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Texas and Change
Well, Texas has not changed since I left. People are still moving to the Austin area at a rapid pace and the roads are jammed full of commuters and weekenders. It has definitely become a destination city for tourists and transplants. So, there is that. Blech. Traffic. Ack!
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Used To Be a Best Kept Secret
Austin used to be the best kept secret. A sleepy town with a bustling nightlife full of live music venues and old historical theaters and clubs. What used to be a town no one traveled to is now a destination for many. There’s wedding parties of 20 meeting in Austin for the last hurrah and girls weekend get together’s. There’s family reunions and the like. It’s taken decades for SXSW (South by Southwest) to become so well known. It first began in 1987 and was only known by the locals as a music festival. Over the years it has grown and become known internationally. It’s not only a music festival, but…
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Juneteenth
President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, to become effective on January 1st, of the following year. He declared all slaves would be free, and no longer owned by another person. However, it had very little effect in the Confederate States, including Texas. General Gordon Granger and 2,000 troops arrived on the island of Galveston, TX on June 18th, 1865 to take custody of the state, and to emancipate all slaves. On June 19th he stood on the balcony of Ashton Villa and read this: The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves…