Nacogdoches, Texas

Everything Nacogdoches is known for

14 songs mention this city 15 artists from here

Nacogdoches, known as "The Oldest Town in Texas," has a notable connection to music. The city is a Certified Music Friendly Texas Community, a designation from the Texas Music Office. Many artists have ties to Nacogdoches, including country artist Kasey Lansdale and jazz musicians Ernie Fields and Viviane Greene. The city is also mentioned in songs like "Buenas Noches From Nacogdoches" by Rich Mullins and "What I Like About Texas" by Gary P. Nunn.

Nacogdoches continues to foster its musical identity with various live music events and venues. Willie Nelson even recorded an album, *Nacogdoches*, in the city's Encore Studios.

Music in Nacogdoches

Songs About Nacogdoches

Buenas Noches From Nacogdoches
Rich Mullins
88%
Buenas Noches From Nacogdoches
Sixpence None the Richer
85%
What I Like About Texas
Gary P. Nunn
55%
"It's the big timber round Nacogdoches"
Lake Charles
Lucinda Williams
55%
"He was born in Nacogdoches"
I Don’t Give a Shit
Shinyribs
52%
"I remember that night in Nacogdoches"
Carousel
Miranda Lambert
51%
"Now she’s back in Nacogdoches and I hear she’s doing well"
Image of a Woman
Charley Crockett
51%
"I pulled in to Nacogdoches"
You’re My Texas
Gabby Barrett
50%
"You're my Nacogdoches sky"
Corsicana Lemonade
White Denim
50%
"Nacogdoches up to Lucas"
What I Like About Texas
Jerry Jeff Walker
20%
"It's the big timber round Nacadoches"
A Quick Death in Texas
Clutch
6%
"Galveston, El Paso, Nacogdoches, Abilene"
Tom Ames’ Prayer
Robert Earl Keen
5%
"Everyone in Nacogdoches knew Tom Ames would come to some bad end"
Tom Ames' Prayer
Steve Earle
5%
"Everyone in Nacogdoches knew Tom Ames would come to some bad end"
She’s Like Texas
Josh Abbott Band
4%
"Her eyes are green like the trees in Nacogdoches"

Artists From Nacogdoches

K
Kasey Lansdale
country Pop: 35
C
Chris Edwards
other Pop: 21
P
Passengers Unknown
other Pop: 21
E
Ernie Fields
jazz Pop: 19
C
Cole Stephens
country Pop: 18
V
Viviane Greene
jazz Pop: 17
C
Clutch Cargo
other Pop: 16
S
Sonny Burns
country Pop: 15
C
Chris Grooms
other Pop: 1
K
Keith Whitton
other Pop: 1
E
End of Evergreen
other Pop: 1
C
Country Willie Edwards
country Pop: 1
T
The Beefmasters
other Pop: 1
C
Caleb Hogan
americana Pop: 1
G
G5LRA
hip-hop Pop: 1

Rivers & Roads in Song near Nacogdoches

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Nacogdoches.

U.S. Route 59 3 songs Sabine River 10 songs

History of Nacogdoches

The Town That Declared Independence Three Times RoadyGoat

1813

Nacogdoches calls itself the oldest town in Texas, formally established in seventeen seventy-nine — more than fifty years before the Texas Revolution. While the rest of Texas flew six flags, Nacogdoches flew nine. It declared independence from Mexico not once, not twice, but three separate times. In eighteen thirteen, the Gutierrez-Magee Republic declared Texas free and was crushed by Spanish forces. In eighteen nineteen, James Long's Republic of Texas tried again and failed. In eighteen twenty-six, the Fredonian Rebellion declared the Republic of Fredonia out of Nacogdoches and collapsed within weeks. Three attempts, three failures. Then in eighteen thirty-five the rest of Texas finally caught up, and on the fourth try it worked. Nacogdoches also claims the first operational oil well in Texas, drilled in eighteen fifty-nine — forty-two years before Spindletop made anyone pay attention.

Nacogdoches, TX RoadyGoat

This East Texas city has been home to a remarkable array of influential figures. Sam Houston, a pivotal leader who served as president of the Republic of Texas, once called this place home. The city also boasts a Medal of Honor recipient, Oscar P. Austin, recognized for extraordinary heroism. In the realm of politics, Albert Thomas and Lera Millard Thomas both served as U.S. Representatives, contributing to national policy.

Nacadoches, TX RoadyGoat

Nacogdoches, you know, it's more than just the oldest town in Texas. It's a place that seems to breathe history, and that history is often tied to some pretty remarkable people. You might walk down Main Street, past the old brick buildings and the courthouse, and not realize that you're following in the footsteps of folks who went on to do some truly amazing things.

