The first Anglo-American rebellion in East Texas reached its climax here. In 1826, colonizer Hayden Edwards defied Mexico's expulsion orders and founded the Republic of Fredonia, raising a flag of "Independence, Liberty and Justice." When settlers at Ayish Bayou refused to join, he ordered their banishment. From the log fort at this site, Fredonians were ordered to take Ayish Bayou on Jan. 21, 1827. That day, however, without a shot, Stephen Prather's nine Anglos and sixty native Americans captured the fort and 200 soldiers. When news of this arrived, Edwards fled to the U.S., ending the Fredonia Rebellion.