Recognizing the Early Deer Park Settlers Texas Historical Monument Dedication

Floor Speech

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Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the dedication of the Deer Park Early Settlers Texas State Historical Marker in Deer Park, Harris County, Texas. The text of marker reads as follows:

In 1928, Shell Oil Company purchased land in Deer Park, Texas for a new petrochemical refinery. Surveyors discovered a marble headstone broken into four pieces. Shell reassembled the headstone and maintained the area as an actual gravesite. In 1976, Shell was given permission from the Texas Historical Commission, as well as the Harris County attorney and Harris County judge to relocate the marker and disinter any remains. In March of 1977, the marble headstone and a small cement casket, from the original site, were moved to Dow Park in the City of Deer Park.

The inscription on the headstone gave the name of two siblings, Mary W. Jackson and William Wilson. These early settlers died in 1834. William Wilson purchased land in the early 1830's and built a cabin on the bank of the Buffalo Bayou with his wife and children. This was adjacent to what became the site of the Battle of San Jacinto that secured Texas' independence from Mexico in 1836. William Wilson also owned land near the settlement of Crosby. Humphrey Jackson, one of the ``Old 300'' settlers, owned land near the Wilson property in Crosby. It was presumed that Mary W. Jackson was somehow associated with Humphrey, based on a judgement recorded in Harris County records in 1852. This could explain why Mary Wilson became Mary W. Jackson.

The 186-year-old headstone is one of the oldest marked headstones in Harris County and Deer Park's oldest artifact. The historical marker reflects the history of Deer Park, as well as the history of Texas. The historical marker presents a glimpse of ordinary people in Texas in the 1830's and commemorates these early Deer Park settlers.

As a former member of the Texas Historical Commission, I know that this is a great honor for the community. I wish all of my friends in Deer Park well as they celebrate the dedication on October 20th.

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