By: Kubiak H.R. No. 650 73R9849 SRD-F R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, November 3, 1993, marks the 200th anniversary of the 1-2 birth of Stephen Fuller Austin, known respectfully and 1-3 affectionately by the citizens of this state as "The Father of 1-4 Texas"; and 1-5 WHEREAS, Austin County, created and organized in 1837, and 1-6 named for Stephen F. Austin, together with the town of San Felipe 1-7 and the cities of Bellville, Sealy, and Wallis, have agreed to host 1-8 the 200th birthday celebration for Stephen F. Austin in San Felipe 1-9 on November 6 and 7, 1993; and 1-10 WHEREAS, It is fitting and proper that such celebration be 1-11 held at San Felipe in Austin County because San Felipe de Austin, 1-12 the first Anglo-American settlement in Texas, was the home of 1-13 Stephen F. Austin, the colonial capital of Texas from 1823 to 1836, 1-14 and the scene of the conventions of 1823 and 1833 and the 1-15 consultation of 1835 that led to the Texas Revolution, and also was 1-16 the place to which William Barrett Travis's famous message of 1-17 "Victory or Death" from the Alamo was sent; and 1-18 WHEREAS, The other incorporated cities in Austin County also 1-19 have great historical significance; Bellville, the county seat, was 1-20 named for Thomas B. Bell, one of the Old Three Hundred who came to 1-21 Texas in 1822 and who with his brother, James, donated much of the 1-22 land within the corporate limits as incorporated in January 1929; 1-23 and 1-24 WHEREAS, Sealy was named for George Sealy, a banker and 2-1 president of the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad, which was 2-2 laid out on land the railroad purchased from the Corporation of San 2-3 Felipe in 1878; and 2-4 WHEREAS, Wallis, the southernmost town in Austin County on 2-5 Texas Highway 36, was originally founded by William Guyler, who 2-6 moved to the area in 1853, but was designated on January 23, 1880, 2-7 by George Sealy as Wallis in honor of J. E. Wallis, who was a 2-8 director of the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad; and 2-9 WHEREAS, Organizations throughout Austin County are working 2-10 together with the county and municipal governments in the 2-11 preparation for and promotion of the two-day celebration on 2-12 November 6 and 7, 1993, to pay honor to the Father of Texas and to 2-13 include all of Austin's original colony; now, therefore, be it 2-14 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas 2-15 Legislature salute and commend the Commissioners Court of Austin 2-16 County and the municipal governments of San Felipe, Bellville, 2-17 Sealy, and Wallis for their cooperative efforts in hosting the 2-18 200th birthday celebration for Stephen F. Austin, The Father of 2-19 Texas.