Artifacts found at the “Birthplace of Texas” have revealed new insights into the abandoned city that was home to 1,000 people in 1835.
Texas A&M University archaeologists discovered more than 10,000 artifacts in Washington along the Brazos River, telling the story of the lives of early Texans shortly after the state gained independence from Mexico in 1836.
Excavations discovered that the base of a brick chimney marks the spot where a tavern once stood, which provided food and a room to travelers, specifically Davey Crockett, who spent two days in the city before his famous trip to the Alamo.
Objects such as nails, knives, glass and pottery were also discovered, along with traces of a log cabin used as Sam Houston’s presidential office and footprints of long-forgotten pets that roamed the streets.
Archaeologists from Texas A&M University discovered more than 10,000 objects in Washington, founded around 1835, that tell the story of the lives of early Texans.
Excavations uncovered the base of a brick chimney marking the spot where a tavern once stood, providing food and a room for travelers.
Jonathan Failor, a former student of the university who serves as site manager, told DailyMail.com: ‘The town site is previously known and has been a protected historic site since 1916.
“The recent archaeological project provides us with new knowledge about the city that we did not know until now.”
Failor and his team discovered coins from the tavern ruins, including an 1831 U.S. dime and a Spanish silver coin from 1820 with the image of King Ferdinand VII, who ruled Spain in the early 19th century.
Before the city was officially formed, it was known as the place where Labahia Road crossed the Brazos River.
“The highway connects Mexico and the United States, and the coins are a clear way to draw a parallel between the two,” Failor told DailyMail.com.
‘You can imagine those coins traveling and finding each other (in the tavern).’
Artifacts found at the ‘birthplace of Texas’ have revealed new insights into the abandoned city that was home to 1,000 people more than 200 years ago.
A pair of knives were found at the scene. The upper part is a folding knife and the lower part is a blade with the handle missing.
Objects such as nails, glass and ceramics were also discovered.
The team found a garbage pit at the site, revealing even more of the city’s secrets. The artifacts included a pig jaw bone and an ironstone plate, providing a look at the food the early settlers ate.
The excavations also uncovered the largely intact brick floor of a structure built in the late 1830s, which will be exposed when renovations recreate the building around it.
Failor explained that the brick floor tells the story of two buildings, the first being an early warehouse that was later transformed into a two-story building in 1854.
“There are layers of history in that place,” he said.
The team also found a trash pit at the site, revealing even more of the city’s secrets.
The artifacts included a pig jaw bone and an ironstone plate, offering a look at the food the early settlers ate.
A horn comb and several knives were also found in the abandoned place.
The ‘Birthplace of Texas’ is undergoing a $51 million renovation to give today’s visitors a more complete view of the city and how it fits into early Texas history.
The team spotted a cat print at the site.
Failor (pictured) explained that the brick floor (pictured) tells the story of two buildings, the first being an old warehouse that was later transformed into a two-story building in 1854.
Pictured is one of the few remaining images of the city, showing a pharmacy.
The ‘Birthplace of Texas’ is undergoing a $51 million renovation to give today’s visitors a more complete look at the city and how it fits into early Texas history. The photo shows a comb with horns found during excavations.
Renovation work is scheduled to be completed in mid-2025 with full-size recreations of Houston’s newly discovered tavern and log cabin office, which was originally a family home built by early settlers.
Washington-on-the-Brazos, officially called Washington, is located in the upper northeast corner of what is now Washington County and was a major political and commercial center in early Texas.
About 300 families settled in the city in 1821, when Texas was still part of Mexico.
Davy Crockett spent two days in the city before making his famous trip to the Alamo.
Over the next decade, more settlers moved to the city and the city was renamed Washington after a place in Georgia.
Texas experienced a growing influx of American settlers shortly after Washington was formed, leading to skirmishes with Mexico.
However, the Texas Revolution that was fought from October 1835 to April 1836 resulted in the state gaining its independence.
Houston signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and led his troops to victory at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.
Around the same time, Washington had established itself as a supply stop for weary travelers who sat in the tavern, visited a nearby drugstore, and purchased goods at various stores lining the dirt roads.
In many ways, Failor said in the press release, the real story is less about what is still there and more about what is not.
He and his team plan to build a representation of the buildings and the discoveries made will help them put together the missing pieces.
Failor told DailyMail.com that the town was abandoned after locals resisted incorporating the railway in the 1850s.
“The residents were highly dependent on the river and wanted to invest their investments in ferries and steamboats,” he said.
“We can speculate that if they had said yes to the railroad, the historic might not exist today.”