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SAN FELIPE
de AUSTIN, TEXAS
Austin County,
Central
Texas S
On the Brazos River at the crossing of the Old San Antonio (Atascosito)
Road
Present day Farm Road 1458 – on the Northside of Interstate 10
2 Miles E of Sealy
26 miles E of Columbus
48 Miles W of Houston
36 miles SE of Brenham
Population: 868
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Attention:
The dog-trot cabin and sign just off of I-10 is not the original
site of the community. Proceed north, passing by modern residences
(including many manufactured homes) until you see a simple two-story
church on your right along with a period residence. On the left,
before crossing the river, you will see the seated statue
of Stephen Austin and the buildings which comprise the park.
This is the site of the original community (and is actually Park
Road 38).
San
Felipe de Austin - History
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History on
a Pecan Shell
The "unofficial" capital of Stephen Austin’s colony in 1824,
the site was chosen for an existing ferry crossing of the Brazos River,
fresh water (from wells) and the tall river bluff which offered a
defense, should one be needed.
The name was suggested by the Mexican governor, after his patron saint.
By 1828 the town was thriving with two hundred people and a grid of
streets, including four public plazas.
Austin lived here for four years, tending to the business of his colony.
In 1828 he turned over most day-to-day responsibilities of running
the town to others.
The town became a postal hub for outlying communities and was home
to two newspapers – one of which (the Telegraph and Texas Register)
was published by Gail Borden, surveyor, and (in later life) the inventor
of condensed milk. (See Borden,
Texas)
The town was a virtual Who’s Who of early movers and shakers. A grist
mill was in operation by 1830, followed by a lumber mill which supplied
the planks for housing, furnature and wagons. Keel boats connected
the colony to gulf ports and cotton farming was established. Cattle
were driven to Nacogdoches.
Prior to the Revolution, San Felipe was second only to San
Antonio as a commercial center. Just before hostilities, it had
a population nearing 600.
After the fall of the
Alamo, Houston’s army retreated through San Felipe. On March 30,
1836, the town was set afire to prevent it from aiding the approaching
enemy.
Weeks later, after the defeat of Santa Anna, residents returned to
find cabins, stores and warehouses burned to the ground. While some
rebuilt, the missing infrastructure prevented the town from assuming
his previous role.
Instead of a capital (unofficial or not) it settled on being the county
seat of the freshly minted Austin County. That changed in 1846 when
an election was held and Bellville
was made county seat. Total transference was completed in 1848.
In the mid-1870s San Felipe unwisely declined to let the Gulf,
Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad pass through their town. A few
years later the railroad bought a right-of-way through Sealy,
giving that town a shot in the arm even while it drained population
from San Felipe.
The Texas Western Narrow Gauge Railway built through the area
in 1882. Now well-aware of the importance of the railroad, the remaining
residents of San Felipe wasted no time moving south (one half mile)
to build alongside the rails. The line was discontinued and the population
decreased accordingly. The population was only 206 by 1910.
After WWII the
population was still just 305 residents – and growth was slow. The
2000 census still showed less than 1,000 residents. |
Stephen
F. Austin State Park
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Several replica
buildings have been erected around the old town site on the Brazos
to form the Stephen F. Austin Historical Park. Built in the late 1920s,
the park was donated to the state in 1940.
An obelisk and a (seated) bronze statue of Stephen F. Austin dominate
the site while a rebuilt-well and the aforementioned buildings finish
off the “infrastructure” of what is actually a 4,200 park.
The bridge on FM 1458 crosses the Brazos over the site of the original
ferry. |
| Stephen
F. Austin statue and obelisk |
| The
J. J. Josey General Store historical marker |
| Free
(if you bring in a snake). |
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The statue of
Stephen Fuller Austin was commissioned in 1938.
The sculptor was Englishman John Angel (1881-1960)
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| A rather
wind-blown portrait of Stephen Austin is mounted on the granite obelisk |
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"A
city may be moved - but not a well" - the I Ching
The
original community well, was rebuilt in 1928, before the park was
donated to the state.
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| "Restored
by the Sealy Chamber of Commerce - 1928" |
| Early
roads to San Felipe historical marker |
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"Killed
by a Mexican Cannon" - "Buried where he fell"
Marker
for Private John Bricker, native of Pennsylvania
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| A view
from under the bridge - the site of the original ferry. |
| South
bank of the Brazos River - with freshly sprouted bloodweed. |
| View
of the Brazos River from the bridge |
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A beautiful
Easter Cross at the San Felipe Methodist Church
TE
photos, March 2008
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