Sam Houston's First Home in Texas
Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Sam Houston made his first home in Texas in this historic town of Nacogdoches. A former Tennessee governor and U.S. Congressman, Houston left Washington, D.C. for Texas in December of 1832. The presence of Tennesseeans and fellow Masons Adolphus Sterne and Henry Raguet made Nacogdoches an agreeable place to settle. Houston boarded with the Sternes and soon set up a law practice. The Sternes sponsored his baptism into the Catholic Church, enabling him to own property under Mexican law. Houston's arrival in Nacogdoches came very soon after the settlers of Anahuac, Velasco and Nacogdoches had driven out their Mexican garrisons in the first actions of the Texas Revolution, and he represented Nacogdoches as a delegate in San Felipe at the Convention in 1833 and the Consultation of 1835. Although frequently away from Nacogdoches during the Texas Revolution and early Republic, Houston maintained close ties with the town. His friendship with Thomas J. Rusk, forged while they were both citizens of Nacogdoches, lasted through wars, independence and statehood; the men served together as Texas' first U.S. senators. In an 1849 affidavit witnessed by Rusk, Houston stated that he first "domiciled in Nacogdoches in February 1833," and he continued to declare his residence in Nacogdoches "and no other place" until 1839. Although many places in the state can make valid claims to Sam Houston, only Nacogdoches can claim to be his first permanent Texas home. (2009)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When Sam Houston left Washington for Texas in late 1832, he chose Nacogdoches as his first home, drawn by fellow Tennesseans and Masons like Adolphus Sterne and Henry Raguet. He boarded with the Sternes, set up a law practice, and was baptized Catholic so he could own property under Mexican law. From here he was elected a delegate to the conventions that led toward revolution, and his lifelong friendship with Thomas J. Rusk — later a fellow Texas senator — was forged in this town.
Why it matters
Nacogdoches is where one of Texas's founding figures put down his first roots, tying this East Texas town to the birth of the republic and its entry into the Union.
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Related people
- · Sam Houston
- · Thomas J. Rusk
- · Adolphus Sterne
- · Henry Raguet
Related events
- · Convention of 1833
- · Consultation of 1835
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Nine Flags of Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches, TX
A frontier gateway for centuries, Nacogdoches has flown nine flags rather than the six familiar to Texas history. Beyond Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States, and the Confederacy, three short-lived banners rose from failed bids for independence: the emerald flag of the 1812-13 Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition, the star-and-stripes of James Long's 1819 republic, and the red-and-white flag of Haden Edwards's 1826-27 Republic of Fredonia. Each rebellion collapsed, but together they marked the town as a crucible of revolutionary ferment on the Texas frontier.
General Thomas J. Rusk
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Remembered as a patriot, soldier, statesman, and jurist, Thomas J. Rusk fought for Texas independence at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. The South Carolina native made Nacogdoches his home and gave much of his life to the young Republic and, later, the state. This monument, raised by the State of Texas, bears the simple tribute that "He lived for Texas."
John S. Roberts
Nacogdoches, TX
Once a sheriff in Natchitoches, Louisiana, John S. Roberts threw himself into the Texas cause, helping lead the 1832 Battle of Nacogdoches and commanding the Nacogdoches company in the 1835 storming of Bexar. He served in the 1835 Consultation and signed the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836. A Virginia native, he lived out his years in the town he had fought for, dying in 1871.
Haden Edwards
Nacogdoches, TX
A Virginia-born empresario, Haden Edwards received a contract to settle American families around Nacogdoches but fell into bitter conflict with Mexican authorities and existing residents. In 1826-27 he led the short-lived Fredonian Rebellion, an early and premature bid for Anglo independence in Texas that collapsed quickly. A decade later, during the Texas Revolution, he was sent to the United States to raise funds for the cause.