Nacogdoches

Nacogdoches became a town, or pueblo under the Spanish flag in 1779.

The church/school and town square were the focal points of social activity in years gone by. Even today, you see town squares which have a governmental building right in the center. Squares of this type are said to be of English design.

Being a Spanish settlement, the square in Nacogdoches was of Spanish design. Buildings like the Hoya Land Office and the Old Stone Fort sat on the the perimeter of the square. The center remained wide open as a market place . Today the Nacogdoches Public Library has filled that open space.

The Hoya Land Office was the first fireproof building in Nacogdoches. Remember, there was no running water to help extinguish fires, so wooden buildings burned to the ground easily. This office has double brick walls with an air space in between. It also has steel reinforcing the floor and ceiling along with iron window shutters. If a person wanted to be protected in the 1800's, this would have been a place to go.

The Old Stone Fort was built about 1780. It served as a trading post, jail, public building, newspaper office, grocery store, saloon, and fort during the Magee-Gutierrez expedition (1813), Dr. James Long revolution (1819) , and the Fredonia Rebellion (1820). All three attempts were unsuccessful in establishing a Republic in Texas.

In school, we recite The Pledge of Allegiance. What do its words mean? Mexican authorities issued the oath of allegiance to Sam Houston, James Bowie , and Davy Crockett in this "fort". It also protected those people who refused to flee during The Runaway Scrape. Today, it sits on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University. It was rebuilt using the original stones and design.

If you remember, there were requirements for being able to settle in Texas when the area was under Mexican rule. You were supposed to speak Spanish, obey Mexican laws and promise to join the Catholic church. Sam Houston was baptized a Catholic in this house. The owner's wife, Mrs. Adolphus Sterne, was his godmother. Chief Bowles of the Cherokee Indians signed a treaty here agreeing not to join the Mexicans in their fight against the "Texans" during the Revolution.

Old Nacogdoches University is the only building from a university chartered by the Republic which remains standing in Texas. Nacogdoches University opened its doors in another location in 1845. This building was not available until 1858 and has been used for education in one form or another continuously since it opened. The only exception was the two years during the Civil War when it was a Confederate hospital and then Federal troop headquarters.

Below, in pictures, is an historical time-line of the architecture in Nacogdoches from 1820 to 1890.

Books to Read and Other Resources

• THE GREAT TEXAS SCARE by Martha Tannery Jones; Hendrick-Long Publishing Co., 1988
• I AM HOUSTON by Mary Dodson Wade; Colophon House, 1993
• MAKE WAY FOR SAM HOUSTON by Jean Fritz; G.P.Putnam's Sons; 1986
• THE EAGLE AND THE RAVEN by James A. Michener; State House Press-Austin, 1990
• TWO GLASS BUTTONS by Marguerite Starr Crain; B.J.Pevehouse Publication Fund, 1988
• THE GHOST AT THE OLD STONE FORT by Martha Tannery Jones; Hendrick-Long Publishing Co., 1990
• TWENTY TEXANS: HISTORIC LIVES FOR YOUNG READERS by Betsy Warren; Hendrick-Long Publishing Co, 1985
• WILDERNESS PIONEER by Carol Hoff; Hendrick-Long Publishing Co., 1987
• THE CHEROKEE INDIANS by Nicole Claro; Chelsea House Publishers, 1991
• EXPLORERS IN EARLY TEXAS by Betsy Warren; Hendrick-Long Publishing Co., 1992

  Indian Pledge of Allegiance

   

Suggested Activity

1. You'll remember the name "Texas" comes from an Indian word ("Tejas") meaning friend. Many of the names of the fifty states come from Indian words. Research the meaning of the state names.

2. Prepare a database which includes state names, meanings, and symbols such as the state bird, song, tree etc.

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