DUANE
Duane's take
The way the marker on this square tells it, here's what you need to know before you take another step on this ground. This particular patch of earth in Liberty County has been holding court — literally — for a long, long time. Back in 1831, a man named J.
Francisco Madero came through this country on official business. He had been appointed General Land Commissioner by the Mexican government, and his job was to survey and grant those long-awaited land titles to the Texan colonists of the Atascosito area, all in accordance with the 1825 Law of Colonization. Madero wasn't just drawing lines on a map, either.
He platted five squares for public use, and this one — the one you're standing near right now — was among them. With Madero's agreement, those colonists were given the rights of local self-government, and that included getting to decide where their seat of government would sit. Now here's where it gets interesting.
They put it to a vote. A narrow vote, as it happens. And Smith's Plantation beat out Moss Bluff.
That's how this ground became the center of things. The first courthouse they raised here in 1831 was a small hewn log building, twenty-two feet square. Nothing grand to look at, but it was doing serious work.
From inside those walls, Madero reported the results of elections of officers to the chief of the Department of Bexar. And the congratulations that came back — documented congratulations — arrived from Mexican officials in Bejar, Nava, Villa de Rosa, and Abasolo. The town itself was renamed Villa de la Santísima Trinidad de la Libertad, and it became known as Liberty.
That name carried weight, and the courthouse kept accumulating history to match it. Prominent Texans passed through, including Sam Houston, who practiced law right here in the Liberty courthouse. Famous trials were held on this ground.
And then there's the one that echoes louder than most — a dual murder trial in which the defendants were represented by David G. Burnet. Now Burnet took that case all the way.
He appealed the verdict before the Convention of 1836, held at Washington-on-the-Brazos. And that appeal, in that setting, led to his election as the ad interim and first President of the Republic of Texas — all of that before Texas had even gained its independence. Twenty-two feet square, hewn from logs, and this is the ground it stood on.
Some squares just carry more history than they have any right to.
What the marker says
Originally one of the five squares platted for public use in 1831 by J. Francisco Madero, General Land Commissioner appointed by the Mexican government to survey and grant long-awaited land titles to Texan colonists of the Atascosito area in accordance with the 1825 Law of Colonization. With Madero's agreement colonists were given rights of local self-government, including the location of the seat of government. By a narrow vote, Smith's Plantation (now Liberty) was chosen over Moss Bluff. From the first (1831) courthouse - a small hewn log building 22 feet square - Madero reported the results of elections of officers to the chief of the Department of Bexar. Documented congratulations were received from Mexican officials in Bejar, Nava, Villa de Rosa, and Abasolo. The town was renamed Villa de la Santísima Trinidad de la Libertad and became known as Liberty. Prominent Texans including Sam Houston practiced law in the Liberty courthouse. It has been the site of famous trials including a dual murder trial in which defendants were represented by David G. Burnet. Burnet's appeal of the verdict before the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos led to his election as the ad interim and first President of the Republic of Texas prior to Texas gaining its independence. (1968, 2017)