TITLE: Commemorating the unveiling of an Official Texas Historical Marker at Long Branch Cemetery in Falls County.

SUMMARY: Commemorating the unveiling of an Official Texas Historical Marker at Long Branch Cemetery in Falls County.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The Texas Historical Commission has recognized Long Branch Cemetery as a Historic Texas Cemetery, and this honor is being celebrated with the unveiling of an Official Texas Historical Marker on May 16, 2015; and WHEREAS, One of the oldest graveyards in Falls County, this bucolic site is all that remains of Long Branch, an African American community of tenant farmers and manual laborers, many of whom came to Texas from Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia; the cemetery traces its beginnings to 1883, when trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Long Branch purchased land in the settlement for the purpose of erecting a sanctuary and establishing a burial ground; and WHEREAS, The Long Branch Cemetery was a community graveyard, meaning that any African American who was born and raised in Long Branch could be buried there without indebtedness; while many of the early interments went unrecorded, the cemetery is known to hold the graves of 25 freed slaves, and the remains of many Long Branch natives who spent their lives elsewhere were brought home by loved ones to this final resting place; the more than 200 known burials include those of sharecroppers, domestics, hotel workers, taxi drivers, seamstresses, midwives, teachers, carpenters, butchers, brick masons, and farmers; and WHEREAS, Notable individuals buried in Long Branch include Silvia King, a native of Morocco who is believed to have been born in 1803 and who died in Falls County in 1937; her remarkable life story was recorded in the 1930s by staff of the Works Progress Administration; also buried in the cemetery are a Civil War veteran, Anthony Shaw of the 104th U.S. Colored Infantry, as well as veterans of World War I, World War II, and Vietnam; and WHEREAS, The last worship services in the church were held in 1971 and the building was later destroyed by fire, but Long Branch Cemetery remains an active burial ground and a hallowed reminder of the rich history of this once-vibrant Texas community; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas Legislature hereby commemorate the unveiling of an Official Texas Historical Marker at Long Branch Cemetery in Falls County and extend to all those present sincere best wishes for a meaningful and memorable event. Kacal Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 2392 was adopted by the House on May 13, 2015, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House