First draft of Texas Republic Constitution found

From the Austin-American Statesman:

Lost to history until an archivist at the Texas General Land Office found it two years ago in the agency's collections, it is about to return temporarily to its birthplace 100 miles east of Austin on the bank of the Brazos River, where in March 1836, 59 delegates from Texas gathered to pledge independence from Mexico.

An armored vehicle will stop at the land office this morning, and armed guards will emerge to pick up the draft. The guards will also swing by the State Library and Archives Commission to collect the only handwritten copy of the Texas Declaration of Independence still in existence. In addition, they will get a diary of convention proceedings and Spanish versions of the constitution and declaration at the University of Texas' Center for American History. [Snip]

The constitution, the declaration and other documents were all penned within a few weeks in March 1836, a time of great uncertainty about the Texas revolution's prospects for success. No one signed the draft, but there is no doubt that it was written by Herbert Kimble, secretary of the 1836 convention, said Jerry Drake, director of archives and records for the land office.

It's unclear how the draft, complete with strike-throughs and inserts, came to the land office. Another mystery: No final draft of the constitution is known to exist. One theory is that the final version was lost after it was published in newspapers.

The Draft Constitution of the Republic of Texas with associated documents will be on display from March 2, 2006 to March 16, 2006 at the Star of the Republic Museum at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, off Texas 105 northeast of Brenham from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Further information can be found at the website of the Star of the Republic Museum.