Washington on the Brazos

Kent-

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YOS

TNAI

Surveying Washington
Jul 16, 2010 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Town site of Washington.
In republic era Texas, surveyors were in high demand and many a young Texian spent time working on a surveying crew. With the conclusion of the Texian War for Independence there were numerous grants that needed locating and many of these were to be found in the harsh wilds of the Texas frontier. While attacks by wild animals and hostile Indians was certainly a concern for the early surveyors, the lack of proper equipment and supplies was just as big of an issue and was often times more of a hurdle to overcome than the former. Texian surveyors hacked out a living in these rough conditions and hacked out grants for farmers and settlers who followed.

Gear up for a trip back to a time without GPS or techno gadgets and grab an ax, a handful of stakes and a Vara chain and wade into the world of the early Texian surveyor! On Saturday, July 16th, visitors get an up close and personal look at the clothing and equipment of the period and get a chance to not only see them in use, back actually get a chance to try their hand at using some of the same tools used by surveyors in the republic! Demonstrations of these period skills offer the visitor a taste of what daily life was like for these early surveying crews hacking the republic out of the wilds of Texas. What possessed these young men to take up surveying, what was life like for them while they were in the field and what lasting legacy did these men leave for future generations of Texans?

Surveying Washington is a special one hour program taking place at the town site of Washington and is scheduled twice daily at 11AM and 3PM. Tickets are available for purchase at the park Visitors Center. Admission fees are adults--$5.00; students--$3.00; with children 6 and under admitted free. Washington on the Brazos State Historic Site is located off State Highway 105, eight miles west of Navasota, on FM 1155.

For additional details contact Scott McMahon at 936 878-2214 ext. 224.