Refugio, Texas

Everything Refugio is known for

1 song mention this city 1 artist from here

Music in Refugio

Songs About Refugio

South Texas Girl
Lyle Lovett
53%
"Pronounce it Refugio, city folks, they don't know""

Artists From Refugio

D
Devin Michaels
country

Rivers & Roads in Song near Refugio

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

San Antonio River 2 songs U.S. Route 59 9 songs Guadalupe River 17 songs Nueces River 3 songs

History of Refugio

Garza, Carlos de la RoadyGoat

1836

Right here, you're driving through the heart of Texas Revolution history, near where Carlos de la Garza led a force of local rancheros. Born in 1807, Garza was a skilled horseman who found himself caught between loyalties when the revolution broke out. Though a republican, he sided with the Mexican army, leading his men as scouts for General Urrea. His knowledge of the land was crucial. In March of 1836, Garza's men raided Refugio, forcing Fannin to split his command — first dispatching King, then Ward — a fatal division that led directly to the disastrous Battle of Coleto Creek, where Fannin was surrounded and captured. He even used his influence to save some captured colonists from the Goliad Massacre. After the war, Garza continued to be a respected figure, operating a ferry and defending the region from Native American raids, eventually dying in 1882 from an old arrow wound.

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Westover, Captain Ira, Home of RoadyGoat

1835

You're driving through Refugio, Texas, where Captain Ira Westover made his home. He was a key player in the early days of the Texas Revolution. In October of 1835, he helped capture Goliad. Just a month later, commanding around sixty to seventy Texans, he took Fort Lipantitlan and then defeated a Mexican force of about ninety men under Captain Nicolás Rodríguez! Westover also served on the General Council of Texas. Tragically, he was part of Fannin's command and was massacred with his troops at Goliad in March of 1836. Remember the name Ira Westover, a determined leader in Texas' fight for independence.

RoadyGoat →

The Last Stand at the Mission RoadyGoat

In March of 1836, the Texas Revolution came directly to Refugio. A small Texian force arrived to help local families escape the advancing Mexican army. They took refuge in the thick stone walls of the old Spanish mission that once stood near the center of town. Soon, they were surrounded by General José de Urrea’s much larger army. The Texians split their forces, a fatal mistake. After days of intense fighting, they were overwhelmed. Those who weren't killed in the battle were captured. This defeat was a critical blow, as most of the men taken prisoner here were marched to a nearby town called Goliad, where they were executed two weeks later in the Goliad Massacre. The battle fought right here was a tragic prelude to one of the revolution's darkest moments.

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Mission River

1836

The Mission River is formed by the confluence of Blanco and Medio creeks in central Refugio County (at 28°19' N, 97°19' W) and runs southeast, past Refugio, for twenty-four miles to its mouth on Mission Bay, an inlet of Copano Bay (at 28°10' N, 97°10' W). It traverses gently undulating coastal prairies surfaced by clay and loam and spotted by groves of hardwoods and pines. It is home to myriad waterfowl and native slough grasses. In 1795 Spanish friars relocated Nuestra Señora del Refugio Mission from a site near the junction of the Guadalupe and San Antonio rivers to the banks of the Mission River, a move that probably gave the river its name. On March 14, 1836, a detachment of Texans under Amon Butler King took a defensive position in one of the groves along the riverbank and repulsed repeated attacks of Mexican general José de Urrea 's troops during the battle of Refugio . Because the day's fighting nearly exhausted their supplies of gunpowder, King ordered his men to escape that night by swimming across the Mission River; they thus wetted the little powder that remained. The next day a party of Urrea's men overtook and captured King and his troops. The Texans were returned to the mission, where they were executed on March 16.

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Nuestra Señora del Refugio Mission

