| Old Stone Fort Museum | |
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Old Stone Fort Museum
Location within Texas
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| Established | 1936 |
| Location | Stephen F. Austin State University Griffith and Clarke Boulevards Nacogdoches, Texas |
| Website | The Old Stone Fort at SFASU |
The Old Stone Fort Museum is located on the grounds of Stephen F. Austin State University, in the city and county of Nacogdoches, in the U.S. state of Texas. It is a 1936 replica of a structure erected c. 1779 by Nacogdoches militia commander Antonio Gil Ibarvo. The original was never actually a fort, in spite of its sobriquet. After over a century serving varied purposes, the original structure was demolished. The replica was erected with help from the local Cum Concilio civic organization and funding from the New Deal economic program of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. The museum is open to visitors and provides historic exhibits on the grounds of the University.
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The original Old Stone Fort was built of native iron ore c. 1779 as a mercantile house by Antonio Gil Ibarvo. Because of its iron-brick structure, it was referred to as the Stone House. He sold the structure in 1805 to José Luis de la Bega. In 1806, Bega sold it to William Barr. Along with fellow merchants Peter Samuel Davenport, Luther Smith and Edward Murphy, Barr operated the Nachitoches, Louisiana based House of Barr and Davenport import-export business catering to the area indigenous tribes.[1] As the Nacogdoches agent for the firm, Davenport headquartered himself in the Old Stone Fort.[2] Davenport outlived his partners. Smith died in 1807, Murphy in 1808, and Barr in 1810, leaving Davenport as the sole proprietor.[3] For the next several years, the structure also served as an assortment of government facilities.[4]
Empresario Haden Edwards's brother Benjamin led several followers in seizing the building on December 16, 1826, in a prelude to the Fredonian Rebellion. Shortly thereafter, Col. José de las Piedras used the structure as his headquarters.[5]
John Marie Durst purchased the Stone House in 1829 from Peter Samuel Davenport's son and heir Juan Benigno Davenport . Durst and his family lived there until 1834 when he sold it to Vicente Córdova.[6] In 1837, the Republic of Texas utilized the structure as a courtroom under judge Robert McAlpin Williamson, also known as Three-Legged Willie.[7] In 1838, Córdova sold the structure to John S. Roberts, one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Roberts, a former sheriff of Natchitoches, Louisiana, had also participated in the battle of Nagodoches in 1832 and the Siege of Béxar in 1835.[8][9] He operated a variety of commercial ventures in the structure before selling to William and Charles Perkins.[10]
The fort was dismantled by the Perkins family in 1902, but some of the original fort's stones were preserved by Cum Concilio, a civic organization in Nacogdoches. In 1907, the club used the stones for a small building in Washington Square. The New Deal economic program of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration provided funding for the construction of a replica of the old fort on the grounds of Stephen F. Austin State College. Dedication ceremonies were held October 16, 1936. The museum is open to visitors, and hosts historic exhibits.[11][12]
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