The 1892 Victoria County Courthouse now stands on the government block. The Plaza del Mercado, or Market Square, was the heart of De Leon’s town. The de Leon family members built their homes around market square. Main Street, which links the two squares, was originally designated Calle de Los Diez Amigos, or The Street of Ten Friends. The largest single gathering of Texian troops during the Revolution occurred at Camp Victoria, on the banks of Spring Creek just north of the city. 2,500 troops encamped here between May 31, 1836 and September of that same year. Stephen F. Austin visited Camp Victoria during September, campaigning for president of the new republic. Victoria was among the original twenty-three counties established by the First Congress of the Republic of Texas on March 17, 1836. Its modern boundaries were defined by the Texas legislature on March 31, 1846. The City of Victoria was chartered in 1839.
