H.C.R. No. 6

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Industry, in northwest Austin County, enjoys the distinction of being the oldest permanent German settlement in the State of Texas; and

WHEREAS, The community dates to 1831 and owes its founding to Johann Friedrich Ernst and his family, who emigrated from Oldenburg to New York City in 1829; the Ernst family ran a boarding house in New York for several years before deciding to relocate to Missouri with a friend, Charles Fordtran; in the course of their move, however, they read a prospectus about Stephen F. Austin's colony in Texas and decided to make that their destination instead; and

WHEREAS, On April 16, 1831, Mr. Ernst was granted a league of land on the west bank of the west fork of Mill Creek in Austin's colony, 28 miles northwest of San Felipe; Friedrich Ernst, his wife, and their children thus became the first German family to settle in Texas; and

WHEREAS, Pleased with his new home, Mr. Ernst wrote a long letter in February 1832 to a friend in Germany, extolling its virtues; the letter was subsequently published in various Oldenburg newspapers and inspired a number of other Germans to pack their bags for Texas; and

WHEREAS, Friedrich Ernst gave a generous welcome to those who found their way to his door, thereby earning the nickname "father of German immigrants"; in addition to providing lodging in his home, which served as a hotel and boarding house, he extended financial assistance to fellow newcomers, some of whom settled nearby; in 1837 the young community received a post office, and the following year Mr. Ernst formally laid out a town on his league; and

WHEREAS, The settlement took the name of Industry, possibly because of the residents' reputation for hard work or because of the cigar-making enterprise that Mr. Ernst established there, using tobacco that he grew; and

WHEREAS, Louis C. Ervendberg, who served as a pastor in Industry and the surrounding area, and Dr. Joseph Anton Fischer established the first school in Industry in 1840-1841; in 1842, 37 local residents petitioned the Texas Congress for the creation of an educational institute, Hermann's University, and a charter was granted for the school in 1844, though the project was never realized; and

WHEREAS, From the 1850s to the 1890s, the area around Industry was increasingly populated by Germans, Czechs, and African Americans; the economy centered on farming and cotton production until the mid-19th century, when ranching began to predominate; and

WHEREAS, Today, a historic post office, a memorial park created on land that once belonged to the Ernst family, and an active historical society are among the focal points of community life; the town supports a library and several churches, among them a United Methodist congregation whose building, erected in 1867, is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark; other historical markers are scattered throughout the area, and historical accounts of Industry have been collected in a published volume; and

WHEREAS, Industry enjoys an exceptional heritage and a place of honor in the annals of our state, and it is fitting that its position as the first German settlement in Texas be appropriately honored; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby officially designate Industry as the Oldest German Settlement in the Lone Star State.

Kolkhorst

______________________________ ______________________________

President of the Senate Speaker of the House

I certify that H.C.R. No. 6 was adopted by the House on March 28, 2007, by a non-record vote.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House

I certify that H.C.R. No. 6 was adopted by the Senate on April 26, 2007, by a viva-voce vote.

______________________________ Secretary of the Senate APPROVED: __________________

Date

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Governor