Everything about Washington-on-the-brazos totally explained
Washington-on-the-Brazos is a
ghost town along the
Brazos River in
Washington County,
Texas,
United States. It was founded when Texas was yet a part of
Mexico, and the settlement became the site of the
Convention of 1836 and the signing of the
Texas Declaration of Independence. The name "Washington-on-the-Brazos" was used to distinguish the settlement from "
Washington-on-the-Potomac".
History
On
March 1,
1836 Washington, a small, ramshackle town built next to a ferry landing on the
Brazos River, became the birthplace of the
Republic of Texas. It was here that delegates elected from each municipality in Texas convened in an unfinished building in near-freezing weather to declare Texas' independence from
Mexico, write a new
constitution and organize an interim government.
The delegates declared independence on
March 2,
1836. A constitution was adopted on March 16. The delegates worked until March 17, when they'd to flee, along with the people of Washington, to escape the advancing Mexican Army. The townspeople returned after the Mexican Army was defeated at
San Jacinto on April 21. Town leaders lobbied for Washington’s designation as the permanent capital of the Republic of Texas, but leaders of the Republic passed over Washington in favor of Waterloo, which later was renamed
Austin.
Washington County was created by the legislature of the Republic of Texas in 1836 and organized in 1837 and Washington-on-the-Brazos became the county seat. Although the county seat moved to
Brenham in 1844, the town continued to thrive as a center for the
cotton trade until the mid-1850s, when the
railroad bypassed it. The strife of the
Civil War took another toll on the town, and by the turn of the century it was virtually abandoned.
The State of Texas purchased 50 acres (202,000 m²) of the old townsite in 1916 and built a replica of the building where the delegates met. The state acquired more of the site in 1976 and 1996. The area, located at 30.324° -96.153° between Brenham and
Navasota off
State Highway 105, is now a state historic site with a better replica of the meeting hall and a
museum with a
research library.
Notable residents or natives
Trivia
In Houston, Washington Avenue was named after Washington-on-the-Brazos. It was the western route to Washington County. Following the present day road: Washington Ave; Hempstead Highway; U.S. 290 (Northwest Freeway) then outside of Harris County U.S. 290 is called Houston Highway.Further Information
Get more info on 'Washington-on-the-brazos'.
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