| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Proud residents are joining together to celebrate |
|
|
Austin County Day at the State Capitol on March 8, 2023; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Situated between the Post Oak Savannah and the |
|
|
Coastal Prairie regions, the Austin County area became part of |
|
|
Stephen F. Austin's first colony in the early 1820s; the town of San |
|
|
Felipe de Austin was the administrative seat of the colony, and it |
|
|
played an important role in the Texas Revolution, hosting the |
|
|
conventions of 1832 and 1833 and briefly serving as the capital of |
|
|
the provisional government; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Austin County was created by the Constitution of |
|
|
1836 and was formally organized a year later; San Felipe was the |
|
|
county seat until 1848, when the county government was moved to the |
|
|
new community of Bellville; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Blessed with an abundance of water, grassland, and |
|
|
forests, the county attracted settlers engaged in agriculture, and |
|
|
a number of towns grew substantially during the 19th century, |
|
|
including Bellville and Wallis and the railroad towns of Sealy and |
|
|
Kenney; German and Czech immigrants also arrived in Austin County, |
|
|
and their influence is felt throughout the region in the societies |
|
|
that they established and the many communities they founded; the |
|
|
cultural mosaic of the county has been further enriched by |
|
|
immigrants from Mexico, the largest foreign-born group to settle |
|
|
there in the 20th century, and by African Americans, who played a |
|
|
fundamental role in the county's development and in the creation of |
|
|
numerous social and religious institutions; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Among the prominent Texans who have resided in |
|
|
Austin County was Gail Borden Jr., a surveyor and newspaper |
|
|
publisher who later invented a successful process for condensing |
|
|
milk; another early citizen, Robert Justus Kleberg, fought in the |
|
|
Battle of San Jacinto and held several prestigious public offices; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Today, visitors and residents alike can explore the |
|
|
county's rich heritage, preserved at the San Felipe de Austin State |
|
|
Historic Site and in rural communities throughout the area, and |
|
|
they enjoy hunting and fishing opportunities as well as a wealth of |
|
|
special recreational events; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Honoring their history as they embrace the |
|
|
opportunities of the future, the citizens of Austin County may |
|
|
indeed take great pride in their unique contributions to the story |
|
|
of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby recognize March 8, 2023, as Austin County Day at |
|
|
the State Capitol and extend a warm welcome to the visiting |
|
|
delegation. |