Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site is located approximately 30 miles southeast of Bryan/College Station. It consists of six acres in Anderson, county seat of Grimes County. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department acquired the property by purchase in 1977 from a Fanthorp descendant, and it was opened to the public Oct. 4, 1987, to demonstrate 19th century life at an early Texas stagecoach stop and family home. Ten years were spent researching and restoring the inn to its 1850 use as both a family home and travelers' stop.
The double-pen, cedar log dogtrot house was built by an English immigrant, Henry Fanthorp, when Texas was part of Mexico. Fanthorp petitioned Stephen F. Austin in 1832 for permission to settle in this original Austin Colony. He bought 1,100 acres and built his house in 1834 on the road that crossed his land, thus bringing travelers to his door immediately. Henry Fanthorp was appointed postmaster by the provisional Texas government in 1835, and saw the advantage of offering other services and goods to his frequent visitors. Within time, Fanthorp's Inn became a well-known stopping place for both travelers and the community.
