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Goliad, Texas

Everything Goliad is known for

3 songs mention this city

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Music in Goliad

Songs About Goliad

Goliad
Brian Burns
80%
"Let us drink to those who marched that road to Goliad"
The Angel of Goliad
Brian Burns
80%
I’ve Been Everywhere...In Texas
Brian Burns
6%
"Goliad"

Artists From Goliad

No artists from Goliad in the database yet.

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Rivers & Roads in Song near Goliad

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Goliad.

U.S. Route 59 9 songs San Antonio River 2 songs Guadalupe River 18 songs Nueces River 3 songs

Musical Heritage

Presidio La Bahía RoadyGoat

The old Spanish fort at Goliad has seen more history than most whole states. Presidio La Bahía — an eighteenth-century stone garrison and chapel. Ignacio Zaragoza, the Mexican general, was born inside these walls in eighteen twenty-nine. A free Black man named Samuel McCulloch was shot storming the place in eighteen thirty-five — he's often called the first Texan casualty of the whole revolution. And Colonel James Fannin and his men were held in that chapel a week before Fannin was stood against a wall out back and shot, in eighteen thirty-six. Every March, the last weekend, they walk his final days out in the flesh, a living reenactment. You can stand where he stood. History here doesn't sit behind glass. It gets up and moves.

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History of Goliad

Remember Goliad RoadyGoat

1836

On Palm Sunday, March twenty-seventh, eighteen thirty-six, more than four hundred Texian prisoners of war were marched out of Fort Defiance in Goliad and shot. They had surrendered six days earlier believing they would be paroled and released into the United States. Instead, Santa Anna ordered their execution. Their commander, James Fannin, was the last to be killed. He made three requests: that his belongings be sent to his family, that he be shot in the heart, and that he receive a Christian burial. The soldiers shot him in the face and burned his body. Bodies were left unburied and exposed until June. One woman, Francita Alavez — remembered as the Angel of Goliad — intervened to save roughly twenty men. The massacre galvanized Texas and produced its second battle cry alongside Remember the Alamo: Remember Goliad. San Jacinto followed three weeks later.

Zaragoza, General Ignacio RoadyGoat

1855

You're driving through Goliad, right on the spot where General Ignacio Zaragoza was born. He's the hero of the Battle of Puebla, the victory that inspired Mexico's 'Cinco de Mayo' holiday! In 1855, Zaragoza led Mexican volunteers to defeat the dictator Santa Anna. But his most famous moment came on May 5th, 1862. Leading just 4,000 poorly armed men, he pulled off an incredible upset, defeating about 6,000 veteran French soldiers. Remember the name Zaragoza, the man who gave Mexico its iconic patriotic day!

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The Goliad Massacre RoadyGoat

If you visit the old stone fort called Presidio La Bahía just south of town, you're standing in a place of profound tragedy. After the Battle of Coleto Creek in March 1836, Colonel James Fannin's surrendered Texian force was imprisoned within these walls. They likely expected to be treated as prisoners of war and eventually exchanged. But the orders from Mexican General Santa Anna were ruthless. On Palm Sunday morning, March 27th, the prisoners were divided into three groups and marched out onto the prairie. Thinking they were being sent out on work details, the men were caught by surprise when the guards opened fire. Nearly 350 were executed. A few dozen escaped the initial volleys and hid in the river bottoms to tell the tale. The event, paired with the Alamo, galvanized the Texian army, who would charge into battle a month later screaming, 'Remember Goliad!'

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Goliad

1749

One of the three first Texas municipalities. Old Aranama Indian village called Santa Dorotea by the Spanish. Presidio La Bahia and Mission Espiritu de Zuniga established 1749. Here early events leading to the Texas Revolution were expeditions of Magee-Gutierrez, 1812; Henry Perry, 1817; James Long, 1821 Name changed Feb. 4, 1829, from La Bahia (the Bay) to Goliad. Honoring (in anagram) Mexican patriot (H)idalgo. Capt. George Collingsworth, Ben Milam and 48 men took Mexican garrison Oct. 8, 1835. Goliad Declaration of Independence signed Dec. 20, 1835, and Goliad flag unfurled. Defender Capt. Philip Dimmit succeeded by Col. James Walker Fannin, Feb. 7, 1836. On order of Gen. Sam Houston to evacuate Goliad, Fannin on Mar. 19, moved toward Victoria. Overtaken 9 miles out by a large Mexican army, Fannin and his men battled until night, surrendered next morning. From La Bahia Prison they were marched out, massacred and partially cremated on Palm Sunday, Mar. 27, 1836. After Texas won independence, Gen. Thomas Rusk's army gave them military rites and burial, June 1836. Goliad County Seat since 1836. Incorporated 1840 and built on present site. Received 4 leagues of land in grant signed by President Sam Houston, 1844. (1965)

