Washington-on-the-Brazos: Where Texas Declared Independence

Washington-on-the-Brazos is where Texas was born. In a drafty, unfinished frame building on the west bank of the Brazos River, fifty-nine delegates gathered in the cold March of 1836 and, even as the Alamo was falling, signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and wrote a constitution for a brand-new republic. This small town on the river later served as the capital of the Republic of Texas, and the home of Anson Jones — its last president — stands nearby. Today the site is a state historic park, and this short drive links its landmarks: Independence Hall where the Declaration was signed, the museum that tells the Republic's story, and Barrington, the farm of the man who lowered the Republic's flag for the last time. Keep to the park roads and public grounds, and remember: everything Texas became started here.