Near This Site Stood a Town Hall
San Felipe, Austin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built about 1830 in which were held the First and Second Conventions of Texas, 1832 and 1833, and the Consultation of 1835 the provisional government functioned here until March 2, 1836. When the Republic was formed at Washington on the Brazos the building was burned with the town, March 29, 1836, to prevent its falling into the hands of the advancing Mexican army. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Near this spot in the old capital of Anglo-American colonization stood a town hall built about 1830 that became a cradle of Texas self-government. Within its walls met the Conventions of 1832 and 1833 and the Consultation of 1835, and the provisional government operated here until Texas declared independence in March 1836. As the Mexican army advanced weeks later, the building and the town of San Felipe were burned to deny them to the enemy.
Why it matters
San Felipe was the political heart of Anglo Texas, where colonists first organized the grievances and institutions that led to independence.
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Related events
- · Conventions of 1832 and 1833
- · Consultation of 1835
- · Texas Revolution
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
On This Site Stood the Only Home Owned in Texas by Stephen F. Austin
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San Felipe de Austin was the unofficial capital of Anglo Texas, the seat of Stephen F. Austin's colony — and this was the only home Austin, the "Father of Texas," ever owned in the region. In March 1836, as Santa Anna's army advanced during the Texas Revolution, Texans deliberately burned San Felipe to deny it to the enemy, and Austin's house went up with the town. The scorched-earth retreat was part of the desperate "Runaway Scrape" that preceded the victory at San Jacinto.
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