TexasLand USA Theme Park vs. Rural Texas: A Fight for the Land We Call Home
Meet the Community
Amanda Pressler Averitt
Amanda Pressler Averitt
Amanda Pressler Averitt
Amanda Pressler Averitt is a seasoned educator, advocate, and community leader with a lifelong connection to Texas. A graduate of Memorial High School in Houston and the University of Texas at Austin, she brings over a decade of experience in special education and is currently pursuing legal studies to further her advocacy work.
As a prou
Amanda Pressler Averitt is a seasoned educator, advocate, and community leader with a lifelong connection to Texas. A graduate of Memorial High School in Houston and the University of Texas at Austin, she brings over a decade of experience in special education and is currently pursuing legal studies to further her advocacy work.
As a proud 6th-generation Texan and descendant of Karl Wilhelm Pressler—renowned Texas cartographer and German-Texan pioneer—and great-niece of Herman Pressler, who mapped Waller County, Amanda carries forward a family legacy of service, land stewardship, and historical contribution.
Amanda is a devoted mother of two, raising her children with the same values of integrity, resilience, and civic responsibility that guide her public work. Her family's decision to move to the country was a long-held dream—one rooted in a desire to live closer to the land, raise horses, and provide their children with the peace and freedom that only rural life can offer. They sought a life removed from the congestion and fast pace of urban development, choosing instead a place where open skies, quiet roads, and community values could thrive.
For Amanda, rural life means more than space and quiet—it means safety and self-reliance. Like many in her community, she depends on safe, functional roads to travel from home to school, work, and essential services. These roads are the veins of rural life—necessary not only for daily travel but for emergency access, school buses, and farm equipment. Large-scale developments that disregard the capacity and condition of local infrastructure threaten not just quality of life, but basic safety and mobility.
Amanda is passionate about protecting rural communities, advancing educational equity, and ensuring transparency in local development. She believes in the power of grassroots action, informed public engagement, and standing up for the integrity of the land and the people who call it home. Her work is a testament to her belief that rural families deserve a voice, a future, and a place to thrive—without being overshadowed by outside interests.
Kaylyn Phillippe
Amanda Pressler Averitt
Amanda Pressler Averitt
Our family made the decision to move to a more rural area as part of our commitment to a homeschooling lifestyle that prioritizes hands-on learning and a strong connection to nature. We wanted an environment where our children could explore and learn through real-life experiences rather than just textbooks. Living in the countryside allo
Our family made the decision to move to a more rural area as part of our commitment to a homeschooling lifestyle that prioritizes hands-on learning and a strong connection to nature. We wanted an environment where our children could explore and learn through real-life experiences rather than just textbooks. Living in the countryside allows us to integrate gardening, animal care, and outdoor activities directly into our daily lessons. This move supports our values by giving us the space and freedom to tailor our children's education to their interests and needs in a more meaningful and practical way.
Another major reason for our move was the desire to provide a safe, peaceful environment for our kids to grow up in. In the city, we often felt overwhelmed by the noise, traffic, and constant rush. Out here, we enjoy a quieter pace of life, where the children can run, play, and explore freely without the same concerns. We now have enough land for them to build forts, tend to animals, and help in the garden—all of which nurture responsibility, creativity, and independence. This new lifestyle brings us closer as a family and better supports our vision for a grounded, enriching upbringing.
Linda Alves
Amanda Pressler Averitt
Rhonda Steedman
Following Harvey, we knew we had to make a change. Our horses were boarded away from our house (one thing my husband swore we’d never do) and we could not get to them for one week due to flooding. It was horrible. They are part of our family. We needed to bring everyone in the family together. So, we searched and searched for something ju
Following Harvey, we knew we had to make a change. Our horses were boarded away from our house (one thing my husband swore we’d never do) and we could not get to them for one week due to flooding. It was horrible. They are part of our family. We needed to bring everyone in the family together. So, we searched and searched for something just right. Hempstead has been our little slice of heaven for almost ten years now - not far from our business’ client base in Katy, not far from my work in Spring, not too much acreage to take care of in our older years. Space to have fun with the grandkids. Our forever home. Just enough.
