Nacogdoches, The Oldest Town In Texas

I have visited the City of Nacogdoches twice in my travels across the Lone Star State. Once in the fall of 2019 when I presented my Sam Whitley research at the East Texas Historical Association meeting. And another time during my honeymoon in the winter of 2020. I thoroughly enjoyed every waking moment in the quaint city, either visiting antique malls or walking along the cobbled footpaths in the picturesque downtown square, or eating at a local restaurant. Today, I will share some photographs from my trips and write a brief history of Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas (a phrase coined by Lucille Fain, a long-time columnist for The Daily Sentinel).

The building on the left in this picture (with the Coca-Cola mural) is one of the oldest buildings in Nacogdoches (built in 1907) and its lot has witnessed much history. The structure currently houses an antique shop, yet in its early days, it was a restaurant where young Bonnie Parker was a waitress (prior to her naughty behavior with Clyde Chestnut Barrow).

Located amidst the dense pine forests in the heart of East Texas, Nacogdoches was at first home to the Caddo tribes. The Natives were hunters and gatherers; the males would venture into the forests and kill the wild animals while the women would harvest the crops and raise the offspring. Their peaceful lives were disrupted in the early eighteenth century when Spanish missionaries settled in the area and created six missions. The missionaries were tasked to convert the Natives to Christians and loyal subject of the Spanish government. Moreover, the string of churches and forts established an eastern border with Spain's neighbors in North America, including the French and British. However, the missions were ineffective; by 1763, the French had been kicked out of the North American sphere due to their loss in the Seven Years War against Britain and the Caddo Natives had turned a blind eye to Christianity. Owing to these failures, the Spanish closed the missions and ordered the missionaries and their families to relocate to San Antonio in 1773. Yet, Antonio Gil Y'Barbo and a group of settlers from the former missions craved adventure and headed back eastward, where they established the modern City of Nacogdoches in April 1779. The town's legendary name was derived from the Caddo tribe who lived along its Banita and La Nana Creeks.

Nacogdoches's City Hall. Nine flags have flown over Nacogdoches, including the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of France, the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition, the Dr. James Long Expedition, Mexico, the Fredonia Rebellion, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America, and the United States of America.

Y'Barbo, the self-proclaimed leader of the town, built a stone house, later known as Old Stone Fort, on a corner of the Plaza Principal, the center of his new community. Old Stone Fort, which survived until 1902, served as Y'Barbo's headquarters. There, the distinguished military captain and political representative of Spain, distributed land grants to land-hungry travelers. Y'Barbo would later be exiled after engaging in forbidden trading activities, however, the importance of the Old Stone Fort would remain in public memory for a long time. Wooden houses, general stores, banks, law firms, and other civic centerpieces were constructed near Old Stone Fort as Nacogdoches thrived at the start of the nineteenth century. In the years leading up to the Texas Revolution, Nacogdoches was host to a few failed local coups, including the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition of 1812, the Dr. James Long uprising in 1819, and the Fredonia Rebellion of the 1820s. The community saw blood and tears during the bloody Revolution against Mexico in 1832, and refugees during the famous Runaway Scrape settled in Nacogdoches in 1836. Many renowned politicians resided in Nacogdoches during the independent state's tenure, including General Sam Houston, Senator Thomas J. Rusk, attorney Adolphus Sterne, and Charles S. Taylor, a signer of the Texas Deceleration of Independence. After Texas joined the United States as the 28th state, Nacogdoches enjoyed a fruitful agricultural economy. Although no violence occurred in Nacogdoches during the Civil War, the pre-war economy that so many craved for collapsed following the Confederate force's defeat in 1865. Towards the end of that century, population swelled as migrants from Dallas and Houston settled in East Texas, businesses boomed from Gilded Age politics, and the economic mood appeared to once again be happy.

Nacogdoches Main Street at night- very peaceful!

Nacogdoches was proudly represented on the world stage during the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II. The Stone Fort Rifles, a volunteer group named after Nacogdoches's landmark, fought overseas in 1898, and the Dough Boys, which comprised of enlisted privates of various ages, took up arms in 1917 after the United States's eventual entry in the Great War. Soldiers hailing from Nacogdoches and the pine forests of East Texas continued to put their lives on the line and protect our liberties throughout the twentieth century by fighting in the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf Wars. The city's military traditions continue to this day as fighting occurs in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. On another important note, education facilities swelled in numbers in this region at the start of the twentieth century. Schools were no longer wooden cabins at the edge of town; concrete facilities were built to house white and colored students (prior to integration in the 1960s), and the city's well-known institution of higher learning, Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College was finally established by groundbreaking legislation from the office of State Senator Wilfred Roy Cousins Sr. in 1923. The teaching college would continue to grow in size and population in the aftermath of World War II, and today caters for over 13,000 students. 

The Air B n B residences in Nacogdoches are wonderful. I have stayed in one on Church Street (the white building at the right of this photograph); it was within minutes to the main plaza. The host was very generous. The structure next to my Air B n B used to be one of the first hotels in Nacogdoches.

An influx of small and larger businesses crowded the marketplace during this time, including Texas Farm Products (the huge manufacturer of fertilizer and animal feeds and products) and the Fredonia Hotel (the hotel was recently refurbished and looks fantastic!). I admire the fact that despite the substantial amount of growth Nacogdoches has seen in the previous four centuries, the city continues to have an antiqued, comforting atmosphere. If you are ever in East Texas, I would highly recommend driving through this beautiful place, admiring the old trinkets at the many antique stores on Main Street, grabbing a bite to eat at the eateries (including one of my favorite burger places, NacBurger!), and maybe staying the night at one of Nacogdoches's fantastic Air B n Bs. Additionally, the people in Nacogdoches are really friendly and make you feel welcome at every street corner. I will not hesitate to travel back there again!!

A historic street corner in Nacogdoches. The building on the left of the photograph -now vacant- used to be the home of Will Haltom's local newspaper, Chronicle. The periodical was later renamed The Daily Sentinel and moved locations. The structure in the center of the photograph -now a book store- used to house the Commercial National Bank.

For more information on Nacogdoches, I recommend reading Nacogdoches by Archie P. McDonald and Hardy Meredith (Arcadia Publishing, 2009).