This plaza is dedicated to the memory of the first president of Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College. In 1917 the state created an "East Texas Normal" and selected Nacogdoches as its location. The State Board of Regents selected East Texas . . . — — Map (db m29970) HM
Born near Elkhart in Anderson County, Alton W. Birdwell was reared in the Piney Woods of East Texas. His early education was provided through home schooling; he earned money for later study by hand-molding clay bricks and hewing railroad ties. . . . — — Map (db m221341) HM
Mound Street got its name in the 18th century from mounds which lined it from Main to King Street. These were built by prehistoric Indians. Only this one remains. Pottery from a demolished mound that measured 150 by 75 feet is preserved in Old . . . — — Map (db m21252) HM
At contact, Europeans found that Native American communities and regions were connected by trails. The major trail in Texas was known to its' colonizers as the Camino de los Tejas. This road, also known as Camino de Arriba and El Camino Real and . . . — — Map (db m156886) HM
Angelina (Angelica) was a woman of the Hasinai Caddo (Tejas) nation who grew up in Monclova, Coahuila and at the Spanish Presidio San Juan Bautista south of the Rio Grande. According to European accounts, she was baptized a Catholic and learned to . . . — — Map (db m170844) HM
Born in 1729 in Los Adaes Province of Texas
Died in 1809 at La Lucana, his ranch on the Attoyac Bayou
Lieutenant Governor of the Pueblo Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Nacogdoches Captain of Militia - Chief Justice Judge of Contraband . . . — — Map (db m211118) HM
Efforts by Texas Legislators in 1917 to improve the quality of public education in Texas resulted in provisions to establish colleges in East Texas and South Texas. Nacogdoches was chosen over 27 other towns to become home to the new East Texas . . . — — Map (db m221305) HM
One of the opening actions of the Texas War for Independence, this battle occurred soon after settlers drove out the Mexican garrisons at Anahuac and Velasco. In 1832 Col. Jose de las Piedras, in command of over 300 soldiers here, ordered the . . . — — Map (db m175896) HM
Armed with nothing more than shotguns and various types of hunting weapons, the national militia of Nacogdoches, aided by militias from Ayres, Teneha, Sabine, Bevil, Settlement, and San Augustine, fired the opening guns of the Texas Revolution . . . — — Map (db m29460) HM WM
When Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College was funded in 1921, the Texas legislature only authorized one building - the Austin Building, known as "Old Main". President Alton W. Birdwell recognized the importance for extra curricular venues for . . . — — Map (db m286754) HM
Captain Domingo Ramon (d. 1723) was the son of Captain Diego Ramon (d. 1724), the commandant of the Presidio San Juan Bautista (Presidio del Rio Grande). In 1715, the Spanish authorities appointed Domingo Ramon to establish a presidio and four . . . — — Map (db m170839) HM
Land commissioner of East
Texas, 1833. A signer of
the Texas Declaration of
Independence, 1836. Chief
Justice of Nacogdoches
County, 1837. District
Attorney, 1839. Rio Grande
land commissioner, 1854.
