Edward
Burleson, North Carolinian native, arrived in Texas in 1838 and served
alongside Sam Houston as a general in the Texan Army during the Texas
Revolution. In 1848, Burleson
founded San Marcos, together with Eli Merriman and William Lindsey, and built
his home on a tract of land overlooking present-day Spring Lake. At the time,
Burleson’s two-roomed cabin was located at the highest point in the town and
included a well and other necessities. Burleson also established the first
school in San Marcos, and a gristmill where the Salt Grass Steakhouse now sits.
Although a storm destroyed the original Burleson cabin in 1917, a replica was
erected decades later under the orders of A.B. Rogers, creator of the Aquarena
Springs theme park. The park itself hosted several attractions such as
historical replicas, gondola and glass-bottom boat rides, resort
accommodations, amusement rides, and an underwater submarine theatre. Aquarena
Springs had several owners during it’s tenure until it was acquired by Texas
State University- San Marcos in 1994.
San Marcos
founder Eli Merriman originally established his homestead along the southern
banks of the San Marcos River. Merriman, a Yale graduate, became known as one
of the first physicians in the area and served in the Confederate Army during
the Civil War. His cabin was moved twice and also existed for several years as
an Aquarena Springs attraction. When Texas State acquired the park, the
university gifted the cabin to the Heritage Association of San Marcos and it
was relocated to the Veramendi Plaza history park on C.M. Allen Parkway. The Heritage Association restored the
cabin and furnished it with period pieces reflective of Merriman’s time there.
It has been featured on historical home tours throughout the years.
In addition
to the Merriman cabin, the Veramendi Plaza is home to the Charles Cock house, a
limestone residence also currently curated by the Heritage Association. The
association hosts weekly Cottage Kitchen luncheons at the site and invites the
community to join in the celebration of historic preservation.
Other homes of influential community leaders
include the Ulysses Cephas house, located in the Dunbar Historic District.
Cephas, an African American businessman, lived in the house during the first
part of the twentieth century and served the community as a mentor, musician
and blacksmith. Famed African American musician Eddie Durham also called San
Marcos home prior to becoming a jazz music pioneer, and plans for a park
commemorating Durham are underway. The Dunbar District, the Belvin District,
the Lindsey-Rogers District, Burleson District and the Downtown District are
each dedicated to sustaining historic preservation within the community.
Click here for more on the rich history of San Marcos, Texas.