Site of the Home of Antonio Gil y Barbo
Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Site of the Home of ANTONIO GIL Y BARBO 1729 ... 1809 Founder of modern Nacogdoches in 1779. This Spanish frontiersman matched wits with Spanish governors in the interest of the early settlers of this region. A leader of the people, he brought the exiles back. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Antonio Gil y Barbo, a Spanish frontiersman born in 1729, founded modern Nacogdoches in 1779 and became a leader who matched wits with Spanish governors on behalf of the region's early settlers—famously bringing back exiles who had been forced to abandon the area. This marker stands at the site of his home, remembering the man behind one of the oldest towns in Texas.
Why it matters
Gil y Barbo's founding of Nacogdoches anchors the Spanish colonial roots of East Texas, generations before it became part of the United States.
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Related people
- · Antonio Gil y Barbo
Related events
- · Founding of Nacogdoches, 1779
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
On This Site Stood for a Century an Old Stone House
Nacogdoches, TX
For roughly a century a stone house stood on this Nacogdoches site, thought to have been built about 1779 by town founder Antonio Gil Ybarbo and sold by him in 1805. It later served as headquarters for Indian traders William Barr and Samuel Davenport and, over its long life, did duty as trading post, warehouse, town hall, fort, barracks, church, tavern, and saloon before being demolished in 1902. A reconstruction rose in 1936 on the college campus.
Site of "Old Soledad"
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Before 1800, this spot was known across East Texas as "Old Soledad," the headquarters of William Barr and Samuel Davenport, licensed traders who did business with the region's Native nations. In the Spanish borderlands, such traders were the crucial go-betweens, exchanging manufactured goods for hides and deerskins and knitting frontier economies together. A 1936 state marker fixes the site's place in that vanished world.
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.
Sam Houston's First Home in Texas
Nacogdoches, TX
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.