New Washington was a small planned port settlement at the junction of Buffalo Bayou and San Jacinto Bay, founded in 1835 when Colonel James Morgan purchased 1,600 acres and began developing the townsite for the New Washington Association. In its brief prewar existence the settlement functioned as a modest commercial and agricultural outpost, anchored by Morgan's warehouse and trading operations, with nearby orange groves and cattle ranching supporting the small community of settlers, including Scottish Highland immigrants Morgan had recruited. Its waterfront position gave it practical use as a shipping and supply point serving the surrounding colony, though it remained far smaller than the emerging town of Houston. The settlement's role in the Texas Revolution came in April 1836, when Santa Anna's forces, searching for the fleeing ad interim government of David G. Burnet, nearly captured Burnet at New Washington and then burned the town as they withdrew toward Buffalo Bayou just before the decisive Battle of San Jacinto. Morgan, away serving as a colonel, later helped rebuild the settlement, but it was eventually eclipsed by Houston's growth and the later development of the Houston Ship Channel. The site today is incorporated as the town of Morgan's Point, part of the La Porte area, where Texas historical markers commemorate Colonel Morgan and the New Washington townsite, making the area primarily a residential community with local heritage markers rather than a preserved battlefield.