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    The Ice Cream Mansion

    The ice cream mansion? A massive luxury "farm house" in Blue Bell country hits the market for $1.49 million

    Barbara Kuntz
    Barbara Kuntz
    Nov 21, 2014 | 12:39 pm

    Editor's Note: Houston, the surrounding areas and beyond are loaded with must-have houses and properties for sale in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. In this continuing series, CultureMap snoops through some of the best and gives you the lowdown on what's hot on the market.

    Experience a gentler, less-hurried way of life at the 10-acre Morning Glory Farm, a serene outpost within the hills and valleys of the historic Texas Independence Trail Region in the Blue Bell Ice Cream haven of Brenham, now for sale at $1,497,500 as a family vacation destination, corporate retreat or even a bed and breakfast.

    A bit of background
    The country estate began more than 35 years ago when previous owners, seeking to create a weekend get-away, moved a historic 1925 Washington County school house onto the land. Renovations followed when the present owners purchased the property in 1997 and added modern plumbing and electricity to the already spacious home.

    Pasture meadows and an organic garden are part of the country experience.

    They crowned the country gem Morning Glory Farm and set about further transforming the house and grounds into the attractive, manicured yet natural multi-structure estate that it is today.

    Walk through
    Native Loblolly pines line the front drive from the gate at FM 390 North to the main house as well as a guest cottage and bunkhouse, now part of the compound and fashioned after the remodeled school house. A meadow of Bahia grass and wildflowers and a constant-level pond with fountain, lighted pier and gazebo also welcome owners to the retreat.

    The main house features a Texas-style front porch, opening to 15-foot ceilings, hand-sawed hardwood floors and a generously sized living and dining area with banks of windows. The updated kitchen includes artisan tile countertops and an island with pull-up seating.

    The master suite extends to a sitting area and an office, with the master bath boasting double sinks, shower, jetted tub and a walk-in closet. Two secondary bedrooms, one with a play loft, share a Hollywood bathroom.

    Perfect for extended family and guests, the guesthouse offers five bedrooms and three bathrooms, an open living and dining area and a fully equipped kitchen. The bunkhouse has an open kitchenette, living and dining rooms and a large dormitory-style bedroom sharing a Hollywood bath with the main living area. Both cozy structures come complete with deep front porches to relax on while catching a country breeze and taking in views of the property.

    Step outside
    Amenities abound in the great out-of-doors, including a grotto pool with a waterfall, wide stone terraces meandering from house to house and a gazebo with school bell to ring to rally guests inside for a hearty, home-cooked meal. Pasture meadows and an organic garden are part of the country experience. Horses are allowed at this leisure ranch. The two-car garage is detached.

    Notes: Morning Glory Farm is only 75 minutes from Houston and 10 minutes from the Brenham airport. The estate includes two irrigation systems and two water wells. An additional adjacent 20 acres at Morning Glory Farm are available and may be purchased separately.

    Square footage: 2,606 (main house)

    Asking price: $1,497,500

    Listing agent: Robert Frank, Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty

    The main house at Morning Glory Farm was once a one-room school house built in 1925. Now it welcomes and invites after complete restoration and refurbishing.

    1 On the Market Morning Glory Farm in Brenham November 2014
    Photo courtesy of © TK Images
    The main house at Morning Glory Farm was once a one-room school house built in 1925. Now it welcomes and invites after complete restoration and refurbishing.
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    news/real-estate

    hottest headlines of 2025

    Here are the 10 hottest Houston real estate headlines of 2025

    Amber Heckler
    Dec 29, 2025 | 11:30 am
    Rendering of Texas Heritage Marketplace
    Photo courtesy of NewQuest
    The new Texas Heritage Marketplace will be located along Interstate 10 and the newly completed Texas Heritage Parkway in Katy.

    Editor's note: The top real estate stories of 2025 were heavy on buzzy suburbs. Fulshear earned special recognition for its jaw-dropping population growth over the last five and 10 years, while Sugar Land entered the spotlight for its livability and its surprisingly high rental rates. A Houston billionaire was revealed to be one of the top 100 landowners in the country, and a local restaurant duo put their illustrious farm on the market. Read on for the top 10 real estate stories of 2025.

    1. Totally sweet Houston suburb triumphs as No. 3 best place to live in U.S. Relocation marketing platform Livability.com named Sugar Land the third-best place to live in America thanks to its appealing size and affordability. The list was restricted to small and mid-size cities with populations between 75,000-500,000 residents.

    2. Surprise Houston neighbor was No. 1 fastest-growing U.S. city in the last decade. Fulshear's population growth surged over 1,000 percent from 2014-2023, the report found, and the U.S Census estimates the city now boasts a population of more than 42,600 residents. More on Fulshear's booming population later.

    3. Houston oil-and-gas billionaire ranks among America's top 100 landowners. The Land Report revealed that approximately one-quarter of the country's mega-owners of private land have ties to Texas.

    4. 2 Houston suburbs rank among fastest-growing affordable cities in U.S. SmartAsset analyzed 50 U.S. cities to find the most affordable places with large population growth. League City and Pearland ranked No. 7 and No. 11, respectively.

    5. Cozy Houston neighborhood ranked No. 1 best place to live in Texas. Master-planned community Cinco Ranch was given an"A-plus" rating for its family-friendliness, public schools, diversity, and other factors. The area is able to maintain a close-knit community while having a sprawling population of more than 19,000 residents.

    6. Houston developer breaks ground on $400 million, 165 acre Katy project. Houston-based commercial real estate firm NewQuest commenced work on a $400 million, 165-acre, mixed-use shopping center in Waller County at the end of January. The project, called The Texas Heritage Marketplace, will include 750,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, along with 550 apartments in two communities.

    7. This wealthy Houston neighbor is the fastest-growing suburb in America. In a narrowed-down analysis of the top American suburbs that have had the highest population increases from 2018-2023, Fulshear once again came out on top.

    8. 2 Houston-area ZIP codes top 2024 list of hottest U.S. housing markets. Real estate marketplace Opendoor crowned Katy's 77493 ZIP code as the No. 1 hottest U.S. housing market in 2024, while Cypress' 77433 ZIP secured the No. 2 spot. Affordability was cited as the primary factor that drew newcomers to these suburbs.

    9. Houston restaurateurs' 353-acre farm hits the market for $29 million. The sprawling Goodthyme Ranch, owned by Goodnight Hospitality partners Bailey and Pete McCarthy, went on the market in early September. The farm is situated about an hour from downtown Houston in Bellville, and offers a 5,220-square-foot, five-bedroom main house and a 4,560-square-foot, five-bedroom guest house, as well as extensive agricultural and recreational amenities.

    10. This Houston suburb had the highest apartment rent prices in June. Zumper's monthly rental report found Sugar Land apartment prices were more expensive than any other Houston-area city over the summer. Despite having the most expensive rent in the metro in June, the asking rent for a single-bedroom apartment in Sugar Land was technically lower than it was in June 2024.

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