Monday, January 16, 2012

Founded in 1755... We've got history!

Get ready! We are about to embark on a journey through time!
Laredo has a rich history, and we would like to share it with you. Let us take you on a tour of some of our historic landmarks.


Laredo was founded on May 15, 1755, when Captain Tomás Sánchez, with three families, was granted permission to settle on the Río Grande. So what better place to start than at our main square.

But first, let me introduce you to Veronica, the newest member of the Laredo CVB.
She will be your guide for the first part of our tour.


In 1767, during the General Visit by Juan Fernando de Palacios, the governor of Sierra Gorda, New Spain officially designated the settlement as a villa and christened it San Agustín de Laredo.

The first church of San Agustín, one of the oldest congregations in Texas, was conducted in a hut in 1767. Built of stone in 1778, the second church faced the river. The present Gothic Revival church was completed in 1872, and served as a cathedral under bishop Peter Verdaguer at the turn of the century.


I enjoy walking through Laredo's main square, you can find a piece of history in every corner. 
(Even when wearing high heels!)


Did you know Laredo was the capital of its own country for 283 days?
The republic of the Río Grande was created near present day Zapata on January 7, 1840 and Laredo became the capital of the new republic. The building used as capitol is now the Museum of the Republic of the Rio Grande.

This wonderful museum is a window to the 19th century!
I love the way they've preserved every object in the house.



Just a couple of blocks away from Laredo's main square, is the Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum, constructed in the early 20th century, was once home to two early Laredo merchant families. It currently serves as a gallery for exhibits related to the history of our city. At the moment of our visit the museum was featuring the Webb County Heritage Foundation - Historic Laredo Photo Contest Exhibit.




There are a lot of talented photographers in Laredo! These pictures are amazing!

Continuing with our historic tour of our favorite city in Texas, we find Fort McIntosh,
a military base that existed from 1849 to 1946. Established to guard the Texas frontier at the site of a strategic river crossing it was originally named Camp Crawford, the fort was renamed Fort McIntosh in 1850 in honor of Lieutenant Colonel James Simmons McIntosh, a hero in the Battle of Molino del Rey during the Mexican-American War. Today it the Laredo Community College main campus.

Erika and Joel had the opportunity to visit inside the Private David B. Barkley Cantu Veterans Memorial Chapel. The foyer area features different historic objects.


Learning more about the history of the Fort and of Private Barkley was the highlight of our tour.
I wanted to go through all the documents and pictures!


Going into the chapel Joel went directly to the piano.
For the best rendition of Jingle Bells we've ever heard.


Thank you for joining us for this historic tour, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!


Special Thanks to: Webb County Heritage Foundation and the Laredo Community College.

Join us on our next adventure...

See you in Laredo!

For more information on Historic Landmarks call us at:
800-361-3360 or visit our website www.visitlaredo.com