Binion Homestead

Georgia natives Thomas Noel Binion (1827-1900) and Pauline Walker Binion (1829-1915) migrated to Texas after the Civil War. They moved to the Oxford community in Grayson County where they purchased this 107-acre farm in 1871. Thomas and Pauline reared four children here: Zeph (1856-1928), Homer (1865-1926), Robert E. Lee "Eddie" (1869-1945), and Sarah (1872-1955). After Thomas and Pauline died, they were buried in the family cemetery northwest of their homestead. The farm was inherited by their children. Eddie Binion became a merchant in nearby Pilot Grove, but moved back to the family homestead with his sister Sarah after the death of his wife. Eddie raised sugar cane and operated a syrup mill here from the turn of the century until the 1940s. The mill first used mules to operate the crusher, and wood fires to cook the molasses. When fuel oil and coal were readily available in the 1920s, a piston engine replaced the mule, and coal replaced the wood fires. During the Depression years, cane continued to arrive but money to purchase coal and fuel oil diminished. The mule was reinstated, but the Binion Syrup Mill foundered in the 1940s. The mill was dismantled and the iron and steel sold for use in World War II.

Binion Homestead is a historical marker in Pilot Grove, Grayson County, dedicated in 1996. It is one of 144 historical markers documented in Grayson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 174 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 33.4236, -96.4393 near Pilot Grove. The nearest cataloged historic site is Binion Cemetery (cemetery), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include Luper, Kermit, and Pilot Grove.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5181007341. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.