Victoria Historical Houses & Local Attractions

Linn House

John Joseph Linn was a merchant, soldier, statesman, historian and merchant. He was among the first settlers in De Leon's settlement, having obtained a land grant in 1829. Linn was intensely loyal to Texas and the De Leon settlement and was among the first to oppose Antonio López de Santa Anna. He helped unite sentiment against the dictator by writing letters to Stephen F. Austin's colonists. After Texas Independence he became the first mayor of Victoria and served in the House of the Second and Third congresses of the Republic of Texas. Click on Linn's name above for more information. He led a long interesting life. He was born in Ireland, immigrated with his family to New York and owned a merchant business in New Orleans before coming to Texas. He spoke fluent Spanish and was equally liked and trusted by the Mexican and anglo residents of Victoria.

Henderson House

A native of Arkansas, John W. Henderson became a prominent local businessman through his insurance company and his interests in ranching, farming and real estate. He and his wife Minna Catherine Henderson built this classical revival home in 1926.

Home of Historical Pioneer Victoria Families

1840 – Hamilton Ledbetter

1844 – Alexander H. Phillips

1871 – John W. Statton

1888 – Samuel B. Dabney

1891 – Felix C, McReynolds

1893 – Frederick C. Proctor

1907 – Preston Rose Austin

1953 – W. D. Welder

1963 – Patrick Hughes Welder

Memorial Square

Just East of Victoria's downtown is Memorial Square, the site of the original community burial ground established by colony founder Martin de Leon in 1824. Early pioneers and settlers were buried here and when a frightening cholera epidemic struck Victoria in 1846, victims were buried in unmarked mass graves in the Square because victims died so rapidly that proper burials were impossible.
Evergreen Cemetery opened in 1850, and the Square gradually fell out of use as a community cemetery. Victoria's fallen Confederate soldiers were buried in Memorial Square. Union troops stationed in Victoria after the Civil War buried 85 deceased union soldiers at this location. The federal government later transferred those soldiers to the Alexandria National Cemetery in Louisiana. During Reconstruction, rumors spread of Union soldiers destroying many of the headstones. Alarmed locals moved the graves they could identify to Evergreen Cemetery. By 1899, not many headstones remained and the cemetery was designated a public square for the erection of monuments and memorials. Since then a few monuments have been added - a brass relief, a pioneer's memorial and an historic gristmill. Today Memorial Square is basically a large, open, grassy city park.

The Memorial Wall is a brass relief erected on the north side of the square. The relief details the history of Victoria County, from Spaniard explorer Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca in 1534 to the creation of Victoria County in the Republic of Texas on March 17, 1836. In the center of the relief are busts of Rene Robert Cavalier Sieur de la Salle and Cabeza de Vaca. Directly underneath this is the cattle brand of the de Leon's, an 'E' interconnected with a 'J.'

Memorial Square Old Mill

This old grist mill is believed to be the only existing one of three known to have been built in the region. It was originally built near Goliad and later relocated to Victoria's Memorial Square. This old grist mill was built of hand-shaped logs fastened by wooden pegs and homemade nails by early German farmers. South Texas winds once turned giant blades, grinding corn into feed for livestock, or cornmeal for family table. The grist stones and mechanical parts of the mill were brought from Germany before 1860. The grist stones were imported through the Port of Indianola. It is said that to move the stones from Indianola they were mounted on the axle of a cart and then driven inland.

Texas Zoo

The Texas Zoo in Victoria's Riverside Park is a six acre park with a 200-member wildlife community representing 75 species. Most are native Texan animals, but animals from around the globe have been added in the last few years. The zoo has ten different habitats, ranging from humid marshes to dry desert mountains, to display the native animals from the various regions of Texas. The Texas Zoo, which draws roughly 60,000 visitors a year, is heavily involved in the protection of endangered species. One of the first red wolves to have a litter of pups in captivity was at the Texas Zoo. These were returned to the wild. Other popular animals include spider monkeys, tropical birds and big cats. In fact, there are more tigers in captivity in the state of Texas alone than there are in the wild throughout the world. It was a very hot day when I visited the zoo and most of the animals were in their cool shelters. The animals that were active such as the monkeys and tropical birds were in large wire enclosed areas making them hard to photograph.

Green Jay

No bird epitomizes the exotic tropical wildlife of the lower Rio Grande Valley more thoroughly than the beautiful green jay. It reaches its northern limit in south Texas and occurs nowhere else in the United States. From there it ranges south to Honduras and also inhabits northern South America.

There are many ranches in Victoria County but this is the only one that has a headquarters in town.