HistoricSiteMarkers
Early Republic

John Herron

McDade, Bastrop County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Star and Wreath A Mina volunteer in the Texas War for Independence; a San Jacinto veteran. Erected by the State of Texas, 1962

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

John Herron marched from the Mina district as a volunteer in the Texas War for Independence and fought at the decisive Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. That brief, furious campaign won Texas its separation from Mexico and established the Republic of Texas. The State of Texas erected this marker in 1962 to honor his service among the founders' generation.

Why it matters

Ordinary volunteers like Herron won Texas independence at San Jacinto, a turning point that reshaped the map of North America and set the stage for U.S. westward expansion.

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Related people

  • · John Herron

Related events

  • · Battle of San Jacinto
  • · Texas War for Independence

Themes & tags

Military & WartimeWestward ExpansionFrontier HistoryMemorial

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Jourdan Smith

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Georgia-born Jourdan Smith came to Texas in 1836 to fight in its war for independence, earning land from the young Republic for his service. A carpenter and professional builder, he settled in the Young's Prairie community, served as justice of the peace, and passed down land his descendants still hold today.

Robert Love Reding

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Robert Love Reding, born in Tennessee in 1810, joined the Army of Texas and took part in the capture of Goliad on October 9, 1835, one of the opening actions of the Texas Revolution. He was also a signer of the Goliad Declaration of Independence, an early call for Texas separation from Mexico. He died in 1849, and this marker in Bastrop County honors his part in the fight for Texas independence.

John Holland Jenkins

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This marker honors John Holland Jenkins, who as a young soldier fought in the San Jacinto campaign of the Texas War for Independence. The State of Texas erected the memorial in 1962 to commemorate his service. Jenkins later became known for his written recollections of frontier Texas life.

Old Jenkins Home

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Raised around 1836 for Sarah Jenkins—widowed once by a frontier killing and again by the fall of the Alamo—this Bastrop-area home sheltered seven generations of a single family. Its men answered the call in nearly every American conflict from San Jacinto through both World Wars, and rode with the Texas Rangers besides. Few dwellings so completely fold the sweep of Texas and American military history into one household's story.