John Wheeler Bunton
Kyle, Hays County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in Sumner County, Tenn., John Wheeler Bunton migrated to Texas in 1833. To secure freedom for his new homeland, he signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, helped draft a constitution, and fought in the Siege of Bexar and the Battle of San Jacinto. A lawyer, rancher, and owner of extensive lands, Bunton served in the 1st and 3rd congresses of the Republic of Texas. He lived in Austin and Bastrop counties before settling in Hays County near Mountain City. Originally buried in this county, Bunton was reinterred in the state cemetery in Austin in 1932.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Tennessee, John Wheeler Bunton came to Texas in 1833 and threw himself into the fight for independence, signing the Texas Declaration of Independence, helping draft a constitution, and fighting at the Siege of Bexar and the Battle of San Jacinto. A lawyer and rancher, he served in the first and third congresses of the Republic of Texas before settling in Hays County. In 1932 he was reinterred in the State Cemetery in Austin among the republic's honored dead.
Why it matters
Bunton embodies the founding generation that won and governed the Republic of Texas, binding the region's revolutionary birth to the wider story of American expansion.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · John Wheeler Bunton
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
- · Siege of Bexar
- · Texas Declaration of Independence
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Kyle Cemetery
Kyle, TX
Colonel Claiborne Kyle, one of Hays County's first settlers, buried his adopted son here in 1849 — the earliest recorded interment, though local lore claims a man hanged from a live oak on the grounds came first, giving rise to 'the hanging tree.' Kyle is said to have set aside land for a community burial ground, formalized when his son Polk deeded five acres in 1877 and further parcels were added into the next century. Among the pioneers and family members resting here are veterans of the Civil War and every major conflict through Vietnam.
Burleson Home
San Marcos, TX
This restored log house honors Gen. Edward Burleson (1793–1851), an officer in the Texas War for Independence, a leader in frontier defense, vice president of the Republic of Texas, and a state legislator. The original dwelling, built in 1848 of hewn elm and oak with a rock chimney, had fallen into ruin by 1917 before being rebuilt in 1964 using the old chimney stones and period logs. It stands for the generation that fought to establish and defend the young Republic.
Post San Marcos
San Marcos, TX
In December 1838 the Republic of Texas Congress ordered a chain of military roads and forts from the Red River to the Nueces, and a road from Austin joining the old Camino Real near St. Mark's Springs was meant to speed communication between San Antonio and the capital. Adjutant General Hugh McLeod laid out Post San Marcos to guard the route, and Captain Joseph Wiehl's company completed both road and fort in 1840. When the Republic disbanded its army in 1841 for lack of funds, the post closed.
William W. Moon
San Marcos, TX
William W. Moon, orphaned in infancy in Alabama, came to Texas in 1838 and rode with the Texas Rangers, first seeing the San Marcos Springs during a running Indian fight in 1843. Enchanted by the country, he brought his family to build a cabin here in 1845, making the Moons the first permanent Anglo-American settlers of what became Hays County. His cabin hosted the county's first sermon and first school, and he later served in both the Mexican War and the Civil War while running a hotel, stage stop, blacksmith shop, and freight line.