Military Plaza
Gonzales, Gonzales County, Texas
Marker Inscription
To comply with wishes of governor of Coahuila and Texas, the 1825 plans for Gonzales followed usual plans for Spanish towns. Surveyed by James Kerr, agent for colony's contractor, Green DeWitt, and Kerr's assistant, Byrd Lockhart. This was named Military Plaza.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When Gonzales was laid out in 1825 as the capital of Green DeWitt's colony, its plan followed the traditional Spanish town design mandated by the governor of Coahuila and Texas. Surveyor James Kerr, DeWitt's agent, and his assistant Byrd Lockhart platted the settlement's public squares, designating this one Military Plaza. The town would soon become famous as the site of the first shot of the Texas Revolution.
Why it matters
Gonzales's formal Spanish-Mexican town plan marks the moment Anglo-American colonists settled Texas under Mexican law, a decade before the Republic — and just years before the revolution began nearby.
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Related people
- · James Kerr
- · Green DeWitt
- · Byrd Lockhart
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
The Presbyterian Church of Gonzales
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James W. Robinson
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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.