History of Weston Lakes
At Weston Lakes history is whispering in the wind --- for it is here in Fort Bend County that
Stephen F. Austin led many of the “Old Three Hundred” families to make their homes in the rich
farmland which was brought over the centuries from North Texas by the flow of the Brazos
River. Weston Lakes is located on the old Mexican land grants of Churchill Fulshear and John
Randon.
Just a stones’ throw west, across Bowser Road, in 1990, the Houston Archaeological Society
excavated an important Indian burial site (circa 630 B.C.).
After the Civil War, Dr. Robert Locke Harris, a physician with the Confederate Hospital in
Houston, was visiting friends near the village of Sunnyside, just north of Fulshear. They urged
him to stay and loaned him a horse to begin practicing medicine. He built his home in Pittsville
where he raised seven children. Pittsville was located northeast of the intersections of Jordan
Road and FM359.
Dr. Harris was very interested in agriculture and over the years acquired over 6,000 acres in
several tracts from Pittsville south to the Brazos River. Tenant farmers lived in small homes
scattered throughout the farms and cultivated the land. At the peak of operation there were
about thirty tenant families. Descendants of these families still live in the area and many came to
his funeral in 1905. He is buried in the cemetery off FM359, north of Fulshear.
The Southern Pacific Railroad wanted to go through Pittsville, but Dr. Harris and other
landowners would not sell. Instead the railroad went through the land of Churchill Fulshear,
whose father was one of Austin’s ‘old three Hundred”. Consequently, Pittsville faded away and
Fulshear became a busy trading center reaching its peak between 1900 and 1920. It was so
crowded on Saturday afternoons that you could hardly walk down the streets. After World War
II, many moved away to new opportunities and the town declined.
Over the year family members sold their shares of the land so that eventually Dr. Hunter P.
Harris and Mrs. Billie Harris Wendt owned half of Harris Farms and four cousins owned the
other half. Jack Wendt, Billie’s husband, managed the farms. In 1980, The Harris and Harris
Farms were selected for the family Land heritage Program recognizing continuous family
operation of a farm or ranch for 100 years. They produced cotton during this time, but later
many other crops were added. The Harris family always lived in town but came out to farms
quite often, especially during November when the pecans were gathered. In 1984, the time
seemed right to sell the farms. The southernmost 1,000 acres of one of Dr. Harris’ tracts is
where Weston Lakes is located.
Weston Lakes officially opened on May 10, 1985, with four sections. The Weston Lakes Country
Club opened in September, 1986, and originally consisted of the Grill, Pro Shop, locker rooms,
smaller swimming pool and a nine hole golf course designed by Hale Irwin. In the fall of 1987,
the Clubhouse was expanded to 14,000 square feet adding the large kitchen, Ballroom and
offices, along with an Olympic-sized swimming pool and the second nine holes.
Tom and the late Marie McDonald built the first home in Weston Lakes, but the first full time
residents were Alex and Anne Keatts who moved to Lake Village in August, 1986. Lee and Wilma
Eicher and Walter and Evelyn Douglas, and Clarence and Lil Barras soon followed.
Today, Weston Lakes is the home to 1,170 families and still growing. NOTE: At the time of this
original publishing, there were 325 families. Whether taking part in the many activities or just
relaxing in the peace and serenity, everyone is enchanted by the beauty of the sun rising through
the giant old pecan trees.
The Weston Lakes Women’s Association (WLWA), was the first ladies’ group to organize and
has led the growing community fostering friendship, gaining knowledge of its proud heritage,
and contributing too many worthy projects in the local communities.
Researched by Jan Matthews
“Gateway to Good Eating” Cookbook
Published in 1994 by the WLWA