Bill Text: TX HR203 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the dedication of a Historic Texas Cemetery marker at the Old Kit Cemetery in Irving.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-02-21 - Reported enrolled [HR203 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HR203-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 203 | ||
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| WHEREAS, A Historic Texas Cemetery marker was dedicated at | ||
| the Old Kit Cemetery on October 27, 2012; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Now located within the Irving city limits, the | ||
| cemetery is the last remaining vestige of Kit, a small farming | ||
| community nestled between La Reunion and Peters Colony; initially | ||
| called Gorbit, the community was renamed Kit in 1894, and Isaac | ||
| Henry Story, who operated a grocery store in the hamlet, served as | ||
| its first postmaster; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The site of the Old Kit Cemetery has been used as a | ||
| burial ground since 1896, when David Chadwell Britain donated 1.5 | ||
| acres for that purpose; Mr. Britain made the gift when a family that | ||
| was passing through the area asked if they could bury their child, | ||
| who had just died, in the grove of trees where they had camped; | ||
| following its establishment, many members of Kit's earliest | ||
| families were interred at the graveyard, including I. H. Story and | ||
| the woman for whom the community was purportedly named, Catherine | ||
| "Aunt Kit" King; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Among the approximately 680 marked graves in the | ||
| cemetery are those of French, German, and Belgian settlers, as well | ||
| as individuals who traced their ancestry to the British Isles; some | ||
| grave sites belong to Japanese laborers who were employed by the | ||
| railroad company that built through the area around the turn of the | ||
| 20th century and to members of their families; the site also serves | ||
| as the final resting place for veterans of the Civil War, the | ||
| Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, and the Korean and | ||
| Vietnam Wars; the cemetery is still in use today, although burials | ||
| are now restricted to direct descendants of the community's early | ||
| residents; and | ||
| WHEREAS, To promote the upkeep of this historic site, Old Kit | ||
| Cemetery, Inc., was formed in 1947, and its members have worked | ||
| tirelessly over the decades both to care for the cemetery and to | ||
| foster an appreciation for its significance; as a result of their | ||
| outstanding efforts, the Irving Heritage Society awarded a | ||
| historical marker to the Old Kit Cemetery in 1998, and an Irving | ||
| Centennial Celebration Task Force historical marker was conferred | ||
| on the cemetery in 2004; the Texas Historical Commission recognized | ||
| Old Kit as a Historic Texas Cemetery in May 2010, the same year that | ||
| the burial ground entered the Texas RIP guardian program, which | ||
| coordinates the preservation efforts of local volunteers; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Old Kit Cemetery evokes recollections not only | ||
| of the challenges faced by early settlers in the region but also of | ||
| their perseverance, and it is a pleasure to commend those dedicated | ||
| volunteers who have given so generously of their time to maintain, | ||
| research, and document this site for the benefit of posterity; now, | ||
| therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby commemorate the dedication of a Historic Texas | ||
| Cemetery marker at the Old Kit Cemetery and extend to all those | ||
| involved with this project sincere appreciation for their | ||
| commitment to preserving the heritage of the Lone Star State. | ||
| Harper-Brown | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 203 was adopted by the House on | ||
| February 18, 2013, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
