The history of DeWitt’s Colony — the predecessor to Gonzales County — will be recounted and remembered during a town hall symposium held Friday, Sept. 27, at First Methodist Church Fellowship Hall in downtown Gonzales.
“Answering the Call in Gonzales, TX: Sustaining Our Texas Heritage” will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is sponsored by DeWitt’s Colony Association, and the Gonzales County Historical Commission,
Registration will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. with a welcome to participants from 9 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
Session I — DeWitt’s Colony: An Introduction — will feature a presentation on the DeWitt’s Colony timeline by Fletcher Clark and a reading of accounts of the Runaway Scrape by Doug Kubicek from 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
After a brief break, discussion will move to San Antonio de Bexar. Linda Gray will speak about United States citizens living in San Antonio during Spanish and Mexican colonial time periods at 11:15 a.m., followed by a discussion about José Antonio Navarro, a San Antonio born and bred resident who is remembered as a statesman, revolutionary, rancher, merchant and a trusted friend of DeWitt’s Colony.
Lunch will take place from 12:15 p.m. to 12:45 p.m., followed by a session from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sustaining our Local Heritage, as Mike Vance, creative director of Night Heron Media and the founding executive director of the Brenham Museum as well as producer of the “Birth of Texas” documentary series will talk about sites and museums from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., followed by
a discussion circle from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Vendors who will be set up will have tables on site until 5 p.m.
For more information about the symposium, contact Glenda Gordon, Gonzales County Historical Association chair, at gfgordon0@gmail.com.
DeWitt’s Colony was founded in 1825 and operated until 1836 when Texas won its independence from Mexico. The colony was then split into parts of several counties, including Gonzales County.