Several people have asked me recently about Grand Central. It was the hub of farm and ranch operations for Sugarland Industries. I'm pretty sure they had similar sites on other properties they farmed and ranched, but this was the main one, I think. It had a blacksmith shop, storage & repair facilities for equipment, and other operations. (I can't recall if the hay-dryer was there or another location.)
I've updated the 1940 US Census map to indicate it's location. See the annotations in green. I've highlighted two building complexes that appear on the map. I think most people thought of both complexes as Grand Central -- maybe an old timer can confirm or refute my assumption.
Bruce has suggested Grand Central was the original location of the Thatcher Plantation. Many people have said it was located in that general area. The antebellum Thatcher home was moved into Sugar Land sometime in the early 20th century and run as a boarding house & restaurant under the name of The Imperial Inn. It sat on the east bank of Oyster Creek near the intersection of Bayview and Highway-90A. It burned in 1947 and was razed soon afterward.
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| An undated photo of The Imperial Inn. |
I don't know if the following photos were taken at Grand Central, but I have strong suspicions they may have been.
