The Cradle of Texas Conservancy

The Cradle of Texas Conservancy Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The Cradle of Texas Conservancy, Nonprofit Organization, 1083 Riverview Ranch Drive, Brazoria, TX.

Notice of presentation on local history and book signing!BCHM, Thursday, 9-Apr-2026, 6:00pm
03/23/2026

Notice of presentation on local history and book signing!
BCHM, Thursday, 9-Apr-2026, 6:00pm

New article : "The First Hero of the Texas Navy .... Was a Civilian" - about Thomas F. McKinney starting the Republic of...
03/17/2026

New article : "The First Hero of the Texas Navy .... Was a Civilian" - about Thomas F. McKinney starting the Republic of Texas Navy out of Quintana and Velasco. Link can be found on the Articles page of the Texas Navy Association web site (at top of list): https://texasnavy.com/Articles

NEW BOOK ABOUT HISTORY OF BRAZORIA COUNTY:Here Rests the Brave - A Chronological and Archaeological History of the Forts...
02/17/2026

NEW BOOK ABOUT HISTORY OF BRAZORIA COUNTY:
Here Rests the Brave - A Chronological and Archaeological History of the Forts Velasco
…. published under the auspices of the Old Fort Velasco Historical Association.
… is a 236-page heavily illustrated narrative about early developments at the very end of "Rio de los Brazos de Dios" and that last little town of its left bank, old Velasco. Six years in the making, come read the saga of the first "puerto de Galvezton" at the Brazos, the schemes of George "Jorge" Fisher beginning in 1830, the 1832 "Fortaleza de Velasco" during the days of Mexican Texas, the struggle for its control during the Anahuac Disturbances of 1832 (The Battle of Velasco), and the resultant abandonment of Mexican forces from eastern Texas for three years - all important antecedents to the Texas Revolution. Then, as that war cloud rose up in 1835, learn of the San Felipe Incident (the true opening shot of that revolution), how the second Fort Velasco and the First Texas Navy defended the coast during those momentous nine months of 1835-1836, and the first capital of the Republic of Texas (after the Battle of San Jacinto) where the Treaties of Velasco were signed giving Texas its independence …. and more! … or just enjoy the fabulous color images.
Various formats are now available on-line via the links below, including deluxe Hardback, economical Paperback and digital E-book versions, all priced to merely recoup costs of publication. Any positive proceeds will be used for future historical interpretation projects.
Hardback (8.5x11”, case laminate cover, ultra-premium color interior pages)
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084...
Paperback (8.5x11”, perfect bound cover, premium color interior pages)
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084...
E-Book link:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-rests-the-brave-a-chronological-and-archaeological-history-of-the-forts-velasco-chris-kneupper/1148892481?ean=9798993289939

New Book about Jackson & Victoria Counties:Barranco Colorado - A Mexican Military Post on the Lower Lavaca River (1830-1...
02/01/2026

New Book about Jackson & Victoria Counties:
Barranco Colorado - A Mexican Military Post on the Lower Lavaca River (1830-1832)
… is a 72-page illustrated narrative focusing on the background and establishment of a Mexican military post in the days of Mexican Texas, especially a period from 1830-1832, as a sister fort to Fort Velasco. Its location was the middle Texas coast, on the lower Lavaca River about fifteen miles above its mouth on Lavaca Bay. In the summer and fall of 1830, several ships arrived in the bay with soldiers under the command of Capt. Aniceto Arteaga, initially staying at the then-new town of Guadalupe Victoria (modern Victoria, Texas), until they selected and moved to a new site on the west bank of the Lavaca River. Similar efforts for other Texas forts were all being coordinated at the same time by General Manuel de Mier y Teran, from his headquarters in Matamoros, such as Fort Texoxtitlan, Fort Anahuac and Fort Lipantitlan. The new location was remote and unsettled, but was within the existing Guadalupe Colony of the empresario Martin de Leon, and just outside the boundary of Stephen F. Austin's Colony. Its purpose was to enforce immigration and customs provisions of the Law of 6-Apr-1830. The effort suffered from lack of resources from the beginning, contributing to desertions, illnesses and deaths. Ultimately, in the Spring of 1832, the detachment was removed back to Guadalupe Victoria, and then left Texas altogether later that summer. This abandonment, along with similar failures of other forts in east and southeast Texas that same summer of 1832, was an important but poorly remembered antecedent to the Texas Revolution of 1835-1836.
Released to the public as of 31-Jan-2026, this self-published adult-level paperback is intended for educational and research follow-on purposes, and will soon be made available to local public and school libraries. Other history-related Facebook groups are invited to Share this post on their page, if the subject is of interest to that group. Anyone may directly order copies on-line at a discount, priced mostly to cover research and publication costs, although any positive proceeds will be used for local historical interpretation projects:
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=lw4VMFfOAeLVdHOZAQdK2CYpyqVKXC5Iq5LAUmTBTXs

Research indicates that the "canon a ocho" or 9-pound cannon used on the central bastion of the 1832 Fort Velasco was mo...
11/12/2025

Research indicates that the "canon a ocho" or 9-pound cannon used on the central bastion of the 1832 Fort Velasco was most likely an obsoleted French Gribeauval-8 field artillery piece (see photo) purchased by Mexico. Thus, a reproduction cannon resembling this size and type has been sought. The closest match so far is a centrifugally-cast hollow polyethylene reproduction that is economical (thus, replaceable) and weather-resistant:
https://cannonsforsale.com/product/armstrong-6/
Plan is to construct a naval carriage (see photo) of Trex (plastic laminate fake wood), and mount it on a platform with a central pivot pin. This will resemble the old carronade mount, except the pivot point will be under the center point of the carriage, much like the famous "pivot guns" used on the schooners of the First Navy of the Republic of Texas (see photo). Skirted casters will allow stable and sturdy rotation, atop a concrete disk base.