Born in London, England . . . — — Map (db m27210) HM
Built in 1897, by Charles Hoya (1848-1926), son of Prussian immigrant Joseph T. Van Der Hoya, and long-time Nacgodoches County surveyor. Designed by Houston architect Frank E. Rue in Victorian style with the Gothic revival details, this was the . . . — — Map (db m27708) HM
Church Street is one of the first named streets in Nacogdoches. Although the original land grant from the Mexican Government in this are to Jose Ygnacio Y'Barbo forbade the sale of the land to a church or religious organization, after Texas . . . — — Map (db m211125) HM
Three hundred former residents of Presidio Los Adaes under the leadership of Antonio Gil Y'Barbo moved near the abandoned Mission Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de los Nacogdoches in 1779. Soon the growing Pueblo of Nacogdoches, "the gateway to Texas", . . . — — Map (db m211024) HM
Because of the importance of El Camino Real (Main Street) as an east-west corridor in early Texas, most of the city's leading commercial establishments developed along the sides of this important road. The property in this block originally belonged . . . — — Map (db m292304) HM
The first newspapers in Texas, beginning in 1813, all had direct links to Nacogdoches. The leading family in the newspaper business was that of Col. R.D. Orton and his nephews, Robert W. (R.W.) and Giles Haltom. In 1899, following years of weekly . . . — — Map (db m170918) HM
Master architect Diedrich Rulfs was born in 1848 in Stollham in the German Province of Oldenburg to Helene (Stindt) and Gerhard Rulfs; his father was a carpenter. After Diedrich married Johanne Emilie Böschen in 1873, he became an apprentice in the . . . — — Map (db m171024) HM
Nacogdoches owes much of its visible past to the work of master architect Diedrich Anton Wilhelm Rulfs. By 1897 according to the local newspaper editor, Rulfs had transformed the business district of Nacogdoches from a collection of pioneer-like . . . — — Map (db m210994) HM
Nacogdoches owes much of its visible past to the work of master architect Diedrich Anton Wilhelm Rulfs. By 1897 according to the local newspaper editor, Rulfs had transformed the business district of Nacogdoches from a collection of pioneer-like . . . — — Map (db m211124) HM
Dr. Joseph William Kennedy, Jr. was born in Nacogdoches on May 30, 1916 and graduated from Nacogdoches High School in 1932 as valedictorian. Kennedy attended Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College and, in 1935, received his B.A. degree in . . . — — Map (db m286752) HM
Dr. Robert Anderson Irion
Born in Paris Tenn., July 7, 1806
Died at Nacogdoches Tex., Mar. 2, 1861
Married Anna Raquet Mar. 20, 1840
Born in Philadelphia Pa. Jan. 25, 1819
Died at Overton Tex. Nov. 7, 1883
Senator in the First Congress . . . — — Map (db m170930) HM
The family of Andres de Acosta, who settled in Nacogdoches in 1779, owned this property as early as 1809. Acosta sold the property, which included a house to Joseph Durst (1789-1843) in 1827. Durst, who was alcalde of Nacogdoches when he bought the . . . — — Map (db m30421) HM
Trail used by Indians, French
Traders, Spanish, Settlers, and more than 50,000 Anglo-Americans who settled in Texas prior to statehood. — — Map (db m211844) HM
Participated in storming
of Bexar, 1835
Battle of San Jacinto, 1836
Born in Clarksville,
Georgia in 1816
Died in Douglass, Texas,
September 30, 1840 — — Map (db m171247) HM
March 2―Texas Independence Day in 1836―was the birthday of Sam Houston in 1783 and of Eva Helena Eugenia Sterne in 1829. On October 25, 1841, Republic of Texas President Sam Houston presented the land of this present-day Eugenia Sterne . . . — — Map (db m29841) HM
According to tradition, a small group of Nacogdoches-Area Methodists came together before 1860 to organize a church, which they named Pine Grove. In the late 1870s, congregation members moved their small log building to a site in front of this . . . — — Map (db m210983) HM
In 1884, the Baptist General Association of Texas sent Luther Rice Scruggs to start Baptist work in Nacogdoches, which was beginning to grow following the 1883 construction of the Houston, East and West Texas Railroad through the town. Before this, . . . — — Map (db m221467) HM
In the 1880s Nacogdoches was beginning to replace its wooden commercial structures with brick buildings. The wooden mercantile structure which was standing on this lot belonged to Asa Moore and as late as 1887-88 had served as the temporary home of . . . — — Map (db m211028) HM
At least one Methodist sermon was preached in Nacogdoches before 1821, according to tradition. After religious freedom was established by the Republic of Texas, Missionary Littleton Fowler (1803-1846) preached here on Oct. 16,1837, and soon founded . . . — — Map (db m27691) HM
Missionaries of the Franciscan order played an integral role in the administration of Spanish activities throughout Tejas (East Texas). In 1690, Father Damian Massanet (Mazanet) and Captain Alonso de Leon led an entrada to Tejas, and erected the . . . — — Map (db m170850) HM
Hotel Fredonia opened its doors to Nacogdoches for the first time on April 1, 1955. The brain child of Jack McKinney, the Fredonia, was a hotel built and paid for by the citizens of Nacogdoches for the "convenience of guests and travelers to the . . . — — Map (db m210977) HM
For a brief while, the flag that flew over Nacogdoches Plaza Principal was the red-and-white banner of Haden Edwards' forty-four-day Fredonia Rebellion.
