GOLIAD WAR HEROES

Friday, October 25 – Goliad, Texas, is the birthplace of the famous Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza, commander against the French Army in the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. French forces attacked Puebla in a battle that lasted the entire day of May 5, 1862, the now-famed Cinco de Mayo. Zaragoza's well-armed, well-trained men forced the withdrawal of the French troops from Puebla to Orizaba.

 

Zaragoza's birthplace

Zaragoza became one of the great national heroes of Mexico. Songs have been written in his honor, and schools, plazas, and streets have been named either Zaragoza or Cinco de Mayo.

Unique fact about Zaragoza…On January 21, 1857, while on an important army assignment in San Luis Potosí, Zaragoza was unable to attend his own marriage to Rafaela Padilla in Monterey, so his brother, Miguel, served as his proxy.

A short walk from the Zaragoza Memorial took us to another historical site, the Fannin's Memorial. After “Remember the Alamo,” the Texas Revolution’s most potent battle cry was “Remember Goliad.” The darkest day in Texas history, The Goliad Massacre, took place on Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, when Col. James Fannin and 341 men under his command were executed a week after their capture. Some were killed along roads near Goliad’s historic Presidio La Bahía. Others, including Fannin, were executed inside the fort, which had been constructed in 1749 to protect the nearby Mission Espíritu Santo. Fannin and his troops are buried beneath the Fannin Memorial Monument, located next to the fort. There was twice the loss of life at Goliad as there was at the Battle of the Alamo.

While visiting these two historic sites, Paul attracted a new little friend. This little guy followed us everywhere. Paul tried to explain to him that we had nothing to share.

Another interesting tidbit for football fans:  We also learned that Goliad is the home of former Houston Oiler Coach Bum Phillips who recently passed away. He has a large ranch just outside town.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

GOLIAD, TEXAS….PRESIDIO LA BAHIA

Saturday, October 26 - Presidio La Bahia, The Fort on the Bay, a National Historic Landmark, is considered the world's finest example of a Spanish frontier fort. This is the most fought over fort in Texas history. This fort was at the center of every attempt to forcibly change the governmental order of Texas.

The history of Presidio La Bahia and Goliad can be traced through the flags of the various nations that have controlled this region of South Texas. Click on the photo to enlarge it and read about all the different nations.

The first Declaration of Texas Independence was formally declared at the Presidio on December 20, 1835. The first Texas flag flew here, and it was the location of the darkest day in Texas history, the Goliad Massacre.

There was a list of all those slain at the Goliad Massacre, and it appears that we both have relatives that died for Texas  (Paul's last name is Weaver and Marsha's maiden name is Wadsworth.)

Barracks

Our Lady of Loreto Chapel was erected in the quadrangle of the Presidio for the sole use of the soldiers and Spanish settlers. It is the oldest building in the compound, in continuous use since the 1700's.  As a matter of fact, as we we leaving people were arriving for a wedding.

One of the oldest churches in America, it also is one of the only buildings in existence that has its original “groin vaulted ceilings” in place. This centuries-old chapel was where Fannin's men were held during their captivity before being massacred. It was also here that the First Declaration of Texas Independence was signed.

There is so much history in this area. We will tell you more in our next post.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

HEADIN' BACK TO HOUSTON

Friday, October 25 – .We pulled out of Leisure Valley Ranch this morning heading North. We are on our way to Houston to sit for awhile. We'll be there through the Christmas Holidays.

We stopped about half way to Houston in Goliad, TX. An historic town filled with many Texas sites that we will be visiting and reporting on in future posts.

We are staying at Goliad State Park.

The park is located within three ecological zones and located on the San Antonio River. It serves as the hub for visiting the Mission, Espiritu Santo (located in the park), the Presidio La Bahia, the Ignacio Zaragoza Birthplace, Fannin Battleground, the Goliad Historic District and Mission Rosario.

We are in site #26, a water and electric site. Each site on the outside of our loop has a covered picnic table, fire ring and grill. It is pretty much a large gravel parking lot with sites around the outer perimeter and another group of sites in the very center. It's pretty quiet with only a half dozen campers in our area. The cost is $20 per night but unfortunately, we have to also pay admission to the park for each day. That's crazy, in our opinion. Paul has a Texas Senior Pass providing half price on admission, but Marsha has to pay the full $3 admission per day. Maybe we should hide her in the trunk and sneak her in.....LOL.

Please notice the big, empty field next to our site.

There is another camping area in the park with pull-through sites. Those sites are $25 per night.

We were joined after dark by about 30 scouts camping in the area next to us. There goes our solitude. No problems....they were well behaved and even quieted down by bed-time.

We have company….9 tents.

The park has camping, picnicking, historic sights, swimming, canoeing, fishing, hiking trails and a park store. There is also a walking/biking paved trail into the nearby town of Goliad.

After getting set up, we drove into historic Goliad to see the town and stop at the Chamber of Commerce/Visitor's Center. Goliad is a phonetic anagram of Hidalgo, the priest who became a hero during the Mexican Revolution. (The "H" is not pronounced in Spanish.) Goliad is one of the oldest municipalities in Texas.

Historic Goliad is made up of the Court House surrounded by a block of historic buildings. An excellent walking tour is available describing many of the historic buildings.

The yellow building below is the Von Dohen Building built in 1896. It housed and continues to house the Goliad Pharmacy.

You can't have a historic town in Texas without a “hanging tree.” Located on the North lawn of the courthouse, the tree was often used in the “good ole' days” of Texas to enforce law and order in a pretty wild area.

Why is Goliad called the "Birthplace of Texas Ranching?" The first great cattle ranch in Texas is said to have its beginnings at Mission Espiritu Santo which is located in Goliad State Park.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day.