Jim Warren, a professional archeologist of George West, described his excavation of Fort Ramirez to a large gathering at the Bayside Historical Society meeting on Saturday, Aug. 7, in Bayside.

His findings were extensive enough that one of his students was able to fashion a model of the fort. The fort was actually a fortified ranch house built by the Ramirez family in 1790 on the Nueces River in Live Oak County. Many ranch houses in this early period were fortified against attack by Indians and Mexican bandits.

The ranch was abandoned in 1810 at the start of Mexico’s revolt against Spanish rule. This revolt caused all government troops to be recalled from Texas and left frontier ranchers on their own.

The ranch house was a limestone block building with a solid parapeted roof accessible to the defenders by an inside ladder. The building was designed as a refuge with only two doors and no windows, so the family cooked and slept outside under an attached lean-to. Only Spanish Colonial era artifacts were unearthed at the site, indicating only one occupation, the Ramirez family.

Warren brought Spanish Colonial artifacts from another site to pass around the room for individual inspection. The next Bayside Historical Society meeting will be on Saturday Nov. 6. Call 361-529-8944 for information.