Edwards had obtained a grant from Mexico to settle 800 families in East Texas in the . . . — — Map (db m30081) HM
This building was erected by prominent citizens and lawyer George Francis Ingraham, who was born in New York City in 1842 and was Texas raised in Alazan and Nacogdoches. Ingraham served as a Confederate soldier, Nacogdoches County Treasurer and . . . — — Map (db m211037) HM
This is the site of the first house in Texas owned by Sam Houston. The building was built in 1891 according to tax records. It was used as a hotel with furnished rooms beginning in 1910. It was officially shown as the Liberty Hotel with 75 rooms for . . . — — Map (db m28256) HM
In 1719, Jose de Azlor y Virto de Vera, the Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo (d. 1734), replaced Martin de Alarcon as Governor of Texas. His appointment coincided with war between Spain and France which prompted Aguayo to send an expedition to East . . . — — Map (db m170843) HM
Don Martin de Alarcon rose to the position of Governor of Texas in 1716. As governor he aimed to establish a secure presidio along the San Antonio River for the movement of goods to frontier missions and settlements. Despite the imperative nature of . . . — — Map (db m170842) HM
Empresario
Leader of the
Fredonian Rebellion, 1826-27
Sent to the United States
to raise funds for
the Texas Revolution, 1836
A leader in the development
of a nation.
Born in Virginia
August 12, 1771
Died August 14, 1849 . . . — — Map (db m27412) HM
James Norvel Pitts, a native of Perry County, Mississippi, arrived in Texas in the 1870s. In 1877, his wife Laney (Odom), their son James, and families of five Pitts brothers and other friends from Mississippi traveled by wagon to join him in this . . . — — Map (db m210889) HM
A pioneer citizen of Nacogdoches. Born in Cologne, Germany, April 5, 1801. Alcalde at Nacogdoches under the Mexican Government, member of the Congress of the Republic of Texas. Died March 27, 1859. Buried in Nacogdoches. Here General Sam Houston . . . — — Map (db m29575) HM
A Member of Nolan's Expedition in 1800 • Captured and Imprisoned in Mexico • Soldier in the Mexican Struggle for Independence • Commandant at Fort Teran, 1831; at Nacogdoches, 1832-1835 • Erected in 1829 in the Vicinity of A Sawmill Owned by . . . — — Map (db m210981) HM
A native of Virginia, came to Texas in 1826.
An active participant in the struggle for Texas Independence. One of the leaders in Battle of Nacogdoches. Delegate to Consultation, November 3, 1835. Commanded the Nacogdoches Company in storming of . . . — — Map (db m29705) HM
The Hoya family purchased the southwest corner of the Public Square in the 1830s when the lots were sold to pay the debts of the former Mexican commandant. In 1900 Charles Hoya commissioned architect D. Rulfs to replace the one-story building on the . . . — — Map (db m211030) HM
In November 1885, eight years after the dedication of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Rev. Bishop N.A. Gallagher received five acres of land for a new church and cemetery in the Moral community. The church was built and Sister Josephine . . . — — Map (db m210873) HM
PFC Buford died February 22, 2007 of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Ramadi, Al Anbar Province Iraq, on February 22, 2007. He and his team were responding to an assistance . . . — — Map (db m211281) WM
New York native George Francis Ingraham (1842-1920) settled in Nacogdoches in 1860. He married Martha Thompson Cooper in 1866 and became an attorney in 1873. Ingraham served as county judge, county treasurer, and state representative. He built this . . . — — Map (db m29660) HM
Sheriff in Natchitoches
Louisiana in 1826.
One of the leaders in
Battle of Nacogdoches.
Member of Consultation
1835. Commanded the
Nacogdoches company in
storming of Bexar, 1835.
Signer of Texas Declaration
of Independence.
