One of Texas' oldest municipalities, the area was inhabited long before recorded history.  Early Spanish explorers list an Aranama Indian village at the site, then called Santa Dorotea.  In 1749 Spain established a mission and as was custom, a nearby presidio (fort) for protection.  "Remember Goliad" became a Texas Revolution battle cry honoring Col. James W. Fannin Jr. and his men who were massacred at Goliad.  Its name was changed February 4, 1829 from Santa Dorotea to Goliad.  The name is an anagram derived from the last name of a Spanish missionary priest, Father Hidalgo. Following the Texas Revolution of 1836, General Sam Houston, then the Governor of the Republic of Texas, granted four leagues of land to Goliad on October 25, 1844.  Goliad is the smallest town in Texas to be selected for the Main Street Program in 1984, and the Courthouse Square Historic District is one of the most complete examples of early Texas Settlements.