Think Texas heads to Nacogdoches. Here's our itinerary for the 'oldest town in Texas'
Soon, I'll be heading home. In a manner of speaking.
In 1954, I was born in the former oil boomtown of Kilgore (pop. 13,000) in East Texas.
To tell the truth, I lived in that part of the state for just three years, spending my infancy and toddler times behind the "Pine Curtain" in Kilgore and nearby Jacksonville.
No Kilgore Rangerettes, however, will be kicking up a storm during my upcoming Think Texas road trip. (The famous drill team, by the way, just announced that it will be performing during the London New Year’s Day Parade. Apparently, no matter where, "beauty knows no pain.")
Our late spring destination is, instead, Nacogdoches, a small East Texas city, sometimes called the oldest in the state, whose abandoned Spanish missions go back to 1716.
More: Revisit Congress Avenue in 1914, where revelers in cars crowd out horse drawn buggies
On land that was home to the agricultural Caddo tribe, the civic municipality was founded in 1779 by Don Antonio Gil Y'Barbo. It remained an anchor for Spanish efforts in East Texas.
Nacogdoches witnessed several rebellions and shifts in power, including alliances with — and against — the immigrant Cherokee tribe, chased from the eastern U.S. and settled in large numbers north of town during the early 19th century.
Today, the city is best known as the home of Stephen F. Austin State University, which recently joined the University of Texas System. (Welcome, Lumberjacks.)
Below find my intended itinerary. Please make suggestions that might turn this into the most gratifying Think Texas roadtrip to date.
Seeing the Nacodoches sights
Caddo Mounds State Historic Site: This park, 30 minutes to the west of Nacogdoches, is at the top of my list. Recently rebuilt after a 2019 tornado, it is home to some of the most evocative historical replicas in Texas as well as a top-notch interpretive exhibit. The Caddo tribes were related to the Mississippian civilization that built earthen platform mounds throughout much of the central and eastern parts of the U.S.
The Fredonia Hotel: Named after the short-lived Republic of Fredonia (Dec. 21, 1826-Jan. 31, 1827), this midcentury hotel was built not long after my birth, in 1955. The only tall building in town, you couldn't miss it if you tried. It was considered the utmost in chic at the time, but went dark in 1985. It was recently refurbished with tremendous fanfare and instantly became a magnet for other tourist-related businesses. As one reader, Walter Riggs, says: "If the Rat Pack was visiting East Texas, this is where they’d hang!"
More: 'An Echo of Belonging': Ebenezer Baptist Church commences 150th year of faith in Austin
Millard’s Crossing Historic Village: I'm usually a little suspicious of spots that gather older buildings into a historical cluster that might lend the visitor a sense of how people lived decades or hundreds of years ago (otherwise known as the Colonial Williamsburg Effect). Yet this modest village seems utterly authentic, centered as it is at the 1837 Millard-Lee House.
Old Nacogdoches University Building: Of course we'll tool around the Stephen F. Austin University campus with friends who teach there, but since history is the point, why not visit this academic center that predates the current university and was chartered in 1845? We'll find out why some call the place: "The mother of education in Texas." Currently, the surviving Greek Revival structure, built 1858-1859, houses a museum run by the Nacogdoches Federation of Women’s Clubs.
More: 'Austin has done almost nothing': Time to thank the Tonkawa for saving the capital of Texas
Stone Fort Museum: You know how, if you put off visiting a historic spot long enough, your day dreams run away with the possibilities, uninformed by fact? For the longest time, I imagined that this was a round fort. I don't know why. I believed that what can be seen now on the SFA campus is the original structure. Neither is the case. Instead, this is a respectful 1936 reconstruction of Antonio Gil Y’Barbo’s 18th-century stone house, and it contains a history museum about the area.
Zion Hill Baptist Church: Perched on the corner of Lanana and Bois d’arc streets, this longtime sanctuary for a historic African American congregation, founded in 1878, was built in 1914 by designer Diedrich Rulfs. The churchgoers have moved on, but the restored building is open for tours.
