Calhoun County
Port Lavaca, Calhoun County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Formed from Jackson, Matagorda, and Victoria counties; created April 4, 1846 - organized July 13, 1846. Named in honor of John Caldwell Calhoun 1782-1850. A distinguished southern statesman, a member of Congress and of the cabinet. Vice-president of the United State, 1825-1832. Port Lavaca, the county seat.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Calhoun County was carved from three neighboring counties in the spring of 1846, just as Texas was joining the United States, and organized that July with Port Lavaca as its seat. It was named for John C. Calhoun, the South Carolina statesman, congressman, cabinet officer, and vice president whose long career shaped—and divided—antebellum national politics. The county's Gulf-coast location made its port a gateway for goods and settlers.
Why it matters
The county's creation marks the moment Texas passed from independent republic to American state, and its namesake ties this coastal community to the great national debates of the era.
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Related people
- · John Caldwell Calhoun
Related events
- · Creation of Calhoun County
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Calhoun County Hurricanes
Port Lavaca, TX
Hurricanes have shaped Calhoun County's history as powerfully as any human event, their high winds, rains, and tidal surges repeatedly reordering life along Matagorda Bay. Entire towns vanished to 19th-century storms, including Indianola—a major Gulf seaport and the county seat—and the Republic-era port of Saluria on Matagorda Island. Alongside the loss of property and life run enduring stories of survival and rebuilding.
Grace Episcopal Church
Port Lavaca, TX
Episcopalians were worshipping in the port town of Lavaca before 1850, and in 1853 the Rev. C. S. Hedges organized Grace Church with help from an Ohio benefactor. Deadly yellow fever epidemics soon devastated the young congregation, and hurricanes would later destroy its buildings more than once. Yet the church rebuilt each time, regaining full parish status in 1951 and remaining a fixture of Port Lavaca life.
Jefferson Beaumont
Port Lavaca, TX
Born in Kentucky in 1801, Jefferson Beaumont served as chief justice of Calhoun County from 1848 to 1856 during the early years of Texas statehood. It was in his honor that Jefferson County, Texas, took its name. He died in 1865 on the Gulf Coast he had helped govern.
Wiley George
Port Lavaca, TX
Born in North Carolina in 1797, Wiley George enlisted in the Georgia militia at seventeen and fought in the War of 1812. After years in Georgia and Alabama he came to Texas in 1840, settling first in San Antonio and then moving to Port Lavaca in 1848, where he speculated in horses and built a fine home. He died in 1862 and lies in an unmarked grave in the Port Lavaca Cemetery.