This historical report offers a firsthand account of the ceremony that marked the beginning of construction on the New Capitol of Texas. A valuable resource for anyone interested in the history of Texas or the evolution of our nation's capitol. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Excerpt from One Texas: Report of the Ceremonies of Laying the Corner Stone of the New State Capitol, Austin, March 2, 1885 The Second Day of March is a memorable one in the history of Texas, because on that date, in the year 1836, the people of this territory, tired of groaning longer under Mexican despotism, rose in their majesty, and through their chosen delegates, in solemn convention assembled, declared their independence of Mexico and flung to the breezes of heaven the Lone Star Flag of the Republic of Texas. The second day of March, A. D. 1885, the forty-ninth anniversary of Texan Independence, is one never to be forgotten by those who were fortunate enough to have witnessed or participated in the stirring events which occurred on that day in connection with laying the Corner Stone of the New Capitol of Texas - yes, let us say One Texas, now and forever, a sentiment which should permeate the heart of every true Texan. But let us hasten to our narrative. On the second day of December, 1884, by invitation of Hon. W. C. Walsh, member of the Capitol Board, a number of gentlemen assembled in the county courtroom, in the city of Austin, for the purpose of discussing and devising ways and means for inaugurating proper and becoming ceremonies for laying the corner stone of the new State capitol, now in course of construction. Hon. Z. T. Fulmore, County Judge of Travis County, was called to the chair, and Will Lambert requested to act as secretary. Captain Walsh briefly stated the object in view when he requested this consultation. There was no provision in the contract for building the new capitol for a corner stone, nor was there any appropriation in law for defraying the expenses of procuring a suitable one, if the capitol board saw proper to have one. What was to be done? He had spoken to a number of citizens of Austin upon the subject, and they had told him that they would contribute of their private means toward purchasing and preparing a corner stone, suitable to ornament the grand structure, and to make the occasion of laying that stone a notable and memorable one in the history of the State. Thus encouraged. Captain Walsh laid the matter before the capitol board, when he was authorized to represent, and in all things act for, the board in the matter of the corner stone. A heavy load had thus been put upon his shoulders, but with that generous aid which he expected from the people of the -Capital City- he felt confident of his ability to carry the project through to a successful termination. Let the good work begin at once, and their need be no fears of the final result. With the brief and patriotic remarks of Captain Walsh began the -good work- which terminated so happily, so grandly, on the forty-ninth anniversary of our own loved Texas' natal day. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
From its beginning as one of the most ambitious construction projects west of the Mississippi, the imposing red granite Lone Star statehouse loomed large in Texas lore. The iconic landmark rests on a foundation of election rigging, an unsolved murder, land swaps and pre-dedication blackmail. It bore witness to the first meeting between LBJ and Lady Bird, as well as a bizarre resolution honoring the Boston Strangler. Mike Cox digs up a quarry's worth of the capitol's untold history, cataloguing everything from its ghost stories to its public art and collectible tourist kitsch.
A New York Times bestseller, The Midnight Assassin is a sweeping narrative history of a terrifying serial killer--America's first--who stalked Austin, Texas in 1885. In the late 1800s, the city of Austin, Texas was on the cusp of emerging from an isolated western outpost into a truly cosmopolitan metropolis. But beginning in December 1884, Austin was terrorized by someone equally as vicious and, in some ways, far more diabolical than London's infamous Jack the Ripper. For almost exactly one year, the Midnight Assassin crisscrossed the entire city, striking on moonlit nights, using axes, knives, and long steel rods to rip apart women from every race and class. At the time the concept of a serial killer was unthinkable, but the murders continued, the killer became more brazen, and the citizens' panic reached a fever pitch. Before it was all over, at least a dozen men would be arrested in connection with the murders, and the crimes would expose what a newspaper described as "the most extensive and profound scandal ever known in Austin." And yes, when Jack the Ripper began his attacks in 1888, London police investigators did wonder if the killer from Austin had crossed the ocean to terrorize their own city. With vivid historical detail and novelistic flair, Texas Monthly journalist Skip Hollandsworth brings this terrifying saga to life.