If necessary, driving to Cypress or Brenham is no problem for us. Houston friends often come out to enjoy the peace and quiet when they're up for the drive. We gladly drive into town to see them too. That was part of the deal. After all, it means that we still have rural space, can see cattle and horses in pastures, and enjoy the stars at night.
We know that Houston’s sprawl keeps accelerating. Meaningful development is acceptable. But, the community needs to get actively involved to keep a rein on things - this place is worth fighting for.
Rhonda Steedman
Rhonda Steedman
This rural Waller County landscape has been home to five generations of my family. My grandparents bought the land and house in 1963, coming here from Monaville where my grandma’s parents lived. As a child I spent weekends here, waiting for dew to dry before Grandpa would let me go outside to play. Since then, I have traveled widely and l
This rural Waller County landscape has been home to five generations of my family. My grandparents bought the land and house in 1963, coming here from Monaville where my grandma’s parents lived. As a child I spent weekends here, waiting for dew to dry before Grandpa would let me go outside to play. Since then, I have traveled widely and lived on three continents, but this place has always meant coming home. Here I can sit in the shade of live oaks, eating pecans from trees Grandpa planted and dewberries that grow wild on the fence line. I have tried to make it a space for nature to thrive, providing food, water and shelter for wildlife and encouraging native plants. Nature has rewarded me with buntings, orioles, owls and woodpeckers. Dragonflies, bumblebees and monarch butterflies visit my garden, and I look for bobwhite quail and scissor-tailed flycatchers Grandpa pointed out so long ago, to share these with my own children. Savoring the simple pleasures of the country, we enjoy watching the fireflies dance on summer nights. What a tragedy to have such places destroyed without a second thought by strangers with no appreciation of their beauty and worth!
Brian Teutsch
One of the many things I love about living in Riverwood Estates, is the dark night sky. It never fails to captivate me and remind me of God's vastness. This is something not visible from areas that are closer to urban influences, and subsequent light pollution. I can imagine that our unpolluted night sky is one of many blessings lost if t
One of the many things I love about living in Riverwood Estates, is the dark night sky. It never fails to captivate me and remind me of God's vastness. This is something not visible from areas that are closer to urban influences, and subsequent light pollution. I can imagine that our unpolluted night sky is one of many blessings lost if the proposed theme park comes to pass. In that context, I submit the following poem, in prayer that we be spared intrusion into this authentic Texas.
Counting my Lucky Stars
--by Brian Teutsch
We watch and save as passersby wave
Targets and years crisscross; ground gained and then lost
Looking west, gravel roads pave.
Strain in streetlights to see through pale nights
Our turn, and move was played; left a sky enslaved
Looking west, sunset invites.
Gold to sapphire…inky black draws in
Upward glance with mouth agape; unleashed star escape
Looking west, is eastern twin.
Night things unrest with invasive pests
New lights flicker and glare; must leave but to where?
Looking west, we vow protest.
Strain in park lights to see through pale nights
Their turn, and move was played; left a sky enslaved
Looking west3, Creation rites.
Stars are not mine but are His divine
I count them as blessings—these lights evanescing
Looking west, I pray confine.
John and Karen Erwin
My wife Karen and I bought our Riverwood home in 1995 and the house was already 17 years old. We are both native Texans. I was born in Houston, Karen in Shiner. We spent our formative years in Point Comfort / Port Lavaca graduating from Calhoun High. I always tell everyone that I went to Stephen F Austin University in Nacogdoches because
My wife Karen and I bought our Riverwood home in 1995 and the house was already 17 years old. We are both native Texans. I was born in Houston, Karen in Shiner. We spent our formative years in Point Comfort / Port Lavaca graduating from Calhoun High. I always tell everyone that I went to Stephen F Austin University in Nacogdoches because my Uncle lived 50 miles away and he had the best coon dog in Rusk county. We were married on a small farm between Nacogdoches & Mt. Enterprise.
Working in Engineering & Construction we wound up living for short times in Colorado, Washington, Arizona and Tennessee. It didn’t matter if we crossed the state line at the Red River, Texarkana, Orange, Texline or El Paso, we were home once we crossed the state line. I would have to stop at the first Whataburger for Karen. We loved Tennessee but I told my company to transfer me to Texas or I would go on my own. We had been gone six years.
