< Previous10 | The Daily News | Black History Month | February 2022 Story courtesy of Galveston Historical Foundation S lavery began in the United States in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619, and 244 years later, President Abraham Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 22, 1862. The proclamation declared, “on the 1st day of January, A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward and forever free…” It is unlikely that there were many enslaved people on Galveston Island on Jan. 1, 1863, other than those at- tached to both Union and Confederate forces. On that day, the Battle of Gal- veston was fought and ended with a Confederate victory that reclaimed the city from Union forces. The possibility of a Union attack on the island spurred many of Galveston’s slaveholders to set up households in Houston and other Texas communities. Enslaved persons either went with their owners or were hired out to planters on the mainland. Two months after the Civil War ended in April 1865, 2,000 federal THE HISTORY OF JUNETEENTH Come home to where it all began soldiers of the 13th Army Corps arrived in Galveston and with them was Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, Commanding Officer for the District of Texas. Grang- er established his headquarters in the Osterman Building at Strand and 22nd streets and, from that location, Granger issued five General Orders and com- manded General Order No. 3 to be read June 19, 1865: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them, becomes that between employer and hired labor. The Freedmen are advised to remain at their present homes, and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts; and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.” One of the first emancipation celebra- tions held in Galveston occurred Jan. 1, 1866. Flake’s Bulletin, one of Galveston’s newspapers, reported the next day: “Emancipation Celebration: The colored people of Galveston celebrated their emancipation from slavery yesterday by a procession. Notwithstanding the storm BY 1874, EMANCIPATION CELEBRATIONS HAD BECOME EVEN MORE ELABORATE, WITH A PROCESSION FORMING AT THE COLORED METHODIST CHURCH ON EAST BROADWAY, KNOWN TODAY AS REEDY CHAPEL. “ ” JENNIFER REYNOLDS/The Daily News file photo The Rev. Stephen Duncan, portraying Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, prepares to read General Order No. 3, which declared all slaves freed, during the 41st annual Al Edwards Juneteenth Celebration at the 1859 Ashton Villa in Galveston on June 19, 2020.February 2022 | Black History Month | The Daily News | 11 some eight hundred or a thousand men, women and children took part in the demonstration. The procession was or- derly and creditable to those participating in it. A meeting was held in the colored Church, on Broadway at which addresses were delivered by a number of speakers, among whom was Gen. Gregory, Assis- tant Commissioner of Freedmen. The General gave them a great deal of good, plain advice, which, if they follow, will redown to their well being and prosper- ity. The Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln was read. The sing- ing, John Brown’s body lies mouldering in the ground, was also a part of the programme. So far as we observed there was no interference nor any improper conduct on the part of spectators.” By 1874, emancipation celebrations had become even more elaborate, with a procession forming at the Colored Methodist Church on East Broad- way, known today as Reedy Chapel. Throughout the 19th century and into the 20th, June 19 was known formally as Emancipation Day. The City Times, an African-American newspaper, published in Galveston, marked Juneteenth each year with re- ports on local and regional public festiv- ities. Out-of-town excursions were popu- lar in the early years of the 20th century, although many continued to observe Juneteenth closer to home. Through these years, the City Times reported on the social and entertainment aspects of Juneteenth and placed a strong empha- sis on the progress African Americans had made since emancipation in articles and editorials that highlighted advance- ments in literacy and higher education, business and property ownership and amassed wealth in Galveston, Texas, the South and across the nation. By the middle of the 20th century in Gal- veston, large parades gave way to more pri- vate Juneteenth celebrations with families gathering for beach parties and cook-outs. Churches observed Emancipation Day with the reverent singing of the song “Lift Every Voice” (the official song of the NAACP), and the plea to remember the significance of June 19 and the joy of freedom. In the late 1940s, public observations of Juneteenth were held in Galveston at Wright Cuney Park. With the coming of integration and the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, observance of Juneteenth diminished with emphasis instead being directed toward the goal of inter-racial harmony and togetherness. The 1970s saw a re-emergence of public observance of the day as African Americans became more aware of their cultural heritage, and, in 1979, Texas Gov. William P. Clements Jr. signed into law a bill, sponsored by Rep. Al Edwards, mak- ing Juneteenth a state holiday. In 1980, 115 years after Granger ordered the first public reading of General Order No. 3, Galveston hosted the first city-wide June- teenth celebrations that continue today. Celebrations include parades, picnics, banquets, a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation at the county courthouse followed by a march to Reedy Chapel and an annual prayer breakfast at the 1859 Ashton Villa. A statue that honors the legislation that made Juneteenth a state holiday was erected on the grounds of Ashton Villa in 2006. As African Americans from Galveston and Texas migrated to other areas of the country, they took the story of June 19, 1865, with them. Today, Juneteenth is celebrated in more than 200 cities throughout the United States with speeches, songs, picnics, parades and exhibits of African-American history and art. JENNIFER REYNOLDS/The Daily News file photo A Texas flag flies near the Juneteenth statue at Ashton Villa House Museum on Broadway. Texas State Library and Archives Commission/Courtesy General Orders, No. 3. U.S. House, 54th Congress, 1st Session (H. Doc. 369, Part 2). “General Order Number 3,” 1896. U.S. Documents Collection. Y 1.1/2: SERIAL 343712 | The Daily News | Black History Month | February 2022 Get Your Property Inspected and Windstorm Certified by EDP Engineers & Inspectors Gerald Reece, P.E. owner and president of EDP Engineers and Inspectors. EDP is a windstorm engineering and building inspection firm, established in 2004. 