San Felipe in Austin County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Burning of the Town

Lot 87 - 1 Block East

Photographed By James Hulse, July 20, 2022

1. Burning of the Town Marker

Inscription.

Burning of the Town. Lot 87 - 1 Block East. , In Late March 1836, the Texian Army was in retreat ahead of Santa Anna's advancing Mexican forces. The retreat spurred the "Runaway Scrape" - a wave of settlers fleeing for their lives. To prevent the enemy from benefitting from San Felipe's supplies and resources, an order was given to destroy the town., As townsfolk scrambled to pack their belongings and cross the Brazos to safety, virtually every building was put to the torch - many by the hands of residents themselves. By the morning of March 30, 1836, all that remained of San Felipe, and Stephen F. Austin's dream of a capital city of Texas, was a smoldering ruin., Witness to the Conflagration , William P. Huff - merchant and amateur naturalist-lived on lot 87 and operated a store on lot 536. When Houston's retreating army reached San Felipe, Huff's was one of the stores that supplied the Texian forces with food and equipment., Almost immediately after, both Huff's home and store were destroyed before his eyes. A few years later, he recorded his memories of the town burning and recalled that "the conflagration was rapid and brilliant.", "Gen Houston personally gave the order to Captain Moseley Baker, and Baker gave the order to his Lieutenant, Paschal P. Borden. Captain Baker set fire to his own office and bedroom. Lieutenant Borden got the chunk of fire out of the fireplace of my store with which he set fire to the buildings of the Butler hotel just across the street from my store.... I set fire to my store with my own hands. As Lieutenant Borden picked up the chunk of fire he remarked 'it is a hard order to obey Mr. Huff, but the order must be obeyed.' We will long remember the evening and night of the 29th of March 1836." , Recollections of William P. Huff, 1850, Captions , Lower Middle (1): Left: Ad for the Huit Store - run by William and his father George , Lower Middle (2): Above: Receipt for goods - furnished to the Texian army by George and William Huff's store , Middle Right: William P. Huff , Lower Right: Lieutenant Paschal P. Borden, Images Courtesy: Rugeley-Moore Collection; David F. (Bud) Stewart; Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University Library; Texas State Library and Archives Commission , Sponsor Plaque on top , This wayside is generosity underwritten by , The Summer Lee Foundation

In Late March 1836, the Texian Army was in retreat ahead of Santa Anna's advancing Mexican forces. The retreat spurred the "Runaway Scrape" - a wave of settlers fleeing for their lives. To prevent the enemy from benefitting from San Felipe's supplies and resources, an order was given to destroy the town.

As townsfolk scrambled to pack their belongings and cross the Brazos to safety, virtually every building was put to the torch - many by the hands of residents themselves. By the morning of March 30, 1836, all that remained of San Felipe, and Stephen F. Austin's dream of a capital city of Texas, was a smoldering ruin.

Witness to the Conflagration
William P. Huff - merchant and amateur naturalist-lived on lot 87 and operated a store on lot 536. When Houston's retreating army reached San Felipe, Huff's was one of the stores that supplied the Texian forces with food and equipment.

Almost immediately after, both Huff's home and store were destroyed before his eyes. A few years later, he recorded his memories of the town burning and recalled that "the conflagration was rapid and brilliant."

"Gen Houston personally gave the order to Captain Moseley Baker, and Baker gave the order to his Lieutenant, Paschal P. Borden. Captain Baker set fire to his own office and bedroom. Lieutenant
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Borden got the chunk of fire out of the fireplace of my store with which he set fire to the buildings of the Butler hotel just across the street from my store.... I set fire to my store with my own hands. As Lieutenant Borden picked up the chunk of fire he remarked 'it is a hard order to obey Mr. Huff, but the order must be obeyed.' We will long remember the evening and night of the 29th of March 1836."
Recollections of William P. Huff, 1850

Captions
Lower Middle (1): Left: Ad for the Huit Store - run by William and his father George
Lower Middle (2): Above: Receipt for goods - furnished to the Texian army by George and William Huff's store
Middle Right: William P. Huff
Lower Right: Lieutenant Paschal P. Borden

Images Courtesy: Rugeley-Moore Collection; David F. (Bud) Stewart; Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University Library; Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Sponsor Plaque on top
This wayside is generosity underwritten by
The Summer Lee Foundation

Erected by San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • War, Mexican-American. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1836.

Location.

Burning of the Town image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, July 20, 2022

2. Burning of the Town

The Burning of San Felipe from the marker

29° 48.332′ N, 96° 5.823′ W. Marker is in San Felipe, Texas, in Austin County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of 2nd Street and Farm to Market Road 1458. The marker is located in the western section of the San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site along the pathway. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 220 2nd Street, San Felipe TX 77473, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Travis Law Office (within shouting distance of this marker); Cotten Print Shop (within shouting distance of this marker); Jane Wilkins' Home (within shouting distance of this marker); Founding the Town (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Austin & Perry Stores (about 300 feet away); Governing the Town (about 400 feet away); Rio Brazos (about 400 feet away); Clopper Store (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Felipe.

More about this marker. The marker is located on the grounds of the San Felipe de Austin Historic Site. There is a small fee to access the historic site and markers.

Also see . . .
1. San Felipe de Austin History. Texas Historical Commission website entry:

San Felipe de Austin was founded in 1824 by Stephen F. Austin as the unofficial capital of his colony. It became the first urban center in the Austin colony, which stretched northward from the Gulf of Mexico as far as the Old San Antonio
Photographed By James Hulse, July 20, 2022

3. Burning of the Town Marker
Road and extended from the Lavaca River in the west to the San Jacinto River in the east. By October 1823, after briefly considering a location on the lower Colorado River, Austin decided to establish his capital on the Brazos River. The site chosen was on a high, easily defensible bluff overlooking broad, fertile bottomlands. The location offered a number of advantages, including a central location and sources of fresh water independent of the Brazos.

(Submitted on September 16, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

2. Borden, Paschal Pavolo (1806–1864). Texas State Historical Association website entry:

Paschal Pavolo Borden, soldier, merchant, and surveyor, brother of Gail, Jr., Thomas H., and John P. Borden and son of Gail and Philadelphia (Wheeler) Borden, Sr., was born in Norwich, New York, in December 1806. The family moved to Kentucky, to Indiana, and, in 1829, to Texas. Borden served as an official surveyor for the state of Coahuila and Texas. On March 4, 1831, he received 1,102 acres of land in Stephen F. Austin's second colony, on Mill Creek in what is now Washington County. From 1831 to 1835 he farmed and helped in his father's blacksmith shop in San Felipe.

(Submitted on September 16, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

3. Collectors of Pleistocene Vertebrates in Early Texas. I. William P. Huff (1811-86)

The western view of the Burning of the Town Marker from the walkway image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, July 20, 2022

4. The western view of the Burning of the Town Marker from the walkway

. SMU Scholar website entry (Submitted on March 5, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 15, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 120 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 16, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.