Historical Marker →

Goliad, TX

1749

Goliad, the county seat of Goliad County, originated as one of the oldest Spanish colonial municipalities in the state. The town is on the Southern Pacific Railroad, the San Antonio River, U.S. highways 59 and 183, and State Highway 239. It was established in October 1749, when colonizer José de Escandón recommended moving Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga Mission and its royal protector, Nuestra Señora de Loreto de La Bahía del Espíritu Santo Presidio (Presidio La Bahía), from the Guadalupe River to a site named Santa Dorotea, on the San Antonio River. A new presidio, La Bahía , was built on a hill near the river, where sand, limestone, and timber were abundant. Around the presidio walls grew the settlement of La Bahía, and on the opposite bank stood Mission Espíritu Santo. The fort supplied Spanish men-at-arms to the army of Bernardo de Gálvez in the American colonists' war against the British between 1779 and 1782, garrisoned Spanish troops throughout the 1810-21 Mexican war of independence , and after 1812 saw four separate attempts to establish Texas independence. In the longest siege in American military history, the Gutiérrez-Magee expedition captured La Bahía and held it for the first "Republic of Texas" from November 1812 until February 1813. In June 1817 Henry Perry and forty companions tried to capture the presidio but were repulsed. James Long , who surprised the occupying garrison in 1821 and met with little resistance, was unseated by deception after three days when 700 Spanish Royalist troops arrived from San Antonio. Early in 1829 La Bahía resident Rafael Antonio Manchola , recently elected to the Coahuila and Texas state legislature, petitioned the governor to change the town's name to Goliad, an anagram of the name of Father Hidalgo, the priest who instigated the Mexican independence movement ( see HIDALGO Y COSTILLA, MIGUEL ). By decree on February 4, 1829, La Bahía became Villa de Goliad. At the time, the town had a number of stone houses belonging to wealthy citizens. In one of these, on March 24, 1829, was born Ignacio Seguín Zaragoza , who became one of Mexico's greatest military heroes. Flanking the stone structures stood dozens of jacals, huts of post and mortar construction that sheltered most of the villa's inhabitants. In 1834 a cholera epidemic nearly destroyed the settlement, but it survived. The fourth and most noted effort originating in Goliad to establish Texas independence, known as the Goliad Campaign of 1835 , began in October after an armed confrontation called the battle of Gonzales . Texans under Benjamin R. Milam and George Collinsworth captured the Goliad fort and its stores of arms and ammunition from the twenty-four-man Mexican garrison. On December 20 Goliad citizens and South Texas colonists met in the presidio chapel to sign a document known as the Goliad Declaration of Independence , the first such declaration for Texas, and afterwards hoisted the first flag of independence, designed by Capt. Philip Dimmitt , above the walls. James Walker Fannin, Jr. , took command of the post in February 1836 and evacuated it on Sam Houston 's orders on March 19 ( see GOLIAD CAMPAIGN OF 1836 ). He and nearly 500 men were returned as prisoners to the presidio after the battle of Coleto and spent a week of captivity there before the Goliad Massacre . After the battle of San Jacinto the old town was largely deserted, as many Hispanic citizens fled to Mexico and Anglo-Americans moved north of the river to the present townsite. The building of a new town resulted from complications in land titles; people feared purchasing old-town property since it was doubtful that appropriate Spanish or Mexican titles could be obtained. Goliad County, named for the city, was established in 1836; Goliad became county seat and three years later was incorporated under the Republic of Texas . A four-league grant offered to La Bahía during the Mexican era was validated and signed by Houston in 1844, and a post

Tsha Handbook →

Zaragoza, Ignacio Seguín

1862

Ignacio Seguín Zaragoza, Mexican general and hero of Cinco de Mayo, was born on March 24, 1829, at Bahía del Espíritu Santo ( see LA BAHÍA ) in the state of Coahuila and Texas , near present Goliad, Texas. He was the second son of Miguel G. Zaragoza of Veracruz, Mexico, and María de Jesús Seguín of Bexar, who was a relative of Juan Jos é Erasmo Segu í n . With Mexico's defeat in the Texas Revolution , Miguel Zaragoza, an infantryman, moved his family from Goliad to Matamoros, where Ignacio attended the school of San Juan. The elder Zaragoza was transferred to Monterrey in 1844, and Ignacio entered a seminary there. By 1846 he realized that he did not have a strong vocation and left. When the United States invaded Mexico, he volunteered to serve as a cadet in the Mexican army but was rejected. He entered the mercantile business for a short time, and in 1853 he joined the militia of Nuevo León with the rank of sergeant. When his regiment was incorporated into the Mexican army, he was promoted to captain. During the 1850s Zaragoza sided with the liberal forces favoring the Plan de Ayutla, Mexico's first serious effort to establish a democratic and constitutional government. He took part in the battles of Saltillo and Monterrey against the armies of Antonio López de Santa Anna . On January 21, 1857, while on an important army assignment in San Luis Potosí, Zaragoza was unable to attend his own marriage to Rafaela Padilla in Monterrey, so his brother, Miguel, served as his proxy. Zaragoza and his wife had four children, three of whom died in infancy. During the years of the War of the Reform (1857-60), the struggle between conservative powers and liberal forces led by Benito Juárez, Zaragoza took part in a number of military engagements. During Comonfort's rebellion in 1857 he led forces in defense of the reformist principles of the constitution. He fought in the battle of Guadalajara, and in 1860 he participated in the battle of Calpulalpan, which ended the war. In April 1861 Juárez appointed Zaragoza minister of war and navy in the parliamentary ministry. Three months later Juárez declared a two-year moratorium on Mexico's European debts, and in December a fleet of Spanish ships forced the surrender of Veracruz; soon thereafter the forces of France and England joined the Spanish. Zaragoza resigned from the ministry to lead the Army of the East, and in February 1862, a month after his wife's death in Mexico City, he began work on the defenses of Puebla. Early in 1862 the English and Spanish withdrew; French forces attacked Puebla in a battle that lasted the entire day of May 5, 1862, the now-famed Cinco de Mayo. Zaragoza's well-armed, well-trained men forced the withdrawal of the French troops from Puebla to Orizaba. The number of French reported killed ranged from 476 to 1,000, although many of the troops were already ill from their stay in the coastal lowlands. Mexican losses were reported to be approximately eighty-six. Although the French captured Mexico City the next summer, the costly delay at Puebla is believed to have shortened the French intervention in Mexico and changed its outcome, since the French were planning to aid Confederate forces in Texas during the Civil War . In addition, the battle rekindled the spirit of the Mexican people to win and preserve their independence. In mid-August Zaragoza went to Mexico City, where he was feted as a hero. When he returned to his troops in Puebla he became ill with typhoid fever and died there on September 8, 1862. A state funeral was held in Mexico City with interment at the Panteón de San Fernando. On September 11, 1862, President Juárez issued a decree changing the name of the city of Puebla de los Angeles to Puebla de Zaragoza and making Cinco de Mayo a national holiday. Zaragoza became one of the great national heroes of Mexico. Songs have been written in his honor, and schools, plazas, and streets have been named either Zaragoza or Cinco de Mayo. Each year on May 5,

Tsha Handbook →

Fannin, J. W.

