In early July 1824, Commissioner of Colonization Baron de Bastrop arrived at San Felipe de Austin and began issuing land titles to Empresario Stephen F. Austin’s first colonists. In July through mid-August of 1824, Bastrop issued titles to approximately 270 Mexican land grants, totaling over 1.5 million acres of land. These first families of Austin’s Read more
Congratulations to the winners of the Texas History Awards sponsored by Washington on the Brazos Historical Foundation. The Allen Commander Junior winner is Jonathan Medlock from Stephen F. Austin Middle School for the website The Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900. See the website here. The Mike and Nina Hopkins Senior winner is Ajay Gundana from A&M Read more
On Day 15 of the Convention of 1836, everything changes for the Convention, the Delegates, and the citizens of Washington. While the day started auspiciously enough with the arrival of a newly recruited regular army company under Captain Henry Teal, it would end with grave news from the seat of war. Before that, however, the Read more
On Day 14 of the Convention of 1836, the Convention continues to grind out the rough constitution. The delegates do not know it yet, but they are very close to completing the business of the Convention. That, however, will not happen until other events sweep many of the petty political arguments away. An audit report Read more
The Convention carries on. By his comments, Gray is not impressed that the Convention continues to work on Sunday saying: “The Convention continued their business as usual, without regard to the day. Indeed I have seen little or no observance of the day in Texas. They are a most ungodly people.” Gray also notes that Read more
On Day 12 of the Convention of 1836, the convention discussed many things, but apparently not the constitution. According the Colonel Gray, “The Constitution has been gone over by sections, and much altered and amended; but it is still so imperfect that it has been recommitted to another committee to amend the phraseology and arrangement—as Read more
The Convention continues to work on the Constitution. A donation of $5000 was received from a Mr. Samuel St. John, which was received and thanked for by official act of the delegates. Delegate A.G. Briscoe (Harrisburg) arrived and was seated. Thomas Rusk (Nacogdoches) requested that the rule dictating the suspension of all business unrelated to Read more
On the 10th Day of the Convention of 1836, “the business of the Convention moves slowly” according to William F. Gray. A debate about what to do with Mexican Army prisoners taken during the preceding and upcoming chapters of the War was had and it was decided that commissioned officers and Chaplains would be confined Read more
On the 9th Day of the Convention of 1836, the first draft of a constitution for the Republic of Texas was presented to the general Convention. It consisted of a preamble and 10 sections: 6 Articles, a Schedule, a Declaration of Rights, General Provisions, and a section on Slavery. Here are some major points from Read more
On the 8th day of the Convention of 1846, the Convention discussed the transfer of power from the Provisional Government to the assembled Convention. Two letters arrived and were read into the record. The first was from James Robinson, former provisional Lieutenant Governor and acting Governor following the impeachment of provisional Governor Henry Smith. In Read more
On the 7th day of the Convention, the delegates focused on the crafting of a Bill that organized the militia for the Republic of Texas. A couple interesting things come up in the militia bill. First is that when the militia is needed, a lottery system would be enacted that calls up men between the Read more
Day 6 everything in Washington changes. Lt. Col. Travis’s letter of March 3rd arrived in the hands of Convention President Richard Ellis (Pecan Point) who called the Convention out of recess to read it into the record. The same day that Travis wrote the letter to the Convention he also wrote a letter to delegate Read more
The Convention stands in recess. There is little record of what happened on March 5th in Washington other than what was reported by Colonel William Gray: “This evening two Mexican prisoners were brought here from Goliad, charged with improper communications with the enemy, and pointing out to them a place to build a bridge over Read more
he Convention Delegates spent the day organizing several committees that would begin the work of organizing the new Republic in earnest. Several delegates whose credentials as delegates were in dispute were settled and seated, these being Samuel R. Fisher (Matagorda) and John W. Bower (San Patricio). Both men had disputes between them and another person Read more
The Convention now settles in to the task set before it. Independence has been declared and the re-written Declaration is presented and signed by all delegates present. A committee was formed that effectively transferred governmental authority from Governor Smith, Lt. Governor Robinson, and the Council to the assembled Convention. There was a call for an Read more
185 years ago today, the convention delegates reconvened to make one of the most significant declarations in world history, and THE most important in Texas history. This was the day that Texas declared her Independence. A new nation was formed on this day and the effects of this event would be felt for generations to Read more
185 years ago today, elected delegates from across the towns and municipalities of Texas convened in an unfinished structure at the center of Washington on the banks of the Brazos River. Washington was a rude town, made worse by the interminable weather that was plaguing Texas. That unique Texas meteorological phenomenon, a blue norther, blew Read more
We would like to introduce our new Newsletter! Check out Issue 1 here. Newsletter V1
Learn more Cyndee Smith, President of the Washington on the Brazos State Park Association Why did you join the Association board? When I purchased land in Washington County in 2000, I thought my address would be Chappell Hill (which has its own notoriety, of course). When the address was “Washington”, I had no idea such Read more
We have quite a few bluebonnet and wildflower patches around the park. They should last until end of April/Early May. If you visit the park, please send us your bluebonnet photos to marketing@wheretexasbecametexas.org.
By Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express News “The Reading of the Texas Declaration of Independence,” by Charles and Fanny Normann, is displayed at the Star of the Republic Museum at the Washington on the Brazos State Historic Site. The last batch of letters Alamo commander William Barret Travis is known to have sent out Read more
WILLIAM DEMETRIUS LACY by Kenneth R. Pybus, 3x great grandson William Demetrius Lacy spent most of his childhood at the South Union Shaker Village near Bowling Green, Kentucky, but he decided to depart the commune at the age of 20. Lacy eventually found his way to Texas, but not before returning to South Union to Read more
ROBERT M. COLEMAN by Artie Hope Parker Robert M. Coleman came to Texas in 1831 with his family and settled in Mina Municipality. In 1832 he wrote a letter to Empresarios Austin and Williams requesting permission to settle in their colony. In addition to being one of the 59 signers of the Texas Declaration of Read more
SAMUEL AUGUSTUS MAVERICK by Ellen Maury Davis Cassidy Samuel Augustus Maverick survived the Battle of the Alamo because on February 1, 1836, the men of the Alamo elected Sam and Jesse Badgett to represent them at the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Sam and Jesse were at Washington-on-the-Brazos when the Alamo fell. Continuing Read more
THOMAS J. RUSK by Beth Rusk Gathings The following is from Rip Ford’s Memoirs in a book entitled “Rip Ford’s Texas”, edited by John Salmon Ford. This quotation was written in approximately 1840. “Nacogdoches was the home of General Thomas J. Rusk, of Colonel James Reily, General James S. Mayfield, Dr. James H. Starr, Colonel Read more
JOSE ANTONIO NAVARRO by Carol Cieszinski, 6th generation descendant Hundreds even thousands of Navarro and Ruiz descendants not only live in San Antonio and other Texas Cities but in fact all around the world. Mr. Navarro is now noted in world history this way. In the insert for passports of persons who travel extensively there Read more
JESSE GRIMES by Ben Grimes & Margaret Morrison We ran across an article from 1836. A man, Gwyn Morrison, grandson of John Morrison and Prudence Gwyn of Orange County, New York, was the county clerk of Montgomery, a part of Washington County, Texas. He went on to be a lawyer in Texas and participated in Read more
“Descendants of the Fearless Fifty-Nine” STERLING CLACK ROBERTSON by Suzanne Turner Jensen Barber Sterling Clack Robertson, one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, was my great, great-grandfather. His uncle, James Robertson, was the founder of Nashville, Tenn. Sterling moved to Texas were he was the founder of the Robertson Colony, also known Read more
“Descendants of the Fearless Fifty-Nine” MARTIN PARMER by Ric Frost, 5X great-grandson Western Water Law is a product of Martin Parmer’s legacy. Also known as a “Founding Father of Missouri”, he was very instrumental in Missouri obtaining statehood in 1821. His legal work and writings also have influences beyond the boundaries of that state. He Read more
