Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1912-03-17
Old Neutrality-suspicious.

immediately after the close Of this
meeting The first newspaper was
The Taraniula. published in 1879 b.
Rev A Rafl!ngton and IL was fol
lowed by many others.
Eighteen hundred ard forty-two
marked the appearance Of the stern
wheeler " stang. the first steamboat
on the Brayos river. She came and
anchored NJ Washington. Otler boa's
Came and went. The two sidewheel.
ers Bra,os and WASHINGTON were not
In commission in the late 'i0s. Tae
finest boat that ever came NJ the
river was the First Henry. Thous-
ards of bales OF cotton and much pro-
duce were shipped on these boats 10
Nelasro and Quintana, and thence by
canal 90 Galveston
Il is n mistake TO date the dc,av
Of Washington 10 the removal Of the
capital to Austin Even the rcmoy-
al OF the county seat OF Washington
county from Washington TO Byeh-
ham In lSii caused little or no de-
cav The Houston 4 Texas Central
railroad killed the old town. At the
closc oi the los and in the early SOS
Washington reached Tire zenith Of hc-
aory and attained her greatest COM
ucrcIal importance With a popula-
ton OF $40 souls. some say I 900 To-
600 she wa some OF the largest
towns In Texas. Her water facilities
ma L. Ter distributing point TO-
Middle Texas The old town was pros
norir- and building on safe and s,lre
lines. until she made the fatal mis-.
take in 1855 OF refusing to give the
Houston & Texas Central railroad en-
trance 10 the city, The officials then
abandoned the route. which they had
surveyed through the Brazos bottom.
from Hampstead and built the road to
Nayasota. There were only one or
two people In the town who favored
the advent OF tho road. A majority
Of the citizens claimed that II would
interfere seriously with their river
traffic One townsman pleaded with
the citizens to raise the bonus 10
walked the streets entreating the in
habi'antc to acccde TO tho demands If
the railroad officials Finally secln
how utterly futile were his Efforts
h. cursed the town. and in his wrath
, he PRAYED that he might live TO yc-
/ the day WHOM the site Of old Washirc
ron would 30 planted In cotton. Thi.
PRAYER has been very nearly grained,
/ TO- today there is nothing left but a
Few Old buildinfs fast tottering a.
the end, and but one store which sup.
/ plies The wants Of the adjacent farm.
J ers Around the once famous tow.
are farms hut the site Is so thicxis
studded with brick foundations. Old
/ ciSterms an dthe debris of what wis
once a comemrcial center that II l..
/ impossible TO pillow or cultivate n
Nesatche crows in every nook an
corner; nothing remains but u,
shadowy mewories OF haunted past
and a shaft Of gray TeXa. grant,
erected by the school children al
Washington county or April q. I o0n
One inscription on this monument I,
/ Here a nation was born"
Washington is not only one of IN
Oldest American townsi Texas
san Felipe Liberty. Brazoria an,
Columbia being founded q few year.
earlicr-but she enioved more dis.
tinction than any OF them. Wasain f.
ton was the first capital of the Next.
can municipality of that name. first
capital of jurisdiction. first capita
OF the department first county seat
or Washington county. capital of N,
government I'D interim: the plac,
where the Declaration OF lndepcnd
ence was signed the place whore IN,
constitution was adopted three time.
the capital Of the republic of Texas
the last capital, ard the place wher,
the republic died, and in addition W.,
the center Of wealth and refinement
headquarters for religion and educa
ton and second TO no place IN Texa,
IN commercial importance. II She
had built the railroad there is n,
TELLING what her rank would now bc