King's Highway - Camino Real - Old San Antonio Road · 1918
King's Highway - Camino Real - Old San Antonio Road. Marked by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the State of Texas A.D. 1918
View on map ↗Hays County, Texas
Historical Markers in San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos is home to 82 official Texas Historical Commission markers — each one telling a piece of the city’s story. Browse the markers below, then find them on the map and discover more nearby with RoadHistorical.
Appoximate Site of the Missions · 1936
San Francisco Xavier de los Dolores, Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria, San Ildefonso. Originally established on the San Gabriel River by Franciscan missionaries in 1746-1749 with the hope of civilizing and Christianizing…
View on map ↗Hays County · 1936
--
View on map ↗Site of the First Town of San Marcos · 1936
Known officially as Villa de San Marcos de Neve. Established in 1807 by Mexican settlers. The population on January 6, 1808 was 81. A flood in 1808 and subsequent Indian raids led to its abandonment in 1812.
View on map ↗Basil Dailey House · 1963
-- (medallion only).
View on map ↗Old Main · 1963
Prominently sited on land given by the city of San Marcos for the construction of a state teachers' college, this structure was completed in 1903 to serve as the administration building for Southwest Texas Normal…
View on map ↗Built in 1850's by Edw. Burleson, Jr. · 1965
Built in 1850's by Edw. Burleson, Jr., frontier fighter. Birthplace of A. S. Burleson, member of Woodrow Wilson cabinet. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965
View on map ↗Eli T. Merriman Home · 1965
Built about 1846 by Dr. Eli T. Merriman (1815-1867), Yale graduate, 1838 Texas settler. One of 3 San Marcos townsite owners. First physician in area. Later lived in Brownsville, Banquete, Corpus Christi. During Civil…
View on map ↗Burleson Home · 1967
Home of Gen. Edward Burleson (1793-1851), officer in Texas War for Independence; vice president of Republic of Texas, 1841-1844; leader in frontier defense; state legislator. Built in 1848 of hewn elm and oak logs,…
View on map ↗Site of Hays County's First Public Building · 1967
Early San Marcos settlers erected log house here in 1847. Of elm, cedar and cypress, and built for church and school, the cabin had a floor of dirt, later one of puncheons (split logs). It was used as courthouse after…
View on map ↗Beverly Hutchison House · 1968
Designed by German architect Charles S. Sinz; built 1896 for the Beverly Hutchison family; later owned by L. Robertson, E. O. Bethke, R. e. Miller and M. Falls, this house in the late 1920s earned its place in history…
View on map ↗Charles Cock Home · 1968
Erected 1867 by Chs. S. Cock (1819-1897), farmer and city mayor (1881-1883). Home is built of limestone, elm, pine, and cedar. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1968
View on map ↗Site of San Marcos National Fish Hatchery · 1968
(First Federal fish hatchery in Texas) Established in 1893 on the 25-acre tract known as the W. D. Wood place. In early years the fish produced here were used to stock streams and ponds for sport purposes. Later this…
View on map ↗Site of Coronal Institute · 1969
Established 1868 by educator O. N. Hollingsworth. A private school, it was coeducational and offered military training to boys. So-named because it was a Coronal (crown) atop this hill. In 1870 the Rev. R. H. Belvin…
View on map ↗First United Methodist Church · 1970
First church in Hays County. Organized August 5, 1847, with 9 charter members, by circuit rider A. B. F. Kerr in home of John D. Pitts. Growing congregation moved by 1849 to a log house used for church, courthouse, and…
View on map ↗Old Storey Home · 1970
Erected by James Gray Storey (1830-1911), noted citizen of Hays County. He served as district clerk 1856-61; captain Co. A, 32nd Texas Cavalry, Civil War; county judge 1865-67; member of State Legislature 1880-83; was…
View on map ↗San Marcos Springs · 1971
Pouring forth millions of gallons of clear, icy water daily, these springs feed the san Marcos River and the 1,380-square-mile area which it drains. The immense springs rise at the Balcones Escarpment, a geologic fault…
View on map ↗Founding of the First Methodist Church · 1972
On this site, in the log house of John D. Pitts (1797-1861), circuit rider A. B. F. Kerr (1823-81), on Aug. 5, 1847, organized the first church in Hays County. The congregation met here two years; later built a church…
View on map ↗Mexican War Camp · 1972
--
View on map ↗Ragsdale-Jackman-Yarbrough House · 1972
Built in 1868 by Peter C. Ragsdale (1810-1882), veteran of the army of the Republic of Texas. After his death, his wife, Elmira, operated a school for girls until the house sold in 1891 to William T. (Uncle Billy)…
View on map ↗Wonder Cave · 1972
In Balcones Fault, created by prehistoric earth shift. Said to have been campsite of Indians and Spaniards, especially priests who planted anaqua trees in area. By legend, robber gangs in 1820s cached Camino Real booty…
View on map ↗Cemetery Chapel · 1973