Austin, Stephen Fuller

1821

(November 3, 1793 - December 37, 1836) Republics often point to one person whose vision and leadership led to their creation. For the Republic of Texas (1836-1845) that person is Stephen Fuller Austin. Austin, the son of Moses and Maria Brown Austin, was born on the Virginia frontier. He attended schools in Kentucky and Connecticut before opting to work in his father's mercantile business in Missouri. He served as a judge in Arkansas prior to moving to New Orleans where he worked at a newspaper and studied law. In 1821 Moses Austin was granted permission by Spain to settle 300 families in Texas. His untimely death while in Louisiana recruiting settlers left the completion of his ambitious project to his son Stephen. Although a series of Mexican leaders subsequently rejected his father's original grant, Austin persevered and successfully lobbied for the grant's continuance. He astutely governed every facet of the original 300 families' settlement in southeast Texas (1821-1825) and those of another 900 families in the area by 1832. Austin was imprisoned in Mexico after requesting separate statehood for Texas in 1833. He returned to Texas in 1835 and helped it gain independence from Mexico. Austin, chosen as the new Republic's first secretary of state, is known as the father of Texas. Stephen F. Austin Bicentennial 1793 - 1993

Historical Marker →

Space Shuttle Columbia - Nacogdoches

2003

On February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry over East Texas, killing all seven crew members. Nacogdoches became the center of the debris field and recovery operation.

Historical Marker →

Angelina

1712

Angelina (Angelica) was a woman of the Hasinai Caddo (Tejas) nation who grew up in Monclova, Coahuila and at the Spanish Presidio San Juan Bautista south of the Rio Grande. According to European accounts, she was baptized a Catholic and learned to speak fluent Castilian Spanish. The earliest written account of Angelina came from the memoirs of the Frenchman Andre Penicaut who claimed to have met her in 1712 en route to the Presidio San Juan Bautista while accompanying French trader Louis Juchereau de St. Denis. Describing her as a "learned Indian woman," Father Isidro Felix de Espinosa mentioned her translation and diplomatic efforts when the 1716 Ramon-Espinosa expedition entered the kingdom of the Tejas west of the Neches River. Domingo Ramon noted at the time her key role at the dedication of East Texas missions. Clearly pleased to see her during his East Texas relief tour, Gov. Martin de Alarcon in 1718 persuaded the sagacious Angelina to live in the village surrounding Mission Concepcion. In 1721, Angelina acted as the interpreter for a meeting between the Hainai Caddi, the recognized leader of all the Tejas (Hasinai) nations, and the Spanish governor of Texas, Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo. This exchange solidified Caddo and Spanish cooperation against the French. Angelina was more than an interpreter; she was a diplomatic bridge between disparate worlds who facilitated mutual understanding. Her legacy lives on in the landscape of East Texas where the region honors her memory with the Angelina River, the Angelina National Forest and only county named for a woman. (2015)

Historical Marker →

Wolf, Anthony

1836

Anthony Wolf, Alamo defender, was born on February 17, 1782, in Arkansas Post on the banks of the Arkansas River in Spanish Louisiana. His parents were "the German Michael Wolf" and Mary Elizabeth (Roland) Wolf. Contrary to some historical accounts, Wolf was neither Jewish nor was he born in England. In Arkansas Post, Wolf grew up in a multi-cultural community (which included future Texas pioneer leaders and brothers, John Marie and Joseph Durst ) where citizens spoke several languages, including American Indian dialects. Following the Louisiana Purchase, Wolf served as lieutenant in the first U.S. Army infantry company of the "District of Arkansaw." About 1805 he married Christine Bringle, with whom he had a son, Michael. About 1814 Christine died. Thereafter, their son was apparently raised by the Bringle family. By 1818 Wolf had been transferred to Natchitoches, Louisiana, where he was employed as an American Indian scout and interpreter. On about September 15 of that year he was sent as an emissary to the Wichita Indians on the Brazos River. Around 1820 Wolf married Mary V. Durst (sister of John Marie and Joseph Durst). This union may have produced two sons. By 1822 Wolf had moved to Nacogdoches, Texas, where he lived at the home of alcalde James Dill and his wife Helena. James Dill had previously lived in Arkansas Post, where he knew Wolf as a child. In October 1822 Dill prepared a letter of introduction to Governor José Félix Trespalacios , in which he described Wolf as "a just and honest sittozen [citizen]." From Béxar Trespalacios sent Wolf as an interpreter with José Antonio Mexía and a delegation of Cherokee leaders (including Chief Richard Fields ) to Mexico City where the Cherokees made a request for a permanent land title. By 1824 Wolf served as constable of Nacogdoches. In messages written in Spanish by alcalde Juan Seguín , he addressed Wolf as "Antonio Callote" (pronounced "coyote"). Around this same time, Wolf and his wife Mary divorced. In 1825 she married Theophile Tauzin. Prior to the Texas Revolution , Wolf went through a long illness and convalesced at the home of John W. Hall at Washington-on-the-Brazos, where Wolf had applied for a land grant and planned on resettling. Following his recovery, Wolf went to Béxar, where he may have participated in the siege of Béxar . Afterwards, he served in the Alamo garrison as a member of Capt. William R. Carey 's artillery company. He died in the battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836. Susanna Wilkerson Dickinson , an Alamo survivor, later stated that a defender named "Wolff" asked the Mexicans for clemency but was killed. She further claimed that his two young sons (aged eleven and twelve) were killed in a room with Alamo survivors, their bodies removed on bayonets. Wolf may have been the oldest Alamo defender, while his sons may have been the youngest non-combatants who were killed at the Alamo. In 1841 Mary V. (Durst) Tauzin filed for one league and labor of land and claimed that she was Wolf's widow. She was denied the claim, and David S. Kaufman was named the administrator of Wolf's estate. The son from Wolf's first marriage, Michael Wolf, who by 1836 was married and still living in Arkansas, apparently never filed a claim for his father's land bounties.