1836

SOUTH SIDE OF MONUMENT: Erected in memory of J. W. Fannin and his comrades in arms April A.D. 1885 NORTH SIDE: Remember the Alamo, Remember Goliad EAST SIDE: Massacred March 27, A.D. 1836 WEST SIDE: Independence declared March 2, A.D. 1836, consummated April 21, A.D. 1836

Historical Marker →

Presidio de Nuestra Senor de Loreto de la Bahia

1722

(Fort of Our Lady of Loreto of the Bay) One of the most historic Spanish forts in Texas. Popularly called Presidio la Bahia, it was founded on Espiritu Santo (present Lavaca) Bay in 1722. Twice moved, it was re-established here in 1749 to protect Espiritu Santo Mission (1/4 mi. NW). In the chapel is the statue of Our Lady of Loreto placed here in 1749. The turbulent history of this fort has often rung with the sound of revolution. Between 1812 and 1820 several irregular "filibustering" forces, including the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition and others led by James Long and Henry Perry, occupied or assailed the fort for various idealistic and profiteering motives. Here, too, 92 Texas citizens and soldiers drew up and signed Texas' first formal Declaration of Independence on December 20, 1835. In the ensuing War for Texas Independence, Col. James Fannin and 341 prisoners of war were held and, on Palm Sunday, 1836, were massacred in and around the fort by their Mexican captors. When the fort was authentically restored, 1963-67, by the Kathryn O'Connor Foundation, nine "levels of occupancy" were uncovered. Church services are now held in the chapel. The presidio has been named a registered National Historic Landmark. Recorded Teas Historic Landmark--1969

Historical Marker →

Baylor, John Walker

1835

John Walker Baylor was born at Woodlawn, Bourbon County, Kentucky, around December 1813 to John Walker and Sophia Marie (Weidner) Baylor. His father, an army physician, was the son of Capt. Walker Baylor, who commanded George Washington's Life Guard in the Third Continental Division at the battle of Germantown. Baylor briefly attended Bardstown College in Kentucky and was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point on July 1, 1832. He had disciplinary problems there and was once reinstated by President Andrew Jackson. He left in 1833 and studied medicine under his father until the elder Baylor's death in 1835. He registered at Fort Gibson, Arkansas, under the name Walker Baylor, then joined George M. Collinsworth 's volunteers at Matagorda, Texas, on October 5, 1835. He signed an agreement with other members of Collinsworth's company to protect the citizens of Guadalupe Victoria (now Victoria, Texas). He fought at Goliad on October 9 in the capture of La Bahía from a small Mexican garrison. He was a member of Philip Dimmitt 's Goliad garrison and fought under James Bowie and James Fannin in the battle of Concepción on October 28. ( see goliad campaign of 1835.) On November 21, 1835, he was part of a committee at Goliad assigned to prepare a document expressing the volunteers' defiance of an order from Stephen F. Austin directing Dimmitt to turn over control of the post to Collinsworth. Baylor was in the five-day siege of Bexar on December 5–9, 1835. He signed the Goliad Declaration of Independence on December 20. Dimmitt's command was disbanded in 1836, and Baylor went to San Antonio with either Bowie or Dimmitt. After the attack on the Alamo began, Baylor was one of four or five couriers sent by William B. Travis to La Bahía to urge Fannin to come to his aid. At Goliad, Baylor became a member of Capt. John (Jack) Shackelford 's Red Rovers . He joined Capt. Albert C. Horton 's cavalry on March 14 and participated in several skirmishes against Gen. José de Urrea 's Mexican cavalry. Horton's troopers were scouting ahead of Fannin's retreating army and so were not captured with the other Texans in the battle of Coleto and consequently were not executed in the Goliad Massacre ( see goliad campaign of 1836 ). Some of the troops, including Baylor, were bitter that Horton did not come to the aid of the beleaguered encampment. Baylor made his way to Houston's army on the Brazos, where he joined William H. Patton 's company in Col. Sidney Johnson 's Second Texas Volunteer Regiment. He was named drillmaster because of his West Point experience. In the battle of San Jacinto he received a thigh wound that he considered so slight he did not report it. On May 29 he joined a group of mounted rangers under Maj. Isaac Burton . The rangers were sent by Gen. Thomas J. Rusk to patrol the coast and watch for a possible Mexican attack from the sea. At Copano these " Horse Marines " captured three ships bearing supplies for the Mexican army. On July 25 Baylor drew sixty-four dollars in back pay and went on furlough to the home of his uncle, Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor , in Alabama. His wound had become inflamed. He developed a fever and died on September 3, 1836, in Cahaba, Alabama, an unreported casualty of the battle of San Jacinto. He was possibly the only Texan to fight in every major battle of the Texas Revolution . His brothers George W. , Henry W. , and John R. Baylor became prominent as Texas Rangers , soldiers, and Indian fighters.

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Things to Do in Goliad

historical 0.3 mi away
The Angel of Goliad

The night before the massacre a young Mexican woman named Francita Alavez moved through the shadows of Presidio La Bahia with a desperate plan. While guards…
historical 1.7 mi away
The Goliad Massacre - Palm Sunday 1836

It was Palm Sunday morning 1836 and the Texian prisoners at Presidio La Bahia thought they were being marched to the coast for release. Instead Mexican…
historical 1.8 mi away
Presidio La Bahía

Three weeks after the Alamo fell four hundred Texan prisoners were marched out of Presidio La Bahía in Goliad and executed on Santa Annas direct orders on Palm…
quirky 0.2 mi away
The Hanging Tree on the Courthouse Lawn

There is a massive oak tree on the Goliad courthouse lawn that looks peaceful enough today but between 1846 and 1870 it served as both courtroom and gallows.…
historical 0.3 mi away
Where France Tried to Claim Texas

In 1685 the French explorer La Salle sailed past the Mississippi River delta he was aiming for and landed 400 miles too far west at Matagorda Bay on the Texas…
historical 0.3 mi away
The 1902 Tornado - Deadliest in Texas

On the afternoon of May 18 1902 a massive F4 tornado dropped out of the sky and carved a mile-long path straight through the heart of Goliad. It hit without…
historical 0.3 mi away
Birthplace of the Cinco de Mayo Hero

Inside the thick stone walls of the Goliad presidio a boy named Ignacio Zaragoza was born in 1829. His family eventually moved south to Mexico where he grew up…
historical 0.4 mi away
The Bloody Arm Flag and Texas First Independence

Three full months before anyone at Washington-on-the-Brazos signed the famous declaration 91 colonists gathered at Goliad and decided they were done waiting.…
day trip
Day Trip to Goliad ⛪️ (FULL EPISODE) S3 E5

Featured on The Daytripper — a full-episode local travel guide.

