It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas... Nacogdoches is the home of Stephen F. Austin State University and Texas' largest Azalea garden [https://www.facebook.com/sfa.gardens/] ... [the Texas state legislature named Nacogdoches the official "Garden Capital of Texas" in May, 2013 https://www.facebook.com/gardencapital/].
Evidence of settlement at the same site dates back to 10,000 years ago. It is near or on the site of Nevantin, the primary village of the Nacogdoche tribe of Caddo Indians. Nacogdoches remained a Caddo Indian settlement until the early 19th century. In 1716 when Spain established a mission there, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de los Nacogdoches. That was the first European construction in the area.
The "town" of Nacogdoches got started after the French had vacated the region (1760s, following the French and Indian War), and Spanish officials decided that maintaining the mission was too costly. In 1772 they ordered all settlers in the area to move to San Antonio. Some were eager to escape the wilderness, but others had to be forced from their homes by soldiers. It was one of the original European settlements in the region, populated by Adaeseños from Fort Los Adaes. Colonel Antonio Gil Y'Barbo, a prominent Spanish trader, emerged as the leader of the settlers, and in the spring of 1779, he led a group back to Nacogdoches. Later that summer, Nacogdoches received designation from Spain as a pueblo, or town, thereby making it the first "town" in Texas. Y'Barbo, as lieutenant governor of the new town, established the rules and laws for local government. He laid out streets with the intersecting El Camino Real (now State Highway 21) and La Calle del Norte/North Street (now Business U.S. Highway 59-F) as the central point. On the main thoroughfare, he built a stone house for use in his trading business. The house, or Old Stone Fort as it is known today, became a gateway from the United States to the Texas frontier.
The city has been under more flags than the state of Texas, claiming nine flags. In addition to the Six Flags of Texas, it also flew under the flags of the Magee-Gutierrez Republic, the Long Republic, and the Fredonian Rebellion. People from the United States began moving to settle in Nacogdoches in 1820... In 1832, the battle of Nacogdoches brought many local settlers together, as they united in their stand to support a federalist form of government. Their successful venture drove the Mexican military from east Texas. Thomas Jefferson Rusk was one of the most prominent early Nacogdoches Anglo settlers. A veteran of the Texas Revolution, hero of San Jacinto, he signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and was secretary of war during the Republic of Texas... Sam Houston lived in Nacogdoches for four years prior to the Texas Revolution (1836) and opened a law office downtown... In 1859, the first oil well in Texas began operation here, but it was never so well known as Spindletop, drilled in 1901 near Beaumont.
Nacogdoches hosts the Texas Blueberry Festival on the second Saturday in June. The county is the top blueberry producer in Texas. The city recently tagged itself as the "Capital of the Texas Forest Country." ... The community celebrates a host of other events year round http://www.visitnacogdoches.org/... Nacogdoches has been in the Texas Main Street Program since 1998. It is a Preserve America Community and a Texas Treasures Award winner. Nacogdoches Downtown was named the "Best Historic Venue" by Texas Meetings and Events magazine. Nacogdoches was nominated as one of the "Friendliest Towns in America" by Rand McNally and USA Today... [main source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nacogdoches,_Texas]
LODGING
THE CUT-OFF DATE FOR GUARANTEED ROOMS IS TUESDAY, APRIL 4TH
These three Nacogdoches hotels have offered us special rates: the Comfort Suites (83.00/night), the Holiday Inn (91.00/night) and the Hampton Inn (91.00/night). Just mention the Texas Pollinator PowWow when registering.
(The Fredonia Hotel remains closed for renovations, for those of you who have been asking).
There are ALSO numerous charming bed and breakfast establishments in the area, some of which are adjacent to forested areas with native plant gardens and running and hiking trails.
For more information, OR FOR QUESTIONS REGARDING LODGING, please contact Joanna Temple, Nacogdoches CVB, (936)564-7351 or (281) 236-7960
