Washington County, Texas
Independence is home to 34 official Texas Historical Commission markers — each one telling a piece of the city’s story. Browse the markers below, then find them on the map and discover more nearby with RoadHistorical.
On this site stood one of the early buildings of Baylor University erected for boys in 1851, and torn down in 1934; The institution was incorporated February 1, 1845 under the laws of the Republic of Texas; named for…
View on map ↗On this site stood the Female Department of Baylor University incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Texas, February 1, 1845; Henry L. Graves, first president, was elected January 12, 1846; Preparatory…
View on map ↗Born in Georgia Jan. 5, 1822; died in Houston, Texas 1863; Attorney General of Texas 1856-7; officer in the Confederate army.
View on map ↗One and one-half miles south General Sam Houston was baptized by Rufus C. Burleson, Baptist minister and president of Baylor University, November 19, 1854 in Rocky Creek. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
View on map ↗Home of Dr. Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor (1791-1873). Here he resided for many years and here he died. Baylor University bears his name
View on map ↗Home built in 1845 by General Jerome B. Robertson (1815-1891). A captain in the army of the Republic of Texas 1836. A captain in the Somervell Expedition 1842. Representative and Senator in the Texas Legislature;…
View on map ↗Home of Dr. Asa Hoxey 1800-1863. Built in 1833 * Headquarters of many famous people during the early days of Texas Erected by the State of Texas 1936
View on map ↗Home of John Hoblett Seward 1822-1892 and Laura Jane Roberts Seward 1838-1920. Built in 1855 of hand-sawed cedar. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
View on map ↗A San Jacinto veteran; born in Germany; died in 1857
View on map ↗Organized in 1839. Here Sam Houston was converted and baptised in Rocky Creek in 1854. The present building was erected in 1872
View on map ↗Site of the home of General Sam Houston and family; Original house built in 1837 by Thomas Barron; first occupied by the Houstons in 1854; torn down and rebuilt in 1897 by James Dallas.
View on map ↗RTHL medallion only
View on map ↗When the widow of Sam Houston died of yellow fever during the epidemic of 1867, the danger of contagion made it impossible to carry her to Huntsville for burial beside her husband. She lies here, with her mother, Mrs.…
View on map ↗Gen. Sam Houston's widow, lived here with their 8 children, 1863-1867. House built in 1830s.
View on map ↗Margaret Moffette Lea wife of Gen Sam Houston; April 11, 1819 - Dec. 3, 1867; and her mother Nancy Moffette Lea; May 1, 1780 - Feb. 7, 1864; women of character, culture and staunch devotion to their families and church,…
View on map ↗Outgrowth of efforts of Judge R. E. B. Baylor and others; chartered by Republic of Texas on Feb. 1, 1845; opened 1846--Baylor is the oldest university in Texas operating under original name. Until moving (1886) to…
View on map ↗Until 1840, mail was carried by private conveyance--neighbors paying expenses of young man to travel by horse to Houston and bring mail for all; 1840 brought two stage routes giving weekly service. Postal service…
View on map ↗Co. I, Fifth Texas Infantry Regt., Army of Northern Virginia, was raised here Aug. 1861, as "The Texas Aides" by Capt. J.B. Robertson. Unit fought in many battles of Civil War--Gaines Mill, Second Manassas, Antietam,…
View on map ↗Born in Massachusetts. Coming to Texas (1850) with wife, Martha Davis Clark, he was principal and second president of Baylor Female College. Mrs. Clark also taught and counseled students. Family operated dormitory on…
View on map ↗A very old graveyard of Anglo-Texas. Started about 1823 on league of Judge J. P. Cole, one of the "Old 300" in the Austin Colony. A daughter, Madora Cole McCrocklin, gave the site. Many statesmen, educators, physicians,…
View on map ↗Given to Independence Baptist Church in 1856 by Mrs. Nancy Moffette Lea, in thanks for conversion of her son-in-law, Sam Houston, first president of the Republic of Texas. Cast in copper and tin, for soft tone, by…
View on map ↗Land here on La Bahia Road was in 1831 grant to brother-in-law and sister of Stephen F. Austin. It was bought by John McNeese (1789-1853), an 1835 settler from South Carolina, whose grave is here. Plot is set aside by…
View on map ↗Renowned educators; family of The Rev. Abner Davis, founder (1827) of Shurtleff College, Alton, Ill. A daughter, Martha (d. 1896), joined the Baylor Female College staff with her husband, Horace Clark, in 1851. Baylor…
View on map ↗Grandson of Moses Austin, whose 1821 contract with Mexico opened Texas to Anglo-Americans. Moses Austin Bryan came to Texas in 1831; worked with his uncle, Stephen F. Austin; fought (1836) in Battle of San Jacinto;…
View on map ↗Under a charter issued in 1845 by the Republic of Texas, Baylor University was established on this site and operated here until its removal to Waco and Belton in 1886. Afterward the site was bought by John Thomas…
View on map ↗A private school operated by the Methodist Church provided education for the children of the Rocky Hill community as early as 1867. A petition from area citizens resulted in the formation of a public school in 1883.…
View on map ↗A native of North Carolina, John Prince Coles brought his family to Texas in 1821 with Stephen F. Austin's "Old Three Hundred" colonists. Arriving in present Washington County on New Year's Day in 1822, Coles received a…
View on map ↗Although private schools were in operation in Independence as early as 1835, tax-supported public schools were not established until the 1870s. In September 1870 the county court ordered that each of the five precincts…
View on map ↗Local legend tells of Dr. Asa Hoxey who, celebrating the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836, moved to change the name of Coles Settlement to Independence. Actual county records show an 1835 origin for the town of…
View on map ↗This church has historic ties to Independence Baptist church. In 1871, following Emancipation, former slaves established their own congregation, naming it in honor of their new freedom. The church, which began with 150…
View on map ↗Tradition holds the first burials here were for enslaved Africans before the close of the Civil War in 1865; the first marked graves date to the late 1860s. When J.C. McCrocklin sold this site to the Colored People's…
View on map ↗In 1845, the Republic of Texas chartered Baylor University at Independence, and it began on the west side of town on Academy Hill. Shortly, work on a second campus began here at Windmill Hill (Allen's Hill). James…
View on map ↗R.E.B. Baylor, for whom Baylor University is named, was a prominent leader in diverse arenas of public service: military, judicial, political, educational, fraternal and religious. A Kentucky native, he served in the…
View on map ↗SCHROEDER HOUSE Built in 1914, the Fritz Paul and Emma Schroeder house is a 1-1/2-story dwelling, an example of 20th century vernacular architecture. The building was designed and constructed with locally obtained…
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