Sports in Goliad

🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS Class 3A · Volleyball · 2016–2025

Goliad — UIL 3A Volleyball State Champions — 3 titles

Most recent: 2025 3A Division 1

Goliad High School in Goliad, TX, has established a strong presence in Class 3A volleyball. The Tigers have secured multiple state championships, demonstrating consistent excellence on the court. Their championship years include a recent 2025 3A Division 1 title, along with back-to-back victories in 2017 and 2016 in Class 3A. The community takes pride in these achievements, reflecting the dedication within the Goliad volleyball program.

The Goliad Tigers compete in the UIL, and their record of state titles speaks to a program built on sustained effort and teamwork. These championships highlight the school's success in high school volleyball within the state of Texas. The spirit of competition runs deep in Goliad, and the volleyball team's accomplishments are a point of local distinction.

State titles
3 (2016–2025)
Most recent
2025
Class
3A
The moment

The 2025 3A Division 1 championship marks a significant recent achievement for Goliad High School volleyball.

Sources: UIL State Championship Archives · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)

Everything Near Goliad

128 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

  • Goliad, TX · Tsha Handbook

    Goliad, the county seat of Goliad County, originated as one of the oldest Spanish colonial municipalities in the state. The town is on the Southern Pacific Railroad, the San Antonio River, U.S. highways 59 and 183, and…

  • Zaragoza, Ignacio Seguín · Tsha Handbook

    Ignacio Seguín Zaragoza, Mexican general and hero of Cinco de Mayo, was born on March 24, 1829, at Bahía del Espíritu Santo ( see LA BAHÍA ) in the state of Coahuila and Texas , near present Goliad, Texas. He was…

  • Baylor, John Walker · Tsha Handbook

    John Walker Baylor was born at Woodlawn, Bourbon County, Kentucky, around December 1813 to John Walker and Sophia Marie (Weidner) Baylor. His father, an army physician, was the son of Capt. Walker Baylor, who commanded…

  • Blake, Thomas M. · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what was once the wild frontier of Texas, and right here, in Wharton County, lived Thomas M. Blake. He arrived in 1830, a blacksmith from Kentucky. He joined the fight for Texas independence,…

  • Dimmitt, Philip · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what was once the heart of the Texas Revolution's early days, right here near Goliad. Philip Dimmitt, a successful merchant, became a key military leader. In 1835, he was elected captain of the…

  • Fant, Dillard Rucker · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Goliad County, the heart of Texas cattle country. Right here is where Dillard Rucker Fant, a true pioneer of the trail, got his start. After serving in the Civil War, Fant returned to Goliad and…

  • Goliad County · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Goliad County, a place that's been a crossroads for centuries. Back in 1749, Spanish colonizers established the Nuestra Señora de Loreto Presidio and Espíritu Santo Mission right here, moving them…

  • Hunter, William Lockhart · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Refugio County, not far from where William Lockhart Hunter narrowly escaped death. Hunter, a soldier in the Texas Revolution, was part of Fannin's command at Goliad. After the surrender, he was…

  • Moya, Juan · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Goliad County, not far from where the Moya family made their home. Juan Moya, also known as Juan Delgado, was a rancher and a soldier for the Mexican Centralists during the Texas Revolution. His…

  • Red Rovers · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Goliad County right now, where a tragic chapter of the Texas Revolution unfolded. Back in 1836, the Alabama Red Rovers, a company of volunteers known for their distinctive red pants, arrived at…

  • Treviño, Antonio Diego · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Texas, and right here, you're near the site of a wild encounter. Back in 1765, a soldier named Antonio Treviño was escorting a prisoner when his party was attacked by forty-seven Taovaya warriors.…

  • Chadwick, Joseph M. · Tsha Handbook

    Joseph M. Chadwick, military and topographical engineer and acting adjutant general under Fannin at Goliad, was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, in April 1812, the son of Peter Chadwick. He was admitted to the United…

Show all 128 nearby places
  • La Bahía · Tsha Handbook

    La Bahía, literally "the bay," is a term with multiple meanings in Texas history. Various sites on the Gulf Coast were so designated. The Spanish came to use the name as a short form of La Bahía del Espíritu Santo, or…

  • Aldrete, José Miguel · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what was once Spanish and Mexican Texas, and right here, in the Refugio area, lived José Miguel Aldrete. He was a major player, serving as alcalde in Goliad and even representing the Mexican…

  • Chicano Mural Movement · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through neighborhoods where art isn't just in galleries, it's painted right on the walls! You're passing through the heartland of the Chicano Mural Movement. Beginning in the 1960s, artists transformed…

  • Collinsworth, George Morse · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the heart of Texas Revolution history! Right here, George Morse Collinsworth, a planter from Brazoria, led a small force of about fifty men with Benjamin Rush Milam. On October 9, 1835, they…

  • Goliad State Park and Historic Site · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving past Goliad State Park, home to a reconstruction of Mission Espíritu Santo. Imagine this: it's 1783, and this mission church stands rebuilt, a testament to Spanish Texas. For centuries, this area was home…

  • Hagler, Lindsay S. · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Goliad, a town that saw its share of action during the Republic of Texas era. Lindsay S. Hagler arrived in Texas in 1835, a West Point cadet who left without graduating to join the fight for…

  • Wyatt, Peyton Sterling · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what was once the Republic of Texas, and right here, in the early days of the Texas Revolution, a man named Peyton Sterling Wyatt was making a name for himself. He left Alabama in late 1838 with…

  • Coleman, Thomas Atlee · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through South Texas, and right here, you're passing through the heart of a massive cattle empire. Thomas Atlee Coleman, known as 'Little Tom,' wasn't just a rancher; he was a kingpin. Born in Goliad in…

