• West Columbia,  

  Brazoria County

Columbia (First Capital of Texas)

• In 1836 and 1837, the town of Columbia (now West Columbia) served as the capital of the Republic of Texas. Josiah Hughes Bell, a colonist with Stephen F. Austin’s Old Three Hundred, surveyed and platted Columbia in 1824 to serve as a center for shipping activities. In the mid-1830s, Columbia played an important part in the Texas War for Independence, as residents adopted resolutions for sovereignty.

• Address

  122 W. Brazos

• Directions

  -

• Marker #

  14749

• Dedicated:

  2008

• Size, Type:

  27" x 42

• Code:

  -

• Latitude

  Although Congress began to meet in Houston, the executive branch remained here, conducting official duties until April 1837, when President Houston moved his executive office to his namesake city. Although Columbia no longer served as capital, the legislation passed here in 1836 continued to play a vital role throughout the years of the Republic. Today, Columbia is revered as a historic community and first capital of the Republic of Texas.

• Longitude

  (2008)"