Pineywoods Native Plant Center: Depending on how you count them, Texas encompasses at least seven major ecological regions, more if you drill down beyond the obvious zones. Time to find out what makes the flora of East Texas distinctive. I did a lot of camping in the Piney Woods as a youth, but my familiarity with its plant life is woefully thin.
More: Say yes to everything: From upscale to diners, here's where to eat and drink in Lubbock
El Camino Real de los Tejas: Readers of this column know that I'll follow any clue that might lead to more knowledge about this braided trail that stretched from northern Mexico to northwestern Louisiana. Not long ago, archaeologists employed their insights into this road to discover the ruins of a Spanish mission near Nacogdoches. For this trip, I'll depend on a local guide from the Austin-based El Camino Real de los Tejas National Trail Association.
Historic Town Center: This rather amorphous neighborhood term actually suits my general strategy about reporting from Texas towns and cities. Start at the center, often the oldest part of the place. From my most recent visits to Nacogdoches, I know that locals have carefully preserved and revivified this commercial district with its red brick streets and comparatively brisk foot traffic. Another neighborhood worth checking out: Mound Street.
Where to eat and drink in 'Nac'
Once I had posted my late spring destination on social media, several "Nac" locals and repeat visitors recommended the Fredonia Brewery, a hub for food trucks on the weekend. Several others endorsed the aforementioned Fredonia Hotel, which houses The 1st City Café, The Republic Steakhouse and the Nine Flags Bar & Grill.
"All things Fredonia Hotel," confirms Jennifer Bristol, far-traveling Texas author of "Parking Lot Birding" and "Cemetery Birding." Keep it simple: "Food, bar, lounging by the pool."
More: Texas history museum dissects treaty that ended Mexican American War and changed the world
"La Michoacana Meat Market: It’s a grocery store and taqueria with good people watching and delicious food," says local Merci McCandless Nicklas, a regular at the Nacogdoches Farmers Market who happens to own Chulita Hill Farm. "Taquitos El Jaliscience is very good food; I like the chili Monterey. Barkeeps for Indian fusion; I recommend the spinach paneer. Mexico Lindo: they have fantastic green sauce. Also for breakfast you can get the super tacos and it’s two gigantic tacos for about five dollars. Kinfolks Restaurant for fantastic people watching and delicious country breakfast for a pretty good price. They also have lunch specials such as meatloaf, chicken fried steak, etc."
SFA School of Theatre & Dance Professor Scott Shattuck, a longtime friend, first recommended his house for dinner, then, more seriously: "The hotel, where they at least make an effort when it comes to sourcing. Maybe Clear Springs (part of a small Texas restaurant group with locations in New Braunfels, Tyler and Midland) for catfish? Wherever you end up, let’s at least meet up for a libation!"
Terri Killen: "For a snack, try SuSu’s Popcorn and Candy Cafe downtown. She’s native to Nac and is carrying on a family legacy from another town to Nac. She’s always there so you can hear her story."
Bruce R.R. Partain, whom I met during a Think Texas road trip to San Angelo, votes for Naca Valley Vineyard, located northeast of town.
Austin business and civic leader Kerry Tate: "Pick up a Butcher Boys hamburger, take a bench across the street from the Fredonia Hotel, and sit with storyteller Bob Murphy and friends and enjoy."
More: A Texan honors her French ancestor who died while mapping the Gulf Coast in 1778
Valerie Clark: "NacBurger has some of the best catfish, burgers, gyros. If you're in the mood for some good Mexican food, D'Gorditas or Taquitos El Jaliscience. And Nijiya for sushi. Barkeeps for Asian fusion. Service is awesome and food is always delicious."
Nobody recommended it, but I'm going to break my fast at least once at the original Cotton Patch Cafe. A chain diner, you say, with some 50 outlets in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico? Yes, but this location near the SFA campus started it all in 1989 with basic Southern comfort food. I ate there when there was just the one. That's history!
Michael Barnes writes about the people, places, culture and history of Austin and Texas. He can be reached at mbarnes@gannett.com. Sign up for the free weekly digital newsletter, Think, Texas, at statesman.com/newsletters, or at the newsletter page of your local USA Today Network paper.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: What should we do in historic Nacogdoches? An East Texas itinerary.
