DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. The town of Independence, Washington County — and right away you've got a legend worth examining. Local lore says it was Dr.
Asa Hoxey who, caught up in the fever of the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836, moved to rename Coles Settlement in that spirit. A fine story. But the actual county records have something to say about that.
Those records show the town of Independence already had an origin in 1835 — before the declaration, before the celebration, before Dr. Hoxey raised his glass. The proprietors on record: C.
Baker, J. G. W.
Pierson, A. F. Burchard, and R.
Stevenson. History has a way of complicating a good legend. Now, this place grew.
By 1839 the Independence Baptist Church was established — still standing strong today, by the way — with Pastor T. W. Cox at its head.
Sam Houston, who called Independence home, was baptized right there in Little Rocky Creek in 1854. Let that image sit with you a moment. By 1845, Independence was the wealthiest town in Texas.
The wealthiest. And it put that position to use, winning the bid for Baylor University, newly chartered by the Republic of Texas. J.
B. Root became the first U.S. Postmaster there in 1846.
Come the 1850s, the town had it all — a hotel, a jail, a stagecoach depot, a Masonic lodge, a cemetery, a commercial district. The kind of place that felt permanent. And then came the railroad.
The Santa Fe Railroad wanted a right-of-way through Independence. The city leaders said no. The Baylor administrators said no.
Now, you might pause there and wonder about that decision, because by the 1880s, trade had drifted to competing towns and Independence had begun to decline. In 1886, Baylor University moved its schools — to Waco and to Belton. The institution that had once been a crown jewel, gone.
By the 1990s, the population stood at 140. What remains is that Baptist church, still strong after all these years, and the historical sites scattered across the area — quiet witnesses to the days when this little spot in Washington County was the richest place in all of Texas.
What the marker says
Local legend tells of Dr. Asa Hoxey who, celebrating the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836, moved to change the name of Coles Settlement to Independence. Actual county records show an 1835 origin for the town of Independence, with C. Baker, J. G. W. Pierson, A. F. Burchard, and R. Stevenson, proprietors. The still-strong Independence Baptist Church was established in 1839 with Pastor T. W. Cox. Local resident Sam Houston was baptized in Little Rocky Creek in 1854. The wealthiest town in Texas by 1845, Independence won the bid for Baylor University, newly chartered by the Republic of Texas. J. B. Root became its first U. S. Postmaster in 1846. By the 1850s Independence had a hotel, jail, stagecoach depot, Masonic lodge, cemetery, and small commercial district. Both the city leaders and Baylor administrators refused to grant right-of-way to the Santa Fe Railroad. By the 1880s, trade was going to competing towns and Independence began to decline. Baylor University moved its schools to Waco and Belton in 1886. By the 1990s, Independence was a rural community with a population of 140. Remaining attractions include the Baptist church and numerous historical sites in the area. (1997)