78S40572 DS-D

By:  Dunnam                                                       H.R. No. 99 



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The city of Westphalia celebrates the 125th 
anniversary of its founding on July 3, 2004; and
	WHEREAS, Westphalia's history begins in the summer of 1879 
when immigrants journeyed north from Frelsburg with the hope of 
finding better land; the first group of young men who initially 
settled in the area were drawn to its rolling plains and fertile 
blackland; by 1884, 13 families had constructed homesteads on 270 
acres, and it was agreed that the new settlement would be named 
after the province in Germany that was their native land; and
	WHEREAS, These pioneers soon labored to cultivate their young 
community as well as their farmlands; the post office and the first 
store opened their doors in 1887, and, by 1892, there were four new 
businesses and a gin; in 1895, the construction of the Church of the 
Visitation provided the devoutly Catholic residents with a place of 
worship whose two spires can still be seen looming on top of a hill; 
a three-room school was built a year later that now stands adorned 
with a historical marker commemorating its long history; and
	WHEREAS, The citizens of Westphalia have placed a higher 
priority on the preservation of their hometown's history over any 
form of expansion or plans for urbanization, maintaining businesses 
that remain similar today to when they first began; successive 
generations of residents have held the same qualities of industry 
and courage as those of their trailblazing predecessors; they have 
all toiled and contributed to the creation of a distinct community 
of Texans whose proud heritage has been untouched by time; now, 
therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the city of 
Westphalia for its long and rich history and extend hearty 
congratulations to its citizens on the 125th anniversary of their 
hometown's founding; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for the residents of Westphalia as an expression of high 
regard by the Texas House of Representatives.