They transferred me to Houston. We were in a 5th Wheel Trailer staying at Brookshire KOA when we first arrived. Having lived near hurricanes on Lavaca Bay much of our lives, we searched north for a house and landed in Riverwood. For the next 20 years I was up at 4:00 AM driving from 45 to 60 miles one way into Houston to work at various offices. I still traveled – mostly to Louisiana, once to Rio de Janeiro, and then ending my last five years in and out of Alaska.
Our home on Riverwood when we bought it had woods on three sides – now there are homes on all four sides. Our neighborhood is old and new all at the same time. I drove many a mile with our dream to live out our retirement in our rural, quiet community. Progress is catching up with us and it was always understood in our plan. After all, we had literally grown up watching Houston expand from the 610 Loop to 99 over our lifetime. We expected solid growth with young people, hospitals, shopping - a Texas community with elbow room. The thought of an amusement park NEVER entered our mind. Especially a park “pretending” to be representative of our culture, our heritage, our Texas. We are living right here in the middle of where Texas literally began, The pretend “TexasLand” is repulsive to me and most mature native Texans.
Within an 80-mile circle of Hempstead we are covered up with history including San Felipe State Historical Park, Washington on the Brazos Historical Park, San Jacinto Battlefield, GHW Bush Presidential Library, NASA, and more. The Alamo, Goliad, San Jacinto, the Goodnight Loving trail, Spindletop, are not fantasy. It is our heritage. It is our legacy.
TexasLand – The Theme Park Waller County Does NOT Need.
Maria Hare
This property has been my home for 65 years.(all of my life). I've never lived off this property. My grandparents purchased this land in the early 1900"s. When my grandmother got older she willed it to her 9 children. Some built weekend homes, others made permanent homes and unfortunately others sold. As Aunts and Uncles passed their chi
This property has been my home for 65 years.(all of my life). I've never lived off this property. My grandparents purchased this land in the early 1900"s. When my grandmother got older she willed it to her 9 children. Some built weekend homes, others made permanent homes and unfortunately others sold. As Aunts and Uncles passed their children inherited it. As of today several cousins still own and live on it. On what my father inherited 5 generations of Jozwiaks have lived and 3 still do. My husband and I built our home and raised our 2 sons here. I wish to live my life out on this property. I have 2 brothers who also built there homes and raised their children on this property. This year my nephew built and moved his family into their new home here. We raise cattle and horses (what will all the noise do to them) If this theme park is built I will look out my window and see it. What this theme park will do to our country life will be horrible. We will not be able to enjoy hearing wildlife for all the noise and traffic it will produce. The traffic will make farming and ranching difficult. This is my inheritance that has been in my family for over a hundred years and I hate to see what this theme park could do to us all. WE DO NOT WHAT THIS THEME PARK.
Regina
We are 3rd/4th generation. Seems like “so called progress” is coming regardless. We live off FM 359 near Monaville. Right now, TQEC and Waller County have “potentially” approved wastewater permits to Trails of Cochran Ranch (a new) subdivision. This wastewater permit will allow their “potentially” flow to cross over and onto rancher’s pr
We are 3rd/4th generation. Seems like “so called progress” is coming regardless. We live off FM 359 near Monaville. Right now, TQEC and Waller County have “potentially” approved wastewater permits to Trails of Cochran Ranch (a new) subdivision. This wastewater permit will allow their “potentially” flow to cross over and onto rancher’s private properties then flow to “unnamed tributaries” this wastewater will continue to flow to Harris Creek to Irons Creek to the mighty Brazos River. As a group, we are very concerned and have gone as far as the SOAH level….Progress???
Leslie Steward
Leslie Steward
What we love most about our tiny neighborhood is the beauty. While it is true that there are large majestic oaks, deer, and wildflowers. The beauty we see most clearly in Riverwood is the strong community that has grown there. We have been impressed to see that there is still a place where neighbors help each other. A place where neighbo
What we love most about our tiny neighborhood is the beauty. While it is true that there are large majestic oaks, deer, and wildflowers. The beauty we see most clearly in Riverwood is the strong community that has grown there. We have been impressed to see that there is still a place where neighbors help each other. A place where neighbors gather and break bread and pray together because they know that community is a gift that must be nurtured. There is abundant beauty in each household in our community and they all have unique reasons for choosing to live in a rural area. We understood that we were trading a bit to be able to live where cows graze on vast open pasture and birds are heard more than car alarms. We all chose that quiet life. When we put our boots on it is because we are going out to work our land, not because we are playing dress up. We are Texans. We aren't an amusement attraction. We are people who value the beauty of the land and the people on it.
