BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center H.C.R. 201
80R15330 SKA-D By: Kolkhorst (Hegar)
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
The rich and colorful history of early Texas is a story that has seized the imagination of people around the world, and at the very heart of this tale lies the city of San Felipe in Austin County.
In 1824, San Felipe de Austin was founded by Stephen F. Austin as the unofficial capital of his colony, and the town rapidly became a vital business and communications center, second only to San Antonio in importance at the time of the Texas Revolution. The hub of the region's early postal service, San Felipe was also the home of the Texas Gazette, one of the state's earliest newspapers, serving as a touchstone of civilization and culture in a wild and untamed land.
San Felipe also played a central role in the Texas Revolution as the site of the conventions of 1832 and 1833 and the Consultation of 1835, which sowed the seeds for the Texas Revolution. Like many Texas communities, San Felipe suffered the devastation and privation of war during the Revolution, but in the years after the Civil War the town was imbued with new vigor by new settlers, including large populations of Czech and Mexican immigrants.
Though very much a modern community, San Felipe is also uniquely resonant with the echoes of the Lone Star State's storied past, and its singular historical stature is deserving of special recognition.
RESOLVED
That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby designate San Felipe the Colonial Capital of Texas.