Independence, Washington County
Under a charter issued in 1845 by the Republic of Texas, Baylor University was established on this site and operated here until its removal to Waco and Belton in 1886. Afterward the site was bought by John Thomas Hairston (1835-1918), a church leader in Independence for over 40 years. Passed to his son, the land was returned in 1933 to Baylor by Dr. Thomas Coke Hairston (1875-1954), a grandson of Albert Gallitan Haynes, an original trustee of Baylor University who served on the board for 25 years. In 1965 the park became part of Texas Baptist Historical Center.