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TACLB009653E 3614 Yale St, Galveston Servicing Galveston & Surrounding Cities Since 1975 New Construction/Remodel & Old Homes Licensed & Insured CALL TODAY FOR A FREE ESTIMATE! 24/7 Service Credit Cards ACCEPTEDFebruary 2022 | Black History Month | The Daily News | 13 602 32nd Street • Galveston, Texas 77550 • (409) 621-1677 Funeral Cremation Pre-Burial Plans “Serving Our Community With Pride” Wynn Funeral Home Owner/Funeral Director Spergon Wynn CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH Please join Angela and I as we celebrate the rich history and countless contributions made to our City by the African-American community AVENUE L MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 2612 Ave. L Established 1840 FIRST UNION MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 1027 Ave. K Established 1870 HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH 1420 31st St. Established 1886 MACEDONIA MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 2920 Ave. M1/2 Established 1889 MOUNT OLIVE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 3602 Sealy Established 1876 MOUNT PILGRIM MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 3215 Broadway Established 1883 REEDY CHAPEL AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH 2015 Broadway Established 1848 SAINT AUGUSTINE EPISCOPAL CHURCH 1410 41st St. Established 1884 SAINT LUKE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 1301 Ave. L Established 1894 SAINT PAUL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 1425 Broadway Established 1866 SHILOH AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH 1310 29th St. Established 1860s TRINITY MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 1223 32nd St. Established 1890s WESLEY TABERNACLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 902 28th St. Established 1869 WEST POINT MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 3009 Ave. M Established 1870 HISTORICAL CHURCHES ON GALVESTON ISLAND14 | The Daily News | Black History Month | February 2022 CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL The first African-American high school in Texas ON JAN. 11, 1905, THE COLORED BRANCH OF THE ROSENBERG LIBRARY AT CENTRAL HIGH BECAME THE FIRST AFRICAN- AMERICAN PUBLIC LIBRARY IN TEXAS. “ ” Story courtesy of Galveston Historical Foundation W ith funds made available from the Freedmen’s Bureau, white missionary Sarah Barnes es- tablished the Barnes Institute in 1869, the first school for African Americans in Galveston. The school was locat- ed on Avenue M between 28th and 29th streets. John Ogilvie Stevenson, a native of Scotland, served with the American Missionary Association and was the school’s first principal. By 1876, the campus had four teach- ers and an enrollment of more than 300 students. Frank Webb became principal in 1881, serving until 1894. During his time, the school grew significantly and was renamed the West District Colored School. Located on Winnie Street, between 27th and 28th streets, the school served as an elementary campus for African American children who lived west of 20th Street. By 1890, the school had relocated to the south side of Avenue M, between 28th and 29th streets. Organized in 1885, Galveston’s Central High School was the first high school for African Americans in Tex- as. The school’s first classrooms were housed in a rented building located at 16th Street and Avenue L. From 1886 to 1893, the high school operated from its second location, another rented build- ing located at Avenue N and 15th Street. In 1893, land was purchased between 26th and 27th stretts on Avenue M for a new school designed by notable Galveston architect Nicholas Clayton. The handsome brick structure was the third campus for Central High School. Through a collaboration between the all-white Rosenberg Library Association, the Galveston School Board and the City of Galveston, an addition to house a public library at Central High School was authorized May 18, 1904. On Jan. 11, 1905, The Colored Branch of the Rosenberg Library at Central High be- came the first African-American public library in Texas. In 1924, a new wing was added to the west side of the 1893 school build- ing. The addition increased the number of classrooms needed for the growing student body, many of whom lived off the island. Out-of-town students carpooled or rode commercial buses to the island each day to attend classes while others with the financial means to do so rented rooms near the school where they lived during the weekdays and commuted home on weekends. The final Central High School was built in 1954 and spanned from 31st to 33rd streets between Avenue H and Avenue I. A page from a 1960s Cen- tral High School yearbook honors the past principals of Central High School, including the first principal, J.R. Gib- son, who fulfilled the obligation for 50 years. He was succeeded by W. J. Ma- son, who acted as principal from 1936 until 1941. Dr. Leon A. Morgan met the need from 1941 until 1967, who wrote the school’s beloved Alma Mater