Washington on the Brazos - May 28th, 2011
Eight miles west of Navasota on Hwy 105 is a state park
Park near the Visitor Center and go inside
Join a tour of the grounds outside the Visitor Center
Site of the Declaration of Texas Independence
Independence Hall replica placed where the original stood
Monument placed in 1899 at a guestimated location
Brenham schoolchildren raised the money for the marker
Marking the spot before it was lost to history
The Hall was a hastily build new structure in 1836
The only place to house 59 delegates in the area
David awaits his turn to sign the Indepencence document
A monument in the field in front of the Hall
The park land was purchased on March 2nd, 1916
Look back at the Hall with monument & wall in front
Washington refused to pay the $11K RR connection in 1858
Navasota & Brenham paid & prospered
Cistern is last original remains of the town Washington
Most of the town became cultivated fields by 1889
Independence Hall is marked in blue on these town maps
Robert's Hotel may have been the site of the cistern
Washington had a population over 1,500 in the mid 1850s
Houston concentrated army volunteers & supplies here
The path leads to the ferry landing, established 1822
The prosperous ferry landing helped create Washington
Washington prospered as river traffic increased
As a riverport, Washington became a distribution center for commercial exchanges between the interior and the Gulf Coast
From 1849-1858, Washington was a significant transit point for export of the region's profitable cotton crop
Andrew Robinson's family and other members of the Old Three Hundred settled near the future townsite in 1821. Robinson was operating a ferry by 1822. Robinson sold his land grant in 1835 to Captain Hall who established the Washington Town Company
The fledgling government of the Republic of Texas evacuated the site at the approach of Santa Anna's army
The mighty Brazos River, during the worst drought ever
Look back up the hill beyond the directional sign
Birch (?) tree with white peel away bark
Amphitheater beside the visitor center
George Childress was a delegate to the Convention
He chaired the committee that drafted the TX Constitution
The 59 delegates who declared Texas' independence
Andrew Robinson was the original owner of the land here
The museum, opened in 1970, is shaped like a star
The museum entrance, head left and make the circle
The first thing you see is a buffalo, of course
Sharp's Model 1874 Sporting Rifle could drop a buffalo
The wildlife in the Washington area
They had big, meaty roadrunners here!
Stephen Austin helped bring immigrants to Texas
The 1st armed confrontation was at Anahuac in 1832
59 delegates meet at Washington's Independence Hall
Declaration followed by Alamo, Gonzales, & San Jac
The four presidents of the Republic of Texas
Interim President Burnett & Houston elected to 2 terms
Lamar angered Houston, Jones led TX to statehood
Declaration copies were made & distributed immediately
Printer Gail Borden went on to bigger things: MILK
The 2nd floor shows social & cultural heritage of TX
The riverboat made Washington prosperous in the 1850s
What the early settlement of Washington looked like
Tools, housewares, and toys of the mid 1850s Texas
The 2nd floor is a large room with many displays
Step outside to the balcony and the Lone Star Flag
Fake or dry wells surround the museum
Back side of the museum's front entrance
Front side of the museum's front entrance
Head down the muraled walkway to the ground floor
Exit the museum and head to the car, a great visit was had!