1793

Nuestra Señora del Refugio Mission, the last of the Spanish missions in Texas, was founded on February 4, 1793, by Franciscans of the College of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Zacatecas , as part of prefect Manuel J. de Silva 's ambitious plan to pacify and convert all the Indians living along the Texas coast. In 1791 Fray Silva and Fray José Francisco Mariano Garza toured the Matagorda Bay region to discover a suitable site for the conversion of the Karankawa Indians. Missionaries had attempted to settle and convert to Christianity groups of Karankawas at Nuestra Señora del Rosario and Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo missions, but the Indians deserted and refused to return. However, the deserters promised the visiting priests that they would come to a mission if one was established on the Texas coast. The Indians helped choose the mission site, in an area known as El Paraje del Refugio "Place of Refuge," at a site on Goff Bayou now in Calhoun County, north of Mission Lake and a half mile northwest of the site of present Long Mott. The new Texas mission was named Nuestra Señora del Refugio and was to serve the region surrounding Matagorda Bay. The mission was intended to teach European values and Christianity to the Indians as well as the industries of agriculture and cattle raising. However, from the time of its founding, the priests and the neophytes were faced with a variety of problems. An inadequate food supply and lack of tobacco caused unrest among the Indians. Also, construction of the mission buildings was slow, and the buildings were not watertight. At the end of its first year, the mission consisted of only six small wooden buildings with tule roofs, a corral for the cattle, a large frame shed, and a surrounding stockade. Indian attacks, led by Karankawa chief Fresada Pinta, contributed to the urgency of the need to move to a more environmentally suitable and better protected site. In June 1794 the mission moved to Rancho de los Mosquitos, on Mosquitos Creek, about halfway between the juncture of the San Antonio and Guadalupe rivers and the mouth of the Guadalupe. Despite the move, conflict with Fresada Pinta continued, the food supply remained inadequate, and many of the mission Indians left to search for food along the coast. In January 1795 the mission moved to its final location at the site of the present town of Refugio, a location considered better suited for farming. Retaining its original name, Nuestra Señora del Refugio Mission was formally dedicated by Silva on January 10, 1795. Temporary relief from food shortages arrived in the spring of 1795, when 227 cattle were delivered, soon followed by 139 more. A census taken in October of that year reported a population of 82 Indians, down from the 138 Indians present at the founding of the original mission. By the fall of 1796 there were 175 Coco and Karankawa Indians at the mission, but more than half of that number had deserted the Rosario Mission. Conflicts arose among the Indians at Refugio, and again many left for the coast. The mission became a focus of attack by the Comanches, who invaded and stole livestock. Despite these difficulties, the construction of the mission was nearly completed by 1799. Most of the buildings, including workshops, a granary, and living quarters for the padres, the Indians, and the mission's few soldiers, are believed to have been constructed of driven poles with adobe walls and thatched roofs. Only the church and the blacksmith shop are believed to have been of stone. The church had a wooden roof and a tile floor. A stockade surrounded the mission and helped protect the soldiers and inhabitants during times of Indian attack. Despite annual attacks by Comanches and other nonmission Indians, the mission reached a population of 224 in 1804. In 1807 Rosario Mission was ordered closed, and its Indians were officially merged with those at Refugio. However, continued attacks by Comanches and Karankawas and frequent internal conflicts

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Barefield School

1902

African Americans were denied access to education while enslaved, but opportunities emerged after emancipation. The first African American school in Refugio was held in a shotgun building on the corner of Santiago and Osage Streets. The school, known as the Refugio Colored School, later moved to the corner of Alamo and King Streets. The school had no running water so the boys carried water from Osage Street for drinking purposes. The students also found and cut firewood during the winter months to heat the school and were responsible for maintenance of the building. In 1927, the school burned. Professor A.T. Barefield arranged for classes to be held at the Bob Button Dance Hall and then at Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church. Beginning in 1917, Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears Roebuck Company, began to provide matching funds for African American schools in the south. By 1929, a new two-room stucco building was erected on East Commons Street through the Rosenwald school building program. The school was later named Barefield School after professor A.T. Barefield, an educator in Refugio from 1902 to 1949, who promoted education and good citizenship within the black community. As attendance grew, the board of trustees approved to move one of the two-room buildings from the white school to the Negro school grounds. The Rosenwald School no longer exists but the 1933 addition still stands at commons and bayou streets. The Barefield School was the only Rosenwald School in Refugio County and was a symbol of vision and progress for the community during the early 1900s. (2013)

Historical Marker →

Mount Calvary Cemetery

1836

Initiated by the burial of 16 soldiers massacred during the Texas revolution of 1836. The bones of Capt. Amon King and his men--scattered on the Prairie--were buried by Refugio citizens. Later forgotten, the site was rediscovered in 1934. Grave of J. Hampton Kuykendall (1820?-1882), revolutionary soldier, journalist, congressman, and scholar, lies near north fence. Also interred here are Irish settlers of the 1830s Powerheweson colony. Among them is Empresario James Power, who also signed Texas declaration of Independence.

Historical Marker →

Things to Do in Refugio

historical 24.3 mi away
Presidio La Bahía

Three weeks after the Alamo fell four hundred Texan prisoners were marched out of Presidio La Bahía in Goliad and executed on Santa Annas direct orders on Palm…
historical 24.4 mi away
The Goliad Massacre - Palm Sunday 1836

It was Palm Sunday morning 1836 and the Texian prisoners at Presidio La Bahia thought they were being marched to the coast for release. Instead Mexican…

Sports in Refugio

🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS Class 2A · Football · 2016–2019

Refugio Bobcats — UIL 2A Football State Champions — 2 titles

Most recent: 28-7 over Post · 2019 2A Division 1 final

Refugio High School, a Class 2A football powerhouse from the Texas Coastal Bend, has cemented its place in state history with multiple UIL State Championships. The Bobcats have consistently demonstrated a high level of play, making them a respected name in Texas high school football. Their success on the field is a point of pride for the Refugio community.

The town of Refugio rallies around its team, creating an atmosphere that is uniquely Texan. The Bobcats' commitment to excellence has brought significant recognition to the school and the community it represents, showcasing the spirit of small-town Texas football.

State titles
2 (2016–2019)
Most recent
2019, 28-7
Class
2A
The moment

One notable moment in Refugio football history was their 2019 2A Division 1 State Championship victory, where they defeated Post with a final score of 28-7.

Sources: Wikipedia · UIL State Championship Archives · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)

Everything Near Refugio

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

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