Places
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TEXANA, TEXAS. In 1832 Dr.
Francis F. Wells and his sister-in-law, Pamelia McNutt Porter,
founded a community in south central Jackson County that later
developed into Texana. The village was originally named Santa
Anna after Antonio López de Santa Anna, at the time a popular
Mexican liberal, soldier, and politician. In 1835, however,
after Santa Anna had proven himself an enemy of republican
government, the residents of the settlement changed the name to
Texana. During the Texas Revolution of 1835-36, Texana served as
a port of entry and training camp for many volunteers from the
United States. Dr. Jack Shackelford's company of Alabama Red
Rovers camped around Texana for about two weeks before joining
James W. Fannin's command at Goliad. In the spring of 1836 the
citizens of Texana joined the Runaway Scrape. "Uncle" Jeff
Parson, a slave during the Runaway Scrape, told how the "old
town of Texana was abandoned, not an individual was left on
Jackson County soil, all were in flight-where they were going no
one knew."
After the battle of San Jacinto, when republic officials
organized the surrounding area into Jackson County, Texana-one
of the oldest American settlements-served as county seat. In the
summer of 1836 the Army of the Republic of Texas established
Camp Independence on acreage belonging to Sylvanus Hatch about
four or five miles from Texana. The next year Camp Independence
was the site of the famous duel between Felix Huston and Albert
Sidney Johnston. That year also saw a public sale of town lots
that encouraged settlement. In 1840 Texana incorporated as a
municipality. By 1880 the town had acquired regular steamboat
service, mail and stage routes, a booming business section, and
its own newspaper, the Clarion. As late as 1882 Texana
was a thriving port with as many as twenty ships docking each
week. In 1883, however, the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway
bypassed the settlement, precipitating a sharp decline. Shortly
thereafter county voters elected to make Edna the county seat,
and by 1884 Texana was a virtual ghost town.
History from the Handbook of Texas Online |
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Location of Texana from Colton's new map of the
state of Texas, 1872 |
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Site of the Old Town of Texana |
| Founded in 1834 by
Dr. F. F. Wells, personal friend of Stephen F. Austin. County seat
of Jackson County from 1835-1883. Old home of Capt. Clark L. Owen of
Civil War fame. Here the following were first organized in Jackson
County: Methodist Church in 1838, Masonic Lodge in 1852,
Presbyterian Church in 1855. -Historical
Marker text |
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Texana Presbyterian Church |
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The earliest Presbyterian Church in Jackson County, the Texana
congregation was formed in 1855 under the leadership of John
Adams Brackenridge. The fellowship was established in Texana
(6 miles SE), now a ghost town. But while the county seat and
a thriving river port in 1859, the members constructed this
frame sanctuary. It was moved along the New York, Texas &
Mexican Railroad. Later used as a warehouse, it now serves as
a reminder of the pioneer area settlers of antebellum Texas.
-Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-1981
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Texana Academy,
sometimes called Texana College, was chartered on January 2, 1850, in
Texana. Unlike many schools of its day, it was not affiliated with any
religious group, nor did its charter impose any religious restrictions.
The institution did not, however, teach a full range of courses, and many
of its students were forced to transfer to other schools to finish their
education.
History from the Handbook of Texas Online |
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