Local History
Texas Republic Navy Historical Markers: The Fleet That Guarded the Gulf Coast
Nine Texas historical markers in Galveston, Matagorda and Houston tell the story of the Republic of Texas Navy, from its first four ships to the day it joined the U.S. fleet.
Photo: Tanner Mardis / Unsplash. Harborside Drive, Galveston, Texas.
You're rolling over the causeway onto Galveston Island, and the Gulf opens up gray-green on both sides. Before Texas had a state flag, it had warships in this water. Texas has more than 16,000 historical markers, and RoadHistorical, a Texas historical preservation platform, puts them right on your drive. This guide covers nine markers in Galveston, Matagorda and Houston that tell the story of the Republic of Texas Navy. Every stop you make keeps that story in circulation.
Galveston: Home Port of the Republic's Fleet
First Navy of the Republic of Texas is a 1936 marker on the Galveston waterfront. It honors the navy Governor Henry Smith set up on November 25, 1835. The whole fleet was four ships: the Brutus, the Independence, the Liberty and the Invincible.
A few blocks away, Galveston in the Republic of Texas picks up the thread. From January 1836 until annexation in 1846, Galveston was the navy's base. The ships guarded Texas shipping and watched for a Mexican invasion by sea. By September 1837, all four were gone.
President Mirabeau B. Lamar rebuilt the navy in April 1840. He put Edwin W. Moore, a former U.S. Navy officer, in command as commodore. That second navy had teeth. Its steamship Zavala was the first steam warship in North America. In 1843, Moore's sloop Austin and the brig Wharton fought Mexican steamers off Campeche. Naval historians often call it the only time sailing warships fought steam warships to a draw.
Moore later feuded with Sam Houston, and Houston ordered the ships sold. The plaque says Galveston's people used force to stop the bidding. At annexation, the fleet went to the U.S. Navy.
First Navy of the Republic of Texas marker, Galveston, TX
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Matagorda: The Navy Secretary Who Went to Sea
The S. Rhoads Fisher marker stands in the Matagorda Cemetery. Fisher was a Pennsylvania Quaker who moved to Texas in 1830. He ran a shipping and mercantile business in Matagorda. He signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, and in October 1836 Sam Houston made him secretary of the navy.
By March 1837, Mexican blockaders were trying to starve Texas out by seizing ships on the Gulf. Fisher didn't stay behind a desk. He sailed with the navy to raid the Mexican coast and draw the blockade away from Galveston, Matagorda and Velasco. The Texans took ships and territory. Then accidents and storms wrecked the navy and its prizes.
Fisher resigned late in 1837 and died after a shooting in Matagorda in 1839. Fisher County, created in 1876, carries his name. In the same cemetery, the Dr. Albert Moses Levy marker remembers a surgeon from the Siege of Bexar who later served aboard the Brutus.
Across town, the Fisher-Sargent-Gottschalk House is the home Fisher built for his family in 1832. His widow, Ann, lived here until 1860. Look for the two-story open porches and the side-gabled roof. View it from the street.
Matagorda Cemetery Road, Matagorda, TX
107 St. Mary's Street, Matagorda, TX
Find it in RoadHistorical before your visit.
Houston: A Commodore's Funeral and a Navy Man's Home
The Henry Livingston Thompson marker is short and a little haunting. Thompson was a commodore of the Texas navy, and he died in Houston on November 1, 1837. The Texas Telegraph reported that his funeral drew the biggest crowd the young city had seen for one. General Rusk spoke at the grave.
The Tod-Milby Home Site tells a longer career. John Grant Tod left Kentucky at 17 to go to sea. He joined the Republic's navy in 1837 and stayed until 1845. He bought and outfitted ships for the second navy, ran the Galveston naval yard, served as acting secretary and became a commodore.
On January 13, 1846, Tod handed President Anson Jones the official notice that Congress had approved annexation. He later helped build Texas' first railroad. The family house here came down in 1959. Tod is buried in Glendale Cemetery, five blocks southeast on Magnolia Street.
Henry Livingston Thompson marker, Houston, TX
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Galveston Again: The Men Who Paid for and Crewed the Ships
The Samuel May Williams marker stands at his Galveston home. Williams was a ship captain's son from Rhode Island who became Stephen F. Austin's translator and clerk. He and partner Thomas F. McKinney spent $99,000 supporting the Texas Revolution. By 1838, Williams was helping the navy build seven ships. He lived in this house until he died.
Then there's Lent Munson Hitchcock. He was another sea captain's son, and he went to sea at 14. He left Connecticut and joined the Texas Navy around 1836. He reached Galveston in 1837 and stayed as harbor master, alderman and city treasurer. The town of Hitchcock, 18 miles northwest, took his name in 1891.
Lent Munson Hitchcock marker, Galveston, TX
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How RoadHistorical Finds These Markers
Turn on Discovery Mode and RoadHistorical notifies you as you drive past a marker. That's how you catch a 1936 plaque on a Galveston side street. The AI Tour Guide answers the questions a plaque can't, like what happened to the Zavala or who Commodore Moore fought with.
Parts of the coast between Galveston and Matagorda get thin on cell signal. Offline mode keeps the markers and their stories on your phone anyway.
Start Discovering Texas History Today
RoadHistorical is free to download on iPhone and Android. Download it here and turn on Discovery Mode before your next drive. Android users can download RoadHistorical from Google Play.
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