The unveiling and dedication of two historical markers, Vicente Micheli and Don Joaquin/ Procella Crossing, will be held on Friday, April 6, at 3 p.m. in Lufkin, by the Texas Historical Commission and Angelina County Historical Commission. Both markers are located one quarter to half a mile south of the Angelina River on Highway 59.
Vicente Micheli, a native of Italy, was a prominent landowner and businessman in Angelina County and several other locations in Texas and Louisiana. He is believed to be one of, if not the first, Italian immigrant to permanently settle in Texas, and in 1810, received the first patented Spanish land grant to become Angelina County. He eventually settled in San Antonio, opening a mercantile store there, and referred to himself as “the merchant of Venice.” Over the decades the Micheli name has become Americanized or changed for various reasons but there are a multitude of his descendants.