Born . . . — — Map (db m27222) HM
In 1883 A. Wettermark of Henderson, Texas, purchased an existing wooden structure from Bennett Blake, Sr. for the sum of $1000 and opened a branch of his banking firm here on the corner of Main and North Street. This was the first official bank . . . — — Map (db m210986) HM
In the early and mid-20th century, Nacogdoches was the
home of a notable poet, writer and woman of letters. Karle
Wilson, daughter of William and Kate (Montgomery)
Wilson, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in October 1878.
Her parents moved to . . . — — Map (db m221345) HM
Member of the Second Congress of
the Republic
Commander of the
Texas forces in the
decisive battle with the
Cherokee Indians
July 16, 1839
Charter member of
Grand Masonic Lodge
of Texas
Died Oct. 4, 1840
His daughter
Anne . . . — — Map (db m171249) HM
Kings Highway
Camino Real
Old San Antonio Road
Marked by The
Daughters of The
American Revolution
and The State of Texas
A.D. 1918 — — Map (db m219117) HM
Kings Highway Camino Real Old San Antonio Road
Marked by The Daughters of The American Revolution and The State of Texas A.D. 1918 — — Map (db m221513) HM
Kings Highway
Camino Real
Old San Antonio Road
Marked by The
Daughters of The
American Revolution
and The State of Texas
A.D. 1918 — — Map (db m288042) HM
An 18th-century trail connecting the Indian villages of the Nacogdoche and Nasoni Indians. Traveled by Spanish missionaries, soldiers and settlers, French traders and American filibusters before Anglo-American colonists came to make Texas their home. — — Map (db m29143) HM
The following men gave their lives in the
line of duty in the Republic of Vietnam
Armstrong, William Preston - Sgt - Army - 02 Aug, 1968
Austin, Oscar Palmer - PFC - Marines- 23 Feb, 1969
Caver, John Wayne - Sgt - Army - 31 Oct, 1967 . . . — — Map (db m211284) WM
Affluent families of Nacogdoches began building spacious homes in this area overlooking the town in the 1890s. Robert and Emily (Willis) Lindsey, local dry goods merchants noted for their contributions to the arts in Nacogdoches, built this . . . — — Map (db m221455) HM
A Franciscan missionary who spent almost 50 years with the Indians of Central and North America, Father Antonio Margil de Jesus (1657-1726) was born in Valencia, Spain, and came to the New World in 1683. He founded three Catholic colleges before . . . — — Map (db m286750) HM
Originally owned as part of the Old Stone Fort property by the Y'Barbo and Roberts families, the northeast corner lot at Main and Fredonia had become important retail property as early as 1845. In the 1860s the owners added warehouses to the rear of . . . — — Map (db m210958) HM
The northeast corner of Main and Church Street was part of the land conveyed by the Spanish Government to Ygnacio Y'Barbo on April 16, 1810. The corner later belonged to the Durst, Roberts, Johnson, and Thorn families. While the first buildings of . . . — — Map (db m211126) HM
The Masonic Lodge in Nacogodoches is the oldest in the state still operating in its original location. Before the organization of a Grand Lodge in Texas, Louisiana Masons granted dispensation for individual lodges here. Three lodges, Holland (No.36) . . . — — Map (db m29700) HM
In Memory of All Purple Heart Recipients Killed or Wounded in Combat
Built by George B. Partin and Sons, Monuments in Memory of Gerald B. Partin — — Map (db m210911) WM
City Attorney, Mayor, Banker, Regent Teacher, Businessman, Civil Servant
During the late 1940's and continuing through the 1980s, Mack Stripling was one of the premier progressive promoters and boosters of the dynamic growth of our . . . — — Map (db m211116) HM
Home of the Nacogdoches Indians in the 17th century.
Spanish settlements, 1716. Alternately settled and abandoned in 18th century due to French encroachments.
Scene of the Fredonian Rebellion in 1827.
Organized a municipality, 1832 under the . . . — — Map (db m221229) HM
Dedicated to Those Who Served Their Country in Its Time of Need
Texas Ind.
