660 Acre Park in Victoria Texas

There are several historical signs such as this one seen below, in the park...


MARGARET THERESA ROBERTSON WRIGHT, the "Mother of Texas"

Margaret Theresa Robertson Wright was born in New Orleans in 1789 to a French Mother and English father. In 1805 at the age of 16, she married James Williams Hayes and settled in Opelousas, Louisiana with whom she had two daughters and a son before Hayes died in the War of 1812. She eventually arrived in Texas and surviving another marriage and having two more daughters, she became a part of the De Leon Colony. It was during the Texas Revolution that she earned a reputation for courage by secretly aiding survivors of the Goliad Massacre. Hiding William L. Hunter, who made his way to her ranch, she took care of him until after the Battle of San Jacinto. She also located other hidden refugees while pretending to go for water at the Guadalupe River. There she secretly supplied them with food, medicine and even a gun she stole from Mexican soldiers encamped on her land. She would hide these articles in a water pail and the Goliad survivors would leave her notes. She did this until the men were well enough to join up with the Texas army. Sam Houston while delivering a gubernatorial campaign speech cited Margaret Wright's heroism and called her the "Mother of Texas" for the outstanding bravery and care she had given the Goliad survivors in their darkest hour of need.

Margaret's story, however, does not end there. Her marriage to John David Wright was not a happy one. In fact, he abandoned her to seek shelter in the Rio Grande Valley in order to escape an old debt incurred in Mississippi. Upon hearing of her land acquisitions and subsequent deeding a portion of them to her son Peter Hays, he sought to nullify her actions in court. But the court ruled he had abandoned his wife and granted her possibly the first divorce issued in the State of Texas. Unfortunately, Peter was shortly thereafter, ambushed and killed with John David Wright suspected of the murder. Margaret eventually sold her ranch and moved to Victoria, where in October of 1878, she died and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

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The Trail and golf course...









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Duck Pond and Fountain - and cypress tree KNEES -link

...besides the fountain and pond, golf course and nature trail, in the park there are picnic areas galore, a memorial rose garden, a disc golf track, ball field, stadium, historical homes around the edge, historical cemetery, river [guadalupe river], and zoo.

I'll conclude my photo album in the upcoming post...the river and the small zoo.