Fort Velasco Discovery Center project - a new name for our attempts to build a replica of the 1832 Fort Velasco.CTC has ...
11/12/2025

Fort Velasco Discovery Center project - a new name for our attempts to build a replica of the 1832 Fort Velasco.
CTC has decided to give up sole leadership in such a project, and a revised plan for a replica of the 1832 Fort Velasco is currently in the planning stage, to focus on historical interpretation instead of a full replica. Basically, the full exterior walls will be replaced by a ground-level walkway of granite gravel, except a partial wall segment will be built as an example and observation point. The central cannon bastion will remain, with a rotating but non-firing reproduction cannon. The project is being coordinated with the Brazoria County Parks Dept., as the intended location is within the boundaries of the Surfside Jetty Park, taking advantage of existing parking, higher elevation and scenic views, restrooms and utilities. The four attached photos show some early-stage drawings, now being coordinated through a volunteer Steering Committee, and is here being shared with the general public for the first time. Many details remain to be planned. This committee is in need of volunteers, especially with civil engineering and/or construction experience. If interested, please contact us by making a comment to this post, and we will be in touch.

Wanted everyone to know about the newly refurbished Battle of Velasco Memorial, competed earlier this year. It is locate...
10/25/2025

Wanted everyone to know about the newly refurbished Battle of Velasco Memorial, competed earlier this year. It is located at 600 Parkview Road, one block southwest of Surfside city hall.

Battle of Velasco Memorial successfully unveiled on 27-Jun-2023, the 191st anniversary of the battle! Please see photos...
06/29/2023

Battle of Velasco Memorial successfully unveiled on 27-Jun-2023, the 191st anniversary of the battle! Please see photos!
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=227060
CTC congratulates the Old Fort Velasco Historical Association and the Old Velasco/Surfside Historical Committee for hosting another successful event!

Rekindling of modern interest in the story of the 1832 Fort Velasco can perhaps be traced to the 1961 discovery of a 9 #...
06/14/2023

Rekindling of modern interest in the story of the 1832 Fort Velasco can perhaps be traced to the 1961 discovery of a 9 # cannonball found during excavations for a nearby industrial complex, just upriver from old Velasco. Attached is an article from this period. It includes a rendition of the fort by Texas artist Zella May McDaniel (copy also attached), which bears an uncanny resemblance to a diagram dated 1822 found among Stephen F. Austin's personal papers (later donated to the University of Texas by the Bryan family, and now in the Texas Map Collection of the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, a photo of the original also attached). Did she find and use the 1822 diagram for inspiration?

In the early 1980's, this 1822 drawing was attributed to the Mexican commander of the 1832 Fort Velasco (Lt. Col. Domingo de Ugartechea, built ~10 years later); however high-resolution copies of the original done in 2019 show no such link. Is it really a drawing for the 1832 fort? Hmmmm!

Fortune Favors the Brave! Two photos of an imitation cannon on mound inside the Timeline Circle at Surfside, and two ...
06/07/2023

Fortune Favors the Brave!
Two photos of an imitation cannon on mound inside the Timeline Circle at Surfside, and two photos of one of six new trail signs being installed along jetty-side trail. The San Felipe Incident was the REAL first shot of the Texas Revolution - see QR code - no less an authority than the Texas State Library & Archives Commission says so!

190 YEARS AGO on June 27th, 2023!The monument unveiling event on Tuesday evening, June 27th at 7pm, is in good company! ...
06/05/2023

190 YEARS AGO on June 27th, 2023!

The monument unveiling event on Tuesday evening, June 27th at 7pm, is in good company! On the first anniversary of the Battle of Velasco, in the evening of June 27th, 1833, the Velasco Association hosted a Ball to celebrate "the victory gained at Velasco, by the constitutional forces, in 1832." The attached image is a broadsheet published on 15-Jun-1833 by the newspaper office in Brazoria. Now, 190 years later, almost to the hour and within yards of that Ball's location, we'll celebrate with the new Battle of Velasco Memorial. The Old Fort Velasco Historical Association and the Old Velasco/Surfside Beach Historical Committee are co-hosts of this event, but CTC is happy to support their efforts. Come, and be the first to see the new memorial!

PROGRESS REPORT - Battle of Velasco Memorial at SurfsideThe monument intended for unveiling on June 27th (Event flyer po...
05/31/2023

PROGRESS REPORT - Battle of Velasco Memorial at Surfside

The monument intended for unveiling on June 27th (Event flyer posted here 4 days ago) by the Old Fort Velasco Historical Association (OFVHA), is currently being installed and we thought folks might like to get a sneak peek at the design, its origins in an obscure 1833 newspaper article, and also see a few photos of its current installation progress. The photos show the concrete base for the monument, and the small surrounding knoll being created. The modern version of this monument was designed and is being installed by Leslie Bryson (of Bryson Memorials of Angleton TX). It is ready, made of gray Georgia granite to withstand seaside conditions, and will be installed atop the base in coming weeks. Come see it for the first time on the evening of Tuesday, June 27th!!

Address

1083 Riverview Ranch Drive
Brazoria, TX
77422

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Cradle of Texas Conservancy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category