History & Culture

Step through the doors of historic homes and inns, and imagine the lives of the people who inhabited these places. Explore the frontier forts that protected early Texans, and walk along the paths where the Buffalo Soldiers served. Or visit the birthplace of Texas liberty, or battlegrounds, and imagine what Texas soldiers must have felt as they fought for and won independence.

Archeological Sites

• Caprock Canyons - Site of Lake Theo Paleoindian archeological excavation.

Rock Art Sites

• Big Bend Ranch - Variety of unique rock-art styles reflecting a cultural crossroads.
• Devils River - Vibrant examples of rock paintings, including Lower Pecos style figures.
• Hueco Tanks - Over 3,000 rock paintings, including numerous "masks."
• Seminole Canyon - World-class rock art, the oldest over 4,000 years old.

Historic Houses and Structures

• Fanthorp Inn - A stagecoach inn during the Republic and Early Statehood.
• Fort Leaton - Fortified adobe trading post established in 1848 by Ben Leaton.
• Goliad - Site of restored Spanish mission, Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga.
• Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery - An 1870s German family's house and brewing business.
• Washington-on-the-Brazos - Independence Hall is the birthplace of the Republic of Texas.
• Zaragosa Birthplace - A reconstruction of the birthplace of the man who gave us Cinco de Mayo.

Historic Missions

• Mission Espiritu Santo - Located at Goliad State Park and Historic Site
• Mission Rosario State Historic Site - In Goliad, Texas.

Military History Frontier Forts

• Fort Richardson - Home of Colonel Ranald Mackenzie's 4th Cavalry.

More information on frontier forts from www.texasbeyondhistory.net/forts.

Battlegrounds:

• San Jacinto Battleground - Where Texas finally won its independence from Mexico.

20th Century

• Battleship TEXAS - Restored dreadnought, veteran of two World Wars.

Commemorative Sites

• Lipantitlan - Named for a Mexican fort near the site of an 1835 battle during the Texas Revolution.
• Lyndon B. Johnson - Established in honor of our 36th President, located across the Pedernales River from the Texas White House and LBJ's gravesite in the National Historical Park.
• Monument Hill - The resting place of those who died at the Battle of Salado (1842) and those who were killed during the notorious "Black Bean Incident" (1843).
• San Jacinto Monument - Tallest column monument in U.S., on site of the famous battle.
• Zaragoza Birthplace - A reconstruction of the birthplace of the man who gave us Cinco de Mayo.

Living History Sites:

• Sauer-Beckmann Farm at Lyndon B. Johnson - A restored 1918 German farmstead.
• Penn Farm at Cedar Hill - A restored 1950s farm.
• Barrington Living History Farm at Washington-on-the-Brazos - A reconstructed 1850s farmstead.

Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.)

Below is a listing of TPWD parks that were built or improved by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal program, during the Great Depression in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Other Historic Information:

• Hands on History: Explore Living History Interpretation at State Parks and Historic Sites (PDF)
• Buffalo Soldiers Outreach Project & Exploring Texas Roots - A cultural heritage education program targeting inner-city minority youth.
• Texas Longhorns in State Parks - TPWD has the Official State Herd of this Texas legend.
• Texas State Bison Herd