Torched town from Texas Revolution reemerges in archaeological dig west of Houston

Sandy Rogers works at the units that uncovered portions of the brick cellar feature associated with the Farmer’s Hotel in the business district of colonial San Felipe de Austin. Sandy Rogers works at the units that uncovered portions of the brick cellar feature associated with the Farmer’s Hotel in the business district of colonial San Felipe de Austin. Photo: Courtesy Photo: Courtesy Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close Torched town from Texas Revolution reemerges in archaeological dig west of Houston 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

The Houston Archeological Society is embarking on a new investigation at the site of a town that was set on fire and destroyed during the Texas Revolution, hoping to build more pieces of what life was like during the period as well as learn answers to some unanswered questions.

San Felipe, also known as San Felipe de Austin, located approximately 50 miles west of Houston, is not only rich in Texas history but also in historical artifacts. Past digs have produced several thousand artifacts, multiple colonial-era trash pits, a brick basement and a barrel cistern.

"The site has deep importance in Texas history. We know how history played out, including the battles and political intrigue. What we don't know is who lived in this town and what was everyday life like, particularly for those who are not included in historical documents, such as women, slaves and Native Americans," Sarah Chesney, an archaeologist the Texas Historical Commission hired to oversee the project, told Chr0n.com.

Click through the gallery above to see some of the incredible artifacts uncovered at San Felipe de Austin.

Last December, Chesney began clearing the land and the dig is scheduled to begin in March.

Excavations at the site have been ongoing for years, society president Linda Gorski said. “We’re now looking for foundation features, including burned brick and stone walls, and artifacts from the early 1830s period.”

In 2004/2005, a test at the site prompted the current investigation, Chesney said.

"They did some testing and uncovered one of the large cistern in town," she said. "That was the project that made us realize we needed a large committed project at the site."

According to a project document provided by Chesney, San Felipe de Austin was initially founded as the first town in Stephen F. Austin’s Mexican Texas settlement of Austin’s Colony in 1823. A plan map of the town, dated that same year, indicates Austin’s idea for a large capital city for his colony. However, the town never grew beyond several hundred residents, according to the document.

The town served as the capital of the Texas Revolution in late 1835 and 1836. On March 29, 1836, San Felipe de Austin was evacuated by captain of the San Felipe militia Mosely Baker, who reported to general Sam Houston. Baker and his troops set the entire town on fire to keep the Mexican army from taking advantage of the town’s stores and provisions.

FROM 2013: Long in the shadows, San Felipe de Austin ready for its closeup, only on HoustonChronicle.com

Conflicting interpretations about the nature of Houston’s commands and Baker’s interpretation of them to destroy the town still remain, according to the document.

San Felipe de Austin never truly recovered from the destruction of 1836 and after the end of the Texas Revolution, the capital of the newly-independent Texas was relocated. San Felipe de Austin languished as its population center gradually shifted west.

In 1940, the Friends of Stephen F. Austin Park Association and the San Felipe de Austin Corporation struck a deal in which they donated 663 acres, including the town which was designated as the San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site, to the State of Texas to be used and managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as a recreational park.

The agency and the Stephen F. Austin Park Association shared responsibility for the historic site for three decades until 2007, when the Texas Legislature moved control of 22 historic properties to the Texas Historical Commission. The commission still controls approximately 70 acres of the original townsite.

Notable past excavations include a 1995 project by wildlife agency archaeologists who recovered more than 2,500 artifacts, most of which could be associated with the colonial-era occupation of the site.

Additionally, they found structural remains and other signs of occupation, suggesting that significant evidence of colonial-era occupation is preserved intact below the current ground surface.

In 2002, archaeologist Marianne Marek began a multi-year project, the results of which included several thousand colonial and other historic artifacts, multiple colonial-era trash pits, a brick basement, and a barrel cistern.

Marek and her team also discovered lead printing type used in a press. “San Felipe de Austin had one of the earliest newspaper presses in Texas. In 1835/1836 they printed news about the Texas Revolution,” Chesney said.

Other examples unearthed throughout the years include ceramics, dominoes, copper rings, lead shot and the remains of buildings, according to Chesney.

“But one of the oddest things they found out is a brick basement in one of the taverns in town. It’s unusual to build a basement so close to the river when it’s likely to flood. We’re not sure what it was used for.”

Marcy de Luna is a reporter. You can follow her on Twitter @MarcydeLuna and Facebook @MarcydeLuna.