Duncan's Ferry (on San Marcos River)
Gonzales, Gonzales County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Started about 1834 by Benjamin Duncan (1793-1866), a Scotsman. According to tradition, Susanna Dickinson, the widow of Almaron Dickinson, stopped first at Duncan's home on her way to tell people of Gonzales of fall of the Alamo. She was one of few survivors of this bloody battle of Texas Revolution, in which many Gonzales men died. Upon hearing news, General Sam Houston ordered retreat of the Texas Army (camped in Gonzales) and on night of March 13, 1836, he had town and ferry burned to keep them from enemy hand. Duncan later rebuilt ferry, which was operated until 1866. (1971)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Scotsman Benjamin Duncan began his ferry across the San Marcos River around 1834, on the eve of the Texas Revolution. Tradition says Susanna Dickinson, a survivor of the Alamo, stopped at Duncan's home while carrying word of the fort's fall to Gonzales, whose men had died in the battle. On hearing the news, Sam Houston ordered the Texas army's retreat and had the town and ferry burned in March 1836; Duncan later rebuilt and ran the crossing until 1866.
Why it matters
The ferry sits at the heart of the Runaway Scrape, when the fall of the Alamo sent Houston's army and Gonzales's families fleeing east in the dramatic weeks before San Jacinto.
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Related people
- · Benjamin Duncan
- · Susanna Dickinson
- · Sam Houston
Related events
- · Fall of the Alamo
- · Texas Revolution
Themes & tags
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