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While the community
of Havana dates back to a Spanish land grant - it is hardly more than a colonia
and a string of businesses along Highway 83 today. The Havanna cemetery on the
south side of the road remains as the town's cultural cornerstone.
During
a severe flood early in the 20th Century - many of the residents of Havana moved
to higher ground which they named La Joya.
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A
portion of the Havana Cemetery
TE photo, 2001 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
The original land grant was made to José Matías
Tijerina in 1767. Tijerina had come from Europe via Cuba and decided to name
his small Texas community after the Cuban port/capital.
The community
was granted a post office in 1886, which moved to Sam
Fordyce in 1905.
Only in the 1970s did the population exceed 100
persons. In 1976 the community only had 176 people - and ten years later there
were only 180. The descendants of José Tijerina are buried in the cemetery.
A rather unusual tombstone (not shown) is one for a Master Sergeant Perez
- who served in the Union army during the Civil War.
Veteran's graves
from other wars reflect the high degree of participation of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans
in U.S. conflicts. One shaded grave has a small handmade helicopter suspended
from an overhanging Mesquite tree. |
| | Tombstone
with glass enclosure
TE photo, 2001 | |
|
A
home-made helicopter hovers above a veteran's grave
TE photo, 2001 |
| | Havana
Texas historical marker
TE photo, 2001 | |
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Havana, Texas
ForumSubject:
Havana, Texas
Dear TE, I was surfing the net and happened upon your [magazine].
My heart skipped several beats and at the same time I felt an overwhelming sadness.
I cried upon reading the story on Havana, Texas. My ancestor (many generations
distant) is Jose Matias Tijerina. I have been researching how my family arrived
in Texas from Spain. I had known that my family had been given a land grant from
the crown, but I kept running into roadblocks. I have even seen where this 6,500-acre
grant appeared on the Texas map (beginning at the Rio Grande). I would like to
ask if anyone would know if in fact Jose Matias Tijerina is buried in Havana,
Texas, so that I may continue my search. I would like to thank you and your wife
for publishing this information to show how rich in history Texas is. May we never
forget that all of us had a beginning - no matter how small we were when we started.
Respectfully, Diana Tijerina-Pittman, April 03, 2007
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