Independence, Washington County
Outgrowth of efforts of Judge R. E. B. Baylor and others; chartered by Republic of Texas on Feb. 1, 1845; opened 1846--Baylor is the oldest university in Texas operating under original name. Until moving (1886) to Belton and Waco, Baylor was located here for 40 years, under Presidents H. L. Graves, R. C. Burleson, G. W. Baines (whose great grandson, Lyndon Baines Johnson, became 36th U.S. president), and W. C. Crane. These columns mark site of Baylor Female College; men attended Baylor University, on hill to the south, across the "River Jordan". Restored 1952 by ex-students and friends under leadership of Baylor Historical Society.