Like many towns in America with Spanish Colonial roots, Goliad started out as a presidio (fort) and mission, both located on the San Antonio River. Presidio La Bahia and Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga had originally been located elsewhere, but were moved to their current location in 1749. One of the first schools in Texas was founded nearby in 1804. During the Mexican War for Independence, the presidio was a strategic target and changed hands between the Spanish loyalists and Mexican rebels several times. In 1829 La Bahia, the village which had grown up near the fort, changed its name to Goliad, an anagram of the name Hidalgo (minus the “H”) in honor of Father Miguel Hidalgo, a hero of the Mexican Revolution.
In the opening days of the Texas Revolution, American mercenaries captured the fort and held it for six months. It was within the fort’s walls that the first Texas Declaration of Independence was signed. In March of 1836, the American garrison, under the command of Colonel James Fannin, was defeated at the nearby Battle of Coleto. Under the agreement that they would be treated as prisoners of war, they surrendered and were marched back to the fort. A week later, on Palm Sunday, under the orders of Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, 342 of these men, including James Fannin, were marched out of the fort and executed. Just over three weeks after the massacre, at the decisive battle at San Jacinto, Sam Houston rallied his troops with cries of “Remember the Alamo, Remember Goliad” as he led his rebel army on to victory and Texas independence.
In the 1960s, Presidio La Bahia was restored to look as it did in 1836 and serves as a wonderful museum to the battle and massacre. There is a small statue in the alcove above the door of the chapel which was sculpted by Lincoln Borglum, son of Gutzon Borglum, the chief sculptor of Mount Rushmore. Behind the fort is the memorial pictured above which marks the mass grave of those who died in the Goliad Massacre. It was stunning with the spring flowers in bloom. Inside the museum are some of the original flags of the war, including the Come and Take It Cannon flag and the Bloody Arm flag which symbolized the idea that the defenders would rather cut off their right arm than live under a tyrannical government. There is also a statue nearby of the Angel of Goliad who nursed the few men who were spared in the massacre. The nearby Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga was restored to its 1749 appearance by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 1930s and is now a part of Goliad State Park.
The nearby town of Goliad is situated around a wonderful historic square with the beautiful Goliad County Courthouse at its center. Built in 1894 in the Second Empire style, this courthouse is one of my absolute favorites. In front of the courthouse is a large oak, used as a hanging tree to serve quick justice in the town. There are several other large oaks around the square, some smack-dab in the middle of the streets. I love the fact that the town was built around these old giants. The buildings in town have a distinctly old-west feel to them. I loved the old Blackwell’s Durham Tobacco advertisement at the Cantina Restaurant which was covered up for many years and discovered during a later renovation and restored to its original luster. The town was empty when I visited, due to the lead-up to coronavirus orders, but it was still a beautiful place with a fascinating history, and a must-see for anyone interested in Texas history. I will definitely return to Goliad one day as it made a lasting impression on me.
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