Goliad, Texas. Part 1 of 3

March 21, 2021 Writing My Story

I’m going to start catching up now on some of the interesting things I never had time to share before. One of them is information about Goliad, Texas. I’m going to divide it into the history of the city, the history of the missions, and the history of the fort. That will be the focus of each of the three parts.

History of Goliad

Goliad is the third oldest municipality in the state of Texas, and one of the oldest counties in Texas. It was initially named Santa Doretea by the Spaniards in the 16th century. Its name was changed to Goliad in February of 1829. This name is an anagram of the last name of a Spanish priest, Father Hidalgo. I thought that was interesting. (I know, they left out the h ! )

***This goes into more details as to the reasons behind the name change. It also is related to Texas petitioning for statehood.***

The city began to be built following the Texas revolution of 1836 when General Sam Houston, then the governor of the Republic of Texas, gave them four leagues of land in 1844. ( There’s going to be a test after this, so pay attention 😂 ) The City built its courthouse which became town square. Then all around the square were built the city stores and buildings. Because of the timing, this area is very historic and picturesque. And there are still businesses operating out of most of the buildings. Goliad was the smallest city in Texas to be selected for the Main Street program in 1984. The Courthouse Square Historic District is one of the most complete examples of early Texas settlement. And it really seems that way. So now that that is out of the way, let’s get on with what I saw and experienced. 😊

the courthouse is really impressive and you can see it from blocks away. All around the square are historical markers. you can see one to the left and one to the right of the sidewalk going to the door.

The historic downtown area of Goliad, is about 2 to 3 blocks from one of the main roads going through the outskirts of the city. Those roads are where all the more recent businesses are; such as grocery stores, General Dollar, Sonic etc. But once you turn toward the historic district you just go back in time!

**The courthouse was built in 1894. It’s just a beautiful structure all the way around!**

I went downtown probably two to three different times while I was there. I did not know that the courthouse is still the county seat and is open and operating! I would have loved to have seen what it looks like inside!! I imagine a lot of old, beautiful woodwork.

**this beautiful, spectacular tree was unfortunately used as the Hanging Tree.**

It’s amazing that this beautiful tree, that was used for hanging people, is still growing so well. Can you imagine the history that this tree has seen! This historical marker speaks about the use of the tree.

**if you were sentenced to death by the courts, it was carried out immediately! Scary!**

Remember the TV program The Lone Ranger? He was a Texas ranger. And used silver bullets in his gun!! 😯 And his Indian sidekick was Tonto! I know he called The Lone ranger ” kemosabe”. 🤔 Well this historical marker really was interesting. I did not know that the rangers were developed as a way to control cattle thieves after the chaos of the Civil War! The rangers ( also known as regulators) were deputized cattlemen and ranchers called upon to help control the thievery and thieves. I can see how Texas has it in their blood to take charge and fight back. When I share some of the history from the fort later, you can see how the people were called upon to fight numerous times!!

It really was interesting to stroll around the square of the courthouse. Not only was it pretty and relaxing, it was a great way to learn history in small amounts.

**Santa Anna’s surrender is a big part of this area’s history although it did not take place at Goliad. It is further discussed at the fort.**

**On one of the corners is a tribute to people who lost their lives in the more recent wars. This also gives a great picture of the courthouse and the square.**

***looks like Texas has experienced it share of tornadoes as well. It was so different when no one had a clue it was coming…***

I think we have now looked at all of the historical markers that are around the courthouse. Now I would like to share some of the photos of the old architecture that surrounds the square and is still part of the downtown businesses.

***Unique. The red one is a gun shop! I’ll show you pictures of the inside later 😬***

**real nice gift shops with high end thrift items in these stores. I enjoyed them**

lovely stores. Even the pharmacy was in an old time store. But it just happened to be closed. ☹️ It was an up to date pharmacy. But I wonder if it would not have had a display of a lot of the old time medicines and tools.

**I love these kind of outdoor courtyard restaurants. But it seemed to be closed the entire time I was there**

To the left of the courtyard, along the wall of the restaurant, is an historical advertisement for Bull Durham tobacco. It was discovered when damaged sheetrock was removed. How serendipity! ( Yes, I am liking that word..😅).

**the color and Dynamics in that ad look better than many of our ads today.**

And of course there is an historical marker to go along with this. 😀

***Nationally this wall is a rare surviving example of advertising between 1894 and 1900.***

**the Bull Durham/restaurant courtyard. The building to the right I think was a hotel. That would be a cool place to stay.**

**these are other buildings further down from the restaurant. I think we’ve covered all four sides of the square now.**

Notice the building that says Hanging Tree antiques? The following pictures are from inside there. The items that we have so much of that they go to Goodwill, are worth a lot more in Texas!! A friend of a friend actually makes trips with Wisconsin Western and farm items down to Texas to sell them. And here you can barely give them away!!

**I have these bottles and lids from my mother. They are marked at $29 each in Goliad! I wonder if they will sell at that**

**do any of you still have this type of tin? I have my mother’s and it is not rusted!**

**this was absolutely gorgeous ! Carved teak bench from Indonesia. Only $1,800!**

Remember when I told you that one old style building was a gun shop? Well this is it and here are some pictures from inside. One of the guys inside, probably in his 60s, at first assertively told me that I didn’t need to wear a mask in there. ( He was sitting behind a counter holding a rifle pointed at the ceiling ,thank God.) He said, bad people who came in with masks might want to rob them and he’d have to shoot at them. I told him to go to hell. ( Not really!!!😂) but I did tell him that I felt better with the mask on. He just told me to duck if he started shooting. I said I would. 😅 ( I’m too old to be intimidated!! )

**not real big inside. And he really had some old interesting items inside besides the guns.**

**look at the incredible Lions feet on this table! It was almost completely covered by the tablecloth and the things set upon it. The table was not for sale. That is a real clawfoot table!**

And of course he had to point out the lamp in the window. 😀 We all know the movie that came from!!

One of the gift shops was geared toward high-end sensory and decorative items. Such as high-end candles, lotions, linens etc. Probably similar to things we would find in door County or other resort cities in Wisconsin. But the buildings they were in added a real old time warmth.

**those candles on that dresser with the wrapped black exterior, were selling at 40 and $80 a piece 🤪**

**Beautiful scented lotions, but not in my budget.**

**these sombreros were in another shop. They were so colorful and so well done! I never did find out how much they cost**

I made one last swing around the capitol when I left Goliad. I really wanted to get a picture of my truck and RV with the courthouse because I was so impressed by it.

**I know. I’m on the wrong side of the street. I think it was a sunday, so no cops around. 😀**

Well, after 3+ hours, I think I’m finally finished with the city, part 1! Below is where I am right now, March 20th, Saturday evening. I am at the Colorado County safety rest area off of Highway 10 about 60 miles west of Houston, Texas. Don’t I look small next to all those big guys? I haven’t stuck my head out to take a look at what it looks like now at 9:00 p.m. . They keep coming and going.

Until next time…🤗