Waco, County Seat of McLennan County
Waco, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Within sight of this spot March 1, 1849, occurred the first sale of town lots at Waco Village, former home of Waco Indians. Shapley P. Ross, first settler, started Brazos Ferry in 1850. McLennan County was created same year, named for Neil McLennan, pioneer Scot whose cabin on the South Bosque River became first Anglo-American home in the area (1845). Waco, county seat, grew steadily as a center of trade, education, and industry for rich farm and ranch area. Completion of first Brazos River Bridge, 1870, and coming of first railroad, 1872, set city on the road to industrial expansion. At the turn of the century, Waco was one of Texas' major inland cotton exporters. Three Texas Governors have resided in the city: Richard Coke (1874-1876), Sul Ross (1887-1891), and Pat M. Neff (1921-1925). Baylor University moved to Waco, 1886, and Texas Christian University was located here 1896-1910. Military training (1917-1918 and 1941-1966) made Waco famous in faraway places. Camp McArthur and aviation schools at Rich Field, Blackland, Waco Army Air Field, and Connally Air Force Base have been located here. Flood control dams on Brazos Basin (built 1954-1965) assure future water supply of the area and have opened much land for development in metropolitan Waco.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Waco began where a Native village once stood, the former home of the Waco Indians, when the first town lots sold in 1849 and Shapley Ross opened a ferry across the Brazos the next year. Ferry, then bridge in 1870, then railroad in 1872 turned the settlement into a cotton-trading powerhouse and, by 1900, one of Texas's great inland cotton ports. Baylor University arrived in 1886, three governors called the city home, and 20th-century military camps made Waco known far beyond Texas.
Why it matters
Waco's growth from a river crossing to a rail and cotton hub captures how transportation, agriculture, and education together built the Texas interior.
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Related people
- · Shapley P. Ross
- · Neil McLennan
- · Sul Ross
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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