| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Proud residents of Richards are gathering to |
|
|
celebrate the 100th anniversary of their town with a picnic and ice |
|
|
cream social on May 26, 2007; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Situated in the rolling countryside of eastern |
|
|
Grimes County, the region around Richards was originally inhabited |
|
|
by the Bidai tribe; Anglo-American settlers lived in the area from |
|
|
the 1830s, but the town itself was not founded until the arrival of |
|
|
the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railroad in the early 20th century; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Named for Fairfield banker W. E. Richards, organizer |
|
|
of the Valley Route and Townsite Loan Company, the town was founded |
|
|
in 1907 on land from the former Scott plantation, and the town's |
|
|
first house was the plantation's former slave quarters; residents |
|
|
of nearby Fairview and Longstreet moved entire homes and businesses |
|
|
on log rollers to the new site alongside the railroad, and in true |
|
|
Texas fashion, the founding of the town was celebrated with a |
|
|
barbecue; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Richards was a bustling little town with a railroad |
|
|
depot, a cotton gin, a post office, a bank, a drugstore, a hotel, a |
|
|
barbershop, several general stores, and a weekly newspaper, the |
|
|
Richards Rustler, until the railroad discontinued service and |
|
|
businesses closed; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Today Richards is growing again, with many new |
|
|
neighbors moving from the Houston area; the old drugstore sells |
|
|
antiques, the former bank is the town's civic center, and the |
|
|
Richards Independent School District provides a fine education for |
|
|
children from three counties; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Even as they celebrate their colorful history, the |
|
|
residents of Richards look forward to a bright future, and it is |
|
|
fitting to pay tribute to their town's first 100 years; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby congratulate the citizens of Richards on the |
|
|
town's centennial and extend best wishes to them for an enjoyable |
|
|
and memorable birthday celebration; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for the town of Richards as an expression of high regard by |
|
|
the Texas House of Representatives. |