H.R. No. 341
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, The Descendants of Olivewood organization has done
  an exemplary job of highlighting the rich history of Olivewood
  Cemetery in Houston, and its efforts have helped the burial ground
  to be recognized on the 2011 Most Endangered Places register kept by
  Preservation Texas, which focuses on sites of significant interest
  around the state; and
         WHEREAS, First incorporated in 1875, Olivewood is one of the
  oldest known platted cemeteries in Houston, and it served the
  city's early African American community for a century; originally
  laid out with 444 family plots containing more than 5,000 burial
  spaces, it was expanded in 1917; and
         WHEREAS, The cemetery was the final resting place for former
  slaves, laborers, military veterans, and pivotal leaders of
  Houston's post-Emancipation African American population; among
  those buried there are the first black ordained Methodist minister
  in the United States, the Reverend Elias Dibble of Trinity
  Methodist Episcopal Church, as well as businessman James B. Bell,
  educator James D. Ryan, physician Russell F. Ferrill, and dentist
  Milton A. Baker; and
         WHEREAS, The burial ground also features examples of
  pre-Emancipation interment practices, such as upright pipes
  symbolizing the path between the worlds of the living and the dead,
  seashells as grave ornaments, and text with upside-down or
  backwards letters as used in some African cultures to signify
  death; and
         WHEREAS, Founded in 2003, the Descendants of Olivewood is a
  nonprofit organization dedicated to the reclamation of the cemetery
  for the benefit of current and future generations of Houston
  residents; the group maintains committees focused on restoration,
  history, public relations, fund-raising, security, and engineering
  issues, and it succeeded in obtaining a Texas Historical Marker for
  the cemetery in 2009 in addition to the cemetery's inclusion on the
  2011 Most Endangered Places list; and
         WHEREAS, This historic site provides a valuable link to
  crucial chapters of Houston history, and the Descendants of
  Olivewood are doing important work to ensure that the legacy of
  their ancestors is not forgotten; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
  Legislature hereby honor the Descendants of Olivewood for their
  efforts to preserve the historic Olivewood Cemetery in Houston and
  extend to the members of that organization sincere best wishes for
  continued success in their worthy endeavor; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for the Descendants of Olivewood as an expression of high
  regard by the Texas House of Representatives.
 
  Farrar
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 341 was adopted by the House on
  February 9, 2011, by a non-record vote.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House