This cemetery is located on a ten-acre tract of land sold by Judy and Shadrach Dixon to the San Marcos Cemetery Association in 1876. Built about 1890, this carpenter Gothic chapel has been the scene of many funerals and…
View on map ↗First Presbyterian Church · 1973
In 1848, Presbyterian settlers met in log courthouse to hear sermons by the rev. Nathaniel P. Charlot, teacher of area's first Sunday School. In 1853, circuit rider Humphrey W. Rogers and Mr. Charlot organized this…
View on map ↗John F. McGehee Home · 1973
Built in 1889 by John Francis McGehee (1838-1922), a veteran of Hood's Brigade in Civil War. The house, constructed of pine hauled from Bastrop, cypress siding, and handmade brick, is of 19th century Eastlake…
View on map ↗Post San Marcos · 1973
The Republic of texas Congress in Dec. 1838 called for military roads and forts from Red River to the Nueces. A road from Austin, joining El Camino Real near St. Mark's Springs, was designed for rapid communication…
View on map ↗First Baptist Church of San Marcos · 1974
City's third oldest congregation. Pioneer in church-related education. Organized Oct. 25, 1857, by the Rev. Milton Caperton, a missionary. Charter members: J. J. Barbee, Mrs. Mary Barbee, Maj. and Mrs. William Barbee,…
View on map ↗Robert Hixon Belvin Home · 1974
A portion of this structure was built about 1859 as one of the first schools in San Marcos. the Rev. Robert H. Belvin, president (1870-75) of Coronal Institute, a Methodist school, converted it into a home for his…
View on map ↗The Courthouses of Hays County · 1974
When Hays County originated in 1848, its one public building was a log church-schoolhouse that had to serve as the courthouse, along with its other uses. Although the San Marcos townsite, platted in 1851, contained a…
View on map ↗Caldwell-Kone-Hyatt House · 1975
Robert M. Caldwell (1836-84), son of pioneer Texas colonists, built this house in 1869. His wife, Mary, was a sister of Col. E. M. House (1858-1938), advisor to U. s. President Woodrow Wilson. Acquired in 1874 by the…
View on map ↗Dunbar School · 1975
Private instruction for black children in San Marcos may have begun as early as 1847, but the first public school was founded in 1877 with 50 pupils. The school was moved to this 7.3 acre site in 1918. Many graduates…
View on map ↗George Thomas McGehee House · 1975
Among the first settlers in the San Marcos area, George Thomas McGehee (1836-1926) moved here with his parents, Minerva (Hunt) and Thomas Gilmer McGehee, in 1846. He fought in the Civil War with Terry's Texas Rangers…
View on map ↗William W. Moon · 1975
(March 25, 1814 - Jan. 7, 1897) Orphaned two days after his birth, William W. Moon grew up with two uncles in his native Alabama. He married Sophronia Elizabeth Sublett (1819-46) in 1834 and moved to Bastrop, Texas in…
View on map ↗Belvin Street Historic District · 1976
This street was named in 1876 for the Rev. R. H. Belvin, president of Coronal Institute, 1870-1875. San Marcos, founded in 1845, was acquiring better architecture by the 1870s. This district now (1976) retains historic…
View on map ↗Don Felipe Roque de la Portilla · 1976
At the request of Manuel Antonio Cordero y Bustamante, interim Governor of the Province of Texas, Spanish-born Army captain and rancher, Felipe Roque de la Portilla (1766-1841), established a colony here were El Camino…
View on map ↗First Christian Church of San Marcos · 1976
Formed by the Rev. Henry Thomas in 1853 with only two members, the congregation had grown to fifty members by 1856. After the Civil War, it was reactivated by the Rev. W. H. D. Carrington of Austin. The present church…
View on map ↗The Old Lime Kiln · 1976
This site near the source of the San Marcos River was part of the Thomas J. Chambers grant of 1834. The tract was sold in 1848 to Gen. Edward Burleson (1798-1851), military and political leader in early Texas, who built…
View on map ↗Kone-Yarbrough House · 1977
This Victorian residence with its unusual central chimney was erected in 1886 for the growing family of Sam R. Kone, Jr. (1855-1941), a successful merchant, active Mason, and member of the San Marcos City Council,…
View on map ↗George Henry Talmadge Home · 1978
A farmer from Illinois, George H. Talmadge (1840-1911) served in the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1888 he moved to San Marcos with his wife Lydia (1851-1900) and their children, including an adopted daughter…
View on map ↗Ike Wood House · 1978
After settling in San Marcos about 1886, I. W. (Ike) Wood (1866-1960) became a prominent merchant, banker, and civic leader. In 1888 he married Elizabeth Williamson (1869-1961). Wood hired local architect John Whaley…
View on map ↗First National Bank of San Marcos · 1979
Ed J. L. Green (1841-1924) came to San Marcos in 1859 from Arkansas. He saw the need for a bank, bought the lots on the south side of the Courthouse Square in 1878, and erected a large two-story rock building. "Green's…
View on map ↗Joseph W. Earnest Home · 1979
A native of Tennessee, Joseph W. Earnest (1844-1920) migrated to Hays County with his parents in 1854. He was a veteran of the Texas Rangers and Confederate army. A merchant and cattleman, Earnest married Cevilia Cock…
View on map ↗Thompson's Island Homeplace · 1979
