Only original copy of Juneteenth document on display at Hall of State in Dallas
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger -- who commanded the Headquarters District of Texas -- stood in Galveston with his regiment of about 2,000 Union soldiers and informed the people of Texas that all enslaved Black Americans living in the state were now free.
After Lee's surrender in April 1865 and Granger's arrival in Texas nearly two months later, Union forces were finally able to overcome the resistance and end the rebellion in Texas.
The document Granger read from was simply titled General Order No. 3. It informed Texans that the Civil War had ended and proclaimed the end of slavery in the state. The document reads in part:
"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 an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor."
The only known original copy of the document is housed at the permanent archives of the Dallas Historical Society at the The Hall of State in Dallas' Fair Park. Normally, the document is kept in the archives, but visitors this year have a chance to see history for themselves.
Through the end of July, General Order No. 3 will be on display in the Hall of Heroes at the Hall of State from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
The exhibition is part of the Dallas Historical Society's centennial anniversary celebration. The Society was founded in 1922 and is the oldest organization in Dallas County committed to preserving the history of the area and presenting it to the public.
The first Juneteenth, which is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, was celebrated in 1866. The end of slavery in Texas took place nearly two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact in Texas when it became official on January 1, 1863 since the state was still occupied by Confederate troops.
