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Imperial Holly: Our First One Hundred Fifty Years
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In 1843, the Williams' sugar crop on Oakland
Plantation and the crops of other nearby farms were large enough to justify
building a commercial raw sugar mill. Field hands, equipped with large knives,
cut the cane stalks which were loaded into horse-drawn wagons and carted to the
mill. With their mill, the Williams' unknowingly established the site of the
future Imperial Sugar Company.
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In the 1890's, the ornate Hotel Imperial stood
out imposingly in the center of New York's Herald Square. As a young college
student, I.H. Kempner walked into this elegant hotel, the newest and most grand
in New York's hotel and theatre area of the Gay Nineties. Upon leaving, young
Kempner took with him a lasting impression - one which was to play an important
role in the Imperial Sugar Company.
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Before the turn of the century, Sugar Land had
three hotels, a saloon and a commissary. At the time, Sugar Land was dubbed the
"Hell Hole of the Brazos" because it had become a dump for vagrants, drifters,
professional gamblers and deserters from Galveston ships.
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By 1915, six structures including a general
store, bakery, barber shop, general office, hotel and a saloon had been built in
front of the Sugar Land refinery.
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To keep the refinery operating throughout the
year, boat loads of raw sugar were brought in from Cuba and the West Indies. The
300 pound burlap bags were unloaded at Galveston and shipped by rail to the Sugar
Land refinery.
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