Marker Inscription
Considered the oldest rural Catholic parish in Texas, St. Mary's was settled before the Texas War for Independence by such pioneers as James Brown, who was killed in the siege of the Alamo. First church edifice for St. Mary's was built in 1840 under influence of missionary Fathers George Haydon and Edward A. Clarke, who also opened school for the settlement. This was one of ten churches comprising Texas' first diocese (Galveston) at its formation in 1847. Many priests' and sisters' vocations have come from this historic parish. (1971)
About this site
St. Mary's Parish is a historical marker in Hallettsville, Lavaca County, dedicated in 1971. It is one of 96 historical markers documented in Lavaca County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 174 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 29.4494, -96.9979 near Hallettsville. The nearest cataloged historic site is St. Mary's Catholic (cemetery), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Vollentine, Arthur Henry, Church of the Immaculate Conception of Blessed Virgin Mary, and Vysehrad School.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5285005063. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
