San Felipe de Austin

Duane's take

The official marker tells this story, and here's how I'd put it to you. Now, if you're looking for the place where Texas — the Anglo-American idea of it, anyway — first took root and stood up on its own two feet, you're standing in the right county. San Felipe de Austin.

The first Anglo-American capital of Texas. It came into being on July 26, 1828, by decree of the Mexican government, as the capital of the Austin Colony. But the story starts a little before that.

Under an 1821 grant from Mexico, Stephen F. Austin — the man they'd come to call the Father of Texas — had already begun settling more than a thousand families across a stretch of land that ran from the coast on the south all the way up to the old San Antonio Road on the north, and from the Lavaca River on the west to the San Jacinto River on the east. That is a lot of Texas, friend.

And this town, San Felipe de Austin, was its beating heart. The first American town in Texas. Now, think about who walked those streets.

Stephen F. Austin himself. William Barret Travis.

Sam Houston. David G. Burnet.

Jane Long. Names that would end up carved into the stone of Texas history — and here they all were, living in the same modest capital town on the Brazos. Every settler who came into the colony crossed San Felipe's threshold to claim a land grant.

Every single one. Even as other colonies organized around it, San Felipe held its place as the recognized center of Texas. It served as the capital of the Mexican Department of Brazos.

It hosted the Conventions of 1832 and 1833. Then came the Consultation of 1835, where Texans aired their grievances and tried — still tried — to reach some understanding with Mexico. That understanding, as it turned out, was not to be had.

In 1835, a provisional government was created right here, with Henry Smith as governor. It functioned here, held things together here, until something larger and louder swept through. On March 2, 1836, a convention declared Texas independent of Mexico.

San Felipe de Austin had carried Texas from a colony of a thousand families all the way to the doorstep of a republic. That is not a small thing to ask of one town. And it delivered.

What the marker says

First Anglo-American capital of Texas. Came into being on July 26, 1828, as capital of the Austin Colony, by decree of the Mexican government. Father of Texas Stephen F. Austin had begun under the 1821 grant from Mexico the settlement of more than 1,000 families. The original colony ran from the coast on the south to the old San Antonio Road on the north, and from the Lavaca River on the west to the San Jacinto River on the east. In this first American town in Texas lived Austin, William Barret Travis, Sam Houston, David G. Burnet and Jane Long. All settlers crossed its threshold for land grants. After the organization of other colonies, this continued to be the recognized center of Texas. It was capital of the Mexican Department of Brazos, site of the Conventions of 1832 and 1833 and the Consultation of 1835 where Texans aired grievances and tried to reach understanding with Mexico. The provisional government created with Henry Smith as governor in 1835 functioned here until it gave way to the convention declaring Texas independent of Mexico on March 2, 1836. (1964)