John Stallone
Kathy Randall-Fox Trail Farm
Leslie Steward
My wife and I are home and property owners/ranchers here in Waller County, only about 2 miles south of the FM-1887/ FM-3346 intersection where TexasLand would be located. We are STRONGLY OPPOSED to the project because of the severely negative impact it would have on the land, wildlife, livestock, and quality of life for local residents in and around Hempstead.
Kathy Randall-Fox Trail Farm
Kathy Randall-Fox Trail Farm
Kathy Randall-Fox Trail Farm
We moved to the Hempstead area in 1999 for a safe , peaceful place to enjoy our 2 horses. We had had enough of the lights, litter, traffic and commotion . Over the years we have been blessed to enjoy owls, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, lightening bugs, butterflies, and 2 cardinal families that join us every Spring . We also have a resident
We moved to the Hempstead area in 1999 for a safe , peaceful place to enjoy our 2 horses. We had had enough of the lights, litter, traffic and commotion . Over the years we have been blessed to enjoy owls, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, lightening bugs, butterflies, and 2 cardinal families that join us every Spring . We also have a resident fox that makes occasional appearances. The 2 Arabian horses have grown to 10 over the years. It has truly been an ideal place to live. It has been my experience that most people in the area are also here for the same reasons and are not afraid to speak out to keep our rural community a pleasant place to call home.
Citizen Comments About TexasLandUSA
Cheryl
"This property has been in my family since 1919. It is the original home of Diiorio farms. The property is farmed in crops like hay , cattle, watermelons, corn, and many other vegetables. The current property is home to at least 6 homesteads. My home and two other cousins have homes who will be very close to fm 1887, and will not be good for any of our family. Our way of life will be devastated by the unwanted traffic the theme park will attract. The people feel like we were not notified until it was put before the state legislature. The people here do not want the this theme park."
Kristina Welch
"I moved here to raise my sheep, chickens, ducks, & turkeys. NOT to have a theme park four miles (as the crow flys) away! I am beyond devastated that more and more land is being covered in concrete. "
Elizabeth
"This location would not only impact those who live in the area but those who work in the area. The electrical, road and drainage infrastructure in this area would be greatly compromised. There have been multiple accidents at that intersection and increased heavy traffic would increase the chances for serious accidents there. "
Jackie
"People move to the country for peace and quiet. A amusement park is not part of the plan. Those places NEED to stay in the city. Not in farm land. Farm land was intended and always intended to feed us. Amusement parks will not feed people, only pocket big corporations who don't care where our food comes from, Think about!!!"
Anna
"Put your Theme park on the 290 Freeway. or on Highway 6 . There is no resident here that wants this mess in our country life much less our back yard. Shame on you over developers ruining wildlife habitat, and our farmlands. Shame on the people selling their souls to the Almighty dollar. "
Amber
"We need to make our water integrity the priority"
Mike
"So this would invite all kinds of rif raf on farm land right behind our subdivision, HELL NO!!! Keep that crap out of my backyard, plenty of room in Houston"
Julia
"No one wants a Texas themed park. Also having it an hour away takes business away from Houston. There is a ton of space and empty buildings in Houston that could be utilized - Astrodome - you don't get more Texan that that. "
Kelsey
"Please stop taking valuable farmland from rural communities! Farmers cannot keep up with these land grabbers!"
Pat
"My husband and I moved from Katy to Hempstead 23 years ago. We wanted to live in the country with wooded areas and deer running all around in the yard morning, noon, and night. We've been so happy cause that's exactly what we got! Having an amusement park or Texasland as they call it directly across the end of our street is not going to work!!! Everyone in our neighborhood is against this ridiculous idea! This is country with nature. If we wanted an amusement park or Texasland park, we would have stayed in the city. Go build where Astrodome is, not in the country."