Gonzales, Texas

Gonzales, Texas
—  City  —
Motto: "Where the fight for Texas liberty began"
Location of Gonzales, Texas
Coordinates: 29°30′32″N 97°26′52″W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Gonzales
Area
• Total	5.1 sq mi (13.2 km2)
• Land	5.1 sq mi (13.2 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	285 ft (87 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	7,202
• Density	1,412.8/sq mi (545.5/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	78629
Area code(s)	830
FIPS code	48-30116
GNIS feature ID	1336672
Website	http://www.cityofgonzales.org/

Gonzales is a city in Gonzales County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,237 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Gonzales County.

History

Come and Take It.

Gonzales is one of the earliest Anglo-American settlements in Texas, the first west of the Colorado River. It was established by Empresario Green DeWitt as the capital of his colony in August 1825. DeWitt named the community for Rafael Gonzáles, governor of Coahuila y Tejas. Informally, the community was known as the Dewitt Colony.

The original settlement (located where Highway 90-A crosses Kerr Creek) was abandoned in 1826 after two American Indian attacks. It was rebuilt nearby in 1827. The town remains today as it was originally surveyed.

Gonzales is most famous as the "Lexington of Texas" because it was the site of the first skirmish of the Texas Revolution. In 1831, the Mexican government granted Green DeWitt's request for a small cannon for protection against Indian attacks. At the outbreak of settler hostilities in 1835, a contingent of more than 100 Mexican soldiers was sent from San Antonio to retrieve the cannon. There were only 18 men in Gonzales at the time, but they refused to return it, and soon men from the area began joining them. Texians under the command of John H. Moore confronted them. Sarah DeWitt and her daughter sewed a flag bearing the likeness of the cannon and the words "Come and Take It," which was flown when the first shots of Texan independence were fired on October 2, 1835. The Texians successfully resisted the federal troops in what became known as the Battle of Gonzales.

Gonzales later contributed thirty-two men from the Gonzales Ranging Company to the ill-fated defense of the Alamo. It was to Gonzales that Susanna Dickinson, widow of one of the Alamo defenders, and Joe, the slave of William B. Travis, fled with news of the Alamo massacre. General Sam Houston was there organizing the Texas army and anticipated the town would be the next target of General Antonio López de Santa Anna and the Mexican army. He had the town burned and ordered a retreat, thus precipitating the Runaway Scrape.

Gonzales' municipal building on St. Joseph St. was built in 1959 on the plans of Emil Niggli and Barton Riley.

The town was derelict immediately after the Texas Revolution, but was eventually rebuilt on the original site throughout the early 1840s. By 1850, the town had a population of 300. The population rose to 1,703 in the 1860 census, 2,900 by the mid-1880s, and 4,297 in 1900. Part of the growth of the late 19th century can be attributed to the arrival of various immigrants, among them Jews, many of whom became merchants and peddlers.

Geography

Gonzales is located at 29°30′32″N 97°26′52″W (29.508801, -97.447709). It is located near the confluence of the San Marcos and Guadalupe rivers.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Gonzales County Courthouse

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,202 people, 2,571 households, and 1,763 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,412.8 people per square mile (545.2/km²). There were 2,869 housing units at an average density of 562.8 per square mile (217.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.5% White, 7.40% African American, 1.00% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 21.15% from other races, and 2.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 47.2% of the population.

There were 2,571 households out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.35.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,226, and the median income for a family was $34,663. Males had a median income of $22,804 versus $18,217 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,866. About 14.8% of families and 20.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.5% of those under age 18 and 23.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The old Gonzales College at 820 St. Louis St. is now a private residence.

Most a period during the 19t century, Gonzales was a center for higher education in Texas. The Gonzales College was built starting in 1851 and opened in 1853 with 50 students. An 1855 addition for the men's program was torn down during the Civil War, and the materials were used to build Fort Waul, just to the north of the town. The school granted bachelor of arts degrees to females by 1857, making it one of the earliest colleges in Texas to do so. The college was purchased in 1891, and its building converted into a private residence by W.M. Atkinson.

The city of Gonzales is served by the Gonzales Independent School District and is home to the Gonzales High School Apaches.

Media

Newspaper - The Gonzales Inquirer was established in 1853. It is one of the six oldest county newspapers still operating in Texas.

