James Briton "Brit" Bailey

Bailey reached the Brazos prairie around 1818 with his family and six adult enslaved people, unnamed in the Handbook of Texas. He said he had bought the land from the Spanish government, but Mexico never honored that title. In 1824 Stephen F. Austin accepted his squatter's claim to a league and a labor, on the prairie that still carries his name. He was given a militia commission in 1829 and had a reputation for brawling. What is documented about his burial is his will, which asked to be buried standing and facing west; the rifle and jug are legend.

What the plaque says

James Briton "Brit" Bailey (1779-1833) Pioneer Texan noted for his courage, integrity, and eccentric behavior. Came to Texas in 1818 with wife and six children. He settled on what came to be "Bailey's Prairie". Joined Stephen F. Austin's colony, 1824. Bailey became a captain in the local militia. Fought in battles preceding 1836 Texas Revolution. At his request he was buried standing up, facing west, gun at side so no one could look down on him, even in death. Recorded - 1970

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site — 7.1 mi
  A Brazos sugar plantation built by enslaved people for the Patton family, later leased convict labor and Hogg family oil, now told through Rachel Patton and Sarah Ford.
• Levi Jordan Plantation State Historic Site — 13 mi
  A sugar and cotton plantation on the San Bernard River whose enslaved builders and their descendants left one of the best-preserved African American archeological sites in Texas.
• Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge — 14 mi
  Coastal prairie, salt marsh and bays between Freeport and Christmas Bay, where an auto tour along Big Slough passes wintering geese, ducks and wading birds in the tens of thousands.
• Brazos Bend State Park — 17 mi
  Oak and pecan bottomland, lakes and alligators on the Brazos River 45 miles from downtown Houston, with the museum's George Observatory in the woods.

More markers nearby

• Site of Carry Nation's Hotel — 5.6 mi
• Bell's Landing — 5.6 mi
• Nathan H. Haller — 5.7 mi
• Angleton Independent School District — 5.7 mi