The Texas Politics Project

Between 1842 and 1845 the government of the Texas Republic met again at Washington-on-the-Brazos and in Houston before returning to Austin. In 1850, after Texas joined the United States, the state Legislature appropriated money for a more permanent capitol on the original site of Capitol Square where the capitol is today. The new capitol, built of native limestone and finished in 1853, housed the state Legislature for more than a quarter century.