Bill Text: TX SR522 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognizing the Parker County Historical Commission on the approval of an Official Texas Historical Marker.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Passed) 2021-05-28 - Reported enrolled [SR522 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-SR522-Enrolled.html
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| WHEREAS, The Parker County Historical Commission's | ||
| application for an Official Texas Historical Marker | ||
| commemorating the Hill Gang was approved by the Texas Historical | ||
| Commission on June 15, 2020; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1854, Allen C. Hill bought 160 acres of land in | ||
| the county and built a compound for his family; he and his wife, | ||
| Ladusky, were the parents of eight children, Jack, Nancy, Martha, | ||
| Adeline, Allen, Eliza, Katherine, and Isabelle; the farming | ||
| community of Springtown was founded about a mile away from their | ||
| homestead in 1859; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Tensions arose between the townspeople and the | ||
| Hills, who were viewed as suspicious characters and believed to | ||
| be harboring horse thieves with bounties on their heads; disputes | ||
| spiraled out of control, and after Allen Hill was shot dead, | ||
| allegedly in a barroom argument, his son Jack met a similar fate; | ||
| one day, the Hill sisters, all armed with guns, reportedly took | ||
| over the saloon and then rampaged through the town square with | ||
| their henchmen, and the mayhem ended with the fatal shooting of | ||
| an innocent young man; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A posse tracked down members of the gang and | ||
| hanged Nancy Hill; the subsequent murder of a stagecoach driver | ||
| and his shotgun rider was attributed to Martha and Katherine Hill | ||
| and three men, and vigilantes caught the sisters, hanged them, | ||
| and then burned down the Hills' home and executed Ladusky, | ||
| Adeline, and Eliza Hill; two young Hill children, Allen and | ||
| Isabelle, escaped to neighbors and were later placed under the | ||
| guardianship of the Reverend Pleasant Tackett; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Over the years, the story of the Hill Gang has | ||
| been a source of fascination to numerous county residents, and | ||
| the historical marker commemorating this tumultuous period | ||
| serves to remind Texans that while the frontier represented | ||
| freedom and opportunity, it could also be a harsh and lawless | ||
| place; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 87th | ||
| Legislature, hereby congratulate the Parker County Historical | ||
| Commission on the approval by the Texas Historical Commission of | ||
| its application for an Official Texas Historical Marker | ||
| commemorating the Hill Gang and extend sincere appreciation to | ||
| all those involved in the effort to secure this honor; and, be it | ||
| further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be | ||
| prepared for the organization as an expression of high regard | ||
| from the Texas Senate. | ||
| Springer | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| President of the Senate | ||
| I hereby certify that the | ||
| above Resolution was adopted by | ||
| the Senate on May 28, 2021. | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| Member, Texas Senate | ||