  • Lea, Pryor · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Goliad, a town that was once envisioned as the gateway to the Pacific. Pryor Lea, a former U.S. Congressman from Tennessee, arrived here in 1846 with big dreams of railroads and ports. He saw…

  • Thornton, Francis W. · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what was once the heart of the Texas Revolution, and right here, Francis W. Thornton found himself in command at Goliad. He took over the fort in January of <say-as interpret-as="date"…

  • Fulcrod, Philip · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Goliad County, Texas, the heart of cattle country. Right here, Philip Fulcrod, a Mississippi native, settled with his family in the 1850s. When the Civil War broke out, he answered the call,…

  • Payne, Jonathan · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Goliad County, and right here in Goliad is where Jonathan Payne ended his days. Payne wasn't just any resident; he was a two-time Texas legislator, serving in the Thirteenth and Twentieth Texas…

  • Goliad · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    One of the three first Texas municipalities. Old Aranama Indian village called Santa Dorotea by the Spanish. Presidio La Bahia and Mission Espiritu de Zuniga established 1749. Here early events leading to the Texas…

  • Fannin, J. W. · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    SOUTH SIDE OF MONUMENT: Erected in memory of J. W. Fannin and his comrades in arms April A.D. 1885 NORTH SIDE: Remember the Alamo, Remember Goliad EAST SIDE: Massacred March 27, A.D. 1836 WEST SIDE: Independence…

  • Market House Museum · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Goliad, and right here is the Market House Museum. This building has worn a lot of hats! It was dedicated for public use way back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1853</say-as>. About…

  • The Hanging Tree on the Courthouse Lawn · 0.2 mi · Things to Do

    There is a massive oak tree on the Goliad courthouse lawn that looks peaceful enough today but between 1846 and 1870 it served as both courtroom and gallows.…

  • Judge James Arthur White and the Civilian Conservation Corps at Goliad State Par · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of a massive effort to preserve Texas history, all thanks to Goliad County Judge James Arthur White. He championed Goliad State Park, securing federal funds during the Depression for the…

  • First United Methodist Church of Goliad · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past First United Methodist Church of Goliad. This historic congregation was organized in the 1840s. In 1859, the Goliad Circuit of the Methodist Church reported 166 members, the largest membership in the…

  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Church · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. It began as a mission in 1861, with R. P. Wilkinson donating the land. The church building was finished in 1882 and consecrated in 1885. It became a parish…

  • The Angel of Goliad · 0.3 mi · Things to Do

    The night before the massacre a young Mexican woman named Francita Alavez moved through the shadows of Presidio La Bahia with a desperate plan. While guards…

  • Goliad - Birthplace of Cinco de Mayo · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    The hero of Cinco de Mayo was born in Texas. Ignacio Zaragoza came into the world in Goliad on March 29, 1829, when Texas was still part of Mexico. His family moved south after Texas independence, and Zaragoza grew up…

  • Goliad Tornado of 1902 · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Goliad, and right here is the site of one of the most devastating tornadoes in Texas history. On Sunday, May 18th, 1902, a twister ripped through town, sounding like a freight train. It carved a…

  • Hanging Tree, The · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Goliad, and you're passing the site of the Hanging Tree. From 1846 to 1870, this spot served as a place for court sessions, and capital sentences were carried out immediately. But things got…

  • Santa Anna's Surrender Ratified · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site where the Texas Revolution officially, and perhaps surprisingly, came to an end. Just days after the decisive victory at San Jacinto, Mexican General Vicente Filasola was trying to sneak his…

  • Birthplace of the Cinco de Mayo Hero · 0.3 mi · Things to Do

    Inside the thick stone walls of the Goliad presidio a boy named Ignacio Zaragoza was born in 1829. His family eventually moved south to Mexico where he grew up…

  • The 1902 Tornado - Deadliest in Texas · 0.3 mi · Things to Do

    On the afternoon of May 18 1902 a massive F4 tornado dropped out of the sky and carved a mile-long path straight through the heart of Goliad. It hit without…

  • Where France Tried to Claim Texas · 0.3 mi · Things to Do

    In 1685 the French explorer La Salle sailed past the Mississippi River delta he was aiming for and landed 400 miles too far west at Matagorda Bay on the Texas…

  • Goliad County Courthouse · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Goliad County Courthouse, a building that's seen its share of storms, both literal and figurative. Built in 1894 for nearly seventy thousand dollars, it's the fourth courthouse for Goliad County.…

  • Regulators of Goliad County · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Goliad County, a place that saw some serious vigilante justice after the Civil War. With federal troops struggling to keep order in 1865, and cattle rustlers running wild, a man named Jack Helm…

  • Depression-Era Resurrection of a Lost Mission · 0.3 mi · Things to Do

    By 1830 Mission Espiritu Santo had been abandoned for years and the Texas brush was slowly swallowing it whole. For a full century it sat in ruins — walls…

  • Brooking-Lipscomb-White House · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through Goliad, and right here is a home that's seen a lot of Texas history. Bivian Brooking built this place even before 1850. Imagine the stories these walls could tell! Then, in 1879, Dr. Leonidas…

  • Goliad Advance-Guard · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Goliad County, and right here is the history of your local news. Back in 1867, the 'Intelligencer' newspaper was bought and renamed the 'Guard.' It was published by the same family for decades.…

  • Founding Site of First Baptist Church of Goliad · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the founding site of Goliad's first Baptist church. In May of 1849, twelve Baptists gathered under an oak tree right here to organize. They officially joined the Colorado Baptist Association by 1852,…

  • Goliad Lodge No. 94 A.F. & A.M. · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Goliad Lodge No. 94. It first met back in 1851 and was chartered in 1852. This rubble stone building, erected in 1854, has housed all their meetings and even served as the post office and…

  • Don Rafael Antonio Manchola · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Goliad, where a prominent leader named Don Rafael Antonio Manchola once made his mark. Born around 1800 to a Spanish aristocratic family, Manchola arrived in Texas in 1822 and quickly…

  • William Rubio Carbajal · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Goliad, where William Rubio Carbajal made history. Born in 1915, he was the first Mexican American to attend and graduate from Goliad High School, breaking down segregation barriers. Despite initial…

