Born in Lumpkin County, Georgia, in 1830, William B. Fleming came to Texas before 1850 where he enlisted in Company C of the Texas Rangers Mounted Volunteers and later the Confederate Army during the Civil War. After the war, Fleming moved to . . . — — Map (db m128145) HM
Established about 1850 by Miles G. Dikes (1804-1872). An original member of DeWitt Colony, Dikes emigrated from Georgia in 1829. In 1839 , married Eady Hodges (1810-1868). First known burial, in 1859, was Dikes' son, Lovic. Cemetery contains 20 . . . — — Map (db m128147) HM
One and one-half mile from
here the first shot of the
Texas Revolution
was fired from a small cannon
by Texans under the command
of Col. John H. Moore
October 2, 1835 — — Map (db m128146) HM
In the 1890s, children of families living in the Cost community, originally known as Oso, attended area schools that were part of the White School District No. 38 and County School District No. 38-1/2 to the east. By 1903, the county built the Cost . . . — — Map (db m128148) HM
Near here on October 2, 1835 was fired the first shot of the Texas Revolution of 1835-36 - the shot heard round the world. At Gonzales the Texans defied the Mexican government and refused their demand for the Gonzales cannon with the "Come and Take . . . — — Map (db m118445) HM
Settlers in the community of Sandies began to hold Methodist worship services in 1842. Sandies Chapel was chartered by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1857. Trustees were Newburn Guinn, David Barnes, E.R. Hurt, D.P. Briggs, and J.T. . . . — — Map (db m167460) HM
This cemetery first served as a burial ground for the family of Joseph and Catherine McCoy, pioneer settlers in the Green DeWitt Colony. It was later used by residents of the Sandies Chapel community. The earliest graves date from the 1860s. Among . . . — — Map (db m167462) HM
Sandies was settled in the 1830s by members of Green DeWitt's Colony. A church (1842), Masonic Lodge (1858), and school were established. Tom and Frank Dew opened their store and gin one mile from Sandies in 1886. A post office opened in 1894 at . . . — — Map (db m167461) HM
Captured German Krupp 105mm Cannon
Received by 2nd Lieutenant Whit M. DuBose of Company L, 141st Infantry Regiment of the 36th Division on April 21, 1926 where it stands today on the East Avenue in what was known as the Gonzales . . . — — Map (db m187532) HM
In Flanders Fields John McCrae, 1872-1918 In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place, and in the sky, The larks, still bravely singing, fly, Scarce heard amid the guns below. . . . — — Map (db m187566) HM
Site of the home to which two of the survivors of the Alamo returned, March 13, 1836. Susanna Dickinson, with her infant daughter, brought news of fall of Alamo into Mexican hands (March 6) and of the death of its heroic defenders from Gonzales, . . . — — Map (db m128171) HM
Born in Virginia to William and Isabella (Mooreland) Ponton, Andrew Ponton came to Texas in December 1829 and settled in Green DeWitt's Colony, receiving a land grant near Hallettsville. He became active in area politics, and in 1834 he was named . . . — — Map (db m36591) HM
On March 11, 1836, Sam Houston, leader of Texas Revolutionary Forces, arrived here to organize the second volunteer army.
On March 13, he heard of the massacre of Alamo defenders and that the Mexican army was advancing toward Gonzales. He . . . — — Map (db m128172) HM
This block of the inner town was designated in 1825 as a cemetery.
Traditionally the burial ground for Nicholas Peck, a soldier of San Jacinto; Daniel Davis, a soldier in Mier Expedition, and his wife, Elizabeth; along with other early-day . . . — — Map (db m179330) HM
Green DeWitt in 1825 appointed James Kerr to select and survey the capital for DeWitt's Mexican land grant colony. Kerr named the capital Gonzales for Don Rafael Gonzales, Governor of Coahuila and Texas.
