Heritage & History

On Saturday, June 26, a public picnic under the ancient trees will mark the official reopening of historic Veramendi Plaza. This San Marcos Heritage Association event is the first in a series of five, scheduled for the fourth Saturday in each month June through October.

With its trademark southern hospitality on pandemic-hold since March 2020, Heritage Association members are anxious to get back to work. For over 45 years, this group has been dedicated to preserving the history, architecture, natural beauty and charm of San Marcos...and we hope many more people will join this fun and passionately committed group. Community preservation efforts now will mean so much to future generations.

Though the heritage association can’t yet restart its Friday fundraising luncheons in the Cottage Kitchen, baby steps in that direction will take the form of these outdoor events in the park. SMHA hopes everyone will come support the heritage association and even consider joining. Bring lawn chairs and coolers. Listen to live music by Tracy Weinberg and Gretchen McMahon. Watch artists demonstrate their crafts: Charley Pritchard, potter; Peggy Jones, hat maker; and Marti Swanson, wet felting. Tour the restored Merriman Cabin circa 1847 and buy box lunches from the Cottage Kitchen to enjoy under the shade trees.

One of the most scenic parks in San Marcos, historic Juan Veramendi Plaza contains several facilities including the iconic gazebo, the Charles S. Cock House Museum, the Dr. Eli T. Merriman Cabin Museum, the Dr. Gwen K. Smith Fountain, the Memorial Grove and the beautiful pathway, the “Riverwalk.”

The Eli Merriman Cabin is owned by the Heritage Association of San Marcos, and was gifted by the Texas State University in 2001 when it was moved from the Aquarena Springs area to its current location in the Veramendi Plaza. The original inspirations and restorations, plus 46 years of ongoing financial stewardship, have always been functions of the San Marcos Heritage Association, the Heritage Guild and the Heritage Riverwalk Park committee.

San Marcos is located on land that was once part of a Spanish land grant to Colonial governor Juan Martin de Veramendi in 1832. His “two league” grant included land on both sides of the river. The plaza that bears his name today was a part of that original grant. In 1970, the Urban Renewal Agency of the City of San Marcos purchased this property and began, with the Hays County Historical Survey Committee, a search into its past and its connections to the rich cultural heritage of San Marcos. This resulted in naming the land after Veramendi, one of the area’s most illustrious early citizens.

Within the plaza sits the quaint, historic Charles S. Cock House. This was the 1850s home of San Marcos’ second mayor and is now known to many as the Cottage Kitchen. It’s the perfect spot to host small gatherings when patrons want the use of a full kitchen, bathroom facilities, air conditioning, access to landscaped grounds and a full front porch. It has a capacity of 45 people — and best of all, it’s someone else’s house The second best part is the reasonable rate. Host any birthday, shower, reception or celebration at The Cottage Kitchen. Keep life simple. Book through Marianne Moore at 512-665-6048.

Behind the Cock House is the even older Merriman Cabin. It was built in 1846 by Dr. Eli T. Merriman (1815-1867), a Yale graduate and 1838 Texas settler. Merriman was one of three San Marcos town site owners and the first physician in the area. When Dr. Merriman built his one-pen long home close to the San Marcos River, he had no idea it would be moved twice in the next 150 years... or that it would ever be worthy of medallion recognition from the Texas State Historical Commission. It is the second oldest home in San Marcos, located originally near the town square, built of hand-hewn timber and furnished in a manner appropriate to the period. The Cabin is open the second and fourth Saturdays each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weather permitting; or arrange a tour by calling Marnie Silcocks at 512-968-0060 … or just come to the picnic and be among the first to see the results of its recent restoration.

Membership to the Heritage Association of San Marcos can be made online. Visit HeritageSanMarcos. org and click join. Financial support through membership and donations keep the collective fervor going. The website shares photos, events, history and many stories about the vision that has driven the San Marcos Heritage Association since its founding in 1975.

With one of the largest intact historic residential districts in the state, a colorful vintage downtown, and a fiercely protected sparkling river, San Marcans can be proud that this town has a heart like none other. Come to the picnic and let’s all enjoy being together again.