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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 383
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WHEREAS, Many proud residents of Austin County are visiting |
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the State Capitol on March 15, 2007, in celebration of their |
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county's outstanding contributions to the Lone Star State; and |
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WHEREAS, American settlement in the county dates to the early |
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1820s, when the area became part of Stephen F. Austin's first |
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colony; the first town to be established was San Felipe de Austin, |
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which served as the administrative seat of the colony and as a |
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social, cultural, and commercial center; and |
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WHEREAS, Austin County was created by the Constitution of |
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1836 and was formally organized in 1837; San Felipe became the |
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county seat and remained so until 1848, when the county government |
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was moved to Bellville; and |
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WHEREAS, Blessed with an abundance of water, grassland, |
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and forests, Austin County drew a steady stream of settlers, most |
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of whom were engaged in agriculture; although the county remained |
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overwhelmingly rural, the development of a number of communities |
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took place during the 19th century, including Bellville, Wallis, |
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and the railroad towns of Sealy and Kenney; and |
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WHEREAS, Due to difficult social and political circumstances |
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at home and lured by glowing accounts of life in Texas, many German |
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immigrants settled in Austin County during the 1800s; for recreational |
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and civic purposes, they organized numerous singing, literary, |
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dramatic, and political clubs, as well as one of the oldest agrarian |
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groups in the state, the Cat Spring Agricultural Society; German |
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communities in the county include Industry, Cat Spring, Millheim, |
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New Ulm, Shelby, Welcome, Nelsonville, and Bleiblerville; and |
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WHEREAS, Austin County has also proved attractive to |
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immigrants from Czechoslovakia, who began settling in the county |
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in sizable numbers after the Civil War and who continued to arrive |
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until after the turn of the 20th century; like the Germans, they |
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organized much of their social life around various societies, which |
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still play a vital role in the county's Czech communities; Czechs |
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frequently settled in German towns and were largely responsible |
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for the establishment of Frydek; and |
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WHEREAS, Following the Civil War, African Americans in |
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Austin County set about creating their own social and religious |
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institutions; in addition to the fundamental role they played in |
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developing the county's agricultural base, they also worked by |
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the hundreds on building the railroad lines that entered the area |
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in the latter part of the 1800s; and |
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WHEREAS, In the 20th century, the cultural mosaic of the |
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county was further enriched by the arrival of immigrants from |
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Mexico, who in the 1900s were the largest foreign-born group to |
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settle in the area; by 2000, Latinos constituted 16 percent of |
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the county's 24,600 residents; and |
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WHEREAS, Prominent Texans who have resided in Austin County |
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include such early citizens as Gail Borden, Jr., a surveyor and |
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newspaper publisher who later invented a successful process for |
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condensing milk; another early citizen, Robert Justus Kleberg, |
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fought in the Battle of San Jacinto, held several prestigious |
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public offices, and, in 1885, saw his youngest son become head |
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of the King Ranch; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, visitors to the county can enjoy exploring |
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the county's rich heritage, preserved at the Stephen F. Austin |
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State Historic Site and in rural communities throughout the area, |
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while away their hours hunting and fishing, or take in the lively |
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scenes at the Bellville Heritage Gathering in Bellville and the |
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Polka Fest in Sealy; and |
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WHEREAS, The citizens of Austin County can indeed take pride |
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in what their forebears and they have accomplished over the course |
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of more than 180 years, and it is a pleasure to join them in paying |
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tribute to this exemplary Texas county; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, |
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80th Legislature, hereby welcome the Austin County residents |
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visiting on this day and recognize March 15, 2007, as Austin County |
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Day at the State Capitol. |
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Hegar |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on March 5, 2007. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |