Emergency Crime Scene and Biohazard Cleanup in Goliad, TX

Goliad is the county seat of Goliad County and originated as one of the oldest Spanish colonial municipalities in Texas.

The town was established in October 1749, when Spain moved Presidio La Bahía and Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zuñiga to a site on the San Antonio River.

Goliad County, created in 1836, was one of the original counties of the Republic of Texas.

On October 9, 1835, in the opening weeks of the Texas Revolution, Texian forces captured Presidio La Bahía from its Mexican garrison in the Battle of Goliad.

The first declaration of independence for the Republic of Texas was signed inside the presidio chapel on December 20, 1835, and the 'Bloody Arm' banner — the first flag of Texas independence — was raised over the fort.

After Colonel James Fannin's command was defeated at the Battle of Coleto, 342 Texian prisoners were executed at Goliad on Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, on orders from Santa Anna — the event remembered as the Goliad Massacre.

Francita Alavez, remembered as the 'Angel of Goliad,' intervened to spare the lives of about 20 prisoners, including doctors and medical attendants.

'Remember Goliad!' became a Texian battle cry alongside 'Remember the Alamo!' at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Presidio La Bahía was restored in the 1960s to its appearance of 1836 and is a National Historic Landmark; its chapel is among the most intact Spanish colonial buildings in Texas.

Across the San Antonio River, Goliad State Park and Historic Site preserves the reconstructed Mission Espíritu Santo, while nearby ruins mark Mission Rosario.