Barrington Living History Farm, Washington on the Brazos, Texas
Barrington Living History Farm is part of the Washington on the Brazos Texas Park System. Everything is In Period just the way Texans lived at the time. The Park employees work on the farm with the same implements and tools that were used at the time. Barb Cain was extremely informative and knew her history. She has an outgoing personality and is fun to share time with.
Barrington Living History Farm Washington-on-the-Brazos
Barrington Living History Farm Washington-on-the-Brazos
The Washington area was the site of the final home of the last president of the Republic of Texas. Anson Jones had arrived in Texas in 1833. Settling in Brazoria, he practiced medicine and his business thrived. Like other prosperous men he was drawn into the political conflicts of his era. Actively serving the Republic of Texas, he was Congressman, Minister to the United States, Senator, and Secretary of State. In 1844, at the height of his political career, Jones was elected president of the Republic.
It was a bittersweet legacy of Jones's short tenure as president for during that time the Republic of Texas ceased to exist. Instead, Texas became the 28th State of the United States. It was left to Jones to declare, The final act in this great drama is now performed. The Republic of Texas is no more. -- Anson Jones, President, Republic of Texas February 19, 1846
With these words Jones ended his public life and political career, retiring with his family to Barrington, the home he had built near the town of Washington. Anson Jones's star rose briefly with the Republic's Lone Star and faded quickly with annexation.
Anson Jones farmed near Washington during and after his presidency. Jones named his farm Barrington after his Massachusetts home, Great Barrington. There he lived with wife Mary, their four children, his sister, sister-in-law, and five slaves. The family home, two slave cabins, a kitchen building, smokehouse, cotton house and barn made up Barrington Farm.
With Jones's daybook as their guide, the interpreters at Barrington Living History Farm conduct themselves much as did the earliest residents of the original farmstead. The Jones home is original; the outbuildings are replicas constructed by Texas Parks and Wildlife using Jones's own journal and drawings.
Step into the lives of Barrington Farm's earliest residents. Experience the sights, smells, and sounds of the 19th century. The scene is complete with heritage breeds of livestock. Interpreters, dressed in period style clothing, help visitors better understand what life was like 150 years ago.
You are encouraged to participate in the work of the farm and become a part of the exhibit. Learn how to drive oxen, help plant and harvest crops, and try your hand at spinning or making soap. Explore the farm and experience the daily lives of those who came before.
Washington on the Brazos and Barrington Living History Farm
Please watch: Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve Trails
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If you like history, animals, or farms, you have to stop by Washington-on-the-Brazos and Barrington Living History Farm.
Blog Post:
*Official Pages*
Washington-on-the-Brazos:
Barrington Living History Farm:
We talked to some historical re-enactors about life on a Republic-era farm and checked-out some of the livestock. Turkeys are hideous, piglets are cute.
Then we headed over to Washington-on-the-Brazos to stroll through one of the biggest moments in Texas history. This is where a few dozen settlers signed a Declaration of Independence from Mexico, and draft a Constitution.
Barrington Living History Farm - Hands & Feet
Rhonda rolled steadily east across the flattening Texas landscape toward Washington-on-the-Brazos as the sun continued its scalding ascent into the clear blue morning sky. Rhonda, KLRU's Kia Rondo, was laden with equipment and bustling with conversation. It was going to be a beautiful summer day.
Washington-on-the-Brazos is considered to be the birthplace of Texas. It was in this East Texas town in 1836 that Texas declared its independence from Mexico. At the site today is the Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site and the Barrington Living History Farm, a representation of the farm founded by Dr. Anson Jones, last President of the Republic of Texas.
I didn't quite know what to expect upon arrival at Barrington. I only knew it was a working farm and that the day's event, called Hands & Feet: A Musical Celebration, included a display of period instruments and music. We pulled Rhonda into the parking lot and walked with our equipment in the late morning heat toward the entrance.
What greeted us there set the tone and pace for the rest of the day. Arriving with us were volunteers and employees of the farm that were dressed in period clothing. They crossed over a bridge leading to the farmhouses and stables and left behind their modern lives and the automobiles that brought them to the site. We were suddenly out of place with our Docubloggers t-shirts and modern cameras. It was the 1850s.
We spent some time filming and getting to know the folks working at the event before guests arrived, and I fell headlong into my world behind the looking glass, experiencing their world of the past. The volunteers and workers go so far beyond dressing up in period costumes -- they are educators, entertainers, and keepers of the flame of history.
At noon, Barb King and Connie Threadgill rang the lunchtime bell for all the folks working at the event. From across the fields they converged on the small kitchen shack for home cooked cornbread, potatoes, pork, and a helping of fresh tomatoes (ignore the paper plates!). As I filmed in the kitchen, the conversation about coyotes, the weather, the crops, and the day to day workings of the farm took me to a time in the distant past where my camera and my show didn't exist. It was at that moment when I saw just how much effort has gone into preserving the life and times of Texas history.