  • John Mason Brewer · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Goliad birthplace of John Mason Brewer, a distinguished African American scholar and writer. He dedicated his life to preserving Black culture through his literary and historical work in the 20th…

  • The Bloody Arm Flag and Texas First Independence · 0.4 mi · Things to Do

    Three full months before anyone at Washington-on-the-Brazos signed the famous declaration 91 colonists gathered at Goliad and decided they were done waiting.…

  • Presidio La Bahia - Finest Spanish Frontier Fort · 0.4 mi · Things to Do

    In 1721 Spain planted a military fort on the ruins of La Salles failed French colony to make sure France never tried again. The presidio moved twice before…

  • Bull Durham Advertisement · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Stout-Pettus block in Goliad, built around <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1894</say-as>. Look closely at the old building – you might still see faint traces of a Bull Durham Tobacco…

  • A Town Named by Anagram · 0.4 mi · Things to Do

    For decades the settlement at Presidio La Bahia went by its Spanish fort name and nobody thought much about it. Then in 1829 a legislator named Rafael Manchola…

  • Stoddard-Collins House · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past what remains of the Stoddard-Collins House, a true survivor in Goliad's architectural history. Evidence points to this structure being built as early as the 1820s, making it one of the oldest…

  • Oak Hill Cemetery · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're passing Oak Hill Cemetery in Goliad. The earliest marked grave here belongs to Ann Elizabeth Hunter, who died way back in 1843. The city officially designated this site as Oak Hill Cemetery in 1854, and it's been…

  • Remember Goliad · 0.5 mi

    On Palm Sunday, March twenty-seventh, eighteen thirty-six, more than four hundred Texian prisoners of war were marched out of Fort Defiance in Goliad and shot. They had surrendered six days earlier believing they would…

  • Fannin Street United Methodist Church · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Fannin Street United Methodist Church, one of Goliad's earliest African American congregations, founded in 1872. This church faced incredible hardship, including a devastating tornado in 1902…

  • First Baptist Church of Goliad · 0.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the First Baptist Church of Goliad. Organized in 1849 under an oak tree, the congregation has met in several locations and built multiple church buildings. The church was renamed Mary E.…

  • Mission Nuestra Senora del Espiritu Santo de Zuniga · 1.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Mission Nuestra Senora del Espiritu Santo de Zuniga. Founded in 1722 by the Aguayo Expedition, this mission served as a Spanish outpost to defend territory and convert natives. After…

  • Mission Nuestra Senora del Espiritu Santo de Zuniga, Site of · 1.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga, a Spanish outpost established in 1722. It moved locations twice, finally settling here in 1749 to Christianize and civilize local…

  • Goliad Memorial Auditorium · 1.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Goliad Memorial Auditorium, a beautiful building completed back in 1937 to celebrate the Texas Centennial. Designed with a mix of Beaux-Arts and Spanish Mission styles, it features unique…

  • Aranama College · 1.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Aranama College, a men's school founded in 1852 by the Western Presbytery of Texas. It taught everything from Latin and Greek to surveying and bookkeeping, using buildings from the old…

  • Cattle Drive from La Bahia · 1.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Presidio La Bahia, the jumping-off point for what's believed to be the first major Texas cattle drive. Back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1779</say-as>, Spanish soldiers needed food to…

  • Goliad State Park and Historic Site · 1.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    This tranquil park holds a story of courage and tragedy from Texas' fight for independence. In 1836, Colonel James Fannin and his Texian troops were captured near Goliad by Mexican General José de Urrea. They were…

  • Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga · 1.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Right here, Spain tried to hold its grip on Texas. This is Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga, or Mission La Bahía. It was 1722 when the Spanish established this mission, aiming to convert the Karankawa…

  • Presidio de Nuestra Senor de Loreto de la Bahia · 1.6 mi · Historical Marker

    (Fort of Our Lady of Loreto of the Bay) One of the most historic Spanish forts in Texas. Popularly called Presidio la Bahia, it was founded on Espiritu Santo (present Lavaca) Bay in 1722. Twice moved, it was…

  • Presidio La Bahia - Goliad Massacre · 1.6 mi · Historical Marker

    This is the story Texas tried to forget. On Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, just three weeks after the fall of the Alamo, Mexican soldiers marched 342 Texian prisoners out of this presidio in three columns. The prisoners…

  • Zaragoza, General Ignacio · 1.7 mi

    You're driving through Goliad, right on the spot where General Ignacio Zaragoza was born. He's the hero of the Battle of Puebla, the victory that inspired Mexico's 'Cinco de Mayo' holiday! In 1855, Zaragoza led Mexican…

  • The Goliad Massacre - Palm Sunday 1836 · 1.7 mi · Things to Do

    It was Palm Sunday morning 1836 and the Texian prisoners at Presidio La Bahia thought they were being marched to the coast for release. Instead Mexican…

  • Manuel Becerra · 1.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Goliad, passing the birthplace of Manuel Becerra, born right here in 1762. He was a key player in Spanish and Mexican Texas, serving on the first town council of La Bahía and even accompanying…

  • Presidio La Bahía · 1.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Stand here, and you're standing on ground soaked in the blood of Texan patriots. In 1836, Presidio La Bahía was the site of the Goliad Massacre. Colonel James Fannin and his men, over 300 Texan soldiers, surrendered to…

  • Angel of Goliad · 1.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Goliad, and right here is the site of incredible bravery during the Texas Revolution. Francisca Alavez, wife of a Mexican captain, risked her life repeatedly in March and April of 1836. She…

  • Presidio La Bahía · 1.8 mi · Things to Do

    Three weeks after the Alamo fell four hundred Texan prisoners were marched out of Presidio La Bahía in Goliad and executed on Santa Annas direct orders on Palm…

  • Grave of Colonel J. W. Fannin and His Men · 1.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving near Goliad, the site of a brutal massacre during the Texas Revolution. After surrendering, Colonel Fannin and his men were executed on Palm Sunday, March 27th, 1836, by order of Santa Anna. Their remains…

