When Major Gen. Gordon Granger read “General Order No. 3” publicly in Galveston, Texas, on Monday, June 19, 1865, more than 250,000 human beings were enslaved in this state, and while they were freed officially, it took a long time for the news — and the freedom — to reach every person living in bondage.
Texas was the last rebel state where slaves awaited emancipation, which a victorious Union Army arrived to forcibly enact.
When thousands of federal troops arrived in Galveston that day, including an entire regiment of “colored troops,” Texans knew things were about to change.
The nation, newly rejoined, was still mourning the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and the Galveston News reported on the public commemorations of the slain president taking place across America.
The paper reported that in Boston, the military and civic procession was miles-long, taking more than two hours to pass a given point, and that mourners packed every sidewalk along the route, where all the buildings were draped in black.
However, another milestone for black people was reported in the Galveston News that day.
A prominent feature of today, was that negroes were allowed to ride in the passenger railroad cars. No public notice was given of the intention of the railway companies to do this, but it is understood they have ceased their opposition, and will hereinafter allow black people to ride in the same cars as others.
Granger’s arrival was summed up in a couple of paragraphs.
The number of the United States troops that arrived yesterday by four transports cannot be less than two or three thousand, and several more transports are expected to land their troops today.
General Wietzel arrived today …bringing troops for Indianola. Major General Granger also arrived and will make his headquarters in the city for the present. Nothing is said of the probable time of the arrival of the Military or Provisional Governor.
About fifty negroes were this morning taken by the federals and sent under guard to work at cutting wood and act a laborers generally.
The General Order issued by Granger contained specific language, indicating formerly enslaved people were to remain in place, and receive wages as hired hands.
“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 rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection therefore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer. The freedmen are advised to remain at their present homes and work for wages.”
In fact, some slaves in isolated places were not truly freed until the Army came along to look things over, which was part of their assignment.
(In fact, some slave owners fled south with their slaves, settling in places like Brazil, where slavery wasn’t outlawed until 1888.)
But the date was destined to live forever in the hearts of the emancipated, and the very next year, almost every black community in Texas held some kind of little picnic celebration for what was initially known as “Jubilee Day.”
“You shall treat this fiftieth year as sacred. You shall proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to your own property, each of you to your own family.”
Leviticus 25:10
Because most of the newspapers at that time were indifferent to the lives of newly-freed black citizens, little press coverage exists in the first few years of the celebration.
Early Jubilee Day Celebrations
As it was a summer observance, Jubilee Day lent itself to prayer services and barbecues, baseball games and picnics, and as the celebrations grew, began feature parades as well.
The celebration at Galveston was very important, serving as a pilgrim site, and according to historians, black travelers were often seen heading to and from the island in style, wearing their finest clothing now that they were free from the rags of slavery.
An early press report by the Daily Democratic Statesman of Austin reported on preparations for the event on June 15, 1875.
EMANCIPATION CELEBRATON — On next Saturday, the nineteenth, the colored people of this county and surrounding county will indulge in a celebration barbecue and picnic, about three miles and a half east of the city, on the Bastrop road, and from the preparations being made, and the general interest taken in the affair, it is probable two or three thousand people will be present.
We learn that the military band has been employed for the occasion, and that liberal contributions of food are being made.
Davis Stewart, chairman of the committee on arrangements authorized the STATESMAN to say that a general invitation is extended to all the people who share an interest in the advancement of the colored people will especially receive a cordial greeting.
The Galveston Daily News
Wednesday, June 20, 1883
A salute of thirty-eight guns this morning, in honor of Emancipation Day, assembled the colored population of the city on the Military Plaza, where they were formed into a procession…
After giving a few details about the local celebration, the paper related brief reports from events in at least a dozen other cities, including Austin, Brenham, Corsicana, Dallas, San Antonio and Navasota.
Austin 1900
By 1900, most cities had a well-established, multi-day festival around June 19.
A Juneteenth band played as men tended to a giant barbecue pit in East Woods Park in Austin, during the celebrations in 1900.