Radio - Radio station KCTI has served the city and county since 2000.

Historic Houses

Gonzales has an especially high concentration of historic houses and other buildings. The oldest dwellings in Gonzales date to the mid-19th century, but most of the architecturally notable houses were built from about 1880 to about 1915. Victorian houses are the most common, with many Colonial Revival houses as well. Many of the most notable houses, built for the important families of Gonzales, were built along St. Louis St. and St. Lawrence St. Those two roads edge to the south and north a long stretch of public land one block wide running from the historic downtown commercial center and courthouse all the way to Kerr Creek to the east.

C.T. Rather House (1892) - 828 St. Louis, St.

J.B. Kennard House (1895) - 621 St. Louis St.

G.F. Burgess House (1897) - 803 St. Lawrence St.

J.D. Houston House (1898) - 619 St. Lawrence St.

C.B. Patton House (1907) - 927 St. Lawrence St.

Edward Lewis House (1910) - 605 St. Louis St.

The Episcopal Manse (1911) - 721 St. Louis St.

C.H. Hoskins House (1911) - 906 St. Louis St.

R.S. Dilworth House (1911) - 903 St. Lawrence St.

O.B. Robertson House (1915) - 1520 St. Louis St.

Notable people

• Phil Coe (1839–1871), well-known saloon owner and Old West gambler, and the last known gunfight victim of "Wild Bill" Hickok.
• Crispin Sanchez (1925–2008), a pioneer in Mexican-American education and sports. He excelled in baseball but chose college and earned his Ph.D. in education. He was an administrator at Laredo Community College for 23 years, and had an athletic field named in his honor.
• Jerry Hall (born 1956), American supermodel, actress, and Mick Jagger's long-time companion and former common-law wife.
• Myra Hemmings (August 30, 1895 – December 8, 1968) was a founder and first president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., in 1913 on the campus of Howard University, Washington D.C.
• George W. Littlefield (1842-1920), Texas cattleman, banker, and regent of the University of Texas, lived in Gonzales during the 1870s.

Gallery of Gonzales

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  The Baptist church overlooks one of the central squares.

• 

  The Gonzales Museum is a National Register property built in the 1930s.

• 

  The Houston House at 621 St. George St. is a National Register residence.

• 

  The Gonzales post office was built in 1909 but is commercial space today.

• 

  Gonzales' fire department is located in the center of town.

• 

  The Lynn is a mid-20th century movie theatre in downtown Gonzales.

• 

  Gonzales is organized around a series of town squares like Hero Square.

• 

  One of the largest downtown commercial buildings, the Randle-Rather Building sits at St. Paul and St. George Streets.

• 

  In one of the oldest sections of downtown Gonzales, some of these stores on St. Lawrence St. date to the 1850s.

• 

  Gonzales' historic commercial center is a National Register district, including this section on St. George St.

• 

  Built in 1901, Walnut Ridge (121 St. Joseph St.) was designed by J. Riely Gordon for James F. Miller.

• 

  The Gonzales Inquirer is the oldest newspaper in Gonzales and is headquartered on St. Paul Street.

• 

  Following a major restoration, the Crystal Theatre on St. Louis St. is again used for live performances.

• 

  The 1874 Solomon Joseph House reflects a traditional Texas house form in Victorian style.

• 

  The Edward Sweeney House (1926) at 1109 St. Lawrence St. displays English Tudor style.

• 

  The T.H. Spooner House (1875) at 207 St. Francis St. is a National Register property.

Further reading

• Davis, William C. ((2004)), Lone Star Rising: The Revolutionary Birth of the Texas Republic, Free Press, ISBN 0-684-86510-6 
• Edmondson, J.R. (2000), The Alamo Story-From History to Current Conflicts, Plano, TX: Republic of Texas Press, ISBN 1-55622-678-0 
• Frenzel, Paul (1999), Historic Homes of Gonzales, Gonzales, TX: Reese's Printing 

External links

• City of Gonzales Texas
• Account of the 1826 Indian attack from Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas by John Henry Brown published 1880(?), hosted by The Portal to Texas History
• Gonzales Inquirer
• ePodunk: Profile for Gonzales, Texas
• City-Data.com