Historic, Scenic and Charming
Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, is named for the Caddo family of Indians who once lived in the area. Local legend tells of a Caddo chief, living near the Sabine River, who sent his young adult twin sons in opposite directions to establish their own tribes. One brother, Natchitoches, traveled three days east toward the rising sun. The other brother, Nacogdoches, traveled three days west toward the setting sun. Settled in their new communities, the two brothers remained friendly and the road between them was well traveled. The road became a trade route and the eastern end of El Camino Real. Nacogdoches remained a Caddo Indian settlement until 1716 when Spain established the mission Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de los Nacogdoches. In 1779, Antonio Gil Y’Barbo, a prominent Spanish trader, led a group of settlers to Nacogdoches. That same year, Nacogdoches received designation from Spain as a pueblo, or town, thereby making it the first “town” in Texas. Y’Barbo was named Lt. Governor of the new town and established the rules and laws under which the city was governed. He laid out streets with the intersecting El Camino Real and El Calle del Norte as his central point. On the main thoroughfare he built a stone house for use in his trading business. The house, or Old Stone Fort as it is called today, became a gateway from the United States to the vast Texas Frontier. Over the next four decades, Nacogdoches and the Old Stone Fort became the site of three failed attempts to establish a Republic of Texas - the Magee-Gutierrez (1812), Long (1819) and Fredonia (1826) rebellions. Thus, nine flags have flown over Nacogdoches as opposed to the six that have flown over Texas.
The strong history of Nacogdoches paved the way to become a tourist destination, offering unique shopping on preserved brick streets downtown. As the home to Stephen F. Austin State University, the town is bustling with beauty by way of gardens, trails, lakes and more.
