Wednesday, August 26, 2015 - 8:00am
By Michael Moore, San Felipe de Austin Project Contract Historian
As a project contract historian for San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site, I recently spent a week at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, researching San Felipe resources in their archival collections. Surprisingly, some of the best early Texas history archives outside of Texas are in the Western Americana...
Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - 7:23am
By Shelley Wong, San Felipe de Austin Visitor Services Manager
In 2007, Shelly Zaruba, then a 7th grade Texas history teacher at Sealy Junior High School, came up with an idea that has literally materialized into a unique storytelling opportunity. Shelly was looking for a special hands-on project that her students could manage in a limited amount of time. She wanted to provide students...
Friday, January 17, 2014 - 8:00am
By Bryan McAuley, San Felipe de Austin Site Manager
While the life of the town of San Felipe de Austin was brief, it managed to play many roles during the colonial era. One of the more obscure was its role as the capital of the provisional government over a proclaimed Mexican state of Texas (separate from the state of Coahuila). San Felipe held this status from mid-November...
Friday, August 23, 2013 - 8:30am
By Bryan McAuley, San Felipe de Austin Site Manager
San Felipe de Austin, the capital of Stephen F. Austin’s colony in Mexican Texas, was the site of many business endeavors during its brief existence. Recent archeological and historical research is providing new insights into this aspect of the town’s history. Today’s post is brought to you by the letter “K.”
A...
Friday, June 28, 2013 - 8:00am
By Bethanie DePalermo, San Felipe de Austin Staff
A striking pink granite bench with the simple inscription, “Austin’s Old 300,” sits under an oak tree at San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site. The bench itself provokes questions from visitors and creates an interpretive opportunity for staff and volunteers. Guests are surprised and intrigued to learn that descendants from...
Thursday, May 9, 2013 - 11:31am
By Michael Moore, President of the Friends of the San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site, and Site Manager Bryan McAuley
On April 5, the Friends of the San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site hosted a “Links to the Past” golf tournament at nearby Stephen F. Austin Golf Course. The tournament aimed to build awareness of the historic site’s development, raise funds to support projects...
Friday, March 29, 2013 - 7:00am
By Bryan McAuley, San Felipe de Austin Site Manager
On March 29, 1836, the town of San Felipe—the capital of Stephen F. Austin's colony and now the location of our San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site—was burned to the ground to keep it from being captured by the advancing Mexican Army.
Among the San Felipe residents who witnessed the burning before fleeing eastward as part...
Friday, February 22, 2013 - 3:11pm
By Bryan McAuley, San Felipe de Austin Site Manager
Readers of this blog have unquestionably strong history-interest credentials. So many of you are likely already aware that the famous Travis letter will be on display at the Alamo between February 23 and March 7 this year. Through a collaboration among the General Land Office, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, and the...
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