83R12864 JGH-D
By: Bell 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.