Commission Agenda Item No. 5
Presenter:
Trey Vick
Action
Acquisition of Land - Washington County - Approximately 4
Acres at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site
January 26, 2017
I. Executive Summary: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) staff is in negotiations for the purchase of a 4 acre tract adjacent to the entrance of Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site.
II. Discussion: Washington–on-the-Brazos State Historic Site consist of 293 acres along the Brazos River and is the place where 59 delegates met to make a formal declaration of independence from Mexico in March, 1836. The original 50-acre site was acquired by the state in 1916 to preserve the original Washington town site. Today the site consists of 293 acres and includes the reconstructed Independence Hall, the Star of the Republic Museum and the Barrington Living History Farm which demonstrates what life was like in Texas in the 1850s.
It has long been a goal of the TPWD to acquire additional land at the park entrance in order to protect the aesthetics of the arrival experience and potentially upgrade the existing entry portal. TPWD staff is in negotiations for the purchase of a 4 acre tract adjacent to the entrance that would help protect the entrance area and provide the space for those improvements.
III. Recommendation: The staff recommends the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission adopt the following motion:
“The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission authorizes the Executive Director to take all necessary steps to acquire approximately 4 acres in Washington County for addition to Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site.”
Commission Agenda Item No. 5
Exhibit A
Location Map for Washington-on-the-Brazos SHS in Washington County
Commission Agenda Item No. 5
Exhibit B
Vicinity Map for Washington-on-the-Brazos SHS 6Miles South of Navasota
Commission Agenda Item No. 5
Exhibit C
Site Map for Washington-on-the-Brazos and Subject Tract
State Historic Site Outlined in Red
Subject 4-Acre Tract Outlined in Yellow