1835-1836
Mexican War
1846-1848
Civil War
1861-1865
Spanish Amer.
1898-1902
WW I
1917-1918
WW II
1941-1945
Korea . . . — — Map (db m210913) WM
Designed by U.S. Treasury Department architect James A. Wetmore, this building was erected in 1917-1918 and housed the main city post office until 1964. Sold to the city in 1973, it was the public library until 1997, when it became a tourist . . . — — Map (db m29390) HM
A pioneer co-educational institution incorporated by an independent board February 3, 1845. Granted four leagues of land for its support. Opened September, 1845. Eventually absorbed by the public school system.
Marcus A. Montrose, an . . . — — Map (db m170915) HM
After the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain, many veterans came to Nacogdoches to make their homes. As tensions rose from greater Mexican restrictions, Nacogdoches became a focal point for filibustering against Mexican rule. On . . . — — Map (db m211290) HM
Between recruitment in New Orleans on October 13, 1835, and the Palm Sunday massacre at Goliad during 157 days of the Texas Revolution the 120 men of the two companies of New Orleans Greys fought at Bexar; and units of the Greys fought at the . . . — — Map (db m221154) HM
Throughout the storied history of Nacogdoches, nine different flags have flown over the region. The six flags of Texas are well known, but three others have also been raised. The traditional six flags include those for Spain (1519 – 1685; 1690 – . . . — — Map (db m170916) HM
Originally called "American Cemetery," Oak Grove Cemetery is located on the 1826 land grant of Empresario Haden Edwards. The leader of the 1826 Fredonian Rebellion, Edwards is interred here. The earliest marked burial on this site is that of . . . — — Map (db m117574) HM
In 1854, records refer to this building as a "storehouse" serving firms located on Main Street. In the 1880s, the owners agreed with the city to dedicate the alley, first as Progress Street and later as Commerce. In 1896 the building was still . . . — — Map (db m292303) HM
On 1889 John Schmidt purchase this lot. Before that time, the Mitchell Hotel (c. 1831), an early Nacogdoches stagecoach inn, stood on the site. Schmidt wanted a place for theatrical companies to stop over as they traveled between engagement in . . . — — Map (db m211123) HM
Chartered by the Republic of Texas in 1845 to fulfill settlers' ideals for higher education. Financed by public subscriptions. Housed first in military quarters, erected this modified Grecian structure 1858. Occupied by troops in Civil War, it was . . . — — Map (db m170911) HM
The Republic of Texas chartered Nacogdoches University in 1845 to fulfill East Texas settlers’ ideals for higher education. The University occupied various downtown buildings before this building was completed in time for classes in fall 1859. Local . . . — — Map (db m170912) HM
According to legend, the first burial in this cemetery was that of a young girl whose family, traveling through the area when she died, buried her here before continuing their westward journey. Oral tradition also suggests that William Whitaker was . . . — — Map (db m29774) HM
This courthouse stands on ground used as a cemetery after Nacgodoches was rebuilt by settlers ordered out of the area when Spain gave up East Texas outposts in 1773.
Antonio Gil Y'Barbo (1729 - 1809) led the displaced persons who returned in . . . — — Map (db m202001) HM
Stones recovered from a razed 18th century structure form the walls of this historic replica building. The stone house stood originally near the intersection of El Camino Real and La Calle del Norte (present Main at Fredonia), and was built by Don . . . — — Map (db m156884) HM
Photographs in the 1880's show a wooden mercantile establishment with a gabled front facing east on this property. There was an open area to the south lying between this building and the mercantile establishment of Mayer & Schmidt.
The . . . — — Map (db m211023) HM
On this site stood
for a century an
Old Stone House
thought to have been built in 1779 by
Antonio Gil YBarbo.
Sold by him as community property in 1805.
