Toast to Texas at Sebastopol House to Honor Texas Founders

Media Contact: Rob McCorkle, TPWD, (830) 866-3533 icle__media__contact">Media Contact: Rob McCorkle, TPWD, (830) 866-3533 or robert.mccorkle@tpwd.texas.gov; Georgia Davis, Sebastopol House SHS, (830) 379-4833 or Georgia.davis@tpwd.texas.gov

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SEGUIN – Sebastopol House State Historic Site will host its 17th annual Toast to Texas on Wednesday, March 2, to pay tribute to the 59 men who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence 175 years ago on that date in 1836 in the tiny Brazos River town of Washington.

More than 100 school children, townspeople and dignitaries are expected to attend the 1:30 p.m. toast with mineral water put on by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. There also will be a floral tribute to honor Texas heroes.

“It’s a quite visually appealing event,” says site Superintendent Georgia Ruiz Davis. “The local sheriff’s mounted posse will deliver the official proclamation to Seguin Mayor Betty Ann Matthies and a middle school choir will be singing patriotic music to stir the soul.”

The event will include a roll call of the names of delegates to the independence convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos and a reading of Texian Commander William B. Travis’ letter to the delegates beseeching them to continue with their drafting of the declaration even as the Alamo was under siege from Mexican troops.  The event is free and open to the public.

The 1856 Greek Revival-style home, built for Col. Joshua W. Young, is included in the National Register of Historic Places due to its unusual “limecrete” construction and architectural significance. Limecrete was an innovative form of 19th century concrete patented a Georgia physician who mixed gravel, water and lime to create an early type of concrete. The Sebastopol House is one of several Seguin landmark structures featuring limecrete construction.

Sebastopol House State Historic Site is located one mile south of Interstate 10 on Zorn Street off Alternate Route 90 (Court Street) in Seguin. It is one of 93 state parks and historic sites that make up the Texas State Park system. For more information about Sebastopol House, call (830) 379-4833. For general Texas State Park information, call 1-800-792-1112 or visit tpwd.texas.gov/spdest/.