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Stop 5 – Ashton Villa
Every year, Ashton Villa is the site where the Galveston community commemorates the reading of General Order No. 3 in Texas with a prayer breakfast and reenactment. On the property grounds stands the city's official Juneteenth statue called the ‘Legislator' commemorating the day in which the legislation made June 19th a Texas State holiday. In the late 1970s, the Texas Legislature declared Juneteenth a “holiday of significance […] particularly to the blacks of Texas”. Texas was the first state to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday under legislation introduced by freshman Democratic state representative Al Edwards (Houston). The law passed through the Texas Legislature in 1979 and was officially made a state holiday on January 1, 1980.
Hear more from Jami Durham, Historian for Galveston Historical Foundation.
Thank you for taking the Freedom Walk. Be sure to stop by the Visitor Information Center at 2228 Mechanic, Suite 100, to pick up your prize.
Galveston is a city of many firsts, but the largest port west of New Orleans in 1865 is also famous for being last -- the last major port to spread the message of freedom in the United States. Even though the ratification of the 13th Amendment officially ended slavery in the United States, formerly enslaved people and their descendants chose June 19, 1865 as a day of commemoration to celebrate their freedom.
With every step of the freedom walk, we honor the memory of those individuals, and we encourage you to walk together as we continue on the journey to Absolute Equality.
Every year, Ashton Villa is the site where the Galveston community commemorates the reading of General Order No. 3 in Texas with a prayer breakfast and reenactment. On the property grounds stands the city's official Juneteenth statue called the ‘Legislator' commemorating the day in which the legislation made June 19th a Texas State holiday. In the late 1970s, the Texas Legislature declared Juneteenth a “holiday of significance […] particularly to the blacks of Texas”. Texas was the first state to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday under legislation introduced by freshman Democratic state representative Al Edwards (Houston). The law passed through the Texas Legislature in 1979 and was officially made a state holiday on January 1, 1980.
Hear more from Jami Durham, Historian for Galveston Historical Foundation.
Thank you for taking the Freedom Walk. Be sure to stop by the Visitor Information Center at 2228 Mechanic, Suite 100, to pick up your prize.
Galveston is a city of many firsts, but the largest port west of New Orleans in 1865 is also famous for being last -- the last major port to spread the message of freedom in the United States. Even though the ratification of the 13th Amendment officially ended slavery in the United States, formerly enslaved people and their descendants chose June 19, 1865 as a day of commemoration to celebrate their freedom.
With every step of the freedom walk, we honor the memory of those individuals, and we encourage you to walk together as we continue on the journey to Absolute Equality.
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Historical
