The plaque reads:
On June 19th, 1865, at the close of the Civil War, U.S. Army General Gordon Granger issued an order in Galveston stating that the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation was in effect. That event, later known as "Juneteenth", marked the end of slavery in Texas. Celebrated as a day of freedom since then, Juneteenth grew into an international commemoration and in 1979 became an official Texas holiday through the efforts of State Representative Albert (Al) Edwards of Houston.
From the Houston Chronicle: (
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Galveston To Receive Juneteenth Statue
9-Foot Sculpture to be Unveiled at Prayer Breakfast on Monday
THAYER EVANS, Chronicle Correspondent Published 5:30 am CDT, Thursday, June 15, 2006
A long-delayed 9-foot tall bronze statue in Galveston commemorating Juneteenth is scheduled to be unveiled in conjunction with the state holiday this Monday, an official said.
Douglas Matthews, chairman of the Texas Emancipation Juneteenth Cultural and Historic Commissions advisory committee, said the monument, which will be at Ashton Villa, 2300 Broadway, will be dedicated during the 27th annual Emancipation Proclamation Reading and Prayer Breakfast.
The event will take place at 8:30 a.m. at the historic mansion, he said.
There, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger of the U.S. Army is believed to have read a proclamation on June 19, 1865, announcing that slaves were free.
Matthews said the statue should arrive in Galveston this Friday morning and be completely installed by the end of the day. Galveston-based Jamail Construction is providing the monument's concrete foundation and putting in the statue at no cost, he said.
"Right now, we're very excited and optimistic that everything will work out," Matthews said.
Statue Comes From State Capitol
The statue depicts a man holding the state law that made Juneteenth a state holiday. It was paid for by state funding and cost less than $100,000.
The figure, created by Eddie Dixon of Lubbock, was once supposed be part of a five-figure Juneteenth monument at the state capitol in Austin.
That $1.2 million project remains delayed, so the lawmaker figure will instead be used in the Galveston monument and a replacement figure will be made for the Austin monument, Matthews said.
The installation of the statue would end a year of postponements. It was scheduled to be in place for last year's Juneteenth celebration and then in February to coincide with Black History Month.
Ennis Williams, co-chairman of the Galveston Juneteenth Coalition Committee, said he and others are overjoyed that the monument will be ready for Juneteenth.
"It's going to be a glorious, blessed day," Williams said