Best Things To Do In Independence, TX.

Are you looking for things to do in Independence, TX?

A visit to Independence is a visit to Texas history.

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Independence is one of the cities in Washington County, the birthplace of Texas. It was founded in 1835.

The city is located strategically between Austin and Houston. It is around 98.5 miles east of Austin, or about a 1h45m drive. Houston is about 84 miles or a 1h20m drive to the northwest.

The closest city to Independence is Brenham, the Blue Bell Ice Cream town, around 11.7 miles (15 minutes drive) to the north.

My family and I made a day trip to Independence, Texas, from Lake Somerville, about 17.9 miles (25 minutes drive) to the west.

We came from Dallas for a weekend getaway around Lake Somerville. Driving straight from Dallas to Independence would take us around 3 hours on a 201 miles distance.

Now I will share my finding on things to do in Independence, TX, with you.

Things to Do in Independence TX

1. A town loop walking tour.

This walking tour will take you to some of the historic sites in town. You can start from Antique Rose Emporium on FM 50 or the Visitor Center on TS Saul Rd. The walk is about five blocks.

2. A cemetery walking tour.

There are two historical cemeteries in the area. Several early settlers and slaves are buried here, including John P. Coles (1793-1847), leader of Anglo colonists to the La Bahia Road area and founder of Cole’s Settlement (now Independence.) Their locations are not far from each other. You can walk or drive to the cemeteries from Old Baylor Park.

We didn’t get to do this tour. I wonder whether these historic cemeteries look like the old cemetery in Nacogdoches.

3. Self-guided driving tour.

The tour includes a town loop walking tour that you can do by driving and a cemetery walking tour. This self-guided driving tour will take you to more historical sites far from downtown Independence. 

4. Lighted church driving tour. 

It is an evening tour of six architecturally-lit historic churches in the Independence neighborhood. You will go to Independence Baptist Church and Liberty Baptist Church on FM 50, St. John’s Lutheran Church on Prairie Hill Rd., Immanuel Lutheran Church on Wiederville Church Rd., St. Matthew Lutheran Church on FM 2621, and Bethlehem Lutheran Church on FM 1935.

Things to See at Self-Guided Driving Tour in Independence

On the day we visited Independence, we first stopped at Lake Somerville State Park – Nails Creek Unit.

Then, a wrong turn took us to the town of Burton, home of the Texas Cotton Gin Museum. Who would have thought we could spend a long time learning about cotton?

After a delicious hamburger lunch in Burton, we drove to Independence through FM 390/La Bahia Trail W. It took around 19.6 miles (25min drive) to the first things to do in Independence, TX.

1. Old Baylor Park

On February 1, 1845, the Republic of Texas chartered Baylor University. Independence, a Baptist center and one of the wealthiest communities in the Republic elected as the university site. The university opened in 1846 and stayed at this location for 40 years until they moved it to Belton and Waco. 

President Lyndon B. Johnson’s great-grandfather was one of the university Presidents.

There are four columns at Old Baylor Park. They are the ruins of the Baylor Female College, a three-story classroom and chapel structure built in 1854-1857. Men attended the university in a different location.

In 1952 they restored the columns and did it again in 2013.

There is a small parking lot by the columns. If it’s not available, you can park by the roadside.  

Address: Old Baylor College Rd.

2. Early Texas Homes

A walk to the east will take you to John P. Coles Cabin and the Independence Log House. 

John Coles built the cabin in 1825, and William Wilson built the log house in 1839.

Before you get to these early Texas Homes, you will see ruins on the left side, next to the restrooms. These are ruins of the family-operated dormitory built by Dr. Horace G. Clark and his wife Martha Davis Clark.

3. Common Schools

Across the early Texas Homes is a one-room, one-teacher rural schoolhouse. In the spring, it is open to the public for special events, and by appointment. It reminded me of Gillespie County Country Schools in Fredericksburg.

4. The Groves of Independence

Further down from Common School, there’s a cool-looking live oak tree. It marks the residential site of Rev. Henry Lee Graves, Baylor’s first president (1846-1851.) The house was built in the late 1830s. Now it’s a private residential and fenced. When we were there, wild grass was high, so I didn’t bother to take a picture of the tree from the roadside.

5. Sam Houston Homesite

Across the groves is Sam Houston Homesite. It is also on private property. Sam Houston bought the house in 1853. What’s left now is the springhouse.

When you come from the west on FM 390 / La Bahia Trail E, GPS will take you to make a left on Old Baylor College Rd. Follow the road, and you will see an old, abandoned gas station on the left side. Don’t forget to take pictures.

6. Independence Baptist Church

It’s time to visit Texas’ oldest continuously active Baptist Church at the corner of FM 390/La Bahia Trail E and FM 50. Drive east towards downtown Independence.

The present sanctuary was built in 1872, and they added the Bell Tower in 1934 to commemorate Sam Houston’s baptism in 1854. Sam Houston carved his and his wife’s initials in their family pew. 

This church is part of the Lighted Church Driving Tour.

In 1966, the Baptist General Convention of Texas added the Texas Baptist Museum to the facility.

7. Texas Baptist Historical Museum

I think it’s a must-visit for Baptists. You will learn about the history of Baptists in America.

For non-Baptists, you will learn more about Sam Houston and his family. I wonder if his descendants are around today.

You can enter the sanctuary from the museum.

8. Houston-Lea Family Cemetery

After her husband died in July 1863, Mrs. Sam Houston moved back to Independence with seven of their eight children. (The oldest son was serving in Confederate Army.)

She sent her oldest children to Baylor, oversaw the marriages of her two oldest daughters, and persuaded Baylor President William Carey Crane to write a biography of Sam Houston.

