Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park, Texas
Some years ago, Texas tourism ran an ad campaign where the motto was “Texas, like a whole other country.” I didn’t give that concept much thought until I visited Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park, between Brenham and Navasota. In the park I learned Texas really was a whole other country from 1836 to 1846. Not to disparage my history teachers, but I honestly didn’t recall that fact from school – or maybe I was home sick that day.
In March 1836, the nondescript town of Washington entered the history books as the birthplace of Texas – not the state, but the republic.
This was where 59 delegates, elected from each municipality in Texas, gathered. While the forces of Gen. Santa Anna laid siege to the Alamo, the convention of 1836 declared Texas’ independence from Mexico and wrote a new constitution that established the Republic of Texas and organized an interim government. Similar tasks in today’s world would require years to accomplish.
The park guides tell you the history books often lose sight of the delegates’ courage and clearheaded determination. Their labors were set amid great uncertainty. They were aware of the desperation of Travis and his men at the Alamo, having received word of the dire circumstances twice during the convention. Yet the delegates completed their task.
Today, Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park is home to the Star of the Republic Museum, a visitors’ center and Barrington Farm, a living history museum. The park stands on the site where Washington, the town, once stood.
Only a memory now, Washington remained a place of some prominence in early Texas until the eve of the Civil War. At its peak around 1850, the population reached 1,500. But the town refused to pay a bonus to the approaching railroad and it became one of many Texas communities to suffer “death by railroad bypass.”
To better understand all this place has to offer, make the visitors’ center your first stop. Inside the center, you’ll find a map wall, which “walks” you through the various components of the park.
The former town is tranquil today, little more than a patch of grass, along with the reconstructed Independence Hall. The Hall, the most important historic building in Washington, did not survive into the 20th century. Archaeologists determined the precise location of the structure from excavations from 1964 to ’68. Using that information, Independence Hall was reconstructed. The Independence Monument erected in 1901 stands just near the entrance.
BARRINGTON LIVING HISTORY FARM
The home on the property belonged to Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas. The main house at Barrington served as the last “White House” of the republic and was originally four miles west of Washington. The unusual design features two small buildings connected by a breezeway. Possibly this interior porch offered a cool respite from the warm Texas sun.
The rooms in the house are furnished with period pieces, not unlike other rural farms of that day and age. Behind the house, separate structures contain the hen house, smoke house, cook house and outhouse. The smells from the hen house, along with the view of open fields, gave me a flashback to about age 6, when I played on my grandmother’s farm. As you might imagine, this farm is popular with school groups, that are studying Texas history.
Since a school field trip was much in evidence, we wandered to the back, where one woman, in period costume, was discussing and displaying lye soap. Eager to chat, we discussed housework and then food of the period. A congenial person, she claimed to love it at the farm, except for her stint at gardening in the middle of summer.
Across a wide expanse of grass and down a lane, two former slave cabins are open for view. Barely bigger than a clothes closet, the earlier-dated cabin had only a hard-packed earth floor. Another costumed interpreter showed us the former inhabitants’ early attempts at food refrigeration – basically a covered hole in the ground. The accommodations are rough, even by the standards of the day, with little comfort to be had at any time of year.
STAR OF THE REPUBLIC MUSEUM
Visited by 40,000 people per year, the museum is a two-story contemporary building, the first level of which is in the shape of a five-pointed Texas star. Inside are artifacts and displays reflecting the saga of the Republic of Texas.
You can watch a video narrated by Bill Moyers and browse individual sections such as “The First Texans” or another titled “The Cross, the Sword and the Compass.”
The second level is reached by a gradually rising circular ramp and is also accessible via elevator. Along the wall, a well-done mural follows the curve of the ramp. Upstairs, more displays highlight the social history of the region and more.
It’s easy to see Texans care about their unique heritage as both a country and a state.
Each year, an Independence Day festival celebrating the March 2 adoption of the Texas Declaration of Independence brings thousands to Washington-on-the-Brazos. The festivities include historical re-enactments and craft demonstrations. This event normally occurs on the weekend that falls closest to March 2, but you should call the park for dates and times.
