This Date In Texas History - December 27

[joe817]

1835 - Holland Lodge No. 36, the first Masonic lodge in Texas, held its first meeting at Brazoria. In the spring of 1835 Anson Jones and five others, fearing Mexican reprisals, met secretly under the Masonic Oak near Brazoria and petitioned the Grand Lodge of Louisiana for a charter. The grand master of that state, John Henry Holland, issued the dispensation, and the lodge met for the first time on December 27, with Jones presiding as worshipful master. The actual charter seems to have been issued on January 27, 1836. The Holland Lodge struggled for several months until overwhelmed during the Texas Revolution by the Mexican army of Gen. José de Urrea, which destroyed all the lodge's records and equipment.

1836 - Stephen F Austin, called "The Father of Texas" for helping to settle hundreds of families in Texas from the United States, died while serving as Secretary of State in the Republic of Texas.

1839 - The city of Austin was incorporated. The town became the first municipality in Texas to include public-health provisions in its act of incorporation. The act, approved by the Congress of the Republic of Texas, authorized the mayor and council "to determine the mode of inspection of all comestibles sold publicly in the market or in other places; and to regulate everything relative to bakers, butchers, tavern-keepers or grog-shops." At the time the city had 856 citizens.

1842 - Austin journalist George Bonnell was captured and shot by Mexican forces as a member of the Mier Expedition. Mt. Bonnell in Austin was named for him.

1944 - Eli Whiteley lost an eye but won the Medal of Honor for his bravery and leadership during combat in France. Despite severe wounds to his arm and shoulder, he singlehandedly killed nine German soldiers and captured twenty-three. Even after a shell fragment pierced one eye, he continued to lead his men until forcibly evacuated. For his courage, determination, and leadership he was awarded the Medal of Honor. Whiteley was born in 1913 at Georgetown, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy from Texas A&M University. He died in College Station in 1986. The Eli Whiteley Memorial Medal of Honor Park on the Texas A&M campus honors his memory.

1959 - New York defensive assistant coach Tom Landry was hired by Clint Murchison, Jr, and Bedford Wynne who are putting together an NFL franchise for Dallas. Landry's contract is a "Personal Services Contract" but the intention is to elevate Landry to Head Coach once the franchise if approved by the NFL.