2023S0432-1 05/23/23
By: Nichols S.R. No. 5
SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
join the people of Silsbee in celebrating The Presidential
Papers, a new historical exhibit opening in July of 2023 at the
Ice House Museum and Cultural Center; and
WHEREAS, The Ice House Museum and Cultural Center is
located in the historic Silsbee Ice Plant; constructed in 1927,
the plant remained operational until 1983, and the building was
designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark by the Texas
Historical Commission in 1991; the museum's board of directors
and its curator initiated plans for an extensive renovation in
2020 and transformed the building from a local art space into a
historical museum showcasing the history and historic material
culture of Hardin County; and
WHEREAS, The Ice House Museum and Cultural Center is home
to an impressive collection of historical letters, artifacts,
and documents; museum visitors enjoy a variety of historic
displays and antiquities that reveal and celebrate important
aspects of life in Southeast Texas before the advent of modern
technology, medicine, and transportation; and
WHEREAS, The museum's archives contain thousands of
original documents that illustrate the rich history of the Lone
Star State; The Presidential Papers will display correspondence
from President Lyndon B. Johnson, documents from Texas Senate
calendar clerk and lumberman John Henry Kirby, and an 1863
engraving of the Emancipation Proclamation; and
WHEREAS, The Ice House Museum and Cultural Center is a
source of pride and a treasured resource for Silsbee residents
and visitors, and the museum's dedicated staff and volunteers are
truly deserving of special recognition for their efforts to
preserve and promote Texas history; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby commend the staff,
volunteers, and supporters of the Ice House Museum and Cultural
Center on their important work and extend to all best wishes for
the opening of The Presidential Papers exhibit and for continuing
success in their endeavors; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
the museum as an expression of esteem from the Texas Senate.