Tsha Handbook →

Nacogdoches on the Camino Real

1716

Nacogdoches, founded around a 1716 Spanish mission on the Camino Real de los Tejas, considered the oldest town in Texas. The Old Stone Fort (Casa Piedra) served as the trading post and customs house.

National Historic Trail →

Things to Do in Nacogdoches

historical 0.1 mi away
Sam Houstons Cherokee Betrayal

In 1836 Sam Houston sat down with Cherokee Chief Bowles right here in Nacogdoches and signed a treaty promising the tribe a permanent homeland in East Texas.…
historical 0.1 mi away
Battle of Nacogdoches 1832

On August 2 1832 a group of East Texas settlers had finally had enough of Mexican military rule. They grabbed their hunting shotguns and squirrel rifles and…
historical 1.2 mi away
The Republic of Fredonia

In the winter of 1826 an empresario named Haden Edwards got into a land dispute with the Mexican government and decided the reasonable response was revolution.…
historical 0.1 mi away
First Texas Oil Well

Everyone knows the story of Spindletop — the 1901 gusher near Beaumont that launched the Texas oil boom. But thirty-five years before that famous blowout a man…
historical 0.1 mi away
The Old Stone Fort

Built in 1779 as a simple trading post the Old Stone Fort in Nacogdoches became the most politically fought-over building in Texas. It served as rebel…
historical 0.1 mi away
Adolphus Sterne - Revolution Spy

Adolphus Sterne ran a respectable mercantile shop in Nacogdoches but behind the bolts of cloth and barrels of flour he was running one of the Texas Revolutions…
historical 1.0 mi away
Texas Oldest Town - Founded 1779

Long before Austin or San Antonio were anything more than frontier outposts the Caddo people had been living on the red hills of East Texas for nearly a…
quirky
Chester the Theater Ghost

Late at night in Turner Auditorium at Stephen F. Austin State University the theater students say you are never truly alone. They call him Chester and he has…

Sports in Nacogdoches

⭐ HOMETOWN LEGENDS Class 5A · Football

Nacogdoches Duke the Dragons — Nacogdoches — a college & pro athletic pipeline

8 alumni who reached major-college or pro sports

Nacogdoches High School has a proud tradition of producing athletes who have gone on to compete at the highest levels of professional sports. Among the notable alumni are several who made their mark in Major League Baseball, including former pitcher Bucky Brandon and former starting pitcher Delvin James. The school also saw former professional basketball player Damion James reach the NBA.

The gridiron has also been well-represented by former Dragons. Kynan Forney and Mark Moore both played in the National Football League, with Moore also playing in the World League of American Football and the Canadian Football League. Nash Jones is an NFL guard for the Denver Broncos, and Greg Roberts was an American football guard. Additionally, Clint Dempsey was a professional soccer player for MLS, EPL, and the United States men's national soccer team.

Pro/D1 alumni
8
Class
5A
Founded
1903
Key Players
  • Bucky Brandon — former Major League Baseball pitcher (1966-1973)
  • Clint Dempsey — former Professional Soccer player who played for MLS, EPL and the United States men's nati
  • Kynan Forney — former offensive lineman in the National Football League
  • Damion James — former professional basketball player in the NBA
  • Delvin James — former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the 2002 Tampa Bay Devil R
  • Nash Jones — NFL guard for the Denver Broncos
The moment

Clint Dempsey was a professional soccer player for MLS, EPL, and the United States men's national soccer team.

Sources: Wikipedia · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)
🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS Class 3A · Baseball · 2017

Central Heights Blue Devils — 2017 UIL 3A Baseball State Champions

Most recent: 2017 3A

In the piney woods of East Texas, Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches stands as a testament to baseball excellence. Competing in UIL Class 3A, the Blue Devils have established a strong tradition on the diamond. Their dedicated program has cultivated a competitive spirit among its athletes, reflecting the community's passion for high school sports.

The pinnacle of their achievements came in 2017 when Central Heights High School secured the Class 3A State Championship. This significant accomplishment highlights the quality of baseball played in this corner of Texas, bringing pride to the Central Heights community and cementing their place among the state's top programs.

State titles
2017
Most recent
2017
Class
3A
The moment

The 2017 Class 3A State Championship marked a high point for Central Heights High School baseball.

Sources: Wikipedia · UIL State Championship Archives

Everything Near Nacogdoches

247 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Explore Nacogdoches on the Map
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