Nacogdoches
Historic Districts

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Nacogdoches Historic Districts

Downtown

The Downtown Overlay District extends to the north and south of Main Street which is the historic El Camino Real. The El Camino Real connected Mexico City with the French outpost at Natchitoches and served as an important transportation, trade, and political route throughout the Spanish colonial, Mexican, Texas Republic, and statehood eras. The central plaza which contains the Old Federal Building (1918) is surrounded on four sides by commercial structures. Although the Old Stone Fort (now rebuilt as a museum on the SFA campus) and several other structures have been moved from downtown, there are several blocks of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century buildings used for business and cultural activities. The district also extends north and south along US 59 Business which is the historic La Calle del Norte. The western edge of the district is the old railroad yard that includes the restored depot now operated by the city as a historic site. There are several large bronze sculptures in the district commemorating notable figures in Nacogdoches’s history.

You can view the Downtown National Register Nomination in 4 parts:

Please note these are very large files and may take a few minutes to load completely. However, they offer a great wealth of information regarding downtown Nacogdoches and its history.

View Downtown District in a larger map

Sterne Hoya

The Sterne-Hoya Overlay District is a small residential area just south of Main Street and includes one of the oldest homes in Nacogdoches, its namesake the Sterne-Hoya House (c. 1835) now owned and operated by the city as a museum. Other structures in the area include Queen Anne, bungalow, and Folk Victorian examples and serve to remind visitors of the early vitality and growth of the city along El Camino Real (TX 21) which is now Main Street.

View Sterne Hoya District in a larger map

Virginia Avenue

The Virginia Avenue Historic Overlay District is a residential neighborhood established in the late-nineteenth century by business owners and managers who moved to this prominent hill just south of downtown. Most of the homes are two or three stories and are architecturally significant representatives of the Queen Anne and Folk Victorian styles. The mature trees and extensive landscaping have helped the area retain its historic feel and ambiance.

View Virginia Avenue District in a larger map

Washington Square

The Washington Square Overlay District is a mixture of historic residential and educational buildings, some of which have since been converted into commercial spaces. Two- and three-story Queen Anne and Stick houses line the east side of Mound Street. Along the west side, on Washington Square, is a wide assortment of educational buildings including the notable Greek Revival Old University Building (1859) and the Art Deco Thomas J. Rusk Building (1939). This district includes one of the highest concentrations of architect-designed homes in the city including several by Dietrich Rulfs and also has Arts & Crafts, Mission, Tudor Revival, and Spanish Colonial Revival examples. There are several churches in the district which add to its architectural diversity and importance in Nacogdoches society.

  • The Heritage Center also assisted Mr. Robert Z. Selden in his project “Reconstructing Washington Square.” 
  • The 2010 summer surveys were completed by Ryan Gullett. In 2012 Dr. Beisel transferred Mr. Gullett’s survey work into the revised FileMakerPro/MS Access database format.
  • You can view the original 1992 National Register nomination here. Please note that the architectural descriptions in the nomination were taken from the Victor & Victor survey and so there may be little or no difference between those entries on the individual pages.
  • Click here to view the map for the Washington Square district.
View Washington Square District in a larger map

Zion Hill

The Zion Hill Historic Overlay District is an excellent example of vernacular architecture in general and the shotgun house in particular. This community was established in the mid-nineteenth century as an African-American neighborhood for families who worked in downtown businesses or for the white households in the Washington Square area. Zion Hill represents the perseverance and success of African-American families who established a vibrant community in the face of nineteenth and twentieth century segregation. The district includes the architecturally significant Zion Hill Baptist Church, designed in a Gothic Revival style by local architect Diedrich Rulfs. The community’s cemetery, the Zion Hill Cemetery or Park Street Cemetery, is zoned historic individually.

Please note, there are several properties in this Historic Overlay District that were included in the 1986 survey under other addresses, but were not zoned historic when this project commenced in 2011. These properties do not have an entry on the website because they are non-zoned lots: 815, 821, 901, 903, 904, 905, and 906 Gene; 806, 808, 814, and 907 Ola; 316, 414, 416, 500, 510, 511, 518, 523, and 525 Richardson.

Click here to view the map for the Zion Hill district. The 1992 Nomination includes individual survey forms for a handful of the properties, but most were not individually assessed.

In December 2009, SFA undergraduate Cassandra Bennett completed a course in historical geography. As part of her honors project, she utilized GIS software to merge a 2005 map, the 1929 Sanborn map of Nacogdoches, and data from the 1930 US Census. The following pdfs are from that project and provide information about the changes that have taken place in the last 90 years and those who once lived in the area.

View Zion Hill District in a larger map (Note: the Google basemap has Gene listed as Ola Street and the center street which is Gene is unlabeled)

Individual Addresses

The individual structures outside the overlay districts have been zoned historic on their own merit at the request of property owners. Most of these are notable examples of architectural styles or are associated with significant persons in Nacogdoches. Also included as individual properties are two cemeteries. The first is Oak Grove Cemetery which is the final resting place for several signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, other influential politicians and businessmen at the local, state, and national levels, and quite a few notable examples of tombstone architecture. The second is Zion Hill Cemetery, a historically black cemetery that is no longer in use but owned and maintained by the City.

