Fort Waul

(Business State Highway 183) and Middle Buster Road (County Highway 510).
Fort Waul, located on Waldrip Hill, a high, wide hill on the northern edge of the city of Gonzales, is one of the few remaining Confederate earthwork fortifications in Texas. The fort was intended to be a supply depot for the Confederate Army in the Western Subdistrict of Texas, as well as a defensive post on the Guadalupe River.
Read the Historical Marker.

The Edwards High School Community Center & African American Museum

1427 Fly Street, Gonzales, Texas 78629
(830) 263-1611
Tours are available when scheduled in advance.
The school was built in 1914 and served the African American children of Gonzales County until school desegregation in 1964. The school and gymnasium are owned by the Edwards Association. The gymnasium on the property has a beautiful and architecturally significant lamella vaulted roof. These roofs, patented in 1910 by Friedrich Zollinger, were popular
between World Wars, when metal was in short supply. Individual pieces were joined together with bolts or plates to form a rhomboid pattern. There is a museum in the classroom building.

Gonzales County Archives & Record Center

427 St. George Street, Gonzales, Texas 78629
(830) 672-7970
An extensive collection of Gonzales County historical information available for researchers. This archive has items dating back to 1838. It is utilized by authors researching Texas History and families conducting genealogical research. The Archives are housed in the historic Randle-Rather building which opened as a department store in 1897.

Independence Square

Bounded by St. Joseph, St. George, St. Paul, & St. Lawrence Street.
Site of the annual “Come and Take It Celebration” celebrating our community’s history. City of Gonzales Historic Fire Station – two-story fire station built in 1908. It was originally constructed to house horse drawn equipment. It was remodeled in 1918 to accommodate a motor drawn pumper.

Read more about Independence Square

Market Square – Historic Riverside School

200 St. Lawrence Street, Gonzales, Texas 78629
Opening in 1914, the Water Street Mexican School, later named Riverside School was built to provide classrooms for Mexican American children, it was designed to provide students with opportunities for success regardless of their heritage, economic status, or home language. The one-story brick schoolhouse originally housed 6 grades, and there were additions to the building and new facilities on the campus as enrollment grew. This included a surplus army building from Camp Swift and the former Stieren School both being moved here. The Riverside School was used by Hispanics until 1948 and then African American students until 1965. The building now is being used as a museum operated by the Museum Association of Texas Pioneers.

Read more about Market Square

Texas Heroes Square

Bounded by N. St Joseph Street, St. Lawrence Street, St. James
Street, and St Louis Street.
The square honors the men of Gonzales that fought in the Texas Revolution. The ‘Come and Take It’ monument (by sculptor Pompeo Coppini) was built in 1910 through the efforts of the Gonzales Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Marker text: Gonzales Town tract of 4 square leagues had 49 squares in Inner City. 7 of these squares for public use. This one was for municipal building but became a Plaza. Now called Texas Heroes Square, in honor of all Gonzales men who fought in the Texas Revolution. State Historical Survey Committee – 1966

Read more about Texas Heroes Square

Central Square

Gonzales County Courthouse

414 St. Joseph, Gonzales, Texas
(830) 672-2327
The courthouse, dating from 1895, was designed by noted Texas architect, J. Riely Gordon in the Romanesque Revival style made popular by architect H.H. Richardson. Our historic County Courthouse is open to the public and available for touring. Read more about the courthouse.

Gonzales County Jail Museum

414 St. Lawrence Street, Gonzales, Texas
(830) 263-4663
One of the most monumental county jails built in Texas in the nineteenth century, the former Gonzales County Jail is the largest extant from that century. Three story architectural jewel built at the height of the Victorian Era. The first prisoner was accepted in 1887. Used as a jail until 1975. The Old Jail now houses the Jail Museum highlighting the history of early law enforcement in Texas. Also, home to the Gonzales County Historical Commission and their historical archives. Open for tours and research. Read more about the Jail Museum.

Church Square

Bounded by St. Paul, St. Louis, St. Peter, St. Lawrence.
(830) 672-2157
Home of First United Methodist Church built and First Baptist Church.

Bounded by N Hamilton, St. Louis, N College and St. Lawrence.
Home of the St. James Catholic Church and Episcopal Church of the Messiah.

