Site of the Home of General Sam Houston and Family
Independence, Washington County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Site of the home of General Sam Houston and family; Original house built in 1837 by Thomas Barron; first occupied by the Houstons in 1854; torn down and rebuilt in 1897 by James Dallas.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On this Independence, Texas, lot once stood a house built in 1837 that later became home to Sam Houston and his family, who first occupied it in 1854. Houston — hero of San Jacinto, president of the Republic of Texas, and later U.S. senator and governor — spent time here in the town where his wife Margaret's family had deep roots. The original dwelling was torn down and rebuilt at the end of the 19th century.
Why it matters
Sites tied to Sam Houston connect an ordinary Texas town to one of the towering figures of the Republic and early statehood, anchoring national history in a specific place.
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Related people
- · Sam Houston
- · Thomas Barron
- · James Dallas
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
John Prince Coles
Independence, TX
John Prince Coles, a North Carolinian, joined Stephen F. Austin's "Old Three Hundred" and reached present Washington County on New Year's Day 1822, receiving a Mexican land grant in 1824. He founded Coles Settlement—later renamed Independence—and was appointed alcalde of the Washington municipality in 1828. After serving in the Republic of Texas Army in 1836, he sat as a senator in the First Congress.
Old Baptist Church
Independence, TX
Organized in 1839 during the days of the Republic of Texas, this Baptist congregation at Independence holds a notable place in the state's history. It was here in 1854 that Sam Houston — hero of San Jacinto and former president of the Republic — experienced a religious conversion and was baptized in nearby Rocky Creek. The present church building was raised in 1872.
General Sam Houston
Independence, TX
On November 19, 1854, the hero of San Jacinto and first president of the Republic of Texas was baptized in the waters of Rocky Creek near Independence. The rite was performed by Rufus C. Burleson, a Baptist minister and president of Baylor University, then located in this Washington County town. The State of Texas marked the spot in 1936 during the state's Centennial celebrations.
Independence
Independence, TX
Founded in the 1830s and briefly renamed to celebrate the Texas Declaration of Independence, Independence grew into the wealthiest town in Texas by 1845, when it won the newly chartered Baylor University. Sam Houston was baptized in nearby Little Rocky Creek in 1854, and the town bustled with a hotel, stagecoach depot, and Masonic lodge. When its leaders refused right-of-way to the railroad, trade drifted elsewhere and Baylor departed in 1886, leaving a quiet rural community.