Independence, Texas
| Independence | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
 Independence
Independence
|
|
| Coordinates: 30°19′10″N 96°20′48″W / 30.31944°N 96.34667°W |
Independence is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Texas, United States. Located twelve miles northeast of Brenham, it was founded in 1835 in Austin's colony of Anglo-Americans. It became a Baptist religious and educational center of the Republic of Texas. In 1845 it became the first site of Baylor University and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
The wealthiest community in Texas in 1845, Independence declined later in the century after refusing to give a right-of-way to the Santa Fe Railroad. It was bypassed by the increasingly important railroads and started a long decline after the university moved away. It retains significant historic structures and sites of the nineteenth century. Its residents included many prominent people of early Texas history, including Sam Houston while he was a U.S. Senator. The Houston family were well-known members of the Independence Baptist Church.
Independence was once a significant center for religion and education in the Republic of Texas.
The year of the town's founding (1835), Frances J. S. Trask of Gloucester, Massachusetts, started a boarding school for girls. In 1839 the Independence Baptist Church was organized, the fourth Missionary Baptist Church in Texas. It continues as an active congregation, the second-oldest one affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
In 1845, Independence won the bid for a Texas university. The regional Union Baptist Association, which had originated the university proposal, built the institution, chartered by the Republic of Texas Congress. It was named after one of its founders, R.E.B. Baylor, a former U.S. Congressman. Baylor University opened its doors in 1846, the first year of Texas statehood, with a total of 24 students, both male and female. (Later the women were separated into an independent institution, known as Baylor Women's College.) In 1852 the town was incorporated, with T.T. Clay as its first mayor. Soon it had a hotel, a Masonic Lodge, stagecoach depot, and a small commercial center. The residents built fine homes, several of which have been preserved.
...
Wikipedia