Gonzales, Texas

Plagued by constant Indian attacks, Gonzales's citizens received a small brass cannon for protection by the Mexican government in 1831.

Four years later, when relations between Texas and Mexico soured, over 150 Mexican soldiers staged a battle to retrieve the weapon. The soldiers were faced with 18 Gonzaleans, who stalled the army while local citizens rolled out the small field-piece and prepared for action.

Meanwhile, other townsfolk sewed the first battle flag of Texas, which pictured a cannon beneath the words "Come and Take It," a motto by which Gonzales is still known. The Texans fired the first shot and the Mexican troops retreated. Although the confrontation was brief, this act began the Texas Revolution.

The site of this historic first conflict is marked by a monument located seven miles southwest of Gonzales on TX 97. The first shots were fired one-half mile north of the present monument.

Attractions:

Gonzales County Jail Museum. This unusual museum is housed in the old Gonzales jail, built in 1887 and used until 1975. Downstairs you can tour the room where female prisoners and mentally ill persons once were incarcerated together. Exhibits include jail weapons created from spoons and bedsprings.

The walls of the second floor are chiseled with graffiti of past residents. The large room is rimmed with iron cells, all overlooking a reproduction of the old gallows that carried off its last hanging in 1921. According to legend, this prisoner continually watched the clocks on the adjacent courthouse, counting the hours he had left to live. He swore that he was innocent, and said that if he were hanged the clocks would never keep accurate time again. Although the four clock faces have been changed since that time, none of them has ever kept the same time again.The Chamber of Commerce office is also housed here. Located at 414 St. Lawrence.

Gonzales Memorial Museum. This museum honor soldiers of the first battle of the Texas Revolution, founght here in 1835. The battle was triggered by attempts by Mexican soldiers (after Texan/Mexican relations soured) to retrieve a small brass cannon that the Mexican government had given to Gonzales residents in 1831 so they could be protected from Indian attacks. HIghlights include the "come and take it" cannon and the original constitution of Gonzales that was printed in 1841. Located at 414 Smith Street.

Gonzales Pioneer Village. This living history center takes visitors back to Gonzales's frontier days. The village is composed of log cabins, a cypress-constructed home, a grand Victorian home, a smokehouse, a blacksmith shop, and a church. The village also stages reenactments, including the "Come and Take It" Celebration in October. Located a half-mile north of town on US 183.

For More Information: Gonzales Chamber of Commerce, http://www.gonzalestexas.com/

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