New Washington

Located at the junction of Buffalo Bayou and San Jacinto Bay, New Washington was settled by Col. James Morgan (1786-1866), who bought 1600 acres in the area in 1835. A native of Philadelphia, Morgan came to Texas in 1830 and served at various times and places as a merchant, civic leader, and land agent. While he was away from home serving as a colonel during the Texas Revolution, Mexican troops burned New Washington. After the war, Morgan and others rebuilt the town, and it began to flourish. Morgan realized, however, that it could never compete with the growth of nearby Houston, and during the 1850s he promoted plans for a channel along Buffalo Bayou to increase the region's trade potential. That dream was completed in 1876 with the dredging of the Houston Ship Channel by steamship tycoon Charles Morgan. As Houston continued to grow, New Washington came to be recognized only as a major bend for ship traffic along the bayou. Now known as Morgan's Point, the townsite was incorporated in 1949 and remains a reminder of the early commercial history of Harris County.

Morgan's Point, Texas · United States