Inventory of county records, Washington County courthouse, Brenham, Texas Page: 2
xiv, 159, [1] p. : map ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
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In the meantime, the county had experienced a resurgence of historical
importance in 1842 when the capital of Texas was transferred
from Houston to Washington. Three years later, the capital was
permanently installed in Austin.
Washington County continued to serve as a place of
importance in the newly annexed state. Utilizing its strategic
location on the Brazos River near the La Bahia Road, and benefitting
from technological advances, entrepreneurs financed the
construction of the steamboats Brazos and Washington to transport
bulk goods into the area. Beginning their routes in 1849, the
river steamers converted the agrarian region into a major point
for distribution of goods throughout central Texas. This
prosperity is reflected in the population increase in the city
of Washington, which quadrupled in a ten-year period--from
1,000 in 1850 to 4,000 in 1860. During the same time the county's
population grew from some 6,000 to 15,200, partially a result
of a large influx of German immigrants and a prosperity which
allowed large landowners to purchase greater numbers of slaves.
The Civil War years disrupted life in Washington County,
and Reconstruction drastically overturned the established order.
Large plantations were divided into smaller units which were
sold individually to satisfy debts. Positive solutions to
post-war difficulties were hindered by the strained relations
between local citizens and the new federal military government
established in Brenham in 1865. Animosities between citizens
and soldiers became so heated in 1867 that Brenham was partially
burned following a bitter dispute. Military rule ended in 1869,
to the great relief of the citizens.
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Clayton, Cathy. Inventory of county records, Washington County courthouse, Brenham, Texas, book, 1977; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth25171/m1/19/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.