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Town
Bluff and Fort Houston
ALMOST A HOUSTON Page 2
by Bob
Bowman |
Page
1 ..... came in 1836 when the Republic of Texas established a
stockade and blockhouse two miles west of Palestine, in Anderson County,
and named the site Houston for Sam Houston, the hero of San Jacinto.
The fort covered an acre of the townsite. After the fort was abandoned
in the early 1840s, Houston became Fort Houston, presumably
to avoid confusion with the town established by the Allen brothers
on Buffalo Bayou. The settlement declined when nearby Palestine
became the seat of Anderson County.
Old Fort Houston has another claim to fame in Texas.
In 1836, the fort became a refuge for members of the Parker family
when they were attacked by Comanche, Kiowa and Kichai Indians at Fort
Parker in Limestone County. In the raid, the Comanche seized four
captives, including Cynthia Ann Parker, who remained with the tribe
almost 24 years and gave birth to Quanah Parker, the powerful Comanche
chief.
The morning after the raid, the 21 survivors, led by James Parker,
started for Fort Houston. It took six days to travel the 60 miles.
Fort Houstonšs lands were acquired in 1857 by John H. Reagan, who
achieved fame as a U.S. congressman and Confederate postmaster general.
Today, Fort Houston and a cemetery where many its residents were buried
are marked by Texas historical markers in the Palestine
area.
All
Things Historical
Jan.
27-Feb. 2, 2002 Column
Published with Permission
Bob Bowman is a former president of the East Texas Historical Association
and the author of 24 books on East Texas history and folklore.
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