  • The Goliad Massacre · 2.1 mi

    If you visit the old stone fort called Presidio La Bahía just south of town, you're standing in a place of profound tragedy. After the Battle of Coleto Creek in March 1836, Colonel James Fannin's surrendered Texian…

  • Goliad, TX · 2.1 mi

    On March 27, 1836, during the Texas Revolution, the Goliad Massacre occurred. After the defeat of Colonel James Fannin's garrison at the Battle of Coleto, Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna ordered the…

  • The Hero of Cinco de Mayo · 2.1 mi

    Every year, people across the U.S. celebrate Cinco de Mayo, often without knowing what it’s about. It commemorates the Mexican Army's 1862 victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla. And the general who led that…

  • Presidio La Bahía · 2.1 mi

    The old Spanish fort at Goliad has seen more history than most whole states. Presidio La Bahía — an eighteenth-century stone garrison and chapel. Ignacio Zaragoza, the Mexican general, was born inside these walls in…

  • The Quarters at La Bahía · 2.1 mi

    Down at Goliad, across the courtyard from the old presidio chapel, there's a single apartment you can rent for the night. Starts at two hundred dollars, and you'll need to book it well ahead. The state historical…

  • The Fort of Nine Flags · 2.1 mi

    The stone fort just south of Goliad, the Presidio La Bahía, is one of the most remarkable historical sites in the country. It’s not a ruin; it’s a living piece of history, the most well-preserved Spanish presidio in the…

  • The Cyclone of 1902 · 2.1 mi

    On Sunday afternoon, May 18th, 1902, a massive tornado, an F4 on the modern scale, tore through the northwest side of Goliad. It lasted about five minutes. In those five minutes it demolished roughly 150 homes and 100…

  • The First Texas Cattle Ranch · 2.1 mi

    When you think of Texas cattle ranching, you might picture 19th-century cowboys. But the real beginning happened a hundred years earlier, right here at Mission Espíritu Santo. The Franciscan friars who ran the mission…

  • The Formation Named for This Town · 2.1 mi

    The ground under Goliad has its own name in the geology books -- the Goliad Formation, and it's named for exactly this spot, because this is where geologists first mapped it. It was laid down somewhere between about…

  • The Goliad Hanging Tree · 2.1 mi

    In the shadow of the Goliad County Courthouse stands a massive, gnarled live oak tree with a dark past. This is the 'Hanging Tree,' a living relic of frontier justice. From the 1840s to the 1870s, this tree served as…

  • Fannin Battleground State Historic Site · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Goliad County, not far from the town of Fannin. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1836</say-as>, the Battle of Coleto was fought. James Fannin and his Texan forces surrendered…

  • Zaragoza Birthplace State Historic Site · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving near Goliad, and right here is the Zaragoza Birthplace State Historic Site. It commemorates Ignacio Zaragoza, the general who led Mexican forces to a stunning victory over the French at the Battle of…

  • Reed, James D. · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Goliad County, the heart of cattle country, and right here lived a legend: James D. Reed, known as 'One-Armed Jim.' Reed was a titan of the Texas cattle industry, a drover and trader who survived…

  • Schroeder Hall · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through rural Goliad County, not far from the community of Schroeder. Right here is Schroeder Hall, a legendary Texas dance hall that's been a gathering place since the 1880s. The current structure, built…

  • Coleto, Battle of · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    The battle of Coleto, the culmination of the Goliad Campaign of 1836 , occurred near Coleto Creek in Goliad County on March 19 and 20, 1836. Originally called "the battle of the prairie" and "la batalla del encinal [oak…

  • Fannin, TX · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Fannin, on U.S. Highway 59 ten miles from Goliad in eastern Goliad County, is named for James W. Fannin, Jr. , the controversial commander of Fort Defiance (La Bahía ) at Goliad in the Texas Revolution . The settlement,…

  • Goff, Benson · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Goliad County, near the town of Fannin. Right here, Benson Goff helped found the community of Perdido, becoming its first postmaster in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1873</say-as>. He…

  • Lott, Walter Jerome [Ed] · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Goliad County, not far from where Walter Jerome Lott, known as Ed, built his life. He wasn't just any rancher; he was a trail driver, making eight trips north to Kansas markets between the late…

  • Nuestra Señora del Rosario Mission · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Goliad County, and right here is the site of Mission Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Established in November of 1754, this mission was an ambitious attempt to make peace with the Karankawa tribes.…

  • Cologne, TX · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Cologne, on U.S. Highway 59 near the Victoria county line in eastern Goliad County, was established by two former slaves, Jim Smith and George Washington, as a place where freedmen could settle. Smith and Washington,…

  • Schroeder, TX · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Schroeder is at the intersection of Farm roads 622 and 2987, fifteen miles from Goliad in northeastern Goliad County. German immigrants began settling the area in the 1840s. Since supplies were available in nearby…

  • Weesatche, TX · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Weesatche (Wesatch, Wesatche), on State Highway 119 thirteen miles north of Goliad in northern Goliad County, was established in the late 1840s or early 1850s. It was originally named Middletown, since it was midway…

  • Ander, TX · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Ander, on Farm Road 1961 in northern Goliad County, was settled during the pre-Civil War German immigrations by families from Prussia, Saxony, Alsace, and Lorraine. The community was originally named Hanover after the…

  • Charco, TX · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Charco, on State Highway 239 some fourteen miles from Goliad in northwestern Goliad County, was settled by at least four members of Stephen F. Austin 's Old Three Hundred . Spanish explorers in the eighteenth century…

  • Weser, TX · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Weser, on U.S Highway 183 fourteen miles north of Goliad in northern Goliad County, was settled in 1881 and named after the ship that brought the first Polish immigrants to Galveston in 1854. (The ship, in turn, was…

  • Berclair, TX · 2.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Berclair, on U.S. Highway 59 sixteen miles from Goliad in southwestern Goliad County, was established as a shipping point on the Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific rail line to serve an already well-populated ranching…

  • Goliad County · 3.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Goliad, a place with a history as layered as its names. First known to Spanish settlers as Nuestra Senora de Loreto, it was later called La Bahia. This strategic spot became a mission in 1749, and…