This was central square in 49-block . . . — — Map (db m128166) HM
This block of the inner town of Gonzales was set aside in original plans of surveyor James Kerr for religious uses. Kerr's plans were approved by Don Rafael Gonzales the Provisional Governor of Coahuila and Texas. This block is still used for . . . — — Map (db m128168) HM
On July 18, 1917 the volunteer company to be known as company L of the First Texas Infantry was mustered into service at Gonzales. Quartered in Gonzales, the men drilled daily on Gonzales High School grounds until their departure for Camp Bowie . . . — — Map (db m187534) HM
Progressive patriot and citizen soldier in Texas War for Independence. A member of Green DeWitt's colony. Came to Texas with his family, 1830. Served as a guard for women and children fleeing Gonzales before the approach of Santa Anna, 1836. Is . . . — — Map (db m187579) HM
Born in South Carolina December 12, 1793 Killed by Indians October 8, 1848 Served in the Army of Texas, 1835-36 Signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, 36 Member of the Senate of the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Congresses . . . — — Map (db m239507) HM
John Turner Tinsley was born circa 1802 in Sumner County, Tennessee to Moses and Elizabeth (Turner) Tinsley. He later became a physician and married Nancy Willis of Kentucky, with whom he had five children. The family came to Gonzales in 1834 and . . . — — Map (db m187444) HM
Born February 7, 1797
He served Texas and the men who
Fought for her Independence at the
Siege of Bexar and the San Jacinto
Campaign 1836 - 1836
Died February 2, 1872 — — Map (db m187436) HM
Following early missionary efforts in the Gonzales area, the Episcopal Church of the Messiah was established in 1855. Land at this site was granted by city officials, and construction of the Gothic Revival sanctuary was completed in 1881. The . . . — — Map (db m179331) HM
Pioneer Texas Baptist minister Z. N. Morrell organized the first Baptist congregation in Gonzales in 1841. It disbanded after about four years, but by 1847 a new congregation, led by the Rev. Richard Ellis and nine charter members, had taken its . . . — — Map (db m123658) HM
Circuit-riding Methodist preachers conducted worship services in this area as early as 1824. In 1841 the Rev. J. P. Sneed organized a Methodist church here as part of his circuit, which included Victoria, Port Lavaca, and Seguin. By 1843 the . . . — — Map (db m123645) HM
Named for Confederate General Thomas N. Waul, Fort Waul was built to defend inland Texas from possible Federal advances up the Guadalupe River from the Gulf of Mexico, as well as to provide protection for military supply trains. Construction of the . . . — — Map (db m155559) HM
Edwards High School was shuttered in 1965. Jesse A. Smith, along with Frank R. Fryer, Sr. and Clara B. Mathis Fryer, transferred to Gonzales High School Campus.
Jesse Smith is one of the greatest men we shall ever know. We have felt his . . . — — Map (db m187594) HM
On this site
September 29, 1835
the Mexican government troops
demanded the return of
the Gonzales cannon.
After two days delay,
awaiting recruits, the colonists
answered, "Come and Take It." — — Map (db m128151) HM
On this site
September 29, 1835
the Gonzales cannon was buried
from the 150 Mexican Dragoons
sent to demand it.
Two days later it was mounted
on ox-cart wheels, loaded with
chains and scrap iron, and fired
at the Mexican Army, the . . . — — Map (db m128170) HM
By tradition, remains of early settlers buried at first in cemetery square, inner town of Gonzales, rest here in a common grave. Others buried here include lay men in Texas Revolution, Dr. George W. Barnett, Maj. Valentine Bennet (Quartermaster), . . . — — Map (db m187460) HM
In county organized 1837, first courthouse burned 1893. This second one was built 1894-1896 at cost of $64,450.
Headquarters for many Texas leaders; scene of
important court decisions. — — Map (db m123635) HM
Those Who Served That Others Might Live in Freedom Let Those Who Come After See to It That Their Names Be Not Forgotten
"Come and Take It"
War of 1812
Smith, William D.
