Experience the Republic Era of Texas

Texas’ history is brimming with valor, tragedy, determination, and victory. Trace the tracks of the Texas Revolution and the Republic where major battles occurred, independence was forged, and everyday people lived. Experience the epic story of Texans and their quest to form a new nation and state.

Pictured: Celebration at San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte

Credit: Texas Historical Commission

Acton

Elizabeth Patton married David Crockett in 1815, becoming his second wife. In the mid-1850s, many years after Crockett’s 1836 death in the battle of the Alamo, Elizabeth moved her family from Tennessee to the Acton area to claim a land grant for the heirs of Alamo defenders. She and two of her sons settled on the 320 acres granted to them by the Republic of Texas. After her death at the age of 72 on January 31, 1860, Elizabeth was laid to rest in the Acton Cemetery, dressed in the widow’s black she had worn since hearing of her husband’s death. In 1911, the state placed a monument at her burial site, commemorating the widow of one of Texas’ most celebrated folk heroes. Acton State Historic Site is Texas' smallest historic site, with a total of .01 acres.

Elegant statue of a woman in a dress on a pedestal, gazing optimistically into the distance beneath a clear blue sky.

Pictured: The statue of Elizabeth Crockett marks her grave at Acton Cemetery

Credit: Texas Historical Commission

The Alamo

The Alamo, operated by the Alamo Trust under the direction of the Texas General Land Office, was established in 1718 as Mission San Antonio de Valero. Construction at its present location ceased in 1724.

Pictured: The Alamo in San Antonio

Credit: Stuart Seegar

Casa Navarro

Casa Navarro State Historic Site in San Antonio is a National Historic Landmark. Visitors explore the life of one of early Texas’ most influential leaders, José Antonio Navarro, through interactive exhibits in his restored 19th-century home. A rancher, politician, and merchant, Navarro was one of only two native-born Texans to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence. A representative in the Coahuila y Tejas Legislature and Mexican National Congress, Navarro worked closely with Austin and the other empresarios to develop and colonize Texas. As a congressman for the Republic of Texas, Navarro was a proponent of annexation by the United States and a leading advocate for Tejano rights.

Pictured: Casa Navarro State Historic Site main house

Credit: Texas Historical Commission

Fannin Battleground

After the fall of the Alamo, Col. James Walker Fannin—with about 400 soldiers, mostly volunteers from the U.S. in the Texas War for Independence—was ordered by Texas Gen. Sam Houston to retreat from Goliad to Victoria. The heavy Mexican force of Gen. Urrea surrounded the withdrawing Texas contingent nine miles from Fort Defiance, near Coleto Creek, and bitter fighting ensued. Fannin's volunteers hurled back the assaults of the Mexican army until forced to surrender the following day. Fannin Battleground State Historic Site memorializes the site of the Battle of Coleto Creek. After the surrender, Fannin’s troops were marched back to Fort Defiance (Presidio La Bahia) and held prisoner. After a week of imprisonment, Mexican Gen. Santa Anna ordered Fannin’s men executed, against the wishes of other Mexican commanders. The surrender, and unanticipated execution, inflamed the Texas cause, spurring the battle cry “Remember Goliad!”

Visitors enjoy a sunny day by a historic stone obelisk monument in a picturesque, grassy park beneath a vibrant blue sky.

Pictured: The Fannin Battleground Monument in Fannin, Texas

Credit: Texas Historical Commission

Fanthorp Inn

Originally built in 1834 by English immigrant Henry Fanthorp as a home for his new bride Rachel,  Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site became a stopping place for notable Texas travelers during the Republic of Texas era and beyond. It remains a charming historic building with solid timber craftsmanship and furnished rooms offering a glimpse into life on the Texas frontier 170 years ago. The La Bahía Road and the main route from Houston to Austin passed by the inn, bringing visitors via stagecoach and horseback. Fanthorp was admired for his business acumen, providing good service to guests and running a profitable agricultural enterprise with sheep and corn. The arrival of railroads caused stagecoach traffic to decline, prompting the inn to close in 1868.

Pictured: Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site exterior

Credit: Texas Historical Commission

French Legation

The French Legation State Historic Site in Austin began in 1841 as a private home for France’s representative to the Republic of Texas, Alphonse Dubois, after the French government officially recognized the Republic as a sovereign nation. Dubois was promoted to “chargé d’affaires,” which is a diplomat who heads an embassy in the absence of the ambassador, and established an official legation in Texas. When Dubois was unable to find a suitable house, he hired builders to construct the Legation house. The historic structure, landscape, and new visitors center provide a cultural destination where people from the surrounding neighborhoods can gather. Outdoor interpretive panels explore the development of the French Legation property and the site’s role in the development of East Austin.

Pictured: French Legation State Historic Site main house

Credit: Texas Historical Commission

Monument Hill

Monument Hill State Historic Site in La Grange marks the tomb of the men who died during the Dawson Massacre of September 1842 and the dramatic Black Bean Incident of the ill-fated Mier expedition of November 1842. Nearby residents reinterred the soldiers’ remains here in a common tomb so they could be honored for their sacrifice. The site also includes a 1936 Texas Centennial Marker.

Impressive stone monument with artistic murals and a statue, flanked by US and Texas flags, set among beautiful trees.