That park had long been a site of Emancipation Day gatherings and was originally known as Wheeler’s Grove.
Now known as Eastwoods Park, the site became a segregated space for black Austinites with a swimming pool, baseball fields, and recreation center before integration.
(It’s also famous as the original home of Eeyore’s Birthday Party.)
June 19th in San Angelo
The first press account of the celebration locally available was reported in 1904.
Emancipation Day is being celebrated by the negro population of San Angelo Today with a picnic and barbecue at Picnic Bend. Scores of colored people made their way to the picnic grounds today, headed by a band and accompanied by several orators of their own race. Several weeks have been consumed in the preparation.
San Angelo 1913
A staff correspondent for the TEMPLE TELEGRAM was in San Angelo during the Emancipation Day celebrations of 1913, and wrote the following dispatch, giving us a longer-than usual glimpse into race relations in Texas at that time.
San Angelo, June 19. — Writing that date, invariably recalls to mind that is the big day with colored folks. It may be news to some to learn that this far western city has a large number of negroes, with a considerable number of the race scattered about on the ranches also.
The San Angelo colony celebrated with a picnic today, and with the river to go to and with fishing and swimming they are supposed to have duly paid reverence to the day they have selected in this state.
As probably most everybody knows, the emancipation is celebrated at different times in different state due to the custom of some to observe the date the on which the proclamation was signed, and by others on the date it became effective in the particular state.
An Important Annual Event
Sunday, June 19, 1921, marked the 56th anniversary of Emancipation Day, and San Angelo’s black population at that time still included several citizens who had been born into slavery.
This is the first year the local Jubilee Day celebrations received a whole report in the newspaper, with a 30-point headline.
Colored Folks of San Angelo to Hold Big Emancipation Jubilee With Much Entertainment.
Juneteenth, Sunday, the fifty-sixth anniversary of the proclamation that gave freedom to four million slaves in the south will be adequately celebrated by San Angelo and the surrounding territory three days next week, beginning Monday.
The amusement features of the three days entertainment will consist of an auto parade, a big free barbecue at Picnic Bend, a fishing contest, a baseball game every day and a dance every night.
The festivities will begin at 10 o’clock Monday morning with a big auto parade in the downtown section of the city. The parade will end at the picnic ground, where a feast will be prepared which will be sufficient to allay the hunger of a big gathering of emancipation celebrators.
Songs by the San Angelo Glee Club, the Emancipation Proclamation will be read by Morris Johnson and F.G. Brown, negro school teacher, will deliver a short address.
A baseball game will be staged at Fort Concho Park on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, between the San Angelo Black Bronchos and the Abilene Black Eagles, The Ballinger Black Bear Cats, the Brownwood Black Warhorses and the Colorado Black Devils.
The games will establish the long disputed championship between the West Texas negro baseball clubs.
A dance will be held in the Knights of Pythias and Oddfellows halls each evening starting at 8:30 o’clock.
By 1930, this event is known as Juneteenth in most of the state, and San Angelo’s celebration was the largest in West Texas, drawing more than 500 participants from outside of town every year.
A common given reason for the unique name comes from the fact that the multi-day festivities were typically moved to the nearest weekend, so the celebration took place around June 19th.
San Angelo 2025
To mark the 160th anniversary of Emancipation Day in Texas, several events are planned in San Angelo beginning today around 6 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 2121 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The Blackshear Heights Family will open festivities with water activities for the kids and Soul Food from Lorraine’s Catering.
The Juneteenth block party will take place from 6-8 p.m. Friday, with fun tournaments, and “delicious food and music that’ll keep you dancing all night.”
There will also be a giant water-gun event.
On Saturday morning, participants will be lining up at the park for the parade around 8 a.m. and the event begins at 9 a.m.
There will be a Step Team performance at 10 a.m., and then guest speakers will deliver remarks beginning at 11 a.m.
The 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament also begins at 11 a.m. at the Northside Boys & Girls Club, 1802 N. Lillie St.
A community meal is planned for noon.
