State park keeps early Texas agriculture, history alive

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Abe the ox and park employee Pam Siebeneicher listen to a question posed by a visitor to the unique farm. Abe is one of two oxen used on the farm. -Staff photo by Taylor

July 10, 2003 -- A visit to Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park between Brenham and Navasota takes you back to the early days of Texas, when cotton was still king, and cattle and other livestock were found on most homesteads.

A major part of the park is the re-creation of the Barrington Living History Farm. The facility recreates early "life on an 1850s Brazos Valley cotton farm, through the story of Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas."

The farm site includes the original home of Jones, as well as replicas of log outbuildings he built. Included in these buildings are a barn, cotton crib, outdoor kitchen, smokehouse, chicken coop and two slave cabins. Furnishings are the same as those of that period.

The farm animals are of historic breeds, including cattle, hogs and chickens. "Heirloom crops are grown in the surrounding fields, garden and orchard," according to park literature.

Employees at the state park are dressed in 19th century clothing to perform the daily chores and explain what actually happened on farms, during that time period. Crops grown on the farm are used to feed the animals, and the oxen are used to illustrate the way early Texas farmers plowed their land.

What happened between 1836 and 1846 in Washington, Texas (named for Washington, Ga.) is important to Texans and Texas history.

Siebeneicher illustrates a woodmill, which holds cut wood so it can be split with a hatchet. -Staff photo by Taylor

On March 2, 1836, 59 delegates from around the area gathered to declare Texas' independence from Mexico. Even as they were writing the declaration, other Texans were fighting and dying at the Alamo. It is said the delegates received news of the fall of the Alamo on March 15, as they were working, and some had sons or brothers who were engaged in the bloody battle.

According to history, one witness to the signing of the declaration in Washington said news of the fall of the Alamo "spread like fire in high grass," causing "complete panic." By March 17, the delegates and farmers of Washington fled in fear of Santa Anna and his "advancing troops."

The delegates and family members knew that if Santa Anna should catch up with them, they would be killed, but they were determined to stand their ground and have an independent Texas.

Upon returning to Washington, after Santa Anna was defeated at the battle of San Jacinto, the citizens found little damage to their town, and continued with the farming community and buzzing econom revolving around cotton.

The constitution, written and signed in Washington, served the Republic of Texas for the 10 years before Texas became a state of the Union in 1846. While Washington remained the capitol of the Republic, the little town continued to thrive, and was a primary commercial center for the Brazos River cotton trade, even after the seat of government was moved to Austin in 1845.

During the mid-1850s, the railroad bypassed Washington, and after the Civil War, the population continued to shrink until all that is left is a few buildings (including Independence Hall where the Republic was formed), a few homes, and the State Park, surrounded by farm/ranch land.

During the past decade, Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park has allowed visitors to step back in history, and it's "state-of-the-art" museum, working farm and informative visitor center help people remember what it was like in Texas in the early-mid 1800s.

Today, the Star of the Republic Museum is located on the 300-acre historical site, which was created by the State of Texas and opened on Texas Independence Day, March 2, 1970. Along with the museum, there is a visitor center with interactive exhibits and park headquarters; a conference center; and an education center with classroom space.

The Star of the Republic Museum, a two-story building with the first floor shaped as a star and the second as a pentagon, houses 8,000 square feet of "new exhibits, audio-visual presentations and educational programs." The program reads "... experiences of ordinary Texans and extraordinary events."

It (museum) maintains a research library of over 3,000 volumes, 25 magazine and journal subscriptions, and over 100 microfilms. The inner walls of the museum which border the curving walkway from the first to the second floor contain a mural which depicts the history of Washington-on-the-Brazos for visitors to enjoy as they move from floor to floor.

The entire park enables all to see how things were accomplished in the 19th century, and why we Texans are so proud of our heritage.

(Call (936) 878-2214 or access www.birthplaceoftexas.com for more information.)