NACOGDOCHES

Altitude. 283

General

El Camino Real-"The King's Highway"; first blazed in 1691 by Domingo Teran de los Rios, first provincial governor of Texas. Often called "Old San Antonio Road" (OSR), route is virtually that of today's Texas 21.

L.T. BARRET MEMORIAL

LA CALLE DEL NORTE

HADEN EDWARDS HOUSE

LANANA CREEK TRAIL

MILLARD'S CROSSING

OAK GROVE CEMETERY

OLD NORTH CHURCH

OLD STONE FORT

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN ARBORETUM AND HERB GARDEN

STERNE-HOYA HOME

VISITOR INFORMATION

Attractions

• L.T. BARRET MEMORIAL-Honors the man who drilled Texas' first oil well in 1866. It produced 10 barrels a day. Memorial located on Stephen F. Austin State Univ. campus.
• LA CALLE DEL NORTE-Spanish for "The Street of the North," currently North Street in Nacagdoches, believed to be oldest public thoroughfare in the U.S. Long before Spanish explorers discovered and named it, route connected the major Indian community of Nacogdoches with other Indian villages to the north.
• HADEN EDWARDS HOUSE-Home of first Empresario of Texas and leader of the Fredonia Rebellion of 1826, which paved the way for Texas Independence. House is open for tours Sun. 2 p.m. Admission. 106 N. Lanana.
• LANANA CREEK TRAIL-Six mile rustic trail through Pecan Acres Park along Lanana Creek. Scenic trail follows paths once traveled by Indians.
• MILLARD'S CROSSING-A group restored 19th Century buildings furnished with antiques and pioneer memorabilia. Guided tours Mon. - Sat. 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.; Sun. 1 - 4 p.m. 6020 North St. (U.S. 59 north). Admission.
• OAK GROVE CEMETERY-Graves date from 1837. Several interesting monuments; four signers of Texas Declaration of Independence, including Thomas J. Rusk, buried here. On N. Lanana St. at Hospital St.
• OLD NACOGDOCHES UNIVERSITY-Built 1858, modified Grecian structure was first nonsectarian university established during Republic of Texas. On Washington Square, campus of Thomas J. Rusk Middle School, building is museum featuring antique furniture, silver, other relics. Open Tues. - Fri. 1 - 4 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Sun. 1 - 4 p.m. Mound and Hughes St.
• OLD NORTH CHURCH-Believed to be oldest union church in Texas; several denominations worshipped here. First was Baptist service held under a tree on the site in 1835. Present "new" church built in 1852. Protestant services were unlawful in Texas during church's early days. North of city off U.S. 59 on old Highway 35.

OLD STONE FORT-The Stone Fort Museum is housed in a 1936 replica, built on a new site, of Don Antonio Gil Y'Barbo's stone house.  Y'Barbo, the founder of present day Nacogdoches, built the stone house circa 1780 as the formal portals to the Spanish District of Texas.  The original site of Y'Barbo's house, torn down in 1902, is the corner of Fredonia and Main Streets in downtown Nacogdoches.  During its history, the original house served variously as a public building, grocery store, candy store, saloon, and as a temporary fortification during the Magee-Gutierrez, Dr. James Long and Fredonia Rebellion filibusters.

Don Antonio Gil Y'Barbo (pronounced e-barvo) built a home that reflects French Colonial residential architecture, but the building acquired a nickname in the mid-1800's when its owner named his saloon the "Old Stone Fort Saloon."  Prior to that, the building was referred to as the stone house.  The house changed hands several times before the Perkins
brothers bought it for $12,000 in 1901 with the intention of demolishing the structure to erect a modern building.  This news attracted the attention of the Cum Concilio Club, a local historical group.  The Club conducted fund raising projects for one year in hopes of purchasing the aging structure.  Unable to prevent the demolition of the building, the Cum Concilio Club purchased the building stones that were later incorporated in a small memorial structure and museum.
Before the house was torn down in 1902, it was the oldest standing stone structure in the State, and its porch one of the earliest examples of the galerie style porch in Texas.

In 1936, the same stones were in turn used to build the present replica structure, authorized by the Texas Centennial Commission, which stands on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University.  Now over fifty years old, the replica structure is an important landmark and currently contains a continuing exhibit on the history of the house and a temporary exhibit, "East Texas Portfolio", which focuses on artists and photographers of the 18th and early 19th century who lived in or had a direct influence on East Texas.  The "East Texas Portfolio" exhibit can be viewed until December 2000.
 
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; closed on Mondays and holidays.  Admission is free of charge.  Guided tours are available by reservation only.  Call (409)468-2408 weekdays for more information.

• STEPHEN F. AUSTIN ARBORETUM AND HERB GARDEN-Ten acres of native and exotic plant materials organized into various theme gardens. Major collections include an herb garden, fern glade, dry garden, daily and iris garden, a perennial border, bog garden, conifers, plants of Asia, and native plants of East Texas. Open daily. Off Wilson Dr. on SFASU campus and part of the Lanana Creek Trail.
• STERNE-HOYA HOME-Built in 1828 by Adolphus Sterne as home for his new bride. Pioneer merchant was active in ill-fated Fredonia rebellion of 1826-27; helped with founding of Texas Republic. Sam Houston baptized as Roman Catholic here, because Mexico required landholders to be Catholic. Open Mon.- Sat. 9 a.m.- Noon; 2 - 5 p.m. 211 S. Lanana St., a block off E. Main St. (Texas 21).
• VISITOR INFORMATION-Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce is housed in the handsome, Mediterranean-style Eugene Blount Home, built in 1923. Blount was a banker, politician, orator, and philanthropist. For information on city's accommodations, restaurants, and events, stop by 1801 North St. Open Mon.- Fri. 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.

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