The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-04-29
EsTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY.
\. Historic Address Delivered by Hon. Harry
HAYNES at BRENNAN on San Jacinto Day.

AGAINST nis town, and that somet hing n,,,s,
pe uone 10 counterfeit II. go he niutiuteo
,iis morse drew from hi5eaddlebags t,sc
potues OF WHISKY, and. holding one in each
hand ne shouted, Come on boys. follow
me! Ny house is better place to hnId a n
erection than this. besides we will all have
something to drinkn' 4 majority OF Inc
voters followed Hail to his house and
washington was thus elected the county
seat. The county seat remained in WASH
ington from 1896 to 1s44, when II was de
clded to move 1t TO Mount Vernon. near
est INC geographical center OF the county
In 1856 a school had been established in
that pam of the county by Miss IIdia
McHenry, which formed the nucleus Of !,
strong neighborhood. The western part of
the county increased in population very
rapidly, and In 1870 town was laid on,
and named by Judge John Stamps after
Mount Vernon, Va When II hecame lhe
county seat in 1874 log court house was
built and formally dedicated by the pcople
At the suggestion OF Judge r. F. b Baylor.
the place to which the Jury retired to de-
iiberate over their verdict, being a large
live oak tree few hundred feet from the
court house. Several stores we're opene1
hlacksmiths and wheelwrights established
shops, two churches were organized. That
part OF the county, the town and churches
grew maryelously for that day, the Baptist
church having become strong enough
In members in a few years to en-
tertain the fifth annual session of the
Union Baptist association in 1892. at which
there were nearly 100 delegates in attend /,
ahce. Mount Vernon was six miles north :.
west OF BRENNAN, and Tiger Point about
the same distance. Mount Vernon was the
religious center and where all the church
people located, and Tiger Point, the rival
ten miles distant, was the rallylng place
urfa
gamblers and rowdies The contest for
supremacy was vigorous and active. both
| however, went down before the nttul de-
crease OF changing and restless popu-
lace From 1896 to 1914 the population In
the southern and southeastern par3 of the
county had increased at a most rapid rate
BRENNAN had come into existence. and
another change In the county's capital
commenced TO be agltated. Responding 20
this demand on the part of the people. the
congress of the republic, then in session
at Washington, on the 3lst of January,
1874 passed the following net, and as I
am sure 1t will be interesting | quote the
sections J. and in full.
Section l. Be it enacted by the SEN
ate and house of representatives. in con-
/ gress assembled, that the fourth SATURDAY.
/ in February, 1914 be fixed as the day
for holding an election in the county OF
/ Washington for the selection of suitable
! place for the permanent location of the
county seat of said county, and II shall be
the duty of the chief justice of the said
county Immediately after the passage of
! this act to give public notice of said cleo
/ ton in the National Vindicator. and to is
sue orders for holding said elections to
4 the different precincts at least ten days
prior to said election
| Section 8. That all propositions sub
mttted to the chief justice in compliance
with the second section of this act shall
| be in the shape of penal bonds and shall
/ be collectable in law at the suit of the
chief justice or his successor in office for
/ the use of the county in the district court,
and the proceeds applied to the erection OF
county buildings.
section 3. Be it further enacted that
VIM w. Buster, George W. Gentry, +.
Roddey Jas, L. Farquhar, A. NJ. Lewis,
VIM jackson. Jas. Cooper and Joshua
Graham, of whom three may constitute a
quorum to do business, shall and they
are hereby appointed commissioners to
lay out and sell lots If necessary and to
superintend the carrying out of such prop
ositions as may have been made in behalf
OF the selected location and report to the
| chief justice whether or not the bond
| containing propositions in favor of the
said selected place shall have been strict
| ly complied with by the makers and OBJ
ligators of the same"
Section 4 of the act provides that the
new location shall not be more than
twelve miles from Mt Vernon and that
the location selected must receive a ma
/ jority of all the votes cast and the two
places receiving the lowest vote dropped
out in case there is no place receiving the
required majority.
MT. Vernon, Turkey Creek, Independence
and Brennan made bonds as required by
the act and announced as candidates. In
the first election no place received the
required majority. new election was
ordered by the chief justice and Nit. YER
non and Turkey Greek dropped out. The
election was therefore between lndepend-
ence and Brennan. The contest between
these towns was short. sharp and spirited
and resulted in the election of Brennan
by the mastery management OF j. ID. CID
dings, who was district clerk at the time.
Since that time the county seat has re-
manned at Brenham and the town, at that
time a post oak village OF $50 people has
assumed the proportions of modern city
of 5000 inhabitants
After the removal OF the county seat
from Mt. Vernon, the town went rapidly
to decay, and today the people who live
in that part OF the county not only DO
not know the precise locality where the
town stood, but do not know that any
depart for a moment from the plan l had
adopted In preparing this article, that is
to give the outlines Of the history OF the
municipality. jurisdiction county and
town of Washington, and remark that this
grand old county the birthplace and
cradle of Texas liberty, is in a sense vast
town cemetery. Tiger Point, Union Hill
Long Point. Sandtown, Old Gay Kill, MI.
Vernon, Turkey Creek, Mt. Gilead, Rock
Island Jacksonville, Mustang, all by the
inexorable DEGREES of new conditions and
changes wrought in the course of human
events have been blotted from the face
OF this beautiful earth. Only the stately
oak, the purling brook, the grassy meadow
and waving fields are left to point us to
the spot where these busting centers
stood. and even their histories and memo
ries are fast passing on to join them in
the tomb of oblivion. They all have his
tories OF SURPRISING interest, and 10 re-
cite Il some day with me is consuming
desire. Jacksonville was located three
miles northeast Of Chappell Hill, and was
In 1885 the largest town in the county, !
Washington excepted Mustang, town
less remembered than any that ever ex-
listed in the county, is one OF peculiar in
terest II was situated in a most beauti- |
ful skirt of woodland, three miles east
Of Brenham on Woodlands creek. the
ha