The town of Spanish Fort occupies the site of an ancient Taovayas Indian village. It was the scene of the first severe defeat in Texas of Spanish troops by Indians in 1759. In 1778 De Mezieres named it Fort Teodoro in honor of Teodoro De Croix, commander of the interior provinces of Mexico. Permanent white settlements began in this vicinity after 1850. "Let the grandeur of the pioneer be discerned in the safety he has secured, in the good he has accomplished, in the civilization he has established."