Main/Military Plaza in San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Moses Austin

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018

1. Moses Austin Monument (panel 1)

Inscription.
(Panel 1)
Born in Connecticut, October fourth 1761; moved to Philadelphia in 1783, thence to Virginia in 1785 and to Missouri in 1798. Arrived in San Antonio on December 23, 1820. Died in Missouri June tenth, 1821.

(Panel 2)
Moses Austin here petitioned the Spanish authorities for the right to bring three hundred families to Texas - and returned to Missouri to await the answer.

(Panel 3)
Exposure and exhaustion during his Texas journey caused his death, a few days after receiving notification that his petition had been granted. His dying request was that his son Stephen should carry out his vision.

(Panel 4)
A man of vision, enterprise, industry and indomitable energy · · He most fittingly bequeathed the realization of his plans to his more deliberate, patient, tactful and diplomatic son.
Erected by the State of Texas 1936 with funds appropriated by the Federal Government
to commemorate one hundred years of Texas independence.

Erected 1936 by State of Texas. (Marker Number 246.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers

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. In addition, it is included in the Texas 1936 Centennial Markers and Monuments series list.

Location. 29° 25.49′ N, 98° 29.725′ W. Marker is in San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County. It is in Main/Military Plaza. Marker is on Plaza de Armas south of West Commerce Street, on the left when traveling south. Monument, sculpture and marker panels are located at the northwest corner of the San Antonio City Hall grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 Military Plaza, San Antonio TX 78205, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Growth of a City (a few steps from this marker); Spanish Governor's Palace (within shouting distance of this marker); Zero Milestone Old Spanish Trail (within shouting distance of this marker); Barbed Wire (within shouting distance of this marker); Flood of the Century (within shouting distance of this marker); Plaza de Armas (within shouting distance of this marker); The Buried Past is Never Lost (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Plaza de Armas: Center of Commerce and Government (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Antonio.

More about this marker. Marker is in the 1936 Texas Centennial Statue series. Marker consists of

Moses Austin Monument (<i>panel 2</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018

2. Moses Austin Monument (panel 2)

a larger-than-life sized sculpture of Moses Austin mounted atop a tall sculptured octagonal pedestal, with 4 faces of engraved text and 4 faces of bas-relief sculpture. The entire monument is at about 12 feet tall.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Moses Austin

Also see . . .
1. Moses Austin asks Spanish for Texas colony.
Austin obtained permission in 1798 from the Spanish to mine land in an area that lies in what is now the state of Missouri. Austin quickly built a lead mine, smelter, and town on his property, and his mine turned a steady profit for more than a decade. Unfortunately, the economic collapse following the War of 1812 destroyed the lead market and left him bankrupt. Hoping to recover from bankruptcy with a bold scheme of colonization, Moses Austin traveled to San Antonio to request a land grant from the Spanish Governor and permission for 300 Anglo-American families to settle in Texas. (Submitted on June 12, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Moses Austin.
Moses Austin was founder of the American lead industry and the first man to obtain permission to bring Anglo-American settlers into Spanish Texas. On the trip out of Texas, Moses contracted pneumonia from four weeks of wet and cold weather; he subsisted for the last week on roots and berries. Shortly after he reached home, he learned that permission for the colony had been granted,

Moses Austin Monument (<i>panel 3</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018

3. Moses Austin Monument (panel 3)

after which he neglected his health and devoted all of his energies to the "Texas Venture." Austin lived barely two months more. (Submitted on June 12, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Moses Austin Monument (<i>panel 4</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018

4. Moses Austin Monument (panel 4)

Moses Austin Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018

5. Moses Austin Monument

Moses Austin Monument (<i>sculpture 1</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018

6. Moses Austin Monument (sculpture 1)

Moses Austin Monument (<i>sculpture 2</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018

7. Moses Austin Monument (sculpture 2)

Moses Austin Monument (<i>sculpture 3</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018

8. Moses Austin Monument (sculpture 3)

Moses Austin Monument (<i>sculpture 4</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018

9. Moses Austin Monument (sculpture 4)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 12, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 495 times since then and 32 times this year. Last updated on July 6, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 12, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 7, 8, 9. submitted on June 14, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.