SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 215

	WHEREAS, Many proud citizens of Liberty County are 
visiting the State Capitol on February 24, 2003, to celebrate 
their county's important role in the annals of the Lone Star 
State; and

	WHEREAS, Embracing a section of the Big Thicket to
the north and coastal prairies and marshes to the south,
Liberty County presents a strikingly varied landscape; artifacts 
uncovered near the towns of Liberty and Dayton indicate that 
people have supported themselves in this fertile land for at 
least 3,000 years; and

	WHEREAS, Karankawa Indians, the first occupants of the 
area in historic times, were joined around 1807 by Coushatta 
Indians from Alabama; others moving into the district from
the mid-1700s onward included Spaniards, who by 1757 had
built a military road through the area, French supporters of 
Napoleon Bonaparte, who established a colony there in 1818, and 
Americans, who became increasingly interested in Texas after the 
purchase of the Louisiana Territory; and

	WHEREAS, In 1831 Mexican authorities established the town 
of Liberty as the seat of a new municipality, which embraced most 
of Southeast Texas; with the advent of the Republic of Texas in 
1836, Liberty County became one of 23 new counties created by the 
Texas Congress, and the town of Liberty continued as the seat
of local government; as originally drawn, the boundaries of
Liberty County included present-day Tyler County and parts of 
Hardin, Chambers, San Jacinto, and Polk counties; and

	WHEREAS, Standing at the highest navigable point on the 
Trinity River, the county seat quickly enjoyed prominence as a 
commercial center; among those who practiced law in the young 
town were David G. Burnet, William B. Travis, and Sam Houston, 
the latter of whom maintained a law office in Liberty and handled 
cases there from 1838 to 1855; the hero of San Jacinto also 
acquired some 20,000 acres in the county and established two 
plantation homes on his property; and

	WHEREAS, Other prominent Texans associated with
Liberty County include Governors Ross S. Sterling, who lived 
there for a time, and Marion Price Daniel, Sr., who was born in 
Dayton and made his home in Liberty with his wife, Jean, a direct 
descendant of Sam Houston; and

	WHEREAS, With approximately half of its area constituting 
prime farmland, Liberty County has long counted farming and 
ranching as pillars of its economy; adding to its prosperity are 
an industrial sector that includes lumbering, oil production, 
chemical plants, and varied manufacturing; and

	WHEREAS, Noted attractions in the county include the
Big Thicket National Preserve and, in the town of Liberty,
the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center and the 
Humphreys Cultural Center; the county seat also boasts the 
Trinity Valley Exposition, an annual fair that has been drawing 
enthusiastic participants and visitors for nearly a century; and

	WHEREAS, The citizens of Liberty County, today more than 
70,000 strong, are preserving the best of their past while 
continuing to forge an ever brighter future for themselves and 
their families, and it is indeed a pleasure to honor them at this 
time; now, therefore, be it

	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
78th Legislature, hereby recognize February 24, 2003, as
Liberty County Day 2003 at the State Capitol and extend to
the delegation present on this day sincere best wishes for an 
enjoyable and memorable visit.
                                                                        Williams




________________________________ 
    President of the Senate
 
    I hereby certify that the 
above Resolution was adopted by 
the Senate on February 24, 2003.



________________________________ 
    Secretary of the Senate



________________________________ 
     Member, Texas Senate