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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, On February 19, 2009, proud residents of Austin |
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County are gathering at the State Capitol to celebrate their |
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county's achievements and unique place in the history of the Lone |
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Star State; and |
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WHEREAS, The area that would become Austin County was one of |
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the locations settled by the initial colonists who were brought to |
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Texas by Stephen F. Austin; the first English-language newspaper in |
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Texas, the Gazette, was launched in 1829 in the colony's main town, |
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San Felipe de Austin; this settlement played an important part in |
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the Texas Revolution, briefly serving as capital of the provisional |
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government; it became the county seat upon the founding of Austin |
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County in 1837 but was soon supplanted by Bellville; and |
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WHEREAS, Beginning in the 1830s, hundreds of German |
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immigrants settled in the county, and this wave of migration |
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accelerated when well-educated dissidents fled Germany following a |
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failed revolution in 1848; these residents supported the |
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establishment of an opera house in Bellville, a German-language |
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weekly newspaper, and numerous other elements drawn from |
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traditional German culture; the county's sizeable African American |
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community began forming similar institutions during |
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Reconstruction, among them a newspaper and a school for black |
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students; Czech farmers also contributed to the distinctive |
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character of early Austin County, and large numbers of Mexican |
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immigrants began arriving after the First World War; and |
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WHEREAS, Industrial growth brought prominence to the town of |
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Sealy, which became a commercial center in the late 1800s with such |
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manufacturers as the Sealy Mattress Factory and the Engleking |
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Brothers Broom Factory; Sealy is also the hometown of music great |
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Huey Long, a jazz guitarist and original member of the Ink Spots; |
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some of his memorabilia is on display today at the Heritage |
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Park/Santa Fe Park Museum, a fascinating complex that also includes |
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an original settler's prairie home, an antique caboose, and the |
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town's old jail; and |
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WHEREAS, Tourism has joined agribusiness and manufacturing |
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as a key component of the economy; the county's colorful past |
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provides many splendid attractions and visitors to Stephen F. |
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Austin State Park can view the original site of San Felipe de Austin |
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while enjoying hiking, fishing, and other recreational pursuits; |
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moreover, countless travelers come to Austin County in the spring |
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for the scenic vistas of bluebonnets and other wildflowers; and |
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WHEREAS, Austin County maintains its pastoral charm and its |
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many links to Texas heritage even as it prepares for the |
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opportunities of the future, and it is most fitting to take this |
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opportunity to honor it; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize February 19, 2009, as Austin County |
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Day and extend to its delegation sincere best wishes for an |
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enjoyable and rewarding visit to the State Capitol. |