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Birthplace Of The Texas Revolution

On October 9 1835, a group of Texas citizens, led by Capt. George Collinswood, entered Goliad, attacked the Mexican garrison stationed at the Presidio, and were successful in taking possession of the fort. This action followed the incident at Gonzales, Texas, one week earlier. From here the Texans marched out in a detachment and captured Ft. Lipantitlan, near the Nueces River on November 5, thereby cutting off the last remaining line of Mexican communication from San Antonio to Matamoros.

The first Declaration of Texas Independence, boldly stating the intentions of these settlers of Texas, was formally declared at the Presidio on December 20, 1835. It was signed inside "Our Lady Of Loreto Chapel", this centuries-old chapel was where Fannin's men were held during part of their captivity before being massacred, by 92 citizens and distributed throughout other municipalities in Texas. Along with it flew the first flag of Texas Independence. Nothing short of full independence from Mexico would satisfy those who had suffered under the injustices of a dictatorial government led by the self-styled "Napoleon of the West", General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

The Goliad Massacre

The darkest day in Texas history, the Goliad Massacre, took place on Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, when Col. James Walker Fannin and 341 men under his command were executed a week after their capture at the Battle of Coleto Creek, under orders of the Mexican dictator, General Santa Anna.

There was twice as much loss of life at Goliad as there was at the Battle of the Alamo. Nothing had touched the raw nerve of the American character, as did the news of the large number of men who were killed in the Goliad massacre.

As the grim news reached the United States, volunteers streamed forth for the people of Texas who were engaged in a war with a dictator who took no prisoners - a war of extermination. This one single event, the Goliad Massacre, more than any event in the Texas Revolution proved to the people of the United States what manner of warfare confronted the Texans.

The Founding

The establishment of the Royal Presidio La Bahia in the year 1721 was a direct response to encroachment by the French in the Spanish Province of Texas. First founded on the banks of Garcitas Creek near present day Lavaca Bay, it was erected upon the remains of the ill-fated French Fort St. Louis built by La Salle. This location proved unsuitable, and in 1726, it was abandoned and the fort was relocated to an inland position near Mission Valley above present day Victoria. In 1749, the Presidio was relocated to its present location.

Strategically located on an elevation overlooking the surrounding area, the fort is the site where Goliad's history began. When they arrived, the Spanish found evidence of an Indian Village in the area they named Santa Dorotea. As a permanent settlement by Spain, the town of La Bahia, (The Bay), grew up around the protection of the fort. This town was the original Goliad, the name being changed in 1829 as an anagram for Hidalgo, in honor of the patriot priest of the Mexican Revolution, Father Miguel Hidalgo, who sounded the famous "Grito de Dolores" in 1810 for Mexican Independence from Spain. This town became the second largest populated settlement in Spanish Texas.

Spanish Occupation

The Royal Presidio La Bahia, though an inland frontier fort, became the only fort responsible for the defense of the coastal area and eastern province of Texas after the abandonment of the Presidios at Los Adaes and Orcoquisac. Soldiers from Presidio La Bahia assisted the Spanish army fighting the British along the Gulf Coast during the American Revolution. This action gives Goliad the distinction of being one of the only communities west of the Mississippi River to have participated in the American Revolution.

The cattle industry of America had its beginnings at La Bahia with the soldiers of the Presidio overseeing the vast herds of the nearby missions Rosario and Espiritu Santo. Troop escorts for cattle drives to supply other settlements in the Spanish Southwest were commanded by the garrison of the Presidio.

Presidio La Bahia

Presidio La Bahia, designated a National Historic Landmark, is considered the World's finest example of a Spanish frontier fort. This is the most fought over fort in Texas history, having seen participation in six National Revolutions / Wars for independence. Spanish, Mexican and Texas soldiers all garrisoned its fortified walls. Here, at this Crossroads of Revolution, was felt almost every attempt to forcibly change the governmental order of Texas.

Presidio La Bahia is a fort, not a mission. The chapel was erected de the quadrangle for the sole use of the soldiers and Spanish settlers living in the town of La Bahia surrounding the fort. The name given the chapel was "Our Lady of Loreto", and is the oldest building in the' compound in continuous use since the 1700s.

One of the oldest churches in America, it also is one of the only buildings in existence that has its original "groin vaulted ceiling" in place. After the Texas Revolution of 1836, while other buildings of the Presidio fell into neglect and disrepair, the chapel was still used as a place of worship, and at one time was temporarily used as a private residence. An act of the Republic of Texas in 1841 restored church properties confiscated by the Republic. It was not until 1855 that the first non-Hispanic Bishop of Texas, Bishop J.M. Odin, received title from the Town Council of Goliad.

The Presidio Today

The Presidio was restored in the 1960s to stand as a lasting memorial beside its sister shrines, the Alamo and San Jacinto. Today it is considered one of the most authentic restoration projects in the United States.

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