Featured
The Battle of San Jacinto: Eighteen Minutes That Made a Nation
On April 21, 1836, Sam Houston’s outnumbered Texian army launched a surprise attack against Santa Anna’s forces near the confluence of the San Jacinto River and Buffalo Bayou, winning Texas independence in one of the most decisive battles in North American history.
People
Juan Seguin: Tejano Patriot
The only Tejano to command a company at San Jacinto went on to serve as a senator of the Republic.
Events
The Runaway Scrape of 1836
When Santa Anna marched east, thousands of Texian families fled in panic toward the Sabine River.
Places
Nacogdoches: Oldest Town in Texas
Founded in 1779 atop a Caddo village, a key staging ground for revolution.
Ancestry
Tracing the DeWitt Colonists
How Green DeWitt’s colony records connect modern families to 1820s Texas.
★ People
★ Places
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The UT Tower: A Technical Guide to Austin’s Iconic Landmark
How the bells, lights, and inscriptions work on this landmark.
★ Events
1835
Come and Take It
October 2, 1835
Texian settlers at Gonzales refuse to surrender their cannon, firing the first shots of the Texas Revolution.
1836
Fall of the Alamo
March 6, 1836
After thirteen days of siege, the Alamo falls. Travis, Bowie, and Crockett are among the 189 defenders lost.
1836
Battle of San Jacinto
April 21, 1836
Houston’s army defeats Santa Anna in eighteen minutes, winning Texas independence.
1836
Independence Declared
March 2, 1836
Fifty-nine delegates at Washington-on-the-Brazos declare Texas a free and sovereign republic.
1842
Mier Expedition
December 25, 1842
A punitive raid into Mexico ends in capture. Survivors face the infamous Black Bean Episode.
1845
Annexation
December 29, 1845
After nine years as an independent republic, Texas joins the United States as the twenty-eighth state.
★ Ancestry
Discover Your Texas Heritage
From the Old Three Hundred to the Mier Expedition veterans, trace your family’s connection to the Republic of Texas. Our growing database links modern Texans to the colonists and soldiers who built this state.