Dr. William Alexander Thompson (1803-1879) made an agreement with neighbors in 1850 to use the San Marcos River for irrigation and as a source of energy. He and his sons William A. and James used slave labor to build a…
View on map ↗Farmers Union Gin Company · 1981
Local farmers Henry Kellerman, J. H. Barbee, A. H. Fleming, I. B. Rylander, and J. H. Williams purchased this site in 1908. Through their efforts the Farmers Union Gin Company was established here under the leadership…
View on map ↗O. T. Brown Home · 1981
Built in 1878, this residence was purchased in 1882 by Georgia native O. T. Brown (1836-1916) and his wife Elizabeth (Belvin) (b. 1854), the daughter of a prominent local Methodist minister and educator, the Rev. R. H.…
View on map ↗Lloyd Gideon Johnson House · 1982
Local banker Lloyd G. Johnson and his wife Katherine built this house as a residence for their family in 1919-1920. the house, designed by noted architect Atlee B. Ayres, combines informal elements of the Mediterranean…
View on map ↗Old Fish Hatchery Office Building · 1982
This structure, erected 1894-95, originally served as the office building for the San Marcos National fish Hatchery, established in 1893 near the head of the San Marcos River. The facility closed in 1965 and the site…
View on map ↗Eliza Pitts Malone · 1983
In 1842, Eliza Pitts (1832-1923) and her parents came to Texas from Georgia. She was a charter member of First Methodist Church in San Marcos and served as an active church leader. She married James Lafayette Malone in…
View on map ↗Charles Lewis McGehee Cabin · 1985
The McGehee family came to Texas from Alabama in 1847. In 1859, Charles Lewis McGehee, Jr. (1837-1929) acquired this property along the San Marcos River. He soon built a cabin (1/2 mi. E) for his wife, Sarah Jane…
View on map ↗John Matthew Cape House · 1985
This late Victorian style home was built in 1902 for the family of John Matthew Cape (1861-1933). Cape owned several cotton gins along the San Marcos River and was instrumental in the organization of San Marcos…
View on map ↗Heard-Baker House · 1986
William Green built this house about 1889 and sold it to rancher Samuel McGehee Heard (d. 1909). At the time, the homesite included enough surrounding land to graze livestock. Members of the Heard family lived here…
View on map ↗Kone-Cliett House · 1986
Edward Reeves Kone (1848-1933) served from the 1860s as Hays County attorney, sheriff, judge, and education superintendent, and from 1908 to 1914 as state agriculture commissioner. He bought this land on a bluff of the…
View on map ↗San Marcos Mill Tract · 1986
Located on land that was granted to Juan M. de Veramendi in 1831, this tract was purchased by edward Burleson (1793-1851) in 1844. A native of North Carolina, burleson moved to Texas in 1830, settling first in Bastrop…
View on map ↗McGehee Crossing · 1987
The Camino Real, also known as the Old San Antonio Road and the King's Highway, followed a route from Nacogdoches to the Rio Grande. Louis Juchereau de St. Denis (1676-1744) traveled the route to establish trade between…
View on map ↗Robert Early McKie House · 1989
This house was built by local contractor H. C. Leffingwell for Robert Early McKie (1875-1948), San Marcos native, attorney, and descendant of area pioneers. Constructed in 1906 for $2,000, the one-story wood frame house…
View on map ↗Ulysses Cephas · 1989
(1884-1952) The son of former slaves Joe and Elizabeth Cephas, Ulysses Cephas was born in San Marcos. He was trained at an early age to carry on the blacksmithing trade of his father. Known as "Boots" to his friends and…
View on map ↗The Calaboose · 1990
Constructed as the first Hays County Jail in 1873, this small brick structure was later an annex for black prisoners. Known locally as the "Calaboose," it became a neighborhood recreation center after the city of San…
View on map ↗Sink Springs · 1991
An important element in the development of San Marcos, the Sink Springs are a part of a system of springs in the area which feed the San Marcos River. The flow of the springs is forced by artesian pressure through the…
View on map ↗Augusta Hofheinz House · 1992
This house was constructed in 1908 by Mead & Eastwood Lumber Co. for Augusta Hofheinz, widow of Daniel Hofheinz (1849-1903), who owned and operated a hotel he constructed in San Marcos in the late 1870s. their son,…
View on map ↗Sanders-Grosgebauer House · 1992
Built on historic San Antonio Street (originally the stagecoach road to San Antonio) by S. H. and Annie Sanders about 1913, this house was subsequently purchased by Albert N. and Rosa Grosgebauer in 1919. Lyndon B.…
View on map ↗Wesley Chapel A. M. E. Church · 1992
traces its history to 1875, and is believed to be the oldest African American congregation in San Marcos. the first church building was erected on this site in 1879, and later was replaced by a succession of structures.…
View on map ↗…and 22 more San Marcos markers. Find every one of them on the map in the RoadHistorical app.
Discover San Marcos’s history on the road
RoadHistorical maps all 15,000+ Texas historical markers and alerts you as you pass them. Free to download.
Keep exploring