Washington-on-the-Brazos

Location in Texas

Replica of the building in which the declaration of independence was signed. An inscription says: “Here a Nation was born” (Here a nation was born).

Washington-on-the-Brazos was a settlement on the banks of the Brazos River in Texas , which was then part of Mexico . The Republic of Texas was proclaimed here in 1836 . The name Washington-on-the-Brazos was used to distinguish the settlement from Washington-on-the-Potomac . The place was just a small town on a river ferry.

history

On March 1, 1836, delegates from all wards in Texas gathered here in a half-finished building. At temperatures just a little above zero, they wrote a constitution and formed a transitional government. The Texan Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on March 2nd and the Constitution was adopted on March 16th. The next day the delegates, and with them the residents of the settlement, had to flee to avoid the advancing Mexican army .

The residents later returned when the Mexican army was defeated after the Battle of San Jacinto . The leadership of the place then tried to enforce Washington as the capital, but the government of Texas decided on Waterloo, which was later renamed Austin .

Washington County was created by Republic of Texas law in 1836 and formed the following year. Washington-on-the-Brazos was designated a county seat . Despite its relocation to Brenham in 1844, the town remained an important center for the cotton trade until the railroad was built by the town in the mid-1850s . The American Civil War also took its toll, and at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 19th century the place was practically deserted.

The state of Texas acquired around 202,000 m² of space in the original location in 1916 and built a replica of the building in which the delegates had met. Adjacent land was acquired in 1976 and 1996. The site is between Brenham and Navasota , off Texas State Route 105, and there is also a museum and library on site.

In Houston , Washington Avenue, heading west, is named after Washington-on-the-Brazos.

swell

• Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site , site of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department . Retrieved August 12, 2007.
• Handbook of Texas: Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas . Retrieved August 12, 2007.
• Handbook of Texas Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historical Park . Retrieved August 12, 2007.

Web links

Commons : Washington-on-the-Brazos  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 30 ° 19 ′  N , 96 ° 9 ′  W