A History of the Pecan Bottom at C. P. Montague's Farm

After mama and daddy bought their dream place, my brother went to Tarlton University and talked to them about putting in a pecan orchard. He told mama and daddy about it and they decided to use about 20 acres in the river bottom that had deep "made" soil. This was rich, fertile soil that had been deposited in the bottom through many previous floods.

By this time, Mr. Barho had purchased his place across the river and it had many huge native pecan trees. That fall we picked up hundreds of pounds of pecans to use as our seed. Daddy totally cleared the 20 acres and we planted the orchard. This was done by someone sitting on the back of the tractor just above the ground and dropping the individual pecans into the furrows one at a time! My dad drove the tractor, insuring that he had straight rows.

My brother's wife, Lou, was very pregnant at the time with their daughter, Tamra, and we've got a picture of her riding on the back of the tractor. Thus the pecan orchard was "born"!

A History of The Palette Pad

The Palette Pad was built during a very hot, windy summer in 1969. Mama and daddy had about given up on finding their dream piece of land. My dad wanted fertile land where he could farm; the artist in my mom yearned for a stream and rocks that she loved to paint. On the last day they had to look, they found what is now Scurlock Farms. My dad quit his job and they moved to Georgetown. That summer, they lived in a tent, cooked on a grill while daddy began working on the studio or Palette Pad and my mom painted many paintings.

The plan was to build the Palette Pad as mama's art studio and a place to live while they built the big house, their retirement home. The temperature was over 100 and the wind blew over 30 miles per hour for over 30 days that summer. Mama fought the dust and tried to prevent her easel from blowing over.

They were both thrilled when daddy got the windows up in one corner and she was able to take cover behind them to paint! They had no running water or place to bathe except for the river. Each evening they would take a broom and a bar of soap down to the river. Daddy would sweep any moss of the rocky bottom and they would have their cooling baths!

Mama and daddy hand picked up EVERY rock that is in The Palette Pad walls and fireplace wall, as well as every rock for the big house. They had no idea at the time of the number of rocks that would be required to complete the job!! Every rock was laid by hand by them and you'll notice all the lines of rock are straight.

Interesting Furniture in The Palette Pad

I wanted to tell you about two specific pieces of furniture in the Palette Pad. One is the coffee table shown in front of the sofa and the other is a desk/chest that is not shown. The coffee table was made by my dad. Before Granger Lake was filled, people were allowed to go into the area and cut down large trees that would be covered when the lake filled. My dad cut down a HUGE pecan tree. He had the wood from the trunk milled and made mantle pieces for the big house they built. He cut a broad section from the trunk near the base, had it dried and made the coffee table top from it. He used limbs for the legs to the coffee table. It is a unique, one-of-a- kind table, and gorgeous!

The top drawer to the chest folds down and makes a desk top. It has cubbyholes at the back of the drawer and an ink well that was obviously well used. The very old chest came from an old hotel that was being torn down in Houston TX back in the l960's. The remaining two large drawers make great storage space for clothing or games.

Begin a Holiday Tradition

Begin a holiday tradition that you and your family will enjoy for many years to come. Join us December 4th in Georgetown, Texas for the 30th annual Christmas Stroll. This open air holiday market displays some of the most unique handmade merchandise available anywhere. Whether it's jewelry, pottery or fine art you're interested in, stop to talk to our vendors who are anxious to share information about their craft, and take home an item that will enhance your home, wardrobe or garden. Stroll-through Bethlehem Village, meet the Grinch in Who-ville, and visit Santa in the North Pole! Events kick off with a parade at noon. There are lots of fun things to do in Georgetown this time of year, and visiting The Studio at Scurlock Farms tops our list!

Fall Favorites

With mild temperatures, cooler evenings and beautiful scenery, there's no better place to be than the Texas Hill Country in the fall. Your trip to The Studio at Scurlock Farms wouldn't be complete without a visit to the pecan orchard. Bring your pail and pick your own for some good, old-fashioned fun!