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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, An Official Texas Historical Marker is being |
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| 6 | 7 | | dedicated at the site of the Harrington, Cassady, and Clark |
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| 7 | 8 | | Cemeteries in Denton County on May 2, 2015; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Today, these three separate, historically African |
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| 9 | 10 | | American graveyards occupy 1.77 acres bordering Lloyd Road in the |
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| 10 | 11 | | northeast part of the county; the Harrington Cemetery remains in |
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| 11 | 12 | | its original location, while the Cassady and Clark Cemeteries were |
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| 12 | 13 | | moved to adjacent sites by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1953; |
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| 13 | 14 | | because of the construction of the Garza-Little Elm Dam, their |
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| 14 | 15 | | original locations are now covered by Lewisville Lake; the Texas |
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| 15 | 16 | | Historical Commission named all three burial grounds Historic Texas |
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| 16 | 17 | | Cemeteries in 2011; and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, The Harrington Cemetery likely served Lloyd, an |
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| 18 | 19 | | early farming community dating back to 1850; the land occupied by |
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| 19 | 20 | | the cemetery was initially owned by the Harrington family, but it |
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| 20 | 21 | | belonged to E. L. Lugrand, the property's only African American |
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| 21 | 22 | | owner, between 1913 and 1914; the graves are marked with headstones |
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| 22 | 23 | | of marble, granite, sandstone, and concrete; and |
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| 23 | 24 | | WHEREAS, The Cassady and Clark Cemeteries were established |
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| 24 | 25 | | outside the nearby community of Garza on land owned by African |
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| 25 | 26 | | Americans; both burial grounds feature fieldstone and funeral home |
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| 26 | 27 | | steel plate markers; a family resting place, the Cassady Cemetery |
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| 27 | 28 | | was initially situated on a 30-acre plot purchased by Jacob Cassady |
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| 28 | 29 | | in 1872, and it includes the graves of Mr. Cassady and his wife, |
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| 29 | 30 | | Melinda; in 1876, former slaves George Clark and Zack Rawlings |
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| 30 | 31 | | bought 80 acres of land and deeded half an acre to the county for |
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| 31 | 32 | | both a public school and a graveyard; in addition to the Clark |
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| 32 | 33 | | family and a relative of Mr. Rawlings, many former neighbors were |
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| 33 | 34 | | buried in the Clark Cemetery, an indication of the close-knit |
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| 34 | 35 | | communal ties in the area; and |
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| 35 | 36 | | WHEREAS, These three burial grounds provide an irreplaceable |
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| 36 | 37 | | link to African American communities that emerged in North Texas |
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| 37 | 38 | | following emancipation, and the installation of this marker will |
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| 38 | 39 | | serve to inform and enlighten current and future generations about |
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| 39 | 40 | | the area's rich history; now, therefore, be it |
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| 40 | 41 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 41 | 42 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the dedication of an Official Texas |
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| 42 | 43 | | Historical Marker for the Harrington, Cassady, and Clark Cemeteries |
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| 43 | 44 | | and extend to all who helped to bring this project to fruition |
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| 44 | 45 | | sincere gratitude for their contribution to preserving the heritage |
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| 45 | 46 | | of the Lone Star State. |
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