Captain Israel Spikes
Kaufman, Kaufman County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1824 - 1879) Pioneer patriot. Spikes Prairie named for him and his family. In 1875-1876 Spikes served as an elected spokesman from this district in state convention to reestablish free government. He rode horseback to Austin with John H. Reagan, former Confederate Postmaster General, later United States Senator. The Constitution these men helped write has been in force for nearly a century. Spikes, a Confederate veteran and Mason, had ten children.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Israel Spikes was an early settler of Kaufman County, where Spikes Prairie still carries his family's name. A Confederate veteran and Mason, he was chosen in 1875 to represent his district at the convention that drafted a new state constitution, riding horseback to Austin alongside John H. Reagan, the former Confederate Postmaster General and later U.S. senator. The 1876 Texas Constitution they helped write remained the state's governing document for generations.
Why it matters
Spikes represents the local citizen-delegates who rebuilt self-government in Reconstruction-era Texas, hammering out a constitution that still shapes the state today.
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Related people
- · Israel Spikes
- · John H. Reagan
Related events
- · 1875 Texas Constitutional Convention
Themes & tags
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