Pictured: The memorial at Monument Hill State Historic Site in La Grange

Credit: Texas Historical Commission

Presidio La Bahia

Presidio La Bahia State Historic Site in Goliad , established on this site in 1749 during the Spanish colonial period, was crucial to the development of Texas. It also witnessed filibustering expeditions and played a role in the Mexican Revolution against Spain. Renamed Fort Defiance by the Texians, the Presidio was the site of the Goliad Massacre on Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, marking one of the bloodiest chapters in Texas’ quest for independence from Mexico. It followed the shocking Texian defeat at the Battle of Coleto Creek and prompted the rallying cry “Remember Goliad!” heard at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Beautiful historic Spanish mission with a striking bell tower and cross, framed by stone walls beneath a scenic cloudy sky.

Pictured: Presido la Bahia State Historic Site in Goliad

Credit: Texas Historical Commission

San Felipe de Austin

Commemorating the location where, in 1823, Stephen F. Austin established a headquarters for his colony in Mexican Texas, San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site and its museum share the stories of early settlers in this region. Today, visitors can walk in the footsteps of these pioneers at what was the social, economic, and political center of American immigration to Texas before independence. San Felipe de Austin didn't survive the war for Texas independence—it was burned by its own residents as they evacuated during the Runaway Scrape of 1836. Visitors can now experience the Villa de Austin townsite exhibit, a group of buildings that evoke one section of the community similar to how it would have been in the first decades of the 1800s. Buildings include a schoolhouse, hotel, printers’ office, and courthouse. The work is informed by archeology and archival research that gives insight into what San Felipe looked like nearly 200 years ago.

A woman and a girl share smiles while writing in a sand tray together inside a cozy, inviting rustic wooden cabin.

Pictured: A volunteer interacts with a visiting child at San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site

Credit: Texas Historical Commission

San Jacinto Battleground

Visitors to San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site encounter a hidden oasis surrounded by industry. A welcoming beacon of Texas independence, the remarkable 570-foot-tall monument honoring the site of Texas’ decisive victory over Mexico was deliberately designed 15 feet taller than the Washington Monument. The 1,200-acre site preserves and interprets the legendary battleground where Texians defeated the Mexican Army in an 18-minute battle on April 21, 1836. The monument—topped by a 34-foot star symbolizing the Lone Star Republic—also features an elevator ride to the observation deck, a 490-foot-tall vantage point offering stunning views of the battlefield, reflecting pool, and nearby ship channel. The adjoining San Jacinto Museum of History contains nearly 45,000 artifacts and writings spanning 400 years of Texas heritage.

Aerial view of a striking, star-topped stone monument with intricate patterns, surrounded by lush green lawns in a scenic setting.

Pictured: An aerial view of the San Jacinto Monument

Credit: Texas Historical Commission

The Star of the Republic Museum

This star-shaped Star of the Republic Museum showcases the history of the Republic of Texas and social heritage of area inhabitants from American Indian tribes to settlers of the 1800s. The museum is currently closed for extensive restoration and is planned to reopen in 2025.

Pictured: The exterior of the star-shaped Star of the Republic Museum

Credit: Texas Historical Commission

Stephen F. Austin Memorial

A great lawn and marker indicate the home of George B. McKinstry near West Columbia, where Stephen F. Austin, the Father of Texas, died on December 27, 1836. The Stephen F. Austin Memorial Site has no interpretation (other than the marker) and no services for visitors.

A historic tombstone set amidst a peaceful, green field, offering a glimpse into the area's rich heritage.

Pictured: Stephen F. Austin Memorial State Historic Site in West Columbia

Credit: Texas Historical Commission

Varner-Hogg Plantation

Settled in 1824 by one of Texas’ first colonizers, Martin Varner, and developed as a sugar plantation by Columbus Patton, this site of Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site in West Columbia became Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s prison after the Battle of San Jacinto.Santa Anna was secretly moved from this site and transported to the United States, eventually returning to Mexico. The plantation was later owned by Texas Gov. James S. Hogg and furnished by his philanthropist daughter, Ima Hogg. Visitors can explore Ima Hogg’s outstanding decorative arts collection while learning about the enslaved people who lived and worked on this property.

Pictured: Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site exterior

Credit: Texas Historical Commission

Washington-on-the-Brazos

A rough frontier town in March 1836, today the stately oak trees gracing the grounds of  Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site are a testament to the site’s noble heritage. It’s easy to imagine the fathers of Texas gathering here while forging the principles and documents that would define the Republic of Texas. These ideas were officially set in place at the site’s Independence Hall, where 59 delegates signed the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836. A 1970 replica of the hall gives visitors a sense of the era’s vernacular architecture and Texas’ humble beginnings. The town of Washington, which hosted the last Congress of the Republic of Texas, grew to a community of 1,700 with riverboat trading on the nearby Brazos River. It later declined in population, and its buildings were eventually dismantled and lost to a wildfire in 1912.

A charming historic wooden church nestled beneath majestic leafy trees, bathed in warm sunlight streaming through the branches.

Pictured: The exterior of Independence Hall at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site

Credit: Texas Historical Commission

The Texas Historical Commission preserves and operates nearly 40 state historic sites across Texas. These unique places honor Texas history and inspire an understanding of what it means to be a Texan.

Explore More!

There’s always more of the story to uncover. To see. To experience! Find out how using these links.

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