Home of Thomas S. McFarland
San Augustine, San Augustine County, Texas
Marker Inscription
HOME OF THOMAS S. McFARLAND 1810 * * 1880 Surveyor, soldier and statesman. Aide-de-Camp to Major Bullock in the battle of Nacogdoches, 1832. Laid off the town of San Augustine in 1833. Soldier in the Texan army, 1836. Member of the Congress of the Republic of Texas. Chief Justice, San Augustine County Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Thomas S. McFarland was a surveyor, soldier, and statesman of the Texas Revolution and early republic. He served as aide-de-camp at the 1832 Battle of Nacogdoches, laid out the town of San Augustine in 1833, fought in the Texan army in 1836, and later sat in the Congress of the Republic of Texas before serving as chief justice of San Augustine County. The State of Texas marked his home in 1936 to honor a founder of East Texas civic life.
Why it matters
Figures like McFarland literally drew the towns and wrote the laws of the Republic of Texas, embodying the surveyor-soldier-statesman who built a new polity from the frontier up.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
In the early 1830s, Texas was still part of Mexico, and its eastern edge was filling up with settlers from the United States. East Texas lay along the old Camino Real, the royal road that had linked Spanish missions and towns for more than a century, and newcomers followed it west from Louisiana into the forests and river bottoms around Nacogdoches and the Ayish Bayou country.
Tensions between those settlers and the Mexican government were rising. Mexico had grown uneasy about the flood of Anglo-American immigrants and tried to tighten control, while many settlers resented new rules and the presence of Mexican garrisons. In 1832 those frictions boiled over into armed clashes, including the fight at Nacogdoches.
Within four years, Texas would declare independence and fight the Texas Revolution of 1836. For nearly a decade afterward, it existed as an independent republic, with its own congress, courts, and counties, all of which had to be built nearly from scratch.
The marker itself belongs to another historical moment: 1936, the centennial of Texas independence. That year the state placed many markers honoring the founders of the revolution and the republic, and this one reflects that celebratory effort to remember the generation that created Texas.
People & events
Thomas S. McFarland was born in 1810 and came of age just as East Texas was becoming a flashpoint. He was a surveyor by training, and on the frontier that was a powerful skill. Surveyors decided where property lines ran, where streets went, and how land would be divided among settlers.
In 1832, McFarland served as aide-de-camp to Major Bullock at the Battle of Nacogdoches. In that clash, armed settlers confronted the Mexican garrison stationed in the town after its commander demanded that they surrender their weapons. The settlers prevailed and the garrison withdrew, an episode often seen as one of the preludes to the Texas Revolution.
The next year, in 1833, McFarland laid off the town of San Augustine, putting his surveyor's chain to work to mark out streets and lots for a new community. When revolution came in 1836, he served as a soldier in the Texan army.
Once independence was won, McFarland turned to governing. He was elected to the Congress of the Republic of Texas and later served as chief justice of San Augustine County. In a single lifetime he had helped fight for Texas, physically lay out one of its towns, and write and enforce its laws.
Its place in the American story
McFarland's career captures how new American communities were built on the frontier. Men like him were the surveyors who drew the lines, the soldiers who defended them, and the officials who governed what grew up inside them. Each role depended on the others.
The Texas Revolution and the Republic of Texas are a vital chapter in the larger story of American expansion. The independent republic joined the United States in 1845, and that annexation helped lead to the U.S.-Mexican War and the vast westward growth of the nation in the years that followed.
San Augustine itself reflects the deep roots of East Texas. Sitting along the old Camino Real, the area was one of the earliest gateways for Americans entering Texas, so its founding is part of the broader movement of people from the American South westward across the Sabine River.
The 1936 marker also tells a story about memory. During the Texas Centennial, the state honored figures like McFarland to celebrate its founding generation, and those markers still shape how Texans understand where their state came from.
If you visit
San Augustine is one of the oldest towns in East Texas, and it rewards a slow walk. As you stand near this marker, remember that the streets around you were laid out by the man it honors, so the shape of the town itself is part of his story.
The surrounding countryside is classic East Texas: tall pines, rolling hills, and red clay roads. It is easy to imagine the frontier settlement here, with travelers arriving along the old royal road from Louisiana.
San Augustine fits beautifully into a road trip following the historic route of El Camino Real de los Tejas across East Texas. Nacogdoches, where McFarland served in the 1832 battle, lies not far to the west, so you can trace a piece of his life on a single drive.
Look for the 1936 Centennial-era style of the marker as well. Those markers are historical artifacts in their own right, reminders of the year Texas paused to honor the people who built it.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · Thomas S. McFarland
Related events
- · Battle of Nacogdoches
- · Founding of San Augustine
Themes & tags
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