Part of the newly recreated Washington-on-the-Brazos, Rucker's Drug Store is one of the few buildings documented in a photograph Credit: Gerald McLeod

Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site has some new residents. 

For years a re-created Independence Hall was the only building signifying where the village once stood between Brenham and Navasota. Visitors had to imagine from signage and old foundations what the town might have looked like in 1836 when it was the site of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence.

The Texas Historical Commission recently reopened the park with five buildings (a sixth is planned for 2026) modeled after original structures. The $54 million renovation included a complete overhaul of the Star of the Republic Museum and a facelift for the visitor center. 

To help visitors more easily visualize what the settlement looked like during its heyday, the state has re-created a cabin like the first homes, Sam Houston’s presidential office, and the two-story Rucker’s Drug Store.

In the brief time that Washington was the capital of the Republic of Texas, President Sam Houston’s office might have looked like this building Credit: Gerald McLeod

Other new buildings from the old village include Hatfield’s Exchange, a saloon and billiard hall where the House of Representatives and Supreme Court of the Republic met. Next door is the open-air blacksmith shop once run by an enslaved man. The rebuilt village is a short walk through nearly 200 years of history. 

Washington – the name was lengthened after the Civil War – began in 1833. Three years later delegates signed the Declaration of Independence, wrote the Constitution for the Republic of Texas, and established an interim government before they evacuated town ahead of the Mexican Army. 

When the railroad bypassed Washington, most of the residents and buildings were moved to nearby towns. The last original structures burned in 1912. All that was left to remind folks of what happened there was an obelisk placed where Independence Hall once stood.

The state began buying the deserted site in 1916, eventually acquiring 293 acres for one of the first state historical parks. The site includes the Barrington Living History Farm that features farming demonstrations.

Among the first homes built in Washington in 1835 were rough, one-room cabins Credit: Gerald McLeod

1,781st in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/day-trips.

This article appears in November 21 • 2025.

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Gerald E. McLeod joined the Chronicle staff in November 1980 as a graphic designer. In April 1991 he began writing the “Day Trips” column. Besides the weekly travel column, he contributed “101 Swimming Holes,” “Guide to Central Texas Barbecue,” and “Guide to the Texas Hill Country.” His first 200 columns have been published in Day Trips Vol. I and Day Trips Vol. II.