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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud citizens of Waller County are gathering in |
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Austin to participate in Waller County Day at the State Capitol on |
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February 26, 2007; and |
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WHEREAS, The rolling timberland and coastal prairie of this |
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fertile region were originally home to herds of wild mustangs and |
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cattle, and the nomadic Bidai tribe hunted and fished in the area; |
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the first European settlers came in the early 1820s as part of |
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Stephen F. Austin's original Texas colony, and the first cotton |
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plantation in Texas was founded there; with the arrival of the |
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Houston and Texas Central Railroad in 1858, the town of Hempstead |
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became a major shipping center for cotton and other crops; and |
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WHEREAS, After the Civil War, the county's majority black |
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population became active in politics, and many African American |
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residents were elected to local and state positions; Prairie View |
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State Normal School was established in 1879 to train black |
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teachers; and |
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WHEREAS, With Hempstead as its county seat, Waller County was |
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established in 1873; it was named after Edwin Waller, a signer of |
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the Texas Declaration of Independence and the first mayor of |
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Austin; and |
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WHEREAS, Today the diverse economy of Waller County depends |
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on such crops as rice, soybeans, corn, and hay, as well as |
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watermelons, peaches, and pecans; Prairie View A&M University, the |
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second-oldest public institution of higher education in Texas, has |
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as its mission teaching, service, and research; it offers 39 |
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baccalaureate, 31 master's, and four doctoral degree programs; and |
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WHEREAS, Waller County is also home to the restored Liendo |
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Plantation, one of the first cotton plantations in Texas and the |
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residence of famed sculptor Elisabet Ney, whose statues of Stephen |
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F. Austin and Sam Houston now stand in the State Capitol; every July |
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Hempstead is a favorite destination for visitors coming to |
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celebrate its Annual Watermelon Festival and enjoy the parade, |
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street dancing, and barbecue cook-off; and |
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WHEREAS, The residents of Waller County may take justifiable |
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pride in the fascinating history of their region of the Lone Star |
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State, and it is a pleasure to honor them as they look ahead to a |
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bright and prosperous future; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize February 26, 2007, as Waller County |
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Day at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation best |
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wishes for an enjoyable and informative stay in Austin. |