Market Square
Gonzales, Gonzales County, Texas
Marker Inscription
First mapped in 1825 as "Jail Square," but became Market Square prior to 1836, and has served this purpose ever since; while that block, first mapped as "Market Square," became "Jail Square." The squares of Gonzales. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1966
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
First mapped in 1825 as "Jail Square," this block in Gonzales became Market Square sometime before 1836 and has served that purpose ever since — even as the block originally drawn as "Market Square" swapped roles to become "Jail Square." The playful reversal is part of the story of the town's early public squares. Gonzales was among the earliest Anglo settlements of the DeWitt colony.
Why it matters
The public square was the civic and commercial heart of a Texas town, and this one preserves the original 1820s town plan of Gonzales, a community central to the coming of the Texas Revolution.
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Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Indian Fort, Site of
Gonzales, TX
An Indian raid on July 2, 1826, left one Gonzales settler dead and another wounded and sent the frightened colonists fleeing to Burnham's Station on the Colorado River or to the Lavaca. In 1827, Green DeWitt's colonists were ordered back to reestablish the settlement, and on this lot they built a fort for protection. It was a small but telling episode in the struggle to hold the Texas frontier.
Gonzales Cannon Burial Site
Gonzales, TX
At this spot in a peach orchard, the colonists of Gonzales buried their contested cannon to hide it from 150 Mexican dragoons sent to seize it in September 1835. Two days later they dug it up, mounted it on ox-cart wheels, loaded it with chains and scrap iron, and fired what is remembered as the first shot of the Texas Revolution.
Plaza
Gonzales, TX
When Gonzales was laid out as a four-league town tract, its inner city held 49 squares, seven of them reserved for public use. This particular square was meant for a municipal building but instead became a public plaza. Today it bears the name Texas Heroes Square, honoring the men of Gonzales who took up arms in the Texas Revolution.
Andrew Ponton
Gonzales, TX
Andrew Ponton came to Texas in 1829, settled in Green DeWitt's colony, and by 1834 served as alcalde—mayor—of Gonzales. When Mexican forces demanded the town's cannon in 1835, his delay in surrendering it helped spark the "Come and Take It" fight now remembered as the opening battle of the Texas Revolution. He also helped rally the Gonzales men, the "Immortal 32," who answered Travis's call and died at the Alamo, and he later served the Republic of Texas as a legislator and judge.