A Brief Visit to Texas’ Oldest Town

by admin | March 20, 2026 7:53 am

NACOGDOCHES — We decided to head to the Oldest Town in Texas on a glorious day during Spring Break, to take in the beauty of the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden — 11 acres containing more than 7,000 azaleas, majestic camellias, Japanese maples and other plants and trees on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University. My Beautiful Mystery Companion and I are both alums of SFA, though we did not know each other at the time. I ended up returning in 1990 as managing editor, then editor and publisher of The Daily Sentinel and lived in Nac on this second stint for 13 years. It remains one of my favorite Texas towns to revisit, and I rarely come to town without running into someone I know. This trip was no exception.[1]

The azalea garden adjoins Mast Arboretum, an additional 10 acres that is home to more than 7,500 species of plants and several display gardens. Both are located along Lanana Creek, which floods every so often. The worst was in 1975, my second year at SFA. Over 7 inches of rain fell in a few hours, causing both Lanana and Banita creeks to overflow, sweeping away vehicles and killing several people. Johnson Coliseum opened the previous year. Floodwaters from Lanana Creek filled the new coliseum, nearly reaching the basketball rims. I remember that flood as if it happened yesterday.

On this trip, Lanana Creek flows quietly through the garden on its way to emptying into the Angelina River. Since it is Spring Break, gaggles of parents are here with their children. A photographer is taking pictures of a couple who are presumably engaged. The azaleas are spectacular, as always. The camellia trees tower above, more than 20 feet high, shedding a layer of ruby-re[2]d blossoms below. A few dogs accompany their owners. It is hard not to feel at peace while here

At least for a brief time, the cruel, crazy world is far away.

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We drove slowly around town, down beautiful Mound Street with its stately homes, then heading toward historic Zion Hill Baptist Church, on the corner of Lanana and Bois d’arc streets. It once was home to one of the oldest Black Baptist congregations in Texas (the congregation moved in 1987). The church was founded in 1878. This wooden structure was built in 1914 by famed architect Diedrich Rulfs, who was born in Germany in 1848 and moved to Nacogdoches with his large family in 1880. His distinctive homes and buildings can be found throughout the city. A statue depicts him designing the Jones House just off downtown, one of a series of statues of Nacogdoches luminaries — a few of whom I knew personally from either college or the newspaper days.

The former church building stood vacant for decades and eventually was acquired by the city. During my time there, money was raised to replace the roof in order to keep the structure from falling apart. It took around 30 years before the entire building was beautifully restored. Zion Hill opened to the public in 2023. It is available to rent for events such as musical concerts and weddings.

This was our first chance to go inside. Mr. Rulfs would be pleased with the restoration.

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After lunch downtown, we drove through campus, which is still heavily wooded at its entrance. For my BMC in particular, returning to campus is always eye-opening. A massive, new forestry building is under construction. A new dining hall has opened across from the Steen Hall towers where she lived. Since SFA joined the UT system in 2023, money has flowed freely to the uni[3]versity. Enrollment has followed suit, up 7% this spring semester over last year.

Controversy has risen over plans to relocate the Old Stone Fort Museum so a new science building can be located there. The museum is a 1936 replica of the original building, which was never a fort. Built in 1779 by Antonio Gil Y’Barbo — the man considered the town’s founder — it was originally a mercantile house. Moving the museum, as many have noted, will not be a simple task. The building would have to be dismantled brick by brick, with each item labeled so it could be reassembled. The city has written a letter expressing interest in taking ownership and relocating the museum. That would require a chunk of money and could rival Zion Hill in terms of how long the project could take to complete.

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  [4]We headed north toward home. I started at SFA in 1974 and visited older friends there before I graduated from Longview High School. I know this route well after more than 50 years traveling it. Chances are, I will return soon.

Source URL: https://garyborders.com/pages/a-brief-visit-to-texas-oldest-town/

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