Colleges like to compare themselves to Harvard, an Ivy League institution. Both Baylor University and Texas A&M have been called “Harvard-on-the-Brazos.” The last part of the name comes from Washington-on-the-Brazos, the place of Texas independence.
See also the nickname for the University of Texas at Austin, “Berkeley-on-the-Brazos.”
Wikipedia: Washington-on-the-Brazos
Washington-on-the-Brazos was a settlement along the Brazos River in Texas, then part of Mexico, which was the site of the Convention of 1836 and the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The name “Washington-on-the-Brazos” was used to distinguish the settlement from “Washington-on-the-Potomac”.
On March 1, 1836, Washington, a small, ramshackle town built next to a ferry landing on the Brazos River became the birthplace of the Republic of Texas. It was here that delegates elected from each municipality in Texas convened in an unfinished building in near-freezing weather to declare Texas’ independence from Mexico, write a new constitution and organize an interim government.
The delegates declared independence on March 2, 1836. A constitution was adopted on March 16. The delegates worked until March 17, when they had to flee, along with the people of Washington, to escape the advancing Mexican Army. The townspeople returned after the Mexican Army was defeated at San Jacinto on April 21. Town leaders lobbied for Washington’s designation as the permanent capital of the Republic of Texas, but leaders of the Republic passed over Washington in favor of Waterloo, which later was renamed Austin.
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From: “Bill Clarke”
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2001 08:26:52 -0500
Local: Sat, Jul 14 2001 8:26 am
Subject: Re: On This Date - July 13, 1971
But what do I know, I just went to the real A&M, Harvard on the Brazos if you will.
BaylorFans.com Message Board
04-30-2002, 07:16 PM
Just read Vision 2012 as we move to become the Harvard on the Brazos.
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From: Elliot Richmond
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 17:55:07 GMT
Local: Wed, Jul 16 2003 12:55 pm
Subject: Re: A grass question
wrote:
>A&M is also an excellent school, and has been rated by Texas Monthly
>magazine as the “best value in higher education in Texas.”
Yeah. That’s why we used to call it “Harvard on the Brazos.”
Dallas Morning News
April 28, 2006
Editor’s note: Baylor fans from across the nation and McLennan County have asked me to make a final plea for South Oak Cliff center Darrell “Slim Shady” Arthur to attend Baylor University, which you may know by its nickname - Harvard on the Brazos.
Houston Chronicle
Do you think Harvard on the Brazos (Baylor) will make a bowl? Lindsay Rutledge says hello.
Posted by: Mason at September 20, 2006 10:47 AM
BEVO Beat
November 20, 2006 01:27 PM
When that rag-tag, buzz-cut group from “Harvard on the Brazos” (Disfunction Junction) arrives in town, the Longhorns will have been up all night.