San Augustine

San Augustine is a picturesque town in Deep East Texas, and the site of Mission Dolores, one of the first Spanish missions established in east Texas in the early 18th century. Today, San Augustine is a Texas Main Street Community of 1900 people (2020) with several old buildings in its historic downtown. It is within an hour's drive of two of east Texas' largest lakes: Sam Rayburn Reservoir and Toledo Bend Reservoir.

Historic building in San Augustine

The only practical way into San Augustine is by car.

• 🌍 Mission Dolores State Historic Site (Misión Nuestra Señora de los Delores de los Ais), 701 S. Broadway St (a quarter of a mile south of the San Augustine County Courthouse on Highway 147), ☏ +1 936 275 3815. Tu-Sa 8AM-4:30PM, closed Su M. This museum tells the story of Mission Dolores, a Spanish mission built in 1721 near the site of an earlier mission built in 1718 (this first mission was abandoned due to fears of French troops advancing on east Texas). This was one of several missions and presidios built in east Texas along the El Camino Real de los Tejas to advance Spanish claims on the land and part of an attempt to convert the Ais and Caddo peoples to Roman Catholicism. Though the mission itself was abandoned in the late 18th century, archaeological evidence has revealed its location and evidence of trade and relations between the Spanish, French, and Ais people. The museum interprets the story of Mission Dolores as a cultural crossroads in east Texas and one of the few existing sites along the Deep East Texas portion of the El Camino Real. $4.00 per person. (updated Dec 2023)

The only accommodations in San Augustine are two small motor inns near the intersection of US 96 & TX 21. These are very basic accommodations and only offer a handful of amenities, but are also good for the budget conscious and are usually priced between $60 & $80 a night.

🌍 San Augustine Inn, 1009 TX-21, ☏ +1 936-275-3452. (updated Dec 2023)

🌍 King Star Inn, 116 US-96, ☏ +1 936-275-0445. (updated Dec 2023)