In February 1831, Land Commissioner Francisco Madero issued land titles to some of the people who had come to settle in Texas, which was then part of Mexico. Having been given legal ownership of the land, the settlers established the Town of Liberty, about 30 miles northeast of this site.

Although Commissioner Madero was an agent of the Mexican government, the local Mexican military authority, Colonel John Davis Bradburn, invalidated the land titles, abolished the Town of Liberty, and reallocated the land. Colonel Bradburn further aggravated local citizens by using their workers to build fortifications without compensation and permitting his troops to steal and commit other crimes without punishing them. In November 1831 a Mexican government tax collector, named George Fisher, levied taxes on vessels using the Brazos River, a major route for regional trade.

This meant that a representative from each ship or barge had to ride over 60 miles from the Brazos to Anahuac, pay Fisher the tax, and ride back to the Brazos. In December 1831, two captains avoided this onerous inconvenience by getting underway without paying the tax, prompting Mexican soldiers to fire on their vessels. Only intervention by Stephen F. Austin, a landowner and respected leader among the settlers, prevented this from escalating to a major incident. In May 1832, Patrick C. Jack and his attorney, William B. Travis, were jailed by Mexican authorities in Anahuac for protesting abuses of power, like those by Colonel Bradburn and Tax Collector George Fisher.

They were held until June 1832. Confrontations ensued between Texans and Mexican soldiers at Velasco in June and Nacogdoches in August. In January 1834, Austin was arrested and held until July 1835. In November 1835 Texans abandoned any hope of reform in the Mexican government and formed a provisional government of their own.

Credits and Sources:

Information provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife and the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site Walking Tour