DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about a place where the sky above Nacogdoches has been a very busy place indeed. Nine flags, friend. Not six — nine.
Most Texans can rattle off the six flags without thinking twice, but Nacogdoches kept three more secrets tucked up its sleeve, and each one is a story worth slowing down for. So let's take them in order, because the order matters. Spain claimed the region first, flying their colors from 1519 all the way to 1685, then again from 1690 to 1821 — that's two separate runs, which tells you right there that holding onto this corner of the world was never quite as easy as it looked on a map.
France slipped in during that gap, 1685 to 1690, which is exactly the kind of audacity you'd expect from a flag trying to squeeze between two long Spanish chapters. Then Mexico, 1821 to 1836. Then the Republic of Texas, 1836 to 1845.
Then the United States, starting in 1845, interrupted by the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865, and then the United States again, right on up to the present. Six flags. Textbook stuff.
But here's where Nacogdoches gets interesting. Before most of those big national banners ever cast a shadow on this ground, there were three other flags — smaller republics, wilder dreams, and men with plans that didn't quite survive contact with reality. The earliest of the three was an emerald banner, green as the East Texas pines, carried by the Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition of 1812 to 1813.
Lieutenant Augustus Magee and Colonel Bernardo Gutiérrez organized an army together, and for a while that army controlled territory east of San Antonio. That is no small thing. But then Gutiérrez lost support, a Mexican force regained San Antonio, and the army disbanded.
The green banner came down. Next came a flag of red and white stripes with one white star on a red field — that belonged to the Long Republic, and its year was 1819. Colonel James Long set up a government right out of Nacogdoches.
That too fell, this time to Spanish forces. Long was later captured and killed. One year.
One star. Gone. And then there was the Republic of Fredonia, 1826 to 1827.
Its flag was red and white, and it carried words right on the fabric — Independence, Freedom and Justice, written out for anyone who needed to know exactly what they were fighting for. Empresario Haden H. Edwards had his colonial charter revoked by Mexico, and his response was to proclaim a brand new republic.
When he failed to enlist the aid he needed, Edwards fled, and that ended the rebellion. The flag came down before it had barely learned to fly. Three flags, three attempts, three endings that didn't go the way anyone hoped.
But the marker tells us something important: Nacogdoches has been a gateway to Texas for hundreds of years, not only for settlers but also for ideals. Those nine flags together represent revolutionary activity that was essential to the spirit of Texas. And since 1997, the residents of Nacogdoches have been celebrating the Nine Flags Festival, commemorating the city's place as a center of freedom and a community vital to Texas history.
Nine flags over one patch of ground. Some flew for centuries. Some barely made it a year.
But every single one of them meant something to somebody who believed, at least for a moment, that this was worth fighting for.
What the marker says
Throughout the storied history of Nacogdoches, nine different flags have flown over the region. The six flags of Texas are well known, but three others have also been raised. The traditional six flags include those for Spain (1519 - 1685; 1690 - 1821), France (1685 - 1690), Mexico (1821 - 1836), the Republic of Texas (1836 - 1845), the United States of America (1845 - 1861; 1865 - present) and the Confederate States of America (1861 - 1865). The earliest of the other flags was an emerald banner for the Guti��rrez-Magee Expedition (1812 - 1813). Lt. Augustus Magee and Col. Bernardo Guti��rrez organized an army which controlled territory east of San Antonio. However, Guti��rrez lost support, a Mexican force regained San Antonio, and the army disbanded. Another flag contained red and white stripes with one white star on a red field, representing the Long Republic (1819). Col. James long set up a government from Nacogdoches, which fell to Spanish forces; he was later captured and killed. The final of the three flags was red and white, and inscribed with the words, "Independence, Freedom and Justice." It belonged to the Republic of Fredonia (1826 - 1827). Empresario Haden H. Edwards proclaimed a new republic following the Mexican Revocation of his colonial charter. When he failed to enlist aid, Edwards fled, ending the rebellion. Nacogdoches has been a gateway to Texas for hundreds of years, not only for settlers but also for ideals. The nine flags of Nacogdoches represent revolutionary activity that was essential to the spirit of Texas. In 1997, residents began celebrating the nine flags festival, which commemorates the city's importance as a center of freedom and a community vital to Texas history.