"In reaction to French incursions into
territory claimed by Spain, the Spanish established the earliest
Texas Presidio in East Teas near Nacogdoches. Later, after
the relocation of the La Bahía mission to Goliad, the Spanish
constructed a road through what is now Washington County to
connect these two settlements. The area remained unsettled
by Europeans until 1821, when settlers recruited by Stephen F.
Austin moved into the region. According to Austin's
colonization plan, participating families would receive 640
acres for the head of the household, 320 acres for the wife, and
100 acres for each child. Slaveholders would receive an
additional 80 acres for each slave possessed. Many, though
not all, of the Old Three Hundred colonists settled in what is
now Washington County"