still recalled fondly by the school’s alumni. James Sweatt Jr. served as the last principal of Central High School for the school year 1967-1968. At the close of the 1968 academic year, Central High School merged with Ball High School. The Central High School campus was converted into Central Middle School, and Ball High School became the only public high school in Galveston. Although the doors of Central High School closed in 1968, the school’s many academic successes and accomplishments in the field of sports still are celebrated today. ALTHOUGH THE DOORS OF CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL CLOSED IN 1968, THE SCHOOL’S MANY ACADEMIC SUCCESSES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE FIELD OF SPORTS STILL ARE CELEBRATED TODAY. “ ” Courtesy/Rosenberg Library Students and their bicycles at Central High School, in Galveston circa1917. Established in 1885, Central High School was the first high school for African Americans in the state of Texas.February 2022 | Black History Month | The Daily News | 15 ROSEWOOD CEMETERY Discover Galveston’s oldest African-American cemetery Story courtesy of Galveston Historical Foundation T he period immediately after the 1900 Storm was difficult for Afri- can Americans in Galves- ton. They lost all political influence as oppression steadily grew not only locally, but also across the state of Texas and the Deep South where Jim Crow laws were rampant. However, the growing prejudice did not halt the growth of economic prog- ress of Galveston’s Afri- can-American community. In 1909, the City Times — the first African-American newspaper in Galveston — listed the demograph- ics for the island’s Afri- can-American community: annual income in salaries, $332,514, over 1,000 black men employed at the wharves, 75 black-owned businesses, four physi- cians, four attorneys, 23 teachers and administra- tors and 16 clergymen. In 1911, a group of African Americans met at Wesley Tabernacle Meth- odist Church to establish the Rosewood Cemetery Association. In earlier years, African Americans purchased burial plots in an area designated for Black burials at Galves- ton’s Lakewood Cemetery. Some African Americans were able to purchase plots designated for Black burials in other white cemeteries, but the only other place for African Americans to be buried was the New Potters Field, a considerable distance on the outskirts of town. W. S. Chinn, the pastor of the church, told the group “a site has been offered to the colored people consisting of 8½ acres for $1,000 or $1,200. An organization consist- ing of 40 people who would pledge themselves to pay $30 apiece should be formed.” Everyone in attendance voted to form the cemetery association. The association pur- chased the land for Rosewood Cemetery from the Joe Levy Family. Ownership was divided among 86 shares with 26 shareholders. The first person buried was Robert Bailey on Feb. 1, 1912; the last burial was Frank Boyer on June 29, 1944. The association provided guidelines for the grave coverings. “The owner will be expected to put a neat curbing around the space he buys.” Some of the original curbing exists in tile form and could represent cultural/ tribal affiliation. Recorded minutes show gravesites sold for $10 plus $2 for grave digging. Most of the identified headstones date from 1914 and 1915. On Sept. 7, 1945, Wright Cuney Lodge No. 63, one of the sharehold- ers, executed a document to sell its 19 shares to Thomas D. Armstrong, who represented the County of Galveston in the acquisition of land for expansion of the seawall. In 1951, the County of Galveston purchased a large portion of land from the Rosewood Cem- etery Association. The seawall was soon extend- ed west of 61st Street, but construction blocked the natural outlet for Green’s Bayou, which now causes the cemetery to flood during heavy rain. In 1957, Armstrong purchased the remaining shares of the cemetery. In the early 1980s, the Armstrong estate sold the land to John and Judy Saracco. The Saraccos donated the cemetery to Galveston Historical Foundation in 2006. Of the 411 people buried at Rosewood, the ex- act number of burials remaining on the 1.255 acres is still unknown. Surveys conducted after GHF assumed ownership of the cemetery identified only 20 remaining grave markers. Rosewood Cemetery is significant in Galves- ton’s history as the first burial ground designated for African Americans on the island. A number of prominent African Americans are buried at the cemetery with a sizable number being leaders and workers who held life-long positions on the wharves of the Port of Galveston. The labor organizations that formed for those workers provided an opportunity to improve their lives and economic position and thus allowed them to buy plots in Rosewood. Rose- wood Cemetery holds burials from WWI veter- ans and many from the hurricane of 1915. Some of the stone and concrete markers in the cemetery are decorated and hand- carved. Located between 61st and 69th streets, and between Central City Boulevard and Seawall Boulevard, Rosewood Cemetery can be accessed from Seawall Boulevard via 63rd Street. A Texas Historical marker for Rosewood Cemetery ded- icated in 2011 provides a layer of education and interpretation to visitors about African-American history on the island. JENNIFER REYNOLDS/The Daily News file photos LEFT: The name of an African American person and date of death is scratched into headstone at Rosewood Cemetery in Galveston on Jan. 26, 2021. RIGHT: A headstone and brick and concrete grave marker are piled on the west side of the Rosewood Cemetery in Galveston.16 | The Daily News | Black History Month | February 2022 TEXAS’ OLDEST NEWSPAPER We have survived through wars, recessions, depressions, floods and hurricanes. We have covered Galveston County since 1842 and continue on today as your local news source. 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