Gonzales Memorial Museum, First Shot Cannon

414 Smith Street, Gonzales, Texas 78629
(830) 672-6350

Open Monday – Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Open Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is Adults $5, Children $3.

The Gonzales Memorial Museum is a Texas Centennial Historical Memorial Museum that commemorates the Immortal 32 who died in the Alamo. The cannon which fired the first shot for Texas Independence on October 2, 1835, is prominently displayed. The structure is an elegant Art Deco complex which includes two exhibition wings, an outdoor 500-seat amphitheater, and a reflecting pool designed by the San Antonio architectural firm of Phelps and Dewees. The complex is constructed of shell limestone and trimmed in Cordova cream limestone. The central exterior entry features a monument comprised of pink granite and a bronze sculpture by artist Raoul Josset.

Visit the museum’s website

The Eggleston House

414 Smith Street, Gonzales, Texas 78629

This self-guided tour is free, and always open.

The Eggleston House built in Gonzales after the Runaway Scrape and burning of the town in 1836. Horace Eggleston built this house in 1848 and it was one of the first erected. In 1954 the house was given to the city of Gonzales by Mr. and Mrs. E.E. Smith Jr. Open for self-guided tours. Considered the oldest home in Gonzales, County this is one of the finest examples of a preserved log cabin in the state.

Read About the Eggleston House here

Kerr Creek Park & 18-hole Disc Golf Course

St. Louis Street from North Fair Street to Sarah Dewitt Drive
(830) 672-3192
Kerr Creek Park is home to the historic Oak Forest Bridge and 18-hole disc golf course. The Oak Forest Bridge was built in 1913 over the Guadalupe River and was replaced in 2003. The bridge was relocated for a pedestrian bridge over Kerr Creek. The Disc Golf Course was established in 2003 and is home to the annual Gonzo Liberty Battle part of the Heart of Texas Tour Disc Golf qualifiers. It is a well-maintained course with rolling fairways. Score cards are available at the Parks and Recreation Office (1920 St. Joseph, Gonzales, Texas) or the Visitor‘s Center (304 St. Louis Street, Gonzales, Texas).

Visit the Park Website.

Sam Houston Oak & Braches House

CR 361 Sam Houston Oak, Gonzales, Texas 78629
Tours are available by contacting 830-672-6532
The Braches house is a Greek Revival style home that was a plantation house and stagecoach stop.
Sam Houston and several hundred Texas citizen-soldiers spent one of the worst nights of their lives on March 14, 1836, near the tree. Houston dispatched his best scouts, Erastus “Deaf” Smith, Henry Karnes, and Robert Handy, to learn about the situation of Col. William B. Travis and the defenders of the Alamo. Susannah Dickinson, Travis’ wife, gave the scouts the grim news that her husband and others had died early on the morning of March 6. Karnes raced back to Gonzales while Smith and Handy stayed behind to escort the survivors. Houston ordered the town to be torched and for the troops to retreat. Houston led 374 citizen-soldiers eastward all night, crossing Peach Creek at Bartholomew D. McClure’s plantation. The soldiers rested, ate breakfast, and took in stragglers before continuing their march. A gray granite historical marker placed nearby in 1936 said the oak briefly served as the “headquarters” of Houston’s army. The McClure-Braches House, built in 1843 by Charles Braches for his second wife, Sarah, still stands near the oak.

Read more about the Sam Houston Oak

Robert Lee Brothers, Jr. Memorial Library

2122 N Saint Joseph, Gonzales, Texas 78629
(830) 672-2157

Hours are Monday, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Tuesday – Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Mary Elizabeth Tinsley Texas History Center
Second largest Texas History Book Collection in the state. Extensive resources for genealogical research.
Charles DuBose Gun & Militaria Collection
The Dubose Collection is the largest private collection of guns and militaria on display in the US. The exhibit includes many rare and one-of-a-kind items. In addition to guns, the collection includes holsters, trench art, commemoratives, flags, helmets and swords.
Vickie Bushong Collection of Texas Revolutionary Documents
The Vickie Bushong Collection is a significant private collection of Texas Revolutionary Documents. The collection includes the authentic signatures of David Crockett, William B. Travis and Santa Anna. Because of Bushong’s family history, she became an
avid collector of early maps of Texas, documents, currency and photographs from the Republic of Texas and of Quanah Parker.
Herbert Hensley Point & Arrowhead Collection
Impressive collection of artifacts found on a Gonzales County
Farm in the early 1900’s.
Read more about the Library

