National Historic Landmark

Porter Farm

Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas
Listed
October 14, 1966
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
66000819

About this property

The Porter Farm, also known as Walter C. Porter Farm, is a historic farm property near Terrell in Kaufman County in the U.S. state of Texas. Porter Farm was the site of the first cooperative farm demonstration, organized in 1903 by Dr. Seaman A. Knapp. The project successfully demonstrated methods to expand crop production. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Extension Service developed from this foundational project. The property was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Porter Farm had been selected by the community to participate in the project, with $1000 set aside to cover potential losses. Knapp worked with Walter Porter to set aside 70 acres (28 ha) of the farm, on which the experimental use of fertilizers on some plots and rotation with nitrogen-fixing legumes doubled normal yields of cotton. The success of this project led to the creation of government Extension Service programs, which went on to develop methods to combat boll weevil infestation in the area. The Porter Farm is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Terrell, on FM986. The total farm property was historically about 500 acres (200 ha). The property includes the Porter homestead, a 1-1/2 story Cape style frame house located on the southeast side of FM986, while the demonstration land is mainly on the northwest side. Today a tomato barn, which is not historically significant, stands on that land.

Location

Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas
32.77918, -96.27479

Categories

AGRICULTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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Nearby Historic Sites

Warren-Crowell House
Industrial
2.3 mi
Cartwright, Matthew, House
Industrial
2.4 mi
Terrell Carnegie Library
Industrial
2.7 mi
First National Bank Building
Industrial
2.9 mi
Terrell Times Star Building
Industrial
3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Porter Farm listed on the National Register?

Porter Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 14, 1966.

What type of historic resource is Porter Farm?

Porter Farm is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Porter Farm a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Porter Farm has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Porter Farm?

The period of significance for Porter Farm is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Porter Farm?

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