In the spring of 1779 Antonio Gil Y’Barbo led some displaced persons back to East Texas to
found the community of Nacogdoches . They had formerly lived in western Louisiana and eastern
Texas near Spanish missions.
Soon after leading his wanderers to the valley of LaNana and Banita Bayous, Y'Barbo erected a
Stone House on the northeast corner of town square. It was private property, but because of Y'Barbo's
civil and militia authority the Stone House took on a public nature it never lost. There he conducted
private and government business, so it became the civic center of the community.
In 1936, a replica of the Old Stone Fort was located on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University.