The Tour Gonzales Visitor’s Center and Come and Take It Shop

304 Saint Louis Street, Gonzales, Texas 78629
(830) 672-1095
Open Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Your resource for all things Gonzales! We can give you the information you need to visit or relocate. We have a great selection of Come and Take It souvenirs.
Plan a Trip to the Tour Gonzales Visitor’s Center

Military Square

Bounded by St. Joseph Street, St. Matthew Street , St. Paul Street, and St. Louis Street
Another of the original 49 squares platted during the original colonial survey, the main features of this square are two historic markers and a very fine early 20th century Presbyterian Church with a bell tower and a labyrinth to contemplate within. Also home to the Community Butterfly Garden.

J.B. Wells Historic Home Museum

833 Mitchell Street, Gonzales, Texas 78629
(830) 519-4048
Gonzales Rancher T.N. Matthews drove cattle up the Chisolm Trail. His cattle baron’s mansion was built in 1885 and sold to J.B. Wells, another prominent cattleman, in 1890. It was quite a modern residence for its time with a fire escape, lightning rods, and indoor plumbing. The 15-room mansion has many pieces of Guadalupe River Valley black walnut furniture, hand crafted during the Republic of Texas. The site includes the original outdoor kitchen, barn, and carriage house. A 200-year-old sugar bowl that was buried in 1835 during the Runaway Scrape by Josephine Well’s grandparents, the Hodges, to save it from the approaching Mexican Army is on display in the dining room Josephine used this gift from her grandmother, Edith Nobles Hodges, to tell the story of the early settlement of Texas and the Republic era. The home is a designated Recorded Texas Historical Landmark. It is owned by The Daughters of the Republic of Texas and lovingly cared for by the Gonzales Chapter of DRT.

Read more about the J.B. Wells Historic Home

Independence Park – Golf Course, River Access, RV Camp Sites

William P Dooley Bypass Hwy 183, Gonzales, Texas 78629
(830) 672-3192
Independence Park is located off Highway 183 on the banks of the Guadalupe River. This park includes three covered pavilions, little league fields, softball/baseball fields, soccer fields, basketball court, volleyball courts, swimming pool, a 21-site RV Park, show barn, rodeo arena, a 2.35-mile hike and bike trail and scenic views of the Guadalupe River. The park also hosts an attractive 9-hole golf course.
Visit the Park Website

J.B. Wells Park, Arena & Expo Center

78 Park Road 11 South, Gonzales, Texas 78629
(830) 672-6558
J. B. Wells Parks
This 169-acre park boasts a covered pavilion, multi-purpose show barn, covered arena, practice arena, hike and bike trail, and 442 RV Hook-ups. JB Wells Park hosts many events throughout the year; bull riding, cutting horse events, team roping, barrel races, weddings, 4-H play days, Rusted Gingham Barn Sale, junior high and high school rodeos, stock shows, cattle sales, tractor pulls, concerts and much more.
Visit the J.B. Wells Arena and Expo Website.

Tomb of Gonzales Joe Bailey, AQA Foundation Sire
Born in Gonzales in 1919, Joe Bailey is designated as one of the American Quarter Horse Associations nineteen foundation sires. The site was awarded AQA Historical Marker status in 2007.
Visit the Joe Bailey Website.

First Shot Monuments Historic District

4049 TX-97, Gonzales, Texas
Near here on October 2, 1835, was fired the first shot of the Texas Revolution of 1835-36 – the shot heard around the world. At Gonzales the Texans defied the Mexican government and refused their demand for the Gonzales cannon with the “Come and Take It” challenge until reinforcements arrived from other parts of DeWitt’s Colony and from the colonies on the Colorado and Brazos. They then pursued the Mexicans from Gonzales to near this point and fired upon them with this cannon, driving them back to Bexar. This shot started the revolution and was directly responsible for adding more territory to the United States than was acquired by the freeing of the original thirteen colonies from England.

Read more about the First Shot Monument