View Zion Hill District in a larger map (Note: the Google basemap has Gene listed as Ola Street and the center street which is Gene is unlabeled)

Non-Overlay Properties

Properties in 1986  Survey

Previously Unsurveyed Properties

Markers, Monuments, and Plaques

There are many markers, monuments, and plaques commemorating significant events, persons, and places in Nacodoches’s history. Although not usually considered in typical historic surveys, these resources play an important role in the promotion of Nacogdoches’s past as well as heritage tourists. Some of them are over fifty years old, the granite markers erected by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas in 1936, and others including the sculptor Harry Weber’s Country Doctor Statue erected by the Friends of Historic Nacogdoches, Inc. in May 2011 are quite new.

Resources & Acknowledgements

Local Resources

  • Access Nacogdoches City Documents (committee and council agendas and meetings, forms, local ordinances, etc.) here.
  • The Historic Landmark Preservation Committee, an appointed board made up of Nacogdoches citizens, meets each month on the 1st Monday at 5:15 in the Commission Chambers of City Hall. Each property zoned historic is subject to the historic zoning ordinances as enforced by the HLPC, this includes all exterior and property changes but does NOT include painting the exterior or any interior modifications that do not affect the exterior. A property owner should complete an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) available here. The HLPC also approves Historic Restoration Grant applications.
  • The laws that support and govern historic preservation in Nacogdoches are in two places. The City of Nacogdoches Zoning Ordinance is available here on the city’s website. The Nacogdoches, Texas – Code of Ordinances, Chapter 50 – Historic Preservation is available here via municode.com.
  • A property owner can request inclusion in the historic overlay. Please contact the Historic Sites Department for more information.
  • You can find the City of Nacogdoches’s interactive maps here, including the historic zoning/fire limits map.
  • You can access the three-volume 1986 Victor and Victor Survey below. This was a very detailed nine-month survey that provided the first real assessment of historic Nacogdoches.
  • Click here to access the 1990 NRHP Multiple Property Documentation Form, “Historic and Architectural Resources of Nacogdoches, Texas.” This is a detailed history prepared for the National Register of Historic Places and can be used as a contextual source for nominating additional properties in the future.
  • Access the Commercial Architecture Guide developed for this project from Richard W. Longstreth’s Buildings of Main Street: A Guide to American Commercial Architecture here.
  • Access the “Conditions Guidelines” developed for this project here.
  • Brochure about local architect, Diedrich Rulfs.

Historic Preservation and Training

Heritage Tourism

Architecture

Recommended Publications

Acknowledgements

There is no way this project (2011-2012 THC CLG Grant) could have been completed without the assistance of SFA’s students, paid, paying for a course, undergraduate, and graduate, my compatriot Dr. Paul Sandul, and Dr. Troy Davis, the Department of History chair, who fully supported our work. It is always heartening to find a way to connect with students, to make history come to life, to give a purpose for the study and discussion in the class room. This project has been, and will continue to be, a way to engage our students as well as the public, in the exploration of the past. The definition of public history! Not only did they learn about architectural styles and historic preservation but they also became familiar with their “home” town. They walked streets previously only driven. They took a moment, a la John Stilgoe, to connect with the everyday landscape. The “tech savvy” students in the Center Regional Heritage Research were continually gracious when I asked them to change “just one more thing” and to add “just a bit more.” The Center’s director Dr. Mark Barringer and manager Dr. Kelley Snowden gave generous support to this project through the purchase of an additional Yuma unit as well as hundreds of hours of paid student work. In fact, the Center’s students began some of the earliest work on this project in summer 2010. This project is dedicated to all of these students because we are first and foremost teachers and through their efforts we will now be able to reach out to the public and begin to encourage it to learn about the built landscape of Nacogdoches and the often changing role of historic preservation in the oldest town in Texas. Thank you City of Nacogdoches for providing this opportunity – Brian Bray and Jessica Sowell – and the Engineering Department for your assistance with the hard stuff – Tred Riggs.

Dr. Perky Beisel, Associate Professor

10/31/2012

Fall 2010, HIS414 American Architecture

William BurgessTim GilbreathMichael Harris
Jack KlugGrovey LatimerAmelia McComb
Molly MillerKandace MullinsAmy Pariseau
Autumn PendergrasJoyce PrestonJonathan Scott
Clint SheltonJacqulyn SubarAdam Tate
Blake VandermolenVanessa VillegasMary Welch

Spring 2011, HIS535 Introduction to Public History

Greg GarciaJoyce PittsLaura Blackburn
Megan JenkinsMisty Hurley 

Summer 2011, HIS582 Internship in Public History

W. Tracy AllenNatalie BachStephen DeLear
Misty HurleyAshley McDonaldTrent Nelson
Joyce PittsWhitney RainsPamela Temple

Summer 2011, HIS475, Individual Internship in Public History

Ray Robberson

Fall 2012, HIS535 Introduction to Public History

Jake McAdams

History Department Student Workers

Kimberly FrugiChristina Milburn

Center for Regional Heritage Research Graduate Assistants & Student Workers

Cassandra BennettSamuel BurkholderEllen Denney
Ryan GullettMick HavenRicardo Romero
Zac SeldenDamika Thomas