Near the Guadalupe River bottom country, where pecan, elm, hickory, oak, cypress, cottonwood and walnut trees grew, the one-room El Capote Cabin was built. The rustic dwelling was part of the Capote Six Leagues, a stock farm located upon a plateau between the Oakville Escarpment and the Austin Chalk Cuesta. Spanish for “the cape,” El Capote was named for the nearby hills that spread out like a flowing cloak.
The cabin was built in one county that split into two – Gonzales and Guadalupe – right through the Capote property. Further, the cabin has existed under the governance of three flags: the Republic of Texas, the United States of America and the Confederate States of America.
El Capote fits one of the prototypical styles of documented Texas Republic slave quarters. The last known inhabitant of the cabin was Noble Collins, an African-American sharecropper who occupied the cabin until the mid-1930s. Collins and most of his siblings were born in the cabin.
This humble one room cabin has ties to several famous rebellions through its first European owner and French nobleman, Count Joseph de La Baume.
1776 – The American Revolution Joseph de La Baume crossed the Atlantic to join the American Revolution. After less than six months of service, La Baume reached Louisiana and the war ended.
1806 – Texas Under Spanish Rule La Baume moved to San Antonio in 1806 and became interested in purchasing a 26,000- acre tract of land among the Capote Hills from the Spanish. He acquired a land grant from Spain, but his purchase was held up by another struggle for independence. This time Mexico was seeking independence from Spain.
1813 – Gutierrez-Magee Expedition (A precursor to Mexican independence from Spain). Mexico believed the count to be a “traitor” because of his foreign status. Official documents call him El Frances, “the Frenchman.” In addition, Mexican officials may have been suspicious of La Baume because he had fought for the American Revolution. His money, deeds, written records, and four slaves worth 340 pesos were confiscated. The 82-year-old Count was imprisoned for seven months and chained to the granary on the north side of Main Plaza in San Antonio.
1821 – The Mexican War for Independence. This war lasted 11 years and complicated La Baume’s land purchase. Although he was pardoned from being a traitor, his property was not returned. He petitioned the government in 1825 for his confiscated property and employed 32-year-old Stephen F. Austin as his attorney. The newly formed Mexican government eventually returned his property.
1836 – Texas Revolution. The Count died in 1834 with uncontested ownership. Although the Texas Revolution and the establishment of the new Republic of Texas delayed judicial action for 12 years, courts executed the will in 1844 and his family took ownership of the land, naming it El Capote Ranch.
