '60s, according to Jackie, but there have always been cattle. Currently, the Adams raise mostly Santa Gertrudis cattle. "I think everybody around that area pretty much quit cotton farming by the late '30s, after the Depression and everything else. Dad said after that, nobody raised cotton," said Adams. Presently, the five remaining brothers all live within 30 minutes of the farm where their mother, Esther, still lives, along with Larry. "We all maintain our separate homes elsewhere, but that one place (farm) is our focus. We're all part owners in it, so we all contribute. We all take our turns hauling the calves to market and doing whatever else needs to be done there," he added. Other relatives, who inherited parts of the original property purchased by Fritz Petrich, have sold off all but one other plot, but the Adams boys are hoping that the fifth generation of family will be able to continue on the family farm. Although there are no 100-year-old buildings still standing, the ruins of the original homestead house are on their land, along with the original hand-dug, brick-lined, well cistern. "My brothers and I hope that between all of us, some of our kids will show enough interest when we're gone to keep the farm going," said Adams. "We're going to try to hold on to it as long as we can, despite the urban sprawl and freeways trying to come through." Last year, the proposed State Highway 99 to be built as a new loop around Houston, was planning a route that would go right through the property. After much letter writing and re-routing due to oil and gas properties, too, the Adams feel "99 percent sure" that they've won that battle. After 125 years, Adams said that going out to the farm is "kind of" an escape from the real world. "You can go back there and kick back and just watch the cows. It's peaceful," he said. |
