Property owned by one of the first female ranch owners in Texas is for sale. See it
.jpg "The Rocking C Ranch, once owned by pioneer woman Mary Ann (Early) Panky, is for sale in Texas for $3.35 million.")
A stunning ranch that looks like something out of a Taylor Sheridan show has landed on the real estate market in the Lone Star State.
And while the home and land itself are a marvel, what’s really interesting is the ranch’s history.
“Located in the cradle of Texas independence, Washington County, Rocking C Ranch, also known as Forever View Ranch, links directly to “The Old 300” and the formative years before and during the Republic of Texas,” a news release about the ranch said.
“A part of Austin’s vast land grant in the bottom lands of the Brazos, Colorado, and San Bernard rivers, the property holds the rare distinction of being homesteaded in 1831 by a woman, Mary Ann Kennedy (Early) Pankey, perhaps the first female ranch owner of The Old 300.”
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Listed for $3.35 million, the four-bedroom, six-bathroom primary estate sits on more than 60 acres of land in Brenham and was built in 2006, the listing on Sotheby’s International Realty describes.
Panoramic views of the countryside paint a vivid picture of ranch-style living, as the home comes with a plethora of features both inside and out, including:
Wood and limestone accents
Formal dining room
Fireplaces
Chef’s kitchen
Mudroom
Saltwater pool
Spa
Fire pit
Game room
There’s also a utility barn on the property.
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Pankey’s journey began when she and her husband, Michael Early, settled on land that is now Washington County. After her husband died in 1827, Pankey applied for land in the area, which was considered Jackson’s Creek during that time.
“The Texas State Historical Association observes that ‘women homesteaded within a unique environment of land law and a culture that did not encourage independence for women but apparently found farming an acceptable enterprise,’ the release says.
Pankey eventually remarried and was able to hold onto the land throughout both the Texas Revolution and the Texas Republic.
“After Texas was admitted into the United States as the 28th state in 1845, 73-year-old Mary Ann was listed as a landowner in the 1850 census of Washington County,” the release says.
The listing is held by Bryan Beene of Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty.
Brenham is about a 75-mile drive northwest from Houston.
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This story was originally published January 14, 2025 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Property owned by one of the first female ranch owners in Texas is for sale. See it."