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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud residents of Washington County are gathering |
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in Austin on February 24, 2009, to celebrate the unique role their |
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county has played in the history and ongoing development of the Lone |
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Star State; and |
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WHEREAS, This region of rolling prairie just west of the |
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Brazos River was first inhabited by the Tamique and Xaraname |
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peoples; the French explorer La Salle and his party, who are thought |
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to have passed through the area in the 1680s, may have been the |
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first European visitors; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1821, settlers recruited by Stephen F. Austin |
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began to homestead the region; during the Texas Revolution, the |
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ferry crossing known as Washington-on-the-Brazos became the |
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headquarters of General Sam Houston and the site of the Convention |
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of 1836, which declared the independence of Texas; the town was the |
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capital of the new republic from 1842 to 1845; and |
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WHEREAS, Washington County was organized in 1837, and Brenham |
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became the county seat in 1844; the county's prospects were |
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improved by the thousands of immigrants from Germany and Poland who |
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arrived during the 1860s and 1870s, and its economy was further |
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spurred by the arrival of the railroad in 1880; in those years, |
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cotton, corn, and poultry were the region's mainstays; and |
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WHEREAS, The area played an important role in the history of |
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higher education in Texas; Baylor University was founded in the |
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county in 1846, and in 1855 Soule University, a precursor to |
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Southwestern University, was founded in Chappell Hill; today, Blinn |
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College in Brenham carries on this proud tradition; and |
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WHEREAS, Washington County's central role in the history of |
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Texas draws visitors from across the state; the Star of the Republic |
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Museum, Independence Hall, and the Barrington Living History Farm |
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at the Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site vividly evoke |
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the years of the Texas Republic; the Chappell Hill Historic |
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District includes a folk art collection, a Masonic cemetery, and a |
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restored Baptist parsonage; the building housing the Brenham |
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Heritage Museum is also a venerable landmark and is listed on the |
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National Register of Historic Places; and |
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WHEREAS, Other popular attractions include the recreation |
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opportunities of Lake Somerville, the eight-acre garden at the |
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Antique Rose Emporium, and the county's scenic country roads; every |
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year, thousands of people take the tour of Blue Bell Creameries, |
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where one of the nation's best-selling brands of ice cream is made; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Honoring their rich history even as they work to |
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build a bright future, the residents of Washington County have many |
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reasons to be proud of the place they call home; now, therefore, be |
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it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize February 24, 2009, as Washington |
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County Day at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting |
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delegation sincere best wishes for an enjoyable and memorable stay |
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in Austin. |