The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1862

One of the most important port cities of Texas’ early history, Matagorda served as an exit point for goods such as cotton shipped down the Colorado River. During the Civil War, it was also an important point for Confederate blockade runners to move goods and bypass Union ships. It was also at this time that Yellow Fever made its way into the city. Much like the tropical storms, cases of Yellow Fever swept through Texas coastal communities periodically, doing particular damage to cities like Galveston as part of a larger-scale epidemic that haunted the coast for decades. The worst epidemic period for Matagorda was in the fall of 1862. During the Civil War, the continual movement of contraband through Matagora’s port likely introduced the Aedes Egypti mosquito species to the populace, This species, still a danger today, thrived in the wetlands of Matagorda County. It carried the deadly Yellow Fever, causing extreme symptoms such as jaundice and kidney failure. From September 27 to November 27, 1862, Yellow Fever ravaged the city. Research suggests that as much a one third of the city’s population died from the disease. Further deaths occurred among slave populations throughout the county, but no names of these victims have been recovered. The disease also caused the death of many soldiers throughout the county and neighboring areas. By the time it had subsided, many had been buried in Matagorda Cemetery. Matagorda continues to be an important location for bio-archaeological research into viral outbreaks. (2015)

The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1862 is a historical marker in Matagorda, Matagorda County, dedicated in 2015. It is one of 88 historical markers documented in Matagorda County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 114 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 28.7011, -95.9557 near Matagorda. The nearest cataloged historic site is Matagorda Cemetery (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include First Burials in Matagorda Cemetery, Benjamin Wightman, Esther Randall Wightman, The Matagorda Incident, and Matagorda Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507018121. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.