Texas Revolution 1836 Davis, Jesse Kancheloe • . . . — — Map (db m187348) WM
The commission created by the Texas Legislature in 1935 to oversee Texas' centennial joined with the Public Works Administration to build a memorial to Texas Revolution events in Gonzales. The memorial includes a museum, amphitheatre and . . . — — Map (db m128176) HM
Green (1787-1835) and Sarah (Seely) (1789-1854) Dewitt moved their family from Missouri to Texas in 1826 after he successfully petitioned the Mexican government for an Empresario Grant to settle 400 Anglo-Americans on lands southwest of Stephen F. . . . — — Map (db m128149) HM
Providence Baptist Church Founded 1874 1020 St. Andrew St.
Henson Chapel United Methodist Church Founded 1882 1107 St. Andrew St.
Union Lea
Missionary Baptist Church Founded 1908 931 St. Andrew St.
Webster Chapel A.M.E. . . . — — Map (db m187616) HM
Who Went Forth at the Call of Their Country to Fight in the Great War for World - Wide Liberty, 1917 - 1919 and
In Memory of
These Men Who Gave Their Lives to This Great Cause
Montgomery Fly
First Lieutenant Infantry . . . — — Map (db m187404) HM
Alcalde Author of the historic Letter written on Sept. 26, 1835, in reply to Mexico's demand for the colonists cannon at Gonzales. One of the defenders of Gonzales October 2, 1835 — — Map (db m239508) HM
First mapped in 1825 as "Market Square," but had become "Jail Square" prior to 1836 when Gonzales was burned by order of Gen. Sam Houston to prevent buildings and supplies falling into possession of oncoming enemy, Gen. Santa Anna. — — Map (db m128167) HM
James Hodges, Sr., came to Gonzales in April 1835. Soon after his arrival he purchased four leagues (17,721 acres) of land at the forks of San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers for $3,000 in silver. On September 26, 1835, in an election, held . . . — — Map (db m155555) HM
First Lieutenant Governor of Texas James W. Robinson (1800-1857) Born in Indiana. Came to Texas in 1833. Elected lieutenant governor in November, 1835, Served as governor January to March 1836, then fought as a private in the Battle of San Jacinto . . . — — Map (db m123611) HM
A San Jacinto Veteran • Born in Alabama, January 11, 1802 Died December 28, 1869 His Wife Eliza Davis Born in Alabama, May 12, 1819 Died January 11, 1875 — — Map (db m239509) HM
All Slaves Are Free!
Galveston Texas: Ashton Villa June 19, 1865
Two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln's historic Emancipation Proclamation, U. S. Major General Gordon Granger took command of the District of Texas . . . — — Map (db m187621) HM
Commissioned to found a capital for colony of Green DeWitt, ex-Missouri State Senator James Kerr settled here. He and six other men built homes on this stream - known ever since as Kerr's Creek.
After a destructive Indian raid in 1826, the . . . — — Map (db m187581) HM
In April 1825, Green DeWitt acquired a land grant from the Republic of Mexico to settle 400 families in and around the present location of Gonzales. He recruited ex-Missouri state senator James Kerr as his surveyor general to establish a capital . . . — — Map (db m179326) HM
The Gonzales Masonic Lodge No. 30 A.F. & A.M., chartered January 1847, purchased 11 acres here for use as a cemetery in 1849, adding to the property in 1903. Two graves, those of Calligula Walker (d. 1846) and Allen Walker (d. 1848), predate the . . . — — Map (db m187399) HM
Born in Kentucky in 1798 Died at Gonzales Dec. 28, 1842 Signer of the Tex. Declaration of Independence; Served in the Army in 1836; Appointed Captain of Rangers January 15, 1839; Participated in the Battle of Plum Creek August 12,1840; . . . — — Map (db m187461) HM
To comply with wishes of governor of Coahuila and Texas, the 1825 plans for Gonzales followed usual plans for Spanish towns. Surveyed by James Kerr, agent for colony's contractor, Green DeWitt, and Kerr's assistant, Byrd Lockhart. This was named . . . — — Map (db m123661) HM
In October 1913, Gonzales County commissioners contracted with A. A. Alsbury & Company to construct a bridge over the Guadalupe River. Completed by February 1914, it connected the rural communities of Oak Forest and Monthalia, both established in . . . — — Map (db m187574) HM
Gonzales town tract of 4 square leagues had 49 squares in inner city - 7 of these squares for public use. This one was for municipal buildings, but became plaza.
