Goliad State Park and Historic Site
| Goliad State Park and Historic Site | |
|---|---|
Former custodian's house for Goliad State Park. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps circa 1936 | |
Goliad State Park and Historic Site Goliad State Park and Historic Site | |
| Location | US 183 at San Antonio River, Goliad, Texas |
| Coordinates | 28°39′24″N 97°23′14″W / 28.65667°N 97.38722°W |
| Area | 188.3 acres (76.2 ha) |
| Established | 1936 |
| Visitors | 47,517 (in 2025)[1] |
| Governing body | Texas Parks and Wildlife Department |
| Website | Official site |
Goliad State Park Historic District | |
Texas State Historic Site | |
| Area | 250 acres (100 ha) |
| Built | 1931 |
| Architect | Atlee Bernard Ayres, Samuel Phelps Vosper, et al. |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Moderne, NPS Rustic |
| NRHP reference No. | 01000258[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | March 12, 2001 |
| Designated TSHS | 1936 |
Goliad State Park and Historic Site is a 188.3 acres (76 ha) state park located along the San Antonio River on the southern edge of Goliad, Texas, United States.[3] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (#01000258) on March 12, 2001.[4] It is managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Park
The park features campsites, screened shelters, Group Hall and Chapel, an amphitheater, and the El Camino Real de los Tejas Visitors Center.
Nature
Plants
American sycamore, pecan, cedar elm, and red mulberry grow along the San Antonio River. Honey mesquite and anacua are in the drier areas of the park.[5]
Animals
Mammals include White-tailed deer, eastern fox squirrel, Mexican long-nosed armadillo, collared peccary, gray fox, ringtail, and bobcat. The park has many colonies of leafcutter ant.[5] Reptiles include Texas spiny lizard, green anole, common spotted whiptail, red-eared slider and coachwhip.
Historic sites
Goliad area historic sites include:[6]
- Reconstructed Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga;
- Ruins of Mission Nuestra Señora del Rosario;
- Reconstructed birthplace of Ignacio Zaragoza; and
- Fannin Memorial Monument, the burial site of James Fannin and the Goliad Massacre victims, by Raoul Josset, 1939.
- Presidio La Bahía.
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Fannin Memorial Monument by Raoul Josset, 1939.
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San Antonio River, Goliad State Park & Historic Site
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San Antonio River Trail, Goliad State Park & Historic Site
See also
- List of Texas state parks
- List of Texas State Historic Sites
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Goliad County, Texas
- Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Goliad County
References
- ^ Christopher Adams. "What is the most visited state park in Texas? Here's the top 10 countdown for 2025". KXAN.com. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Turner, David. "GOLIAD STATE HISTORICAL PARK". TSHA.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places". National Park Service.
- ^ a b "Interpretive Guide: Goliad State Park" (PDF). Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
- ^ "Goliad Area Historic Sites". Texas Parks and Wildlife.
External links
- Goliad State Park & Historic Site
- The Look of Nature: Designing Texas State Parks During the Great Depression—Goliad
- Home movie from the Baylor family of Goliad State Park on Texas Archive of the Moving Image