Becoming the Oldest Town in Texas examines the 300- year history of Nacogdoches. Its history began in 1716 when the Mission Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de los Nacogdoches was opened as a Catholic mission to serve the local Caddo tribe. In July 1716, Father Antonio Margil de Jesus took charge of the new village along with its wooden church and dwellings for the missionaries. Thus began Nacogdoches' story, as an important stopping point for settlers heading west but also as a thoroughfare for Texas revolutionaries who would defend the Alamo. The Caddos built burial mounds here, and the French and Spanish vied for control of the region. Nacogdoches is the site of the Battle of Fredonia, but it is also the launching point of the comedy careers of the Marx Brothers, who revived Fredonia in one of their early movies. Indeed, the the city and its surrounding area are rich with history and stories, and Scott Sosebee's book celebrates Nacogdoches' ongoing legacy.