Now called Texas Heroes Square, in honor of all Gonzales men who fought in the . . . — — Map (db m128169) HM
Stricken with news of the fall of the Alamo and threatened by a massive Mexican army, Sam Houston gathered the nucleus of a Texan army here, issued orders to burn this town (to hinder the Mexicans) and marched east, March 13, 1836. He won Victory . . . — — Map (db m128177) HM
1/8 mile north is
Sam Houston Oak
where General Sam Houston
established his headquarters camp
March 13, 1836
after burning the town of Gonzales
Under this oak his
small army was joined by
many volunteers from the
eastern . . . — — Map (db m128178) HM
Extending from this point
one-quarter mile west is
Santa Anna Mound
formerly De Witt Mound
now site De Witt Family Cemetery.
Here Mexican troops camped
between September 29 and
October 1, 1835, awaiting delivery
of the Gonzales . . . — — Map (db m128152) HM
Sarah Ann Ponton, the youngest child of William Ponton and Isabella (Mooreland) Ponton, was born September 16, 1820 in Boonville, Cooper County, Missouri. She migrated to Texas with her parents in 1829. After her father's massacre by Indians in . . . — — Map (db m158403) HM
Who with her daughter
Evaline
made the first battle flag of Texas
used by the colonists in the
Battle of Gonzales, October 2, 1835
Born in Virginia, 1789
came to Texas in 1826
with her husband
Green De Witt, Empresario,
and their . . . — — Map (db m128150) HM
Texas schools officially included Blacks in 1868, but provided no funds to build segregated schools. Classes met outdoors, in homes, churches or other buildings. Mrs. Myrtle Moses Mathis' home was the first Black neighborhood school in Gonzales . . . — — Map (db m187606) HM
An Indian raid July 2, 1826, left one Gonzales settler dead, another shot, homes plundered. Settlers fled to Burnham Station on the Colorado, or moved to Lavaca River. In 1827 DeWitt's colonists were ordered back here.
On this lot they built . . . — — Map (db m128173) HM
This bridge is a 140 foot long Parker Through Truss and was constructed in 1913 by Gonzales County and A.A. Alsbury and Co., contractors. It originally spanned the Guadalupe River and was located just west of the 19th century community of Oak . . . — — Map (db m187577) HM
The Eggleston House was one of the first houses built in Gonzales after the Runaway Scrape and burning of the town in 1836. Horace Eggleston built this house in 1848 and it was one of the first permanent type in Gonzales. The house . . . — — Map (db m155582) HM
In Memory of the Immortal 32 Gonzales men and boys who, on March 1, 1836 fought their way into the beleaguered Alamo to die with Colonel William B. Travis for the Liberty of Texas. They were the last and only reinforcements to arrive in answer to . . . — — Map (db m128175) HM
On this site,
September 29, 1835
began the strategy of
the 18 Texians who by advising
with Alcalde Andrew Ponton, held
for two days 150 Mexican dragoons
sent to demand the Gonzales cannon,
allowing colonists time to mass
recruits for . . . — — Map (db m123671) HM
On February 29, 1852, the Presbyterian Church of Gonzales was constituted with eight charter members, led by the Rev. Joel T. Case. The Rev. John McRae served as the first permanent pastor and the congregation held worship services once a month in . . . — — Map (db m123660) HM
To the Women
of
the Confederacy
whose hearts bled, whose
hands healed, whose pride
was crucified, yet who
were never conquered by
the bitterness of war
nor the devastation of
the Reconstruction.