Headquarters in 1806 for
William Barr and Samuel Davenport, Indian traders. . . . — — Map (db m171202) HM
Headquarters of Colonel Jose de las Piedras, commander of the Mexican garrison in Nacogdoches, 1827-1839. The property, after the Texas Revolution, of General Thomas J. Rusk. Served as classrooms for the University of Nacogdoches, 1845-1852. — — Map (db m29325) HM
The Catholic Church's history has been intertwined with that of Nacogdoches since the first Spanish missions were constructed in the area during the early eighteenth century. Disruptions in the church's activities occurred 1719-1721 during French . . . — — Map (db m170917) HM
President of Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College (SFASTC) from 1942 to 1958, Paul Lewis Boynton made vital contributions to the institution’s future. Born in Belton (Bell Co.), Boynton attended Sam Houston State Teachers College. He then . . . — — Map (db m221454) HM
Mary the Mother of Jesus miraculously appeared to the Apostle James in 40 A.D. in Zaragoza, Spain. She gave James a small statue of herself standing on a pillar of jasper. The statue on the pillar became the center of Zaragoza's Shrine of Nuestra . . . — — Map (db m211287) HM
The absence of an institution of higher learning to train teachers in East Texas became obvious in the early 20th century. "Normal institutes" or ad hoc college courses were important statewide attempts to supplement the educational level of the . . . — — Map (db m221335) HM
The property in this block on the west side of the Public Square was owned by a distinguished list of families. The names, Who's Who in the early history of the town, include Piedras, Sterne, Rusk, Roberts, Taylor, Blake, Hayter, Hoya, Orton, Mast, . . . — — Map (db m211026) HM
The Following Men From the Nacogdoches Area Are Listed as
Prisoners of War/Missing in Action as of September 21, 2018
Korea
Mooney, Custer F. - Army - Sgt Med Co 7 Regt 31D - MIA 12/04/50 - Nacogdoches
Sewell, Nathul - Army - Sgt K . . . — — Map (db m211285) WM
The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor posthumously to
Private First Class Oscar P. Austin
United States Marine Corps
for service as set forth in the following . . . — — Map (db m211277) WM
The Redland Hotel, Nacogdoches' first modern hotel, opened in 1907 and offered guests private bathrooms, steam heating, and a fine dining experience. The Redland provided wagon and later bus service from the train depot. The opening was a gala . . . — — Map (db m211122) HM
For the citizens of Nacogdoches, Bob Murphey was a loved and local institution. He was our resident Master of Ceremonies. Bob took Nacogdoches with him as he spread his homespun humor and good will to the rest of the world. Bob was a part of . . . — — Map (db m211039) HM
Late Victorian residence built 1896-97 by architect D. A. G. Rulfs for Mr. and Mrs. H. P. Matthews and daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Roland Jones. Matthews was a railroad executive; Jones, a businessman. Four generations of Jones' family . . . — — Map (db m171025) HM
In Honor of the Men From the District of Nacogdoches Who Fought for Our Texas Independence
The Charles & Lois Marie Bright Foundation — — Map (db m211181) WM
Built on the homestead lands of warrior statesman Thomas Jefferson Rusk, Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College (SFA) was swollen with success shortly after taking over its new facilities, the Austin Building and Aikman Gymnasium, in 1924. The . . . — — Map (db m221328) HM
Sam Houston made his first home in Texas in the historic town of Nacogdoches. A former Tennessee governor and U.S. congressman, Houston left Washington, D.C. for Texas in December of 1832. The presence of Tennesseeans and fellow masons Adolphus . . . — — Map (db m171207) HM
Vertical-piston drive and direct-gear design was patented, 1880, by Ephraim Shay. This 36-ton engine was built by Lima Locomotive and Machine Co., 1907, for Behring Co. of Texas, and soon purchased by W.T. Carter & Bro. Lumber Co. Carter used it . . . — — Map (db m211291) HM
Renée Ernestine Françoise Potard was born on February 25, 1822, in Barthelemy, France. She entered the convent of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in LeMans, France in 1846.
After making her vows, she volunteered to come to America to pursue . . . — — Map (db m210887) HM
Led by Adolphus Sterne, citizens of Nacogdoches helped outfit a volunteer force, the New Orleans' Greys, to fight in the Texas War for Independence. One company of Greys traveled overland to San Antonio by way of Nacogdoches in Nov. 1835. The . . . — — Map (db m29576) HM
