Potter's Point
Smithland, Marion County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Site of one of most famous events in Texas. Robert Potter-- a signer, Texas Declaration of Independence, a chief author of Republic's Constitution, first Secretary of Navy, Republic of Texas-- settled 1837 on Caddo Lake. A former U. S. Congressman, he won election 1840 to Texas Senate. After Senate adjourned in 1842 he tried to arrest his political foe, William P. Rose. On night of March 1, 1842, Rose led armed men to Potter's home. At dawn Senator Potter jumped into the lake to swim for help, but was shot to death. He is buried in State Cemetery, Austin.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Robert Potter was one of the founding figures of the Republic of Texas—a signer of its Declaration of Independence, a shaper of its constitution, and its first Secretary of the Navy—who settled on Caddo Lake in 1837 and won a Senate seat in 1840. His fierce personal and political feud with William P. Rose turned deadly here: in March 1842, Rose's armed party surrounded his home, and Potter was shot dead as he swam across the lake seeking help. The killing became one of the frontier Republic's most notorious episodes.
Why it matters
Potter's violent end lays bare how personal vendetta and frontier justice tangled with the fragile institutions of the young Republic of Texas.
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Related people
- · Robert Potter
- · William P. Rose
Related events
- · Texas Declaration of Independence
Themes & tags
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