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