Linnville was named for John Joseph Linn, a merchant from Victoria who built a number of warehouses here in 1831. A town grew up around the warehouses and by 1840, it was the second largest port in Texas. On March 13, 1840, an incident known as the Council House Fight took place in San Antonio. Leaders of the Republic of Texas arranged a truce with a number of Commanche chiefs in order to negotiate a peace treaty. The Texans expected that a large number of captives would be released at the meeting but the Commanches brought only one 15 year old girl. The Texans were outraged and killed more than 30 of the Commanche leaders. The Commanches responded by killing their captives and by launching raids on Texas towns, this became known as the the Great Raid of 1840.
Led by a war chief known as Buffalo Hump and with as many as 1,000 warriors, the Commanches first attacked Victoria and killed over a dozen residents. But the citizens fought back and so the raiders moved on to Linnville. Most of the townspeople escaped by boat but the Commanches looted the town and burned it to the ground. The Commanches paraded through the town wearings fancy hats and dresses they found in the warehouses. The townspeople could only watch from their small boats offshore. The Commanches took over 1,000 horses and destroyed or stole over $300,000 worth of goods from the warehouses. Most of the townspeople relocated to Port Lavaca and Linnville was never rebuilt.
More information on Linnville
The Raid on Linnville
Account of the Raid on Linnville
Linnville and Victoria are attacked by the Comanches
Site of the Town of Linnville
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