Independence Trail Region
Luling
WATERMELONS IN THE OIL PATCH Once dubbed “the toughest town in Texas,” Luling presents a more fanciful image today. The city water tower looks like a giant watermelon. Backyard and roadside pump…
Independence Trail Region Cities
Explore cities in the Texas Independence Trail Region
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Independence Trail Region
Matagorda
BETWEEN THE GULF AND NEW YORK CITY The coastal community of Matagorda can trace its roots to 1827 when Elias R. Wightman, charged by Stephen F. Austin (and with permission from the…
Independence Trail Region
Palacios
PIER PALACE By the time members of Stephen F. Austin’s Old Three Hundred colony sailed into the Matagorda Bay to settle the area in 1822, the remains of the French shipwreck La…
Independence Trail Region
Panna Maria
In this pastoral setting, a sprawling oak stands beside the restored 1877 Immaculate Conception Church. Panna Maria (“Virgin Mary” in Polish) is where Silesian immigrants in 1854 held the first Catholic Mass…
Independence Trail Region
Pearland
Whether you're craving a cold beer from a hometown brewery, looking for a unique cultural arts experience, or simply wanting to shop till you drop, Pearland is a perfect stop on your…
Independence Trail Region
Port Lavaca
HALF MOON ABOVE THE BAY Great birding opportunities abound throughout the coastal community of Port Lavaca, making it a favored destination for birders expanding their “life” lists. Port Lavaca’s Formosa Wetlands Walkway…
Independence Trail Region
Praha
Few U.S. communities sacrificed as much during World War II as this Czech-heritage village in South Central Texas. During the war’s last year, Praha population under 100) lost nine local men in…
Independence Trail Region
Prairie View
The community of Prairie View is home to Prairie View A&M University. Established as the Alta Vista Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas for Colored Youth when the Alta Vista Plantation was…
Independence Trail Region
Refugio
THE BELLS OF RE-FURY-O! Refugio, once the site of a Karankawa campground, served as the relocation spot for Señora del Refugio Mission in 1795. Why move a mission to the campground? To…
Independence Trail Region
Richmond
PIONEERS AND A PROHIBITIONIST The six-square-block downtown Historic District is a testament to Richmond’s heritage. Walking-tour maps are available at the Fort Bend Museum, where exhibits trace area history from the Anglo-American…
Independence Trail Region
Rosenberg
BIRTH OF A RAILROAD TOWN Settled in 1822 by members of Stephen F. Austin’s colony, Rosenberg was a small, nameless shipping point along the Brazos River. Decades later, when nearby Richmond refused…
Independence Trail Region
Round Top
THE OCTAGON In the early 1840’s, German settler Alwin H. Soergel arrived in a fledgling community known, at the time, as Jones Post Office. The community, comprised of English settlers who had…
Hill Country Trail Region
San Antonio
CULTURAL TOUCHSTONE Home of the Alamo and the Riverwalk, San Antonio serves as one of the state’s richest cultural touchstones and popular heritage travel destinations. Just how rich? Check out the Institute…
Independence Trail Region
San Felipe
On the eve of the revolution, San Felipe ranked second behind San Antonio as a commercial center. Founded in 1824 where the Old San Antonio Road crossed the Brazos River, San Felipe…
Independence Trail Region
Schulenburg
Dance halls were the social centers of many small towns in South Central Texas, built by German and Czech immigrants beginning in the late 19th Century. One of the more elegant establishments…
Independence Trail Region
Sealy
MATTRESS STUFFING ON TEXAS MAIN STREET Did you get a good night’s sleep last night? Chances are you may have been sleeping on a Sealy mattress, modern version of the original Haynes…
Independence Trail Region
Seguin
A CONCRETE PAST Rich with pecans, walnuts and history, Seguin is the seat of Guadalupe County and one of the oldest towns in Texas, founded by frontier rangers in 1838. Originally called…
Independence Trail Region
Shiner
HANDCRAFTED HISTORY In 1887, the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad cut right through land owned by Henry Shiner, making way for a new wave of German and Czech settlers. A town…
Brazos Trail Region
Smithville
CINEMA CITY Smithville knows how to promote its period setting in motion pictures. If you’ve seen “Hope Floats,” The Tree of Life,” and “Doonby,” you’d recognize the city’s historic downtown and residential…
Hill Country Trail Region
St. Hedwig
East of San Antonio is the community of St. Hedwig. The Gothic spire of the 1868 Annunciation Church testifies to European immigrants who settled here and named the town for the patron…
Independence Trail Region
Texas City
North of Galveston, Texas City harbors several historical distinctions: the city remains the nation’s 11th largest seaport, and it’s also the site of America’s worst industrial catastrophe — a 1947 chain-reaction explosion…
Independence Trail Region
Tomball
Originally named Peck, Tomball was renamed in 1907 in honor of Thomas Henry Ball. Tomball became a boomtown in 1933 when oil was discovered, and was known as "Oil Town USA". Today…
Independence Trail Region
Victoria
FULL CIRCLE The Texas Independence Trail city of Victoria is no stranger to conflict. In 1685, French explorer La Salle established Fort St. Louis near what would one day become Victoria, only…
Independence Trail Region
Washington
Known as the "Birthplace of Texas" and revered as the one of Texas’ most significant historic places, it was here in 1836 that 59 representatives of the Texas settlements met to make…
Independence Trail Region
West Columbia
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS The capital of the Republic of Texas from 1836 until 1837, this historic town, originally called Columbia, is where Sam Houston was sworn in as president of the Republic and…
Independence Trail Region
Wharton
UNCOVERING THE PAST Birthplace of the late Pulitzer Prize and Oscar-winning playwright and screenwriter Horton Foote, and longtime CBS newsman Dan Rather, Wharton claims another distinction, one of the more dramatic restorations…
Independence Trail Region
Winnie
In the year of 1894, the eastern section of Chambers County was opened by the State of Texas to those people who would be interested in settling the land by homestead grant…
Independence Trail Region
Yoakum
This area, and most of the region, was used by cattlemen in the late 1800s as a gathering ground for cattle headed to market along the Chisholm Trail. With arrival of the…
Independence Trail Region
Ammannsville
Ammansville, located in southeastern Fayette County, was settled by German and Czech immigrants in the 1870s. It's main feature is St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, one of the famous "Painted Churches"…