Candlelight Christmas at Washington on the Brazos
Barrington Farm at Washington on the Brazos Saturday 14. 2013. 5 - 8
Candlelight Christmas Washington on the Brazos
Hanging the stockings at the Barrington Farm
Washington on the Brazos: Cradle of the Texas Republic
Historian Richard B. McCaslin discusses his book Washington on the Brazos: Cradle of the Texas Republic.
The saga of the Texas Republic begins on the west side of the Brazos River at Washington when a declaration of independence was approved on March 6, 1836. After approving this declaration of independence and constitution, the delegates fled as Santa Anna's army approached following the downfall of the Alamo.
The government of the Republic of Texas returned to Washington in 1842. After the United States annexed Texas in 1846, Austin became the capital of the Lone Star State because of its more central location.
A thriving river port during the 1850s, Washington remained a flourishing community with many buildings paid for from revenues from steamboat cargoes. The community declined at an accelerated rate when its leaders decided to rely on steamship traffic rather than invest in a rail line. Washington suffered a serious blow when the railroad bypassed it and the Civil War sealed its fate.
The Texas Centennial in 1936 and the efforts of citizens’ organizations beginning in the 1950s transformed this once-successful community into Washington-on-the-Brazos, the state historic site that serves today as the primary focus for preserving the history of the Republic of Texas.
Dr. Richard B. McCaslin is professor of history at the University of North Texas and is author of A Distant Thunder: The Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi and Fighting Stock: John S. Rip Ford of Texas (The Texas Biography Series). His book Tainted Breeze: The Great Hanging at Gainesville, Texas, was the Winner of the Coral Horton Tullis Memorial Prize and the topic of Dr. McCaslin’s dissertation at the University of Texas.
LBJ State Park Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm, Texas Parks and Widlife [Official]
LBJ's Hill Country Legacy
Located at the LBJ State Park near Fredericksburg, the Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm shows life as it was in 1915. Tours available
Washington on the Brazos
Washington on the Brazos State Historic Park...The Home of the Republic of Texas in 1836
Texas History Tour Part 2 | Washington on the Brazos State Park
Bev and Jeff toured the Washington on the Brazos State Park, along with the Star of the Republic Museum and the Barrington Living Farm.
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Texas: Independence Hall @Washington-on-the-Brazos
Washington-on-the-Brazos is an unincorporated area along the Brazos River in Washington County, Texas. Founded when Texas was still a part of Mexico, the settlement was the site of the Convention of 1836 and the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The name Washington-on-the-Brazos was used to distinguish the settlement from Washington-on-the-Potomac—i.e., Washington, D.C.
Founded largely by immigrants from the southern United States, Washington-on-the-Brazos is known as the birthplace of Texas because it was here that, on March 1, 1836, Texas delegates met to formally announce Texas' intention to separate from Mexico and to draft the constitution of the new Republic of Texas. They organized an interim government to serve until a government could be elected and inaugurated.
The delegates declared independence on March 2, 1836. They adopted their constitution on March 16. The delegates worked until March 17, when they had to flee with the residents of Washington, to escape the advancing Mexican Army. The townspeople returned after the Mexican Army was defeated at San Jacinto on April 21. Town leaders lobbied for Washington’s designation as the permanent capital of the Republic of Texas, but leaders of the Republic favored Waterloo, which later was renamed Austin.
Washington County was established by the legislature of the Republic of Texas in 1836 and organized in 1837, when Washington-on-the-Brazos was designated as the county seat. Although the county seat moved to Brenham in 1844, the town continued to thrive as a center for the cotton trade until the mid-1850s, as it was located on the Brazos River to use for shipping out the crop. The construction of railroads bypassed the town and pulled off its business. The strife of the Civil War took another toll on the town, and by the turn of the 20th century it was
the State of Texas purchased 50 acres (20 ha) of the old townsite in 1916 and built a replica of the building where the delegates met. The state acquired more of the site in 1976 and 1996.
Located between Brenham and Navasota off State Highway 105, the site is now known as Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site. It covers 293 acres (119 ha), and features three main attractions: Independence Hall, Barrington Living History Farm, and the Star of the Republic Museum, which is administered by Blinn College. The site's visitor center is free and includes interactive exhibits about the Texas Revolution and the park's attractions, a gift shop, a conference center and an education center.
The Barrington Living History Farm is a living museum homestead that represents the mid-19th-century farm founded by Dr. Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas. Costumed interpreters raise cotton, corn, cattle and hogs using period techniques. The 1844 Anson Jones Home was moved to the site in 1936 as part of the Texas Centennial Celebration. The reconstructed outbuildings include two slave cabins, a kitchen building, a smokehouse, a cotton house and a barn. The farmstead opened in 2000, and is operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
In Houston, Washington Avenue was named after Washington-on-the-Brazos. It was the western route to Washington County. Following the present-day road: Washington Avenue; Hempstead Highway; US 290 (Northwest Freeway), then outside of Harris County, US 290 is called Houston Highway.
