We loved this little island. It’s on the Gulf Coast and has so much character and charm. The history has been enlightening, and unfortunately, so much of it tragic. It’s definitely been an experience. This is were Juneteenth originated. It was here on June 19th 1865 that the Union Army, General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived to formally inform the enslaved Black and African American people (about a quarter million) that the Emancipation Proclamation has freed them. January 1, 1863 was the day Lincoln proclaimed the end of slavery. It took over 2 years to get that information to Texas and finally to Galveston, Texas. This was primarily due to travel time since Texas was so big. Mail and verbal communication during the time period had to be delivered by horseback, wagon or on foot. The island of Galveston Texas belonged to Mexico, then Spain, then Mexico after they defeated Spain. Now it’s part of the United States. Many slaves were brought here by boat and there we
