Goliad, Texas




Yesterday morning Mom and I travelled to Goliad, Texas, a roughly forty-five minute trip from where she lives in a neighboring town.  Having lived in Yoakum for as many years as I did, I had never been to Goliad till Saturday.  Once a month the city has a market of sorts held on the lawn of the centrally located courthouse.  Even though I didn't spot anything I couldn't live without, walking among the different booths was still interesting.  What really captivated my interest was the surrounding history: the courthouse and other buildings.  The chief attraction was the Hanging Tree, a huge oak where punishment was meted out immediately upon the handing down of the sentence.  Yep, you guessed it, no time for appeal or sitting on death row for decades to come.  (The good ol' days, as some would reminisce.)  As we walked around downtown Goliad, we also discovered and visited Market House Museum and Fannin Plaza Park.  Before heading out to the Spanish Mission and Presidio, we ate lunch at the Empresario Cafe.  The chicken and dumplings, along with the Turkey Cuban, were absolutely delicious.  Now that we were rested and re-energized, we took off to the Spanish Mission.  What I didn't realize was this was an actual state park, where one could go camping if he or she wished.  I'll have to keep that in mind for future reference.  Honestly, there wasn't much to the mission, but Mom and I were both glad we made the trek.  Then it was off to the Presidio (fort).  I enjoyed this one a lot better, as there were also other sites of historical significance in the adjacent properties.  One was the monument erected to the Angel of Goliad.  The other was the memorial to Fannin and his men, which is also the place of their burial.  I had so much fun, I came dangerously close to depleting the battery on the phone by all the pictures I was taking.  By the time we came back to Yoakum, we were both exhausted.  Wow, what a day!  So far, I'm thoroughly enjoying my days off from work.  I'll have to see what tomorrow holds.  If you've never visited these historical places, please do.  The time and effort is very well worth it.  Remember Goliad!



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