Pecan Plantation

Pecan Plantation is a residential community located about nine miles southeast of Granbury in southeastern Hood County. This development was once part of the Leonard Bend Farm in the De Cordova Bend of the Brazos River. In the late 1940s Leonard Brothers department store cofounder Obadiah Paul Leonard purchased approximately 4,000 acres to establish a pecan orchard. Eventually his children and their families became part owners of the Leonard Bend Farm, and during the late 1960s De Cordova Bend Dam was constructed on part of the farm for the impoundment of Lake Granbury. Leonard's sons and sons-in-law formed the Republic Land Company and made provisions for the development of a residential community called Pecan Plantation. By 1971 work on infrastructure and amenities such as a country club, golf course, airport, and recreational areas had begun, and in 1972 the Pecan Plantation Owners Association was formed. In 1978 all assets were officially transferred to the owners' association, and by the late 1980s the Jim Anthony family had acquired total ownership of the remaining Leonard Bend Farm. Anthony was married to O. P. Leonard's daughter Jane.

In 1990 Pecan Plantation had a population of 990. A second golf course, known as the Nutcracker Golf Club, was built in 1991, and the Anthony family continued to open up additional acreage for residential development. In 2000 the population was 3,544. Pecan Plantation furnishes its own security services in addition to Hood County law enforcement and has a volunteer fire department. The community consists of approximately 2,050 homes and 3,000 lots, with a maximum projected number of 4,500 lots. Pecan Plantation also has some limited commercial development in a retail area known as The Village.