Casa Navarro State Historic Site

Casa Navarro, a National Historic Landmark, explores the life of one of early Texas’ most influential leaders, José Antonio Navarro, through interactive exhibits in his restored 19th century home. A rancher and merchant, Navarro was one of only two native-born Texans to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence. He was a leading advocate for Tejano rights and a proponent of Texas secession in the Civil War.

Born in San Antonio in 1795, he was one of only two native-born Texans to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence and served on the committee that wrote the first Texas constitution in 1836. Navarro was the sole Tejano delegate to the Convention of 1845, where he supported the United States’ annexation of Texas. That same year he protected the legal and voting rights of Tejanos by contributing to the state constitution. Navarro was elected to serve two terms in the state Senate, and retired from the Legislature in 1849. He continued to advocate for Tejano rights through writing historical and political articles for the San Antonio Ledger and publicly opposing the anti-Catholic “Know Nothing Party,” officially known as the American Party that came to power in the 1850s. Navarro died in his San Antonio home on January 13, 1871.

In 1841, Texas President Mirabeau B. Lamar convinced him to participate in the ill-fated Santa Fe Expedition that was intended to incorporate eastern New Mexico into the Republic of Texas. Navarro and the other members of the expedition were taken as prisoners by the Mexican authorities. Navarro underwent intense interrogations when imprisoned, but he steadfastly refused to betray his homeland or his allegiance to Texas. After spending 14 months at the infamous San Juan de Ulúa, the most dreaded prison in Mexico, Navarro managed to escape in early 1845.

Over the next 26 years until his death in 1871, Navarro remained an influential figure in Texas and San Antonio, serving in the state legislature and on the San Antonio City Council. He continued to protect and advance the rights of Tejanos as a writer for the San Antonio Ledger. In 1846, the Texas Legislature named the newly established Navarro County in recognition of his contributions to Texas. The county seat was then designated Corsicana, in honor of his father’s birthplace. Numerous schools and streets have also been named after the family.

Factories in the United States and Europe sent ships loaded with merchandise to New Orleans, where Navarro arranged to import books, cloth, clothing, wine, sugar, rice, and coffee. He also invested in real estate. During the 1830s, Navarro served as land commissioner for the Green DeWitt Colony and privately purchased more than 50,000 acres of ranch land at a price of pennies per acre. Because thousands of people were immigrating to Texas, the demand for land increased. Navarro sold portions of his land holdings for up to three dollars per acre, and his San Antonio rental properties also produced income. His wife Margarita de la Garza was also a native of San Antonio. The couple had seven children: four sons and three daughters. Numerous descendants still live in and around San Antonio, with many more scattered throughout the country.

At this time he also built the main house, a fine example of early-statehood domestic architecture, and the two-story commercial building on the corner. Navarro rented the first floor of this building to a local merchant and used the second floor as his office. Navarro’s youngest daughter, Josefa Navarro de Tobin, inherited the site along with its furnishings after Navarro’s death.

A nonprofit organization, Friends of Casa Navarro, lends additional support for educational events and ongoing care of the site. In 2017, the National Park Service named Casa Navarro State Historic Site a National Historic Landmark (NHL). The NHL program highlights places of exceptional historic significance to the nation. Casa Navarro joins other NHLs in Texas including the Alamo, the Texas State Capitol, and Apollo Mission Control Center.