  • Mission Nuestra Senora del Rosario · 3.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Mission Nuestra Señora del Rosario, founded way back in 1754. This place was established for the Cujane Indians, who were taught farming and even managed a huge herd of 30,000 cattle at…

  • To Christianize the Cujane Nation · 3.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Mission Nuestra Senora del Rosario. Back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1754</say-as>, Franciscan missionaries established this outpost. Their goal? To Christianize and…

  • Mission Nuestra Señora del Rosario · 3.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    You're near the site of Mission Nuestra Señora del Rosario, a Spanish outpost meant to transform the Karankawa people. Established in 1754 by Father Juan de Dios Camberos, the mission aimed to convert the Karankawa to…

  • Cabeza Creek Crossing on the La Bahia-Bexar Road · 6.0 mi

    You're driving past a place that was once a critical crossroads in Texas history. This is the Cabeza Creek Crossing, a vital point on the La Bahía-Bexar road. A crossing was exactly that, a single chokepoint where…

  • W. J. "Ed" and Mary Elizabeth Lott House · 6.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Lott House, a beautiful example of vernacular Queen Anne architecture right here in Goliad. Cattleman W. J. "Ed" Lott and his wife Mary Elizabeth bought this land, once part of Mission Rosario,…

  • Fannin Battleground State Historic Site · 9.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Imagine the desperation here, where Texian soldiers made their last stand during the Texas Revolution. In March of 1836, Colonel James Fannin and his men were surrounded near Coleto Creek by the Mexican Army, led by…

  • Union Missionary Baptist Church · 9.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Union Missionary Baptist Church. It began in the 1880s as a Freedman's Colony church, believed to have built its first structure along Perdido Creek in 1884. After a split and a move,…

  • Coleto, Battle of, and Goliad Massacre · 9.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Battle of Coleto Creek and the Goliad Massacre. Just days after the fall of the Alamo in March of 1836, Colonel James Fannin and about 400 men were ordered to retreat from Goliad. On…

  • El Perdido, Battle of · 10.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Goliad County, and just ahead, you're passing the site of a forgotten battle from the fight for Texas independence. On June 19th, 1817, a small Republican Army of invasion, numbering just 42 men,…

  • You Are No Jack Kennedy: The Bentsen Highway · 11.5 mi

    U.S. Highway Fifty Nine, from Interstate Forty Five to Interstate Thirty Five, is the Senator Lloyd Bentsen Highway, named by the Legislature in nineteen ninety five. Bentsen was born in Mission in nineteen twenty one…

  • Pettus Cemetery · 12.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Pettus Cemetery, a final resting place with roots stretching back to the very beginning of Texas. John Freeman Pettus, who arrived in Texas in the 1820s with Stephen F. Austin's first colony, is…

  • Site of Dobskyville · 12.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Goliad County, past the site of Dobskyville. This community began in 1847 when Fredrick and Auguste Wilhelmine Dobsky settled 800 acres here. After Fredrick's death, his son Adolph took over the…

  • Cologne Community · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Goliad County, heading towards Fannin. Look to your right for the site of Cologne, a community founded by former slaves after the Civil War. In 1877, freedmen Joseph Smith and George Washington…

  • Lott Cemetery · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving by Lott Cemetery, a resting place with a story as varied as the markers themselves. It began in 1892 with the burial of Charity Johnson, and later became a refuge for victims of a devastating 1902 tornado…

  • Weser · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Goliad County, passing the site of Weser. Many German and Polish immigrants arrived in Texas in the 1800s on a ship also named Weser. They settled here in the 1850s and 60s, and by 1881, the…

  • Peter Teal · 15.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Refugio County, near Tivoli. Keep an eye out for a marker honoring Peter Teal. Teal was born in Tennessee way back in 1812 and came to Texas to fight. He served in the Army of the Republic during…

  • Coletoville Cemetery · 16.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Coletoville Cemetery, the final resting place for many German immigrants who settled this area. It began in 1872 when August and Thekla Spitzer buried two children here after a diphtheria…

  • Noll School and Cemetery · 16.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mission Valley, near the site of the old Noll School and Cemetery. Valentin Noll, a German immigrant, bought land here before 1860. His son Joseph later deeded two acres for a community school and…

  • Reed-McCampbell-Wiess Ranch Complex · 17.1 mi · Historical Marker

    Hey road-trippers, keep an eye out for the Reed-McCampbell-Wiess Ranch Complex. It all started back in 1869 when James D. Reed founded this spread. Later, it was owned by the Peninsula Company, and then Laura Wiess…

  • Bluntzer, Peter · 17.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Meyersville, deep in DeWitt County. Look around for the site of Peter Bluntzer's story. He was an early German colonizer, arriving here around 1843. His wagon overturned, injuring his wife, and…

  • Ray, Elijah, House · 18.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Elijah Ray House, a home built during the Civil War. Ray, a native of Alabama, first arrived in Texas in 1847. He bought this land and constructed this house for his family sometime between 1861…

  • St. John Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery · 18.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Meyersville, a community with deep German roots. Back in 1851, Pastor Christoph Adam Sager established St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church and Cemetery here. It was the first Lutheran…

  • Meyersville · 18.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Meyersville, a Texas town with a unique Alsatian flavor. It all started back in 1843 when Peter Bluntzer settled here, drawing many of his countrymen from Alsace. The town itself took its name in…

  • Saint John Evangelical Lutheran Church · 18.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Saint John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cuero. Organized in 1851 by German missionary Christoph Adam Sager, this was one of the first Lutheran congregations in Texas. They started with…

  • Blanconia (Old N2) Church · 18.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Bee County, heading towards Blanconia. Look around and imagine a time when this area was the frontier for Baptists in South Texas. The first Baptist church in Refugio County was organized way back…

  • York, John, Captain · 18.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through DeWitt County, past the site of Yorktown. This town owes its name to Captain John York, a man who served Texas from its earliest days. In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1829</say-as>, he…

  • Lithuanians in Texas · 19.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through DeWitt County, and you might not realize it, but you're passing through a piece of Lithuanian history in Texas. While many European groups settled here in the mid-1800s, a small but significant…

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