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Texas Historical Sites

Our Path To Freedom

It's nearly impossible to live in Texas for any amount of time and not be exposed to its fascinating and glorious history.

From the French explorer La Salle landing along the Gulf Coast to Santa Anna finally being able to subdue the stubborn and brave defenders at the Alamo, the Lone Star State has a history as wide and diverse as the state itself.

To keep interest keen in our state's history, the Texas Historical Commission, along with preservationists throughout south and coastal plains, are bringing the struggle for sovereignty back to life with the Texas Independence Trail Region.

The region features the graves of Col. James Walker Fannin's men who were executed after surrendering (then being burned) near Goliad, as well as the graves of the defenders of The Alamo in San Antonio. And it is home to countless treasures from other times as well. From Fort St. Louis, La Salle's ill-fated attempt at establishing a colony near Victoria, to hundreds of historic homes in Galveston and the battleship Texas in LaPorte, the region is a treasure trove of sites and attractions.

San Antonio

Home to the undisputed leading shrine in Texas, San Antonio also offers more than just the Alamo. It's a good place to begin the journey down the Independence Trail because it provides the depth and feel of the centuries linking several eras of power - Spanish Colonial, Mexican Republic and Texas Revolutionary.

Beginning in 1718 with the building of The Alamo (Mission San Antonio de Valero), Spain began to consolidate its Texas interest along the headwaters of the San Antonio River. It built a chain of five missions and a civilian villa for the Canary Island immigrants by the late 1740s. The Alamo in downtown San Antonio contains numerous exhibits on early Texas history, including the fact and fiction associated with the famous battle that delayed Gen. Santa Anna's advance through Texas in 1836.

Today, the National Park Service operates the Mission Trail with interpretive exhibits at four missions in the area. Other downtown heritage attractions include the restored 1850s home of José Antonio Navarro, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and a staunch Tejano ally in the Revolution. Adding to the centuries-old history is the charm of the city's historic downtown buildings and popular Riverwalk restaurants and shops.

Independence

Founded in 1824 by Austin colonists, the town was renamed in 1836 to celebrate Texas' independence from Mexico. Nearby is a historical marker designating the site of Sam Houston's home, the restored two-story home of Houston's widow, and the Toalson House, a privately owned adobe structure reputedly built as an 1820s Mexican government jail.

Washington-on-the-Brazos

In 1836, Texas leaders met at the Brazos River port of Washington to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence. The Constitution of the Republic was also drafted here, and the site served as a capital in the 1840s when Mexican Army invasions threatened Austin.

The 160-acre Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historical Park features a replica of Independence Hall, where the declaration was signed. Barrington, the 1848 home of Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas, has been restored as a plantation homestead where early-day agriculture is demonstrated. Nearby, the Star of the Republic Museum also features exhibits and collections focused on the period.

San Felipe

Stephen F. Austin's first colonists made the area Texas' first Anglo-American capital and the village prospered as a Brazos River port until it was burned in anticipation of Gen. Santa Anna's advance. Today, San Felipe offers two Stephen F. Austin State Historical Parks: a 650-acre recreational setting in Brazos River bottomwoods and a 20-acre park at the site of old San Felipe. Historical monuments, a replica of Stephen F. Austin's dog-run cabin, an 1840s store and other old structures cluster at the park.

Gonzales

Gonzales is sometimes known as the "Lexington of Texas," where the first shots of the Texas Revolution were fired in October, 1835, as colonists repelled efforts by the Mexican Army to seize the village cannon. The Texans taunted the troops with a cry of "Come and Take It" at the standoff in Cost, just five miles west of Gonzales.

While Texas' first Mexican-licensed land agent, Stephen F. Austin, was settling colonies on the lower Brazos, Green C. DeWitt earned rights in 1825 to settle 400 families to the west, around the Guadalupe River.

The platting of DeWitt's earliest town site, Gonzales, reflects the Spanish influence of gracious central plazas, now rimmed by late-1800s commercial facades. A marked driving tour of 86 historical sites includes the restored 1894 Romanesque Revival courthouse that crowns the plaza area.

La Grange

La Grange area patriots, many of them "Gone-to-Texas" Southerners and German immigrants, mustered for revolutionary service on the courthouse square in 1836. Many who perished at the Alamo and other battles are honored at Monument Hill State Historical Park, where a 48-foot stone and bronze memorial juts from a ridgeline overlooking La Grange and the Colorado River.

Also among the names are victims of the 1842 retaliatory raid to Mexico (Mier Expedition) who were captured and forced to draw beans - a white bean meant imprisonment, a black bean death.

Houston

Tucked away in the hustle and bustle of one of the nation's largest cities are scores of important historical sites. For instance, Old Market Square, a manicured historical park poised under the gleaming towers of downtown Houston, preserves an original town site built by Augustus C. Allen that eventually became the Republic of Texas capital for a period.

Nearby is Sam Houston Historical Park, which features historic homes and buildings from the 1820s to 1900s. Just west is Freedman's Town Historic District, a 40-block residential area platted in 1867 along Buffalo Bayou for freed slaves.

San Jacinto Battleground State Park

This Houston suburb maintains a replica of the Patrick Cabin where peace was negotiated between Texas and Mexico after the Battle of San Jacinto. Just east of Deer Park, the star-topped, 570-foot San Jacinto Monument, erected in 1939, towers over the battleground. Here, Sam Houston's army exacted revenge for their losses at The Alamo and Goliad by catching Santa Anna's army off guard and winning an 18-minute battle. Ride the monument's elevator for a view of the battleground and a sky-high look at the restored battleship Texas, moored for visitors below.

Goliad

The 13-acre Fannin Battleground State Historical Park commemorates the spot where Col. James W. Fannin and 400 volunteers were surrounded by the Mexican army during a retreat from Goliad toward Victoria. Forming a defensive square on an open plain, Fannin's men fought bravely, then surrendered. Marched to Presidio La Bahia, the 342 survivors were executed upon Santa Anna's orders. Several other important Spanish colonial period sites are located in Goliad as well.

A word of caution

This small sampling is but a tiny piece of the history and culture to be explored. For a more complete look at the area, consult the THC Independence Trail Region travel guide and use the resources available from THC partners - the people, chambers of commerce and historical organizations that make up the Independence Trail Region.