To their glorious memory . . . — — Map (db m128349) WM
The town of Harwood was founded in 1875 as a stop on the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railroad. Land was designated for a cemetery when town lots were platted. The oldest marked grave is that of I.M. Shelton, a Civil War veteran who died . . . — — Map (db m163285) HM
After the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railroad established Harwood in 1875, this community meetinghouse was built. The first floor was used for Methodist worship services and housed a school. The Harwood Masonic Lodge No. 468 met on the . . . — — Map (db m163284) HM
Born in Rutland, Vermont 1799 Died in December, 1884 His
Wife Hester Lee Born in Rutland, Vermont Died in 1888 Erected by the State of Texas — — Map (db m163286) HM
Native American raids were a major concern of DeWitt's Colony, which settled in this area after its 1825 establishment. To protect the colonists, Green DeWitt built a fort in Gonzales and requested troops and a cannon from Mexican authorities. In . . . — — Map (db m167419) HM
Shortly after he established his colony along the Guadalupe River in 1825, Green Dewitt ordered that a road be built between his capital city, Gonzales, and San Antonio. Byrd Lockhart surveyed the road and opened it in 1827. Eighty miles long and . . . — — Map (db m167418) HM
The first meeting place of this congregation, organized in 1875, was destroyed by a storm in 1886. The membership then moved across O'Neal Creek to this site, purchased from pioneer settler N.H. Guinn, and erected this simple frame church in . . . — — Map (db m167414) HM
Settled prior to the Civil War, the community of Leesburg, later known as Leesville, was a thriving trade and supply center for the region when this one-room brick schoolhouse was constructed in 1868. The building site was conveyed to stockholders . . . — — Map (db m167415) HM
At the 13th Session of the West Texas Conference, Methodist Episcopal Church South, held at Leesburg, TX, Alejo Hernández was ordained Deacon by Bishop Enoch Marvin on December 24, 1871. He was the first person of Mexican descent ordained by the . . . — — Map (db m167421) HM
Near 1857 Ranch of Samuel and Martha (Hastings) McCracken. Post office, opened 1869, was named by veterans of Sibley's Civil War campaign in New Mexico. Town had businesses, school, blacksmith shop where DeWitt County Sheriff Jack Helm died (1873) . . . — — Map (db m167486) HM
The town of Rancho existed about one mile north of here for many years prior to the establishment of Nixon in 1906 on the new San Antonio and Gulf Railroad line. This church was organized in 1869 as a mission of the San Antonio Baptist Association . . . — — Map (db m167389) HM
Rancho grew up around the country store of Paul Murray, on land he purchased in 1849. His store was located at the intersection of roads that led to the important settlements of San Antonio, Gonzales, Seguin, Cuero, Goliad and Indianola. Murray . . . — — Map (db m167463) HM
Original schoolhouse of logs on site given by Harriet Smith Beaty in 1872 to trustees John Coleman, King Holstein, and Samuel McCracken, was replaced 1877 by a frame one on William Cone land, serving as Masonic Hall, Church, Court Room. Union Post . . . — — Map (db m167488) HM
George W. Colley, who established a home, gin, and grist mill on Smiley Lake (1 M. S) in 1879, arranged for the Rev. John Stringer to hold the area's first formal Baptist meeting in 1880. People from throughout the area attended the 3-week brush . . . — — Map (db m167379) HM
Attracted by abundant water from a natural lake, settlers began moving to this area in the late 1840s. Ranching provided the earliest commerce. In addition to cattle and sheep, ranchers raised racing horses for sale in the southern states. . . . — — Map (db m167380) HM
Methodists in the Smiley area gathered for informal worship services as early as 1879. In 1885 a congregation, originally known as the Bundick Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, was organized with about six charter families. The Rev. . . . — — Map (db m167388) HM
After migrating from his native Georgia, Dennis Sheffield Hopkins (1819-1917) founded the community of Hopkinsville (5 miles NW) in 1852. He helped organize this Masonic Lodge there in 1855. The thriving village also had a grist mill, gin, several . . . — — Map (db m163278) HM
A community began to develop near this site during the 1870s and was known by several names, including Possum Trot, Prickly Pear, and Ettowa before a post office was established under the name Saturn in 1902. Hugh and Elizabeth (Burleson) McMillan . . . — — Map (db m207536) HM
In 1875 and 1876, when the Galveston Harrisburg & San Antonio Railroad built through Gonzales County, this town was laid out to serve as a shipping point for the surrounding agricultural and ranching area. Hopkinsville, a thriving community five . . . — — Map (db m6978) HM
