The Independent Republic of Texas was born here, where fifty-nine delegates met during the Convention of 1836 in frigid March weather at the corner of Main and Ferry Streets in downtown Washington. In an unfinished storefront known as Texas Independence Hall, they passed and signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, wrote the new nation's Constitution, and named Sam Houston commander of the Texas military. The meeting place was uncomfortable, with freezing temperatures and unfinished windows that could not block the wind, and many delegates had already endured days of hard travel before arriving.

Photo: James Hulse

Photo: James Hulse