Site of Groce's Ferry
Hempstead vicinity, Waller County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Established across the Brazos in 1822 (the river has since changed its course) by Jared E. Groce (1782-1836). Near here the Texas Army camped from March 30 to April 12, 1836. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Jared E. Groce, one of Stephen F. Austin's earliest and wealthiest colonists, opened this ferry across the Brazos in 1822, giving travelers a crossing on a river that has since wandered from its old bed. In the spring of 1836, as Santa Anna's army pressed east, Sam Houston's Texas Army encamped near here from late March into April, resting and drilling before the campaign that ended at San Jacinto. The State of Texas marked the spot in its 1936 centennial.
Why it matters
Groce's Ferry links the peaceful business of Anglo colonization with the desperate spring of 1836, when the ground around it became a staging area for Texas independence.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Jared E. Groce
Related events
- · Texas Revolution
- · Runaway Scrape
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Andrew Robinson Sr.
Washington, TX
Andrew Robinson Sr. was the first of Stephen F. Austin's "Old 300" colonists to reach Texas, arriving in November 1821 with his family and later receiving title to over 9,000 acres. He co-founded the town of Washington, ran a ferry at the La Bahia Crossing, and kept a hotel and saloon. In 1835 he fought at the Battle of Gonzales, where his unit carried the original Lone Star flag sewn by Sarah Dodson.
Sam Houston's Camp West of the Brazos
Cochran, TX
In the anxious weeks after the fall of the Alamo and the Goliad massacre in the spring of 1836, Sam Houston's outnumbered Texian army fell back east and made camp along the Brazos. Here Houston drilled his raw recruits, absorbed fresh reinforcements and supplies, and took delivery of the "Twin Sisters" cannon that would soon see action. From this staging ground he crossed the river and marched to the decisive victory at San Jacinto on April 21.
In This Vicinity_Plantation of Charles Donoho
Hempstead, TX
In the tense weeks after the fall of the Alamo and Goliad, Sam Houston's Texas Army was in full retreat across the Brazos country during the so-called 'Runaway Scrape.' On April 14–15, 1836, the army camped near here on Charles Donoho's plantation before marching toward Harrisburg — the final maneuver that would end days later in the decisive victory at San Jacinto. This unassuming farmland briefly held the fate of an independent Texas.
Camp Site Of the Texas Army
Hempstead, TX
In the anxious spring of 1836, as Santa Anna's forces pressed eastward, the Texas Army camped near this point from March 31 to April 13. Here the troops crossed the rain-swollen Brazos River aboard the steamboat Yellow Stone before turning toward Harrisburg. Within weeks that march would end in the stunning victory at San Jacinto that secured Texas independence.