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

Austin & Perry Stores

Lots 16 & 51

Photographed By James Hulse, July 20, 2022

1. Austin & Perry Stores Marker

Inscription.

Austin and Perry Stores. Lots 16 and 51. , Stephen F. Austin hoped his colony in Texas would help his family prosper. But the business of being an empresario proved financially disappointing. Hoping a family business - like a store - would generate income, Austin encouraged his brother James E.B. "Brown" Austin to set up shop. Austin's brother-in-law James Perry later took over that role after Brown's death. Perry operated one of the largest stores in San Felipe., A Family Business , In 1825, Brown Austin opened San Felipe's first shop on lot 16. He soon moved to Brazoria and rented the store to other merchants. When Brown died in 1829, Stephen Austin lost not only a brother, but a manager of family business interests., Austin recruited his sister Emily and her second husband James Perry to settle in Texas and oversee the family business. Austin even built a new store on lot 16 - a fine frame building with a brick foundation and cedar shingles. Perry and his first partner W.W. Hunter opened for business in February 1831. The store operated, under a series of names, until the burning of the town in 1836., Captions , Center (1): James F. Perry , Center (2): Emily Austin Perry , Lower Middle (1): Top: Constructing and Frame Building , Lower Middle (2): Above Right: Advertisement for Perry and Hunter's New Store , Lower Middle (3): Above Left: James and Emily Austin Perry - The Perry family arrived in San Felipe in 1831. They moved on to live at Peach Point Plantation, near Brazoria, but maintained businesses in San Felipe. , Upper Right: Announcement of the death of Brown Austin, 1829 - Brown Austin died unexpectedly of yellow fever in New Orleans, leaving his brother Stephen to manage business activities. Stephen himself also died young, at age 43, in December 1836. Their brother in-law James Perry expanded his management of the family's property. , Lower Right: Daily Journal from the Brown Austin Store - This journal records income to Austin's Colony from land fees and merchandise sales, as well as expenses like surveying costs. Notes on merchandise end after 1827, indicating the store was no longer in operation. Later entries relate to Stephen F. Austin's colony business., Images courtesy: Rugeley-Moore Collection; Beinecke Rare Book and Manscript Library; Yale University; Dolph Briscoe Center for American History; University of Texas at Austin; Brazoria County Historical Museum, Angleton, Texas

Stephen F. Austin hoped his colony in Texas would help his family prosper. But the business of being an empresario proved financially disappointing. Hoping a family business - like a store - would generate income, Austin encouraged his brother James E.B. "Brown" Austin to set up shop. Austin's brother-in-law James Perry later took over that role after Brown's death. Perry operated one of the largest stores in San Felipe.

A Family Business
In 1825, Brown Austin opened San Felipe's first shop on lot 16. He soon moved to Brazoria and rented the store to other merchants. When Brown died in 1829, Stephen Austin lost not only a brother, but a manager of family business interests.

Austin recruited his sister Emily and her second husband James Perry to settle in Texas and oversee the family business. Austin even built a new store on lot 16 - a fine frame building with a brick foundation and cedar shingles. Perry and his first partner W.W. Hunter opened for business in February 1831. The store operated, under a series of names, until the burning of the town in 1836.

Captions
Center (1): James F. Perry
Center (2): Emily Austin Perry
Lower Middle (1): Top: Constructing & Frame Building
Lower Middle (2): Above

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Right: Advertisement for Perry & Hunter's New Store
Lower Middle (3): Above Left: James and Emily Austin Perry - The Perry family arrived in San Felipe in 1831. They moved on to live at Peach Point Plantation, near Brazoria, but maintained businesses in San Felipe.
Upper Right: Announcement of the death of Brown Austin, 1829 - Brown Austin died unexpectedly of yellow fever in New Orleans, leaving his brother Stephen to manage business activities. Stephen himself also died young, at age 43, in December 1836. Their brother in-law James Perry expanded his management of the family's property.
Lower Right: Daily Journal from the Brown Austin Store - This journal records income to Austin's Colony from land fees and merchandise sales, as well as expenses like surveying costs. Notes on merchandise end after 1827, indicating the store was no longer in operation. Later entries relate to Stephen F. Austin's colony business.

Images courtesy: Rugeley-Moore Collection; Beinecke Rare Book and Manscript Library; Yale University; Dolph Briscoe Center for American History; University of Texas at Austin; Brazoria County Historical Museum, Angleton, Texas

Erected by San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce

Photographed By James Hulse, July 20, 2022

2. Austin & Perry Stores Marker

• War, Texas Independence. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1831.

Location. 29° 48.377′ N, 96° 5.848′ 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. Business District (within shouting distance of this marker); Clopper Store (within shouting distance of this marker); Cotten Print Shop (within shouting distance of this marker); Travis Law Office (within shouting distance of this marker); Rio Brazos (within shouting distance of this marker); Jane Wilkins' Home (within shouting distance of this marker); San Felipe de Austin Colonial Well (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Welcome to San Felipe de Austin (about 300 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 . . .

The Austin & Perry Stores Marker (Right Side) looking toward the north image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, July 20, 2022

3. The Austin & Perry Stores Marker (Right Side) looking toward the north

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 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 17, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

2. Perry, James Franklin (1790–1853). Texas State Historical Association

James Franklin Perry, son of James and Hannah Perry, was born on September 19, 1790, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. In 1808 he went down the Ohio River in a keelboat and settled at Potosi, Missouri, where he worked in the store of a kinsman, Samuel Perry, and became a partner in 1818. On September 23, 1824, he married Emily Austin Bryan, sister of Stephen F.
Photographed By James Hulse, July 20, 2022

4. Reproduction cabin with typical household goods on the east side of the historical site
Austin, whose influence was strong in bringing him to Texas. The couple had three children. After Perry had started on an inspection trip in 1830, Austin wrote that Perry had been granted eleven leagues of land by the Mexican government, provided he move his family to Texas before January 1, 1832.

(Submitted on September 17, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 16, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 89 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 17, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.