Goliad, Texas: Visiting Presidio La Bahía and Mission Espíritu Santo

Most Texans can recite “Remember the Alamo.” Fewer know that the second half of that battle cry, “Remember Goliad,” points to a quiet town on the San Antonio River where more than 300 Texian prisoners were executed in March 1836. Today, Goliad is a peaceful Goliad County seat with two remarkable Spanish colonial sites just south of town: the stone fort of Presidio La Bahía and the restored Mission Espíritu Santo.

Goliad sits on U.S. 59 and U.S. 183, about an hour and 45 minutes southeast of San Antonio, roughly two and a half hours southwest of Houston and about an hour and 15 minutes northwest of Corpus Christi.

Presidio La Bahía: a fort with a long memory

Spanish soldiers established Presidio La Bahía at this spot in 1749. Over the next century the fort changed hands under Spain, Mexico and the Republic of Texas. Its most painful chapter came in 1836: after the Battle of Coleto Creek, Col. James Fannin and his men were held here as prisoners and executed on Palm Sunday, March 27, by order of the Mexican army.

The fort was rebuilt to its 1836 appearance in the 1960s and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1967. Walking the walls, barracks and museum rooms gives you a strong sense of how isolated frontier life was. The Catholic Church has owned the property since 1853, and the Diocese of Victoria still operates it.

• Our Lady of Loreto Chapel – The chapel inside the fort has served Catholics since 1779, and Mass is still held every Sunday at 5 p.m.
• Fannin Memorial Monument – A short walk from the presidio, this 1938 memorial marks the grave of Fannin and his men.

The presidio is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., and admission is modest: $4 for adults, $3.50 for seniors, $1 for children under 12, and free for kids 5 and under at the time of writing.

Mission Espíritu Santo at Goliad State Park

Across the river, Goliad State Park & Historic Site centers on Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga, founded alongside the presidio in 1749. The mission once ran one of the earliest large cattle ranches in Texas. The Civilian Conservation Corps restored it in the 1930s, and its whitewashed stone church is one of the prettiest sights in South Texas.

You can tour the chapel and exhibits and even ring the church bell. The historic buildings are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., while the park itself is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Entry is $4 per adult per day, and kids 12 and under get in free. The park also has campsites, screened shelters and fishing from the dock on the San Antonio River, plus the take-out for the 6.6-mile Goliad Paddling Trail. December through March is the park’s busy season, so reservations are recommended.

West of the park, you can drive to the ruins of Mission Rosario and stop at the nearby El Camino Real de los Tejas visitor center to learn about the old Spanish road that linked these outposts.

Downtown Goliad

Back in town, the courthouse square makes a pleasant place for lunch and a stroll. The square hosts Goliad Market Days, an open-air market around the courthouse lawn, and the Goliad County Chamber of Commerce at 231 S. Market St. can tell you the next date and point you to local restaurants and shops. The Chamber also promotes a “Christmas in Goliad” celebration; call ahead for this year’s schedule.

If you want to see the living history program

Presidio La Bahía’s most popular annual event is a two-day living history program each spring that remembers the Goliad Massacre with reenactors and demonstrations. The presidio hadn’t posted 2027 dates when we checked, so call the site or watch its events calendar if you’d like to plan around it.

Make a South Texas weekend of it

Goliad pairs nicely with a coastal trip. The whooping crane country around Rockport is about an hour and 15 minutes south. If Texas history is your favorite kind of road trip, our guide to Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, makes a good companion read.

Hours, dates and prices can change. Check the Presidio La Bahía website before you head out.

Goliad is a place to slow down and listen. Stand inside the presidio walls, step into the cool quiet of the mission chapel, and you’ll understand why Texans were told to remember this town.

Featured photo: Michaelluckey via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.