Page 1 of 1

This Day In Texas History - July 2

Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 1:48 pm
by joe817
1716 - The Spanish build a presidio west of the Neches River. It marks the beginning of continuous settlement in the province of Texas.

1798 - Angelina Eberly was born. She prevented the removal of documents from the capital by firing a cannon in 1842. The event became known as the Archive War.

1862 - On this date in 1862, the Morrill Act was signed into law. The law was created to enable states to establish colleges where agriculture and mechanical arts are taught in additional to other sciences. By 1871, the Texas Legislature approved the formation of an Agricultural and Mechnical College, appropriated money, and land was donated for the new College.
Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (AMC) would be located on land south of Bryan. Over the years the named changed to Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College and in 1963, the name was officially changed to Texas A&M (without any reference to what the A or M stood for). Today, Texas A&M is a land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant college, one of the only colleges in America to be so designated.

1863 - On this day in 1863, Hood's Texas Brigade became a major participant in the battle of Gettysburg. The brigade had been organized in 1861 in Richmond, Virginia. It was composed of the First, Fourth and Fifth Texas Infantry regiments, the only Texas troops to fight in the Eastern Theater. Col. John Bell Hood had been commander of the Fourth. On July 2, 1863, the brigade led the assault at Devils Den and Little Round Top, the crucial action of the second day of the battle. A soldier of the First Texas called the assault on Devil's Den "one of the wildest, fiercest struggles of the war." After routing the Union forces at the Devil's Den, however, the brigade was unable to capture Little Round Top. A thirty-five-foot monument to the men of Hood's Texas Brigade stands on the south drive of the Capitol in Austin. [note: this was erroneously posted in the July 1 thread. dunno whahoppened. :???: ]

1883 - On this date in 1883, Architect Alfred Charles Finn was born in Bellville. Among his greatest designs was the seventeen story addition to the Rice Hotel in Houston (1926), the Galveston Post Office-Courthouse-Customs Building (1937), the 570-foot tall San Jacinto Monument (1939) and the Sakowitz Store in Houston (1951)

1888 - The Jaybird-Woodpecker feud starts in Fort Bend County. The Jaybird-Woodpecker War was a feud between two political factions for the control of Fort Bend County. The Jaybirds, representing the wealth and about 90 percent of the white population, were the regular Democrats who sought to rid the county of the Republican government that had gained control during Reconstruction. The Houston Light Guards arrived to establish martial law, and Governor Lawrence S. Ross and the Brenham Light Guards arrived on August 17. [for an interesting read: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/onli ... /wfj1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ]

1948 - Ralphael O'Hara Lanier, who had earlier served five years as dean of Houston Colored Junior College and more recently as United States Minister to Liberia, became the first president of the Texas State University for Negroes (now Texas Southern University). The university was established by the Fiftieth Texas Legislature on March 3, 1947.

Re: This Day In Texas History - July 2

Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 2:13 pm
by seamusTX
Architect Alfred Charles Finn ... the Galveston Post Office-Courthouse-Customs Building (1937),
Image1.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galveston_ ... Courthouse" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Still in daily use as a post office and courthouse.

- Jim

Re: This Day In Texas History - July 2

Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 4:03 pm
by USA1
:txflag:

Re: This Day In Texas History - July 2

Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 7:47 am
by seamusTX
1861 - The Union blockade of the port of Galveston began during the War Between the States.

Initially a single Union ship attempted to deny access to the port. The blockade continued until January 1, 1863, when Confederate forces regained control of the port. However, the Union navy impeded shipping through the end of the war.

Smugglers, who already had years of practice, frequently evaded the blockade. There still are stories of night landings on the beach and the west end. This spirit of lawlessness continued through Prohibition until the 1950s, when a crusading DA and the Texas Rangers purged the remnants of organized crime.

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/241990/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

Re: This Day In Texas History - July 2

Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:14 am
by surprise_i'm_armed
joe817 - Like the Phoenix, you have risen from the ashes!! Welcome back, my friend.

SIA

Re: This Day In Texas History - July 2

Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 12:04 pm
by USA1
surprise_i'm_armed wrote:joe817 - Like the Phoenix, you have risen from the ashes!! Welcome back, my friend.

SIA
I wish. This thread is a year old. Joe is still MIA. :cryin