Remembering the Mission -- Mission Tejas SP, Grapeland TX
N 31° 32.899 W 095° 14.398
15R E 287368 N 3492547
Deep inside Mission Tejas State Park, visitors will discover an idealized commemorative mission chapel which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935, at the actual site of the Mission San Francisco, the first Spanish mission in East TX
Waymark Code: WMXKQK
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/25/2018
Views: 1
Mission San Francisco, the first Spanish mission in East Texas, was established at the site in 1690, and abandoned by 1694. Originally established to hold down the Spanish claim to this part of Texas, which was threatened by French inursions into the area by French explorer Sieur de la Salle, mission San Francisco was ultimately a victim of its remoteness and a belief among the Indians (who began dying in large numbers after the Spanish priests had baptized them) that the Spanish were poisoning them with bad water.
The site of Mission San Francisco was selected for its proximity to an established Indian village, the nearness of El Camino Real, and nearby natural springs. The actual site was located in 1934 by Doctor Albert Woldert, a historian and scholar. Shortly thereafter, a civilian conservation Corps project to restore the forest in this area grew to include a project to build a commemoration of the long vanished mission San Francisco. The mission chapel that stands today was built by those civilian conservation Corps laborers and is a popular spot for weddings and get-togethers at Mission Tejas State Park.
A recently-installed interpretive sign at the CCC mission chapel re-creation reads as follows:
"REMEMBERING THE MISSION
To tell the story, the park's founders looked to a distant past
A Spanish mission
Faced with a French entry into East Texas in the 1600s, Spain asserted its claim by founding a mission. In 1690 Spain sent Franciscan Friars to found mission San Francisco de los Tejas, thought to lie just west of Mission Tejas State Park. The Spanish friars attempted to convert the native Hasinai Caddo 2 Christianity while making them subjects of the Spanish crown. Conflict arose when native people blame the disease outbreaks on the baptismal waters and the Spaniards accused them of theft. The Spanish abandoned the mission in 1694.
[graphic]
Attempting to envision a distant past, artists depict a Franciscan friar and a Hasinai village at the time of the missions founding.
[photo]
Catholic clergy from Texas and Spain gathered to dedicate Mission Tejas State Park on July 4, 1935
A Park for Remembrance
in preparation for the 1936 Texas Centennial, Houston County leaders who founded the park viewed the present Park site as the likely location of East Texas's first mission and pushed for its recognition beginning in 1934. They erected a commemorative plaque, acquired this very land, and worked with the Texas forest service to set aside in honor of the mission. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) company 888 finished building the park in May 1935."
Group that erected the marker: State of Texas
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
Mission Tejas SP
Grapeland, TX
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Visit Instructions:
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