Tour Washington on the Brazos
Texas declared independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836, at Washington-on-the-Brazos. The site became a state park in 1916 and has since become a trove of historical information about the days of the Republic of Texas. Take a tour of the park's three main sites and learn more about Texas's break from Mexico to become an independent nation.
Visiting The Living History Farm, Urbandale, IA
Had a great time with Savannah and Grandpa at the Living history Farm. Animals, jumping from the hay loft, visiting historical manson, Old town buildings and homes. Travel in time from 1700's to the 1900 on an Iowa farm.
Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa, tells the amazing story of how Iowans transformed the fertile prairies of the Midwest into the most productive farmland in the world. While at the 500-acre open-air museum, visitors travel at their own pace through historical time periods spanning 300 years. On-site interpreters provide a unique learning environment of seasonal activities and demonstrations.
This time I used Windows Movie maker for editing.
Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site - Texas Parks & Wildlife [Official]
Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site is revered as the site of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836. The park consists of the old town site and several museums. Located near College Station in east Texas, the grounds along the Brazos river provide a beautiful setting for sightseeing.
For more information, visit
Washington On The Brazos Part 1
Washington On The Brazos Part 1 of 2. I filmed this November 2009.
WASHINGTON ON THE BRAZOS State Park, Foraging wild edibles.
A nice day at the park learning about Texas history and wild edibles.
I created this video with the YouTube Video Editor (
Spring Time at Washington on the Brazos
Arrow and Nimbus in the bluebonnets at Washington on the Brazos, Texas in the spring of 1995.
Field Trip to Washington on the Brazos
Mrs. Black's 4th grade class Nov. 14, 2017
Wessels Living History Farm Farm -An old Fashioned Summer
Area musicians gathered to provide music for the good old summertime activities at Wessels living history farm in York, Nebraska
June 15, 2014
David Wessels didn't take his dedication to rural America with him after his death. The vision he left in his will opened the door to an array of opportunities in just a few simple phrases -- a certain amount of land and capital should be set aside to establish the 'Wessels Living History Farm'.
When David Wessels wrote those phrases, he left an opportunity to send a living story to the world, a story about the spirit of American agriculture. The story goes back to Native Americans who first cultivated these fields, through the first European immigrants staking out the prairie ground, through boom and bust cycles and through the incredible technological innovations of the 20th Century. It's a story that will continue as long as the human race consumes food.
The York Community Foundation, which administers David's bequest, formed a committee in 1995 including business people and farmers to carry out Wessels' vision of an the educational project. Five years of research was completed, including studies by consultants with grandiose ideas about what truly defined a living history farm.
Slowly that definition began to form. The site would consider the past, present, and future and attract large audiences. Then it was decided that not only would there be an actual farm located just south of I-80, but it would be shared digitally over the Internet to reach millions more.
This decision was solidified when the York Community Foundation filed a lawsuit to make a legal definition of a living history farm. The plans were approved and the building of both the on site and website began in cooperation with Nebraska Educational Television Network. NET completed the first section of the Web site, Farming in the 1920s. The next section of the Web site, Farming in the 1930s, was executed by The Ganzel Group Communications.
The 145 acre physical site includes a house that David Wessels and his brother lived in for a period of time when they moved to town. It's typical of farm architecture of the early 20th Century. The house was donated to the Living History Farm project by York College and moved to the physical site in 2002. You can see a video of the moving process here. The site also includes a barn donated by Bill Peters of Shelby, Nebraska. The red, timber frame giant reflects barns typical of the 1920's, the era chosen for the Living History Farm to interpret. In the future, an event center may hold offices, meeting places, and displays. The physical site will bring to life the history of agriculture for local visitors. The Web site will spread that message to the world.
In the future, the farm could grow in numerous ways. The site is viewed by the Wessels Corporation as a living project on a journey reflecting the continuing role those involved with agriculture play as they provide nourishment to the world.
The address for the Wessels Living History Farm is:
5520 South Lincoln Ave.
York, NE 68467 (Just south of Interstate 80 and US Highway 81)
The Farm site is open from May 1 through October 31 on Mondays-Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. & Sundays, 1:00 - 4:30 p.m. November through April, the farm is open for special events and by appointment.
Dale Clark
For questions about the physical farm site, including educational programs, tours of the farm, booking the facilities and special programs, please contact:
Dale Clark
Phone: 402-710-0682
Christmas on the Brazos - Texas Parks and Wildlife [Official]
Throughout December, state parks all over Texas are celebrating Christmas in special ways. Many historical parks allow visitors to step back in time and take part in holiday traditions of days gone by. Texas Parks and Wildlife takes us to a Christmas on the Brazos and a candlelight ceremony at Barrington Living History Farm at Washington on the Brazos State Historic Site. Christmas on the Brazos featuring Barrington’s Candlelight Christmas takes places Saturday, December 12 from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. For more information go to TexasStateParks.org/holidays