Mrs. Sam Houston died on December 3, 1867, from yellow fever. She was buried in Independence next to her mother’s vault.

The Houston-Lea Family Center location is across from the Independence Baptist Church.

9. Liberty Baptist Church 

Drive 0.2 miles north to Liberty Baptist Church.

The church was organized in 1866 when over one hundred African-American members separated from Independence Baptist Church. They named the church Liberty in honor of their new freedom.

In 1900, they built the sanctuary after they held services in several buildings.

Then go back downtown to explore more of the state’s historic sites in Independence.

10. Town Square

Surrounded by cotton-producing plantations, Independence was the wealthiest community in Texas and a Baptist stronghold when selected as the site of Baylor University in 1845.

The Square was the site of debates and celebrations of Texas Independence and the Civil War.

But what is left now is a house (I’m not sure what it was, and it’s not an old house) on an empty lot. 

11. Blanton Block

Continue on FM 390 / La Bahia Trail, and you will see Blanton Block on the left side of the road.

The Block was built in the 1850s. Ben Blanton bought and refurbished the Block in 1859. There were four buildings that included a hotel, a boarding house for the university’s male students, a depot, and a general store.

The stone buildings you will see were reconstructed in the early 1980s.

12. Seward Plantation

Keep going on FM 390. You will get to Seward Plantation on the left side of the road. 

Unfortunately, it is now private property, so visitors can’t tour the plantation.

The Seward Plantation is one of the best preserved pre-Civil War plantations in Texas. It was built in the mid-1850s and served as the center of a 2,000-acre plantation before and after the Civil War.

13. General Store

Back to the Square area, turn left onto Lueckemeyer Rd. 

You won’t miss the General Store on the left with two gas pumps at the front. Stop for drinks, Blue Bell ice cream, or snacks.

Walter C. Lueckemeyer built the General Store in 1939 using stone from the Baylor Male Campus.

14. Lueckemeyer Cotton Gin

Lueckemeyer Cotton Gin was constructed in the late 1920s using stones from the Baylor campus site. It was operated until the mid-1970s and was demolished in the early 1980s, leaving a couple of constructions behind.

Their locations are across the General Store.

15. Village View

Keep going on Lueckemeyer Rd. and turn right to TS Saul Rd.

At the corner of TS Saul Rd. is Village View. It’s a vantage point to see historic Independence and the surrounding countryside. There’s not much to see during our visit. You can skip this.

16. Adobe House

Stay on TS Saul, and you will get to Adobe House serves as the Independence Visitor Center and Baylor’s office in town. 

The construction and the architectural style of the Adobe House reflected pre-1836 influences when Texas was still a Mexican colony. It was assumed this house was the only adobe house that remained in Independence. But during restoration efforts in 2008/2009, it was discovered that the house is made not of adobe but of fieldstone with a stucco finish.

17. Independence/Woodrich Mural

At the corner of the street is Woodrich Mural on the side of Charles Schulte’s General Store. The store was closed in the 1970s.

18. Mrs. Sam Houston House

Turn left to FM 30/La Bahia Trail E. You will see Mrs. Sam Houston’s House on the left side. It’s hard to miss because it’s big.

Mrs. Houston returned to Independence after the passed of her husband, Sam Houston. She lived in this two-story Greek Revival house until she died of yellow fever during the 1867 epidemic.

This house was built in the mid-1850s and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

19. Robertson House

Turn left after Mrs. Sam Houston’s house to Hood Hotel Rd. This road will turn to Lueckemeyer Rd.

At the curve, on the right side, you will see Robertson House. 

Originally built as a two-story structure in 1846, the Robertson House was rebuilt in the mid-1860s and was extensively restored in 2004.

Jerome B. Robertson was a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army. Together with his son, Felix, are frequently cited as one of two pairs of father-son generals in the Civil War.

20. Baylor On Windmill Hill

On the left side, you will see Baylor On Windmill Hill. 

This area served as the Baylor Male Campus from 1851-1886. In 1972, Charles Klatte purchased the space and reverted it to farm use.

There’s no structure to speak of, but there are several plaques along a winding trail and several picnic tables. 

After this, drive toward FM 50 and make a left. Stay on this road until you see the last place during this self-guided driving tour.

21. Antique Rose Emporium

It’s an 8-acre display garden center known for its antique garden roses. Visitors can buy roses, gardening tools, and more at the gift shop.

They offer places to host your event here. Their chapel can seat up to 150 people. There is a gazebo, a covered pavilion, and the historic Champney’s Green Victorian residence. 

It is also a favorite place for photo sessions. Students in their prom dresses and outfits took pictures when we were there.        

We arrived in Independence slightly after 2 p.m. and could only do the Self-Guided Driving tour. If you can get to Independence earlier than us, you can do all the things to do in Independence TX.

Attractions Near Independence Texas

Brenham is the closest town to Independence. It’s only 15 minutes away to the south. In fact, visiting Independence is one of the free things to do in Brenham TX.

Another place that you must visit when in the area is Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site. It is only a 20-minute drive to the east. 

Washington-on-the-Brazos is the Philadelphia of Texas. It is the birthplace of the Republic of Texas.

The State Historic Site location is on the Brazos River. You will see The Star of the Republic Museum, a replica of the Independence Hall, and Barrington Plantation during your visit.

Barrington Plantation is a living history farm. Here, you will explore the original home of Dr. Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas.

You can also check out several wineries around Brenham, like Windy Winery, Pleasant Hill Winery, and Chapelton Vineyards.

Chappel Hill is about a 25-minute drive to the southeast. It is home to Chappel Hill Lavender Farm.

Of course, you must stroll downtown Brenham.