About this tour
By 1845 Independence was one of the wealthiest towns in the young Republic of Texas, and that prosperity bought it the prizes that still define it. Baptists chartered Baylor University here in 1845, and Sam Houston moved his family to town so his children could attend it. This drive links the campus ruins on the hill, the Houston family's homesite and graves, and the old Baptist church at the heart of it all. The town faded when the railroad passed it by, but its stone columns and cemeteries have kept the memory alive.