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GONZALES, TEXAS Suggested
slogan: Come and enjoy it! ©
Gonzales
County Seat, Central
Texas South
Hwy 183, 13 miles S of I-10
65 miles S of Austin
65 miles E of San Antonio
130 miles W of Houston
Population: 7202 (2000)
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A
Short Description of a Town Long on History
Outside of Nacogdoches,
whose History predates the Texan Revolution, there is no town that figures so
significantly in Texas History as Gonzales. Well, there is Brownsville.
O.K. Nacogdoches, Gonzales and Brownsville. Of Course San
Antonio goes without saying.
Gonzales is the only town of its
size to retain its name from Spanish rule. It's ironic that this was the westernmost
Anglo settlement in what was to become Texas. Beside it's being "The
Lexington of Texas" and firing the first shot, it also was the only town
to send reinforcements to the Alamo,
a gesture that is understated in every History of the State. In return, Gonzales
was burned to the ground in "The
Runaway Scrape" and survived flood, other fires and John Hardin (who
behaved himself both times he called Gonzales home). There was that little escape
from the jail, but nobody got killed. With a history like this no wonder Gonzales
developed a sort of self-imposed isolation for many years.
Gonzales
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Gonzales
Landmarks / Attractions |
1939
Photo courtesy TXDoT |
A
Destination Worthy of a Drive
Today, there's plenty to do and see, and it's certainly a destination worthy of
a drive from Dallas as well as Houston.
It's a mere 64 miles from Austin,
and San Antonio is a brief and
comfortable 66-mile drive.
Bed and Breakfasts provide a civilized and
relaxed way to visit, and for the more savage and pagan, there are two unusual
and under-used parks only minutes away. The city itself has Independence Park
with many amenities and views of the Guadalupe River come with nearly
every picnic table.
Gonzales is undergoing a skin shedding of sorts,
with many houses undergoing restoration, following the lead of their magnificent
courthouse. A Main Street City, it has shown its awareness of its own importance.
Gonzales Hotels
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Dr.
Pat Wagner and the "Come & Take It" Cannon
by Murray Montgomery
Those of us who love Texas history can thank Dr. Wagner
for the little cannon that is presently on exhibit at the Gonzales Memorial Museum.
Susannah
Dickinson by
Linda-Kirkpatrick
Richard
Kimble and Almaron Dickinson, Heroic hat makers at the Alamo
by Murray Montgomery
G.W.
Fly: Confederate soldier and Texas statesman
by Murray Montgomery
While researching old issues of The Gonzales Inquirer
from the year 1905, I came across the obituary of Mr. G.W. Fly. The Fly name is
very prominent in the history of Gonzales...Murder
of Local Doctor During Reconstruction
from Murray Montgomery's "Lone Star Diary"
After the Civil War ended,
folks in Texas and throughout the South underwent a phase in time known as "Reconstruction."
During this period, the states that had previously been part of the Confederacy
were now subject to military rule as well as, occupation by Union troops. Citizens
of Gonzales, Texas, had to deal with the problem of enemy soldiers, in their hated
blue uniforms, walking the streets ...Mass
Grave in Gonzales
- from Murray Montgomery's "Lone Star Diary"Slave
Ada Stone by
Murray Montgomery
109-Year-Old Ex-Slave Recalls Days Long Past
"A
River, A Town, and Memories"
by Murray Montgomer
Remembering Tillie McGill Bright
"I met her one time
and I will always cherish those few hours that we spent together — talking about
the memories of her childhood in Gonzales, Texas..."Small
Town Artillery I
-
The Most Famous Piece of Ordnance in Texas
Small
Town Artillery II -
Gonzales: The Gun of August
The
Gonzales Inquirer
The
Texas, Gonzales, and Northern Railroad
Southern
Clay
The Caracara
- Vulture of the Millennium
Gonzales
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Gonzales
Texas ForumSubject:
Gonzales Inquirer - Thank You
I'd just like to thank you for the blurb on
the Gonzales Inquirer. My father, Paul Ziemer, served as Editor of the paper in
1953-55, and my mother, Margaret Ziemer, was (I believe) the first female editor
in chief of that venerable paper, in 1956. - Eric Ziemer, August 07, 2004All
the DeWitt Colonists want to say thanks for the feature on our head municipality,
Gonzales. Well done, it's hard to fish out because of poor record keeping, but
contemporary Texians (and DeWitt Colonists) were a bunch of jokers half the time,
in fact it's pretty well known that a significant portion of the Old 18 including
alcalde Ponton were "pulling Col. Ugartechea and Lt. Castaneda's leg" on multiple
events during the affair over a tube that could barely belch (or should we say
vomit given a good powder emetic) out a potpourri of half-digested ordinance from
local blacksmith trailings (it made a lot of noise though). - Wallace L. McKeehan,
SONS OF DEWITT COLONY TEXAS October 10, 1999
I
found your website today and was both impressed and enchanted with the variety
of material and humor. I liked the cow (steer?) over the Gonzales restrooms! -
Bill Rau, SIDE ROADS October 13, 1999
Each
visit to Gonzales convinced us that their desire to show their town is a sincere
desire to share. Our special thanks to the Chamber of Commerce for their candor
and to the Historic Society who contributed the images you'll see throughout
the trip. Thanks also to the citizenry of Gonzales (new and old) who took
time from their daily routine to answer questions and give directions to us (most
of which were correct). - 1999
Gonzales
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Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
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