Old Osage
Weimar, Colorado County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Site of 1820 trading post of Jesse Burnam. His ferry on the Colorado River helped Gen. Sam Houston reach San Jacinto, 1836. To cut off Santa Anna, Houston then burned post and ferry. Town started in 1850s was named for Osage orange trees. In 1861, Civil War recruiting center. Furnished most of Co. A, 5th Texas Cav., Green's Brigade. This park, on land deeded by Edward Austin for school and churches, includes cemetery and graves of many Civil War veterans. Was also burial site, Wm. B. Scates, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This quiet park in Weimar marks a spot that helped decide the Texas Revolution. Jesse Burnam opened a trading post here in 1820, and his ferry across the Colorado River sped Sam Houston's army toward San Jacinto in 1836 — after which Houston burned the crossing to slow Santa Anna's pursuit. The town that later rose here took its name from the Osage orange trees nearby, and in 1861 it became a Confederate recruiting center that raised most of Company A, 5th Texas Cavalry.
Why it matters
Few country crossroads can claim a hand in both Texas independence and the Civil War; this one sheltered a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and the men who marched off to Green's Brigade.
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Related people
- · Jesse Burnam
- · Sam Houston
- · Santa Anna
- · William B. Scates
- · Edward Austin
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
- · Texas Revolution
- · American Civil War
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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