Did You Know?

Washington-on-the-Brazos was a settlement along the Brazos River in Texas, then part of Mexico, which was the site of the Convention of 1836 and the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The name was used to distinguish the settlement from Washington-on-the-Potomac.

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 had 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 Washingtons 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 m) 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.

Links

Check out some of our favorite links!

Bogart's Casa Blanca Bed & Breakfast

1306 E. Washington, Navasota, Texas 77868
Telephone: (936) 825-1969
Website

Buffalo Creek

10827 Highway 36 South, Between Bellville and Sealy
Telephone: (979) 865-0702
Website

Conroe Convention and Visitor's Bureau

505 West Davis, Conroe, Texas 77303
Telephone: (936) 522-3500
Website

Dan Pastorini's Quality Foods

P.O. Box 56344, Houston, Texas 77256
Telephone: (979) 451-9080
Website

Johnnyo Design

14722 Cypress Meadow Drive, Cypress, TX 77429
Telephone: (281) 782-9215
Website

Pizza Shack (Two Locations To Serve You)

20873 G Eva Street, Montgomery, Texas
Telephone: (936) 597-9488

115 W. Montgomery Street, Willis, Texas
Telephone: (936) 856-9780
Website

The Rancher's Daughter

14387 Liberty Street, Montgomery, Texas 77356
Telephone: (936) 449-4100
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Rhinestone Cowgirl

14348 Liberty Street, Montgomery, Texas 77356
Telephone: (936) 597-4114
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The Property Source

16955 Walden Road, Suite 116, Montgomery, Texas 77356
Telephone: (281) 844-6584
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