Project Leader: Frank Michel
County: Austin
Regular Work Days: Last Sunday of the Month, and specific dates for school tours (check chapter calendar for opportunities)
Address: 220 2nd St., San Felipe, TX 77473
VMS opportunity: SFA State Historic Site Native Plant Garden or Educational Group Presentation
San Felipe de Austin, a town founded by Stephen F. Austin in 1823, played a pivotal role in events leading up to the Texas Revolution, yet this story is not nearly as well-known or understood as others in the chronicles of Texas history, including the Alamo and San Jacinto.
Commemorating the location where, in 1823, Stephen F. Austin established a headquarters for his colony in Mexican Texas, San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site shares the stories of early settlers in this region. Today, visitors can walk in the footsteps of these early pioneers at what was the social, economic, and political center of American immigration to Texas before independence. San Felipe de Austin didn’t survive the war for Texas independence — it was burned by its own residents as they evacuated during the Runaway Scrape of 1836.
Much of the work Texas Master Naturalist–Galveston County Chapter does at San Felipe de Austin is two-fold: supporting school visits and leading monthly public nature walks.
A major focus of this project is educational programming for school groups visiting the site. In collaboration with site staff, volunteers tailor each visit to the needs of the school and the park, offering engaging talks on topics such as historic naturalists who explored Texas, the cultural and ecological significance of yaupon tea, medicinal uses of native plants like the toothache tree, and other aspects of the site’s natural history. These school visits provide hands-on, age-appropriate learning experiences and are a rewarding way to connect students of all ages with the landscape.
In addition, TMN GLC members serve as volunteer docents for monthly nature walks held on the last Sunday of each month. These guided walks help visitors envision the tallgrass prairie as it existed prior to settlement, while also exploring the connections between the site’s human history and its natural environment. Volunteer docents receive training and educational materials to enhance each walk and create meaningful experiences for participants.
Working closely with San Felipe de Austin Historic Site staff, TMN GLC has also hosted birding events and continues to develop an on-site birding program. Current efforts focus on educational programming, with the potential for future expansion, including the development of a bird blind.
