Baron de Bastrop Monument
Bastrop, Bastrop County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Erected in recognition of the distinguished service to Texas of Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop, 1770-1829. Pioneer Red River empresario, land commissioner of Austin's colony, member of the Congress of Coahuila and Texas. Through his aid, Moses Austin secured from the Spanish government in 1821, the first contract for the Anglo-American colonization of Texas. In his honor, the name of this town and that of this county, a part of Austin's 1821 grant, known as the municipality of Mina in 1834 and the County of Mina after March 17, 1836, was changed on December 18, 1837 to Bastrop. Let this name bring to mind the friend and advocate of the pioneer in a foreign land.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This monument honors Felipe Enrique Neri, the Baron de Bastrop (1770–1829), a colonizer whose intervention proved decisive for Anglo-American Texas. As a land commissioner and Red River empresario, he helped Moses Austin win the first Spanish contract to colonize Texas in 1821 and later served in the Congress of Coahuila and Texas. In 1837 the town and county — once called Mina — were renamed Bastrop in his memory.
Why it matters
Bastrop was the friend at court who opened the door to Anglo colonization, making him a pivotal figure at the very origin of American Texas.
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Related people
- · Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop
- · Moses Austin
- · Stephen F. Austin
Related events
- · Austin's colonization of Texas (1821)
Themes & tags
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