Bill Text: TX HR693 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Enrolled

Texas House Resolution 693 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Recognizing March 4, 2013, as Hempstead Day at the State Capitol.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Passed) 2013-03-08 - Reported enrolled [HR693 Detail]

Download: Texas-2013-HR693-Enrolled.html



	H.R. No. 693



	R E S O L U T I O N

	WHEREAS, Proud residents of Hempstead are gathering in Austin
	to celebrate Hempstead Day at the State Capitol on March 4, 2013;
	and
	WHEREAS, On December 29, 1856, Dr. Richard Rodgers Peebles
	and James W. McDade created the Hempstead Town Company to sell lots
	at the terminus of the planned Houston and Texas Central Railway;
	named after Dr. Peebles's brother-in-law, Dr. G. S. B. Hempstead,
	the town was incorporated in 1858; and
	WHEREAS, Hempstead soon became a junction point for two
	railroads, which increased its importance as a distribution center;
	during the Civil War, the town was home to a Confederate hospital
	and a military supply center; Hempstead became the Waller County
	seat in 1873, and during a tumultuous period around the turn of the
	20th century, the town earned the nickname "Six-Shooter Junction";
	and
	WHEREAS, The city's economy originally depended on cotton,
	but in the 1900s, produce shipping and truck hauling became more
	important; for a time up until the 1940s, Hempstead was known as the
	largest shipper of watermelons in the United States; today it
	continues to be an agribusiness and manufacturing center, and it
	still ships watermelons across the nation during peak season; and
	WHEREAS, Hempstead continues to grow, thanks to its proximity
	to Houston and its favorable location at the intersection of
	Highway 290 and Highway 6; opportunities for higher education are
	afforded by Blinn College and by such nearby institutions as Texas
	A&M University and Prairie View A&M University; and
	WHEREAS, Visitors and residents alike delight in touring the
	picturesque Liendo Plantation, which was home to Texas sculptor
	Elisabet Ney from 1873 to 1911; the city's annual Watermelon
	Festival, sponsored by the Hempstead Chamber of Commerce, features
	a barbecue cook-off, a quilt exhibition, a car and tractor show, and
	musical performances, while every winter the Hempstead Festival of
	Lights, also staged by the chamber, creates a festive mood with food
	and craft booths on the square and a lighted parade; and
	WHEREAS, Celebrating their rich history as they work to build
	a bright future, the people of Hempstead may indeed take great pride
	in the unique place their city holds in the history of the Lone Star
	State; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
	Legislature hereby recognize March 4, 2013, as Hempstead Day at the
	State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best
	wishes for a meaningful and memorable stay in Austin.

	Bell

	______________________________
	Speaker of the House

	I certify that H.R. No. 693 was adopted by the House on March
	4, 2013, by a non-record vote.

	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House