Join correspondent Tom Wilmer reporting from Washington County, Texas—the birthplace of the Republic of Texas way back in 1836.
After the outbreak of the Texas Revolution, General Sam Houston made his headquarters at the town of Washington in December 1835.[3]
Today, Washington-on-the-Brazos is fondly known as "the birthplace of Texas" because, on March 1, 1836, Texas delegates met here to formally announce Texas' intention to separate from Mexico. The delegates adopted the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836.
Following the defeat of the Mexican Army at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, town leaders lobbied for Washington's designation as the permanent capital of the Republic of Texas, but leaders of the Republic favored Waterloo, later renamed Austin.

Washington County was established in 1836 but eventually the county seat moved to Brenham in 1844, the town of Washington continued to thrive as a center for the cotton trade until the mid-1850s, but the construction of railroads bypassed the town and by the turn of the 20th century, the historic town of Washington was virtually abandoned.

Today the historic townsite is home to the Washington-on-the-Brazos Historical Site, with three main attractions: The Star of the Republic Museum, a replica of Independence Hall (where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed), and Barrington Plantation (home of last Texas Republic President Anson Jones).

Come along and join Jonathan Failor, Site Manager at Washington-on-the-Brazos Star of the Republic Museum, Texas Historical Commission.

Afterwards will head over to the village of Burton, Texas for a visit with Steph Jarvis the Museum Director at the historic Burton Farmers’ Gin—the last operational cotton gin in America.

Back in the 1920s more than 4,000 cotton gins operated across Texas. Today, the gin in Burton stands as the lone remaining, fully operational example of the once ubiquitous cotton gin. Gins served as the hub of community life in cotton towns across Texas with the state leading the nation as the number one cotton-producing state.
Jarvis says that the Burton Gin is the finest example of an early, automated gin still in its original historic setting.

Built in 1914, the gin upgraded from steam power to a 125-HP Bessemer engine in 1926 and continued producing an average of 60 bales of cotton per day, or one bale every 12 minutes in its hayday. Sadly overseas competition forced the gin to cease operations in 1974.
Jarvis noted that the gin and its artifacts are largely in their last-used condition and comprise one of only a few such intact rural industrial sites in the country. The bonus today is that the gin is periodically still fired up on special occasions to produce cotton, employing the old Bessimer engine.

We’ll then we’ll head over to the historic town of Brenham—the home of Blue Bell Ice Cream—for a visit with David Thomas the Director at the Brenham Heritage Museum.



Exhibits and collections reflect a focus on the history and culture of Washington County. Originally serving as the United States Post Office, the elegant building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was eventually repurposed as the Brenham Heritage Museum, with some of historic post-office architectural motifs left intact.
The music at the tail-end of this show was performed by Texas Hill Country, Marble Falls musician, songwriter, John Arthur Martinez

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