Texas History at Kenney’s Fort
Kenney’s Fort was a launching point and point of conflict for two infamous events in Texas history: the Santa Fe Expedition and the Archives War.
In the creek bottoms and low valley between the towns of Pflugerville and Round Rock, at the confluence of Brushy Creek and Spring Branch is the site where Kenney’s Fort once stood.
Earlier, this site served as a stopping point for the Delaware Indians as they moved from their “Redland” East Texas home to the Mexican border near Nuevo Laredo in 1828. It was known as “The Double File Trail” because two horsemen could ride side by side in pairs as they traveled.[1]
The fort was built on the Prior A. Holder league in 1839 by San Jacinto Veteran Dr. Thomas Kenney and Joseph Barnhart, and at one time was the furthest outpost on the Colorado River frontier.[2]
The fort “was situated on the land between Brushy Creek and Spring Branch with Dry Brushy running near the west line of the field. The layout of the fort was square picketed in with round and split saplings higher than the eaves of the cabins, of which there were four, one at each corner with space between the cabins. There were two large gates, one on the west side the other on the east, the later was hung on a large Burr Oak tree.”[3]
The grounds inside the stockade covered half an acre, providing refuge to as many as fifteen settlers at one time.
At the time of its construction, Kenney’s Fort, a wooden stockade, served as the only protection for settlers in Williamson County in case of raids by Native Americans.[4]
Soon after the fort was established, in the fall of 1839, it was occupied by Dr. Kenney, his wife Mary, and three children, along with the Wick family, who had arrived days earlier. The threat of attack was an ever-present danger from the beginning, as there was an ambush the first night, resulting in the injury of both Dr. Kenney and Mr. Wick. Skirmishes would continue regularly for several years.
This unassuming fortification served as more than just protection for the local settlers, it also served as a launching point and point of conflict for two infamous events in Texas history — the Santa Fe Expedition and the Archives War.
The Santa Fe Expedition
The Santa Fe Expedition was an effort to secure control over the vast northwest territory stretching into New Mexico, as well as to build economic and political ties with a population far removed from the government in Austin, and influence the people of New Mexico of the benefits of joining Texas.[5]
Santa Fe Expedition volunteers gathered on the banks of Brushy Creek near Kenney’s Fort. Days before their departure, a small detachment led by President Mirabeau B. Lamar arrived with more volunteers, equipment and merchandise. Upon their arrival, the camp was filled with excitement and anticipation of the journey, as many volunteers had already been camping for several weeks.[6]
President Lamar, along with several others, made camp with just a simple blanket on the ground for bedding. The next morning the companies of troops were inspected and reviewed followed by a rousing address given by President Lamar to commemorate the start of the expedition.
On June 19, 1841, the expedition set out from Kenney’s Fort.[7] Over 300 men and women took part in this endeavor, including merchants and six companies of soldiers providing a military escort. Ox drawn wagons were filled with supplies and merchandise for trade, which was valued at $200,000. This venture, which began with such promise, was beset with troubles and hardships, and ultimately ended in total failure.[8]
The Archives War
A little less than two years later, Kenney’s Fort was the scene of a pivotal moment during the Archives War.[9]
Due to Mexican invasion of San Antonio, President Sam Houston ordered the removal of the government archives from Austin to Houston.[10] The Austin Vigilance Committee, however, had different plans, and interfered with those orders, forcing Houston to call in the Texas Rangers to assist Land Commissioner Thomas William Ward to remove the records. The Rangers were dispatched with three wagons to load the archives.
On the morning of December 30, 1842, the men quietly entered Austin to meet with Commissioner Ward to load the wagons. Angelina Eberly, witnessing the government records being removed, fired a cannon in the direction of the Land Office to sound an alarm.
The Rangers and GLO officials, 38 men total, with their wagons loaded, proceeded northeast out of Austin heading towards Brushy Creek.[11] They eventually stopped and made camp at Kenney’s Fort. By morning the party found themselves surrounded by armed citizens, who made it clear that the records would be taken by force if necessary.
To avoid bloodshed, the boxes of records were surrendered at Kenney’s Fort to the Vigilance Committee and hauled back to Austin to be kept under floorboards in Angelina Eberly’s boarding house, where stayed for two years, essentially held hostage by the vigilance Committee.[12]
Today, nothing remains of Kenney’s Fort other than a stone monument and a metal flag pole, set during the Texas Centennial in 1936 by the citizens of Williamson County. At the confluence of Brushy Creek and Spring Branch, this now-quiet place was once witness to significant, if not particularly successful, moments in early Texas history.
[1] “The Double File Trail” #9049 Historical Marker placed at Georgetown, Williamson County, on file at Texas Historical Commission, Austin, Texas.
[2] Headright Certificate #169 for Prior A. Holder, 5 February 1838, Milam 1-000315, Texas Land Grant Records, Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin, TX. Kenney Fort, Historic Round Rock Collection (http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/departments/planning-and-development-services/historic-preservation/historic-round-rock-collection/kenney-fort/), accessed July 3, 2015.
[3] Recollections by Mary J. Lee, oldest daughter of Dr. Thomas J. Kenney, (1904) #934 Kenney’s Fort Papers, Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
[4] Ibid.
[5] George Wilkins Kendall, Narrative of the Texan Santa Fe Expedition, Comprising a Description of a Tour Through Texas. London: Wiley & Putnam, 6, Waterloo Place, 1844. p. 70.
[6] H. Bailey Carroll, “TEXAN SANTA FE EXPEDITION,” Handbook of Texas online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qyt03), accessed July 06, 2015. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
[7] The group started in a northwesterly route and became lost near the Wichita River. By August 20 the expedition was en route for the Red River, but was harassed by Indians, endured bad weather, and hampered by lack of water and provisions. The expedition continued on its northwesterly route, finally reaching Quitaque Creek.
[8] With no clear direction on how to proceed, Hugh McLeod split his forces to search for the most promising route into New Mexico. Upon reaching New Mexico, the expedition was greeted by a military detachment. Remaining members of the Santa Fe Expedition surrendered to Mexican authorities in September. They were marched to Mexico City, imprisoned, and eventually released in April of 1842.
[9] Claudia Hazlewood, “ARCHIVE WAR,” Handbook of Texas online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mqa02), accessed July 06, 2015. Uploaded on June 09, 2010. Modified on March 27, 2012 Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
[10] In March of 1842 Mexican troops invaded Texas under the command of General Rafael Vasquez, and occupied San Antonio. An emergency session of the Texas Congress was called, and President Houston ordered that the seat of Government and the archives would be removed to Houston.
[11] Statement of the Clerks, Nathan Mitchell and Walter Winn. January 25, 1843. Early Letters Sent, 1840–1845 [Commissioner’s Correspondence]. Vol. 3, Part 1. Pp.313–315. Archives and Records. Texas General Land Office. Austin.
[12] Dorman H. Winfrey, “The Texan Archive War of 1842,” Southwestern Historical Quarterly 84 (October 1960).
