TEXAS HISTORY LESSON
Across
the Fence
By
Arvord Abernethy
Mary and I went to El Campo over the weekend
to visit her brother, William Hodges, and family.
El Campo is in the rice belt west of
Houston, so many farming and industries there are quite different from
those here. There are several rice elevators there and there is a rice
processing plant near there.
Those rice farmers seem to go into it in a
big way, going by the big equipment and nice homes they have. We were
driving out in a suburb when we saw a lady selling oranges right out of
her orchard. We bought some and they are really delicious.
I had been through El Campo before but that
was 48 years ago and was on our honeymoon, so I wasn't looking at crops
or orchards.
To brush up on my Texas history, we came
back by Washington-on-the-Brazos where some brave Texans signed the
Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1936, and where the
capitol of Texas was for a short time. The original building used for
the signing burned in the late 1800s, but a duplicate building has been
built on the old foundation.
Another building on the park grounds is the
home of Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas. It
originally sat on his plantation on the Brazos River. It is a very
typical plantation home for those early days.
The Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park is a
beautiful and interesting place to visit. A very impressive building
with second floor porches in the shape of a star, houses a museum that
contains several historical documents and early relics.
Those early days were very trying for the
pioneers who were trying to establish a new government in Texas.
Independence had been declared about four days before the fall of the
Alamo, and Santa Anna had headed east scattering settlers like leaves
before a winter storm. Under these conditions, the seat of government
was moved from Washington, but it returned there for a short period of
time during the rule of Pres. Sam Houston.
We drove over a few miles to Independence
where Baylor University was founded in 1845.
Baptist ministers and workers had been
coming to Texas before the days of Independence, and many soon after.
Among them were such men as Rev. William Tyron, James Huckins and Judge
R. E. B. Baylor. At a meeting of the Union Baptist Association in 1841,
Judge Baylor made the recommendation that a Baptist school be
established. The Texas Baptist Education Society was formed with Judge
Baylor as its president. The slow work of getting plans,
charter and means together began in a new republic that had been drained
by a war for independence.
Four towns offered contributions for the new
school, but Independence won with an offer of $7925 in goods and money.
Records show that one list of contributions consisted of the following:
"one section of land; one yoke of oxen; five head of cattle; one
cow and calf; one baby mare; one bale of cotton; twenty days hauling;
cash $200." Independence donated the two story building that had
been used by the Independence Female Academy. After it was repaired,
Baylor opened on May 18, 1846, with 24 pupils.
There is not a lot of evidence left at
Independence. The four large and stately rock columns that were on the
front of the main building stand as silent testimonies of the dreams of
those early educators. Nearby are the rock ruins of a classroom building
with its small rooms.
The old Baylor bell has been mounted in a
stone memorial tower near the Independence Baptist Church. The silver
for the bell was given by Mrs. Sam Houston and her mother, Mrs. Lea,
with the request that they be buried within sound of the bell, and so
they were.
Baylor was moved to Waco [Belton]
in 1886 to be nearer the center of the state and the developing
population.
It was raining when we were there, so we
didn't get to look around very much, but I didn't see any evidence of
the bear pits where the Baylor Bears kept their mascot or of the Baylor
Stadium.
We went to the Independence Baptist Church
but didn't get to go in as it was locked. It was organized in 1839 and
Sam Houston was baptized into it in 1854. When Dr. Burleson baptized
him, Houston said, "Dr. Burleson you have baptized my
pocketbook." and Burleson said, "Thank God, I wish the
pocketbook of every Baptist had been baptized."
I noticed that Jesse Bigbee is the pastor of
the church and I'm nearly sure he is the brother of Grady Bigbee who
used to live here. Jesse pastored churches out west of Brownwood about
30 years ago.
This Oklahoman now knows a lot more about
Texas history.
Shared by Roy
Ables
