ROAD TRIP: A week’s worth of Juneteenth celebrations across the Lone Star State

THE WOODLANDS, TX – The summer break has its fair share of holidays – from Father’s Day to Independence Day to Labor Day and including lesser-known observations such as International Panic Day (June 18), International Joke Day (July 1), and Lazy Day where people are encouraged to do absolutely nothing on August 10.

One holiday that deserves as much consideration as our nation’s 250th birthday this July is Juneteenth, this year the 150th celebration of the day when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston with 2,000 troops to announce General Order No. 3, declaring that more than 250,000 enslaved African Americans in Texas were free. The first official celebrations began in 1866, exactly one year after the announcement, organized by freedmen in Texas as "Jubilee Day." While Texas recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday in 1980, it was not established as a federal holiday until 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.

This year, the Texas Historical Commission has listed some events throughout the Lone Star State that help commemorate the end of slavery in the United States and use the opportunity to honor freedom, resilience, and Black history.

In the days up to, including, and after the 19th of June, several historical sites are holding events to mark the occasion, and at Woodlands Online encourage you to pack the family in the car and head out for a road trip to one or more of them.

On June 13, there will be a commemoration of Juneteenth and the reading of General Order No. 3 at the Levi Jordan Plantation State Historic Site. The program will begin at 10:00 a.m., with readings at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. from Allen Mack, a living history interpreter from the United States Colored Troops and founder of the Living History Foundation. There will be demonstrations throughout the day until 4:00 p.m.

Also on June 13, at San Felipe de Austin Historical State Site in San Felipe, visitors are invited to join staff for a celebration of the lives of those that lived in San Felipe de Austin 200 years ago under the bonds of enslavement. Hear how these people impacted the story of San Felipe de Austin and their own unique personal histories. While you’re there, be sure to check out the temporary exhibit, ‘Bypassed by Freedom but Building a Legacy,’ on display in the museum gallery through Labor Day.

Two separate sites, the Levi Jordan Plantation in Brazoria and the Varner-Hogg Plantation in West Columbia, will be holding Juneteenth Guided Tours on June 17 and 20. From 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. on those days, learn about the enslaved people of the plantations and Juneteenth history. The tour is included in the cost of admission to the site, and no registration is required.

To accommodate those who can’t commemorate Juneteenth until later, the Levi Jordan Plantation will be hosting from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. the opening of ‘History Made Me!,’ an exhibition by local students celebrating Juneteenth. These students were encouraged to interview their elders, learn about family and local history, and make an art project in response. Light refreshments will be served on this opening day. Last year’s exhibition featured paintings, poems, and even a cello performance, so be sure to check out what is in store this year. And if you can’t make the opening date, the exhibition will be displayed throughout the summer in the Levi Jordan Plantation Visitor’s Center.

Also on June 27, the Washington-on-the-Brazos Historical Site in Washington will host the annual Judge Eddie E. Harrison Juneteenth Heritage Celebration. This year’s focus will be Charting New Ground: African American Trailblazers. In addition to the speakers, there will be cultural heritage booths, food vendors, and craft vendors in the Conference Center. The event is free and open to the public. Speakers and performers will include Millican MBC Choir, Dr. Christine Nix (the first female African American Texas Ranger), Fantasy Band, Christina Williams, and Tamesha Pruett-Ray.

For a full slate of events and directions to these historical sites and more, visit thc.texas.gov.