Historic Juneteenth document debuts in Dallas
The Brief
The only known original Juneteenth General Order No. 3 will be on exhibit at Fair Park's Hall of State in Dallas starting June 19.
The historical document signifying the end of slavery in Texas was brought to Dallas by a Galveston newspaperman, G.B. Dealey.
The exhibit is free and will continue to be on display through the end of the State Fair of Texas.
DALLAS - The only known remaining, the original Juneteenth General Order No. 3, will go on exhibit at Fair Park's Hall of State on June 19.
Civil rights leaders said it is special that Dallas gets to have this special piece of history.
The only known copy of the order that symbolized the end of slavery both here in Texas and in the United States.
What we know
The Dallas historical society says their founder, a Galveston newspaperman, G.B. Dealey, brought this original copy of General Order No. 3 to Dallas, when he moved here from Galveston to start the Dallas Morning News.
Executive director, Karl Chiao, says Dealey's family donated the hand bill to the historical society in the 1960's.
"They came to Texas with a stack of bills passing them out. The only one that kept them was a newspaper in Galveston," said Chiao. "When we went through it, we realized we had one of the original hand bills that had been passed out to let slaves know they were free in Texas."
Collections curator Kaitlyn Price says the order was recently framed in special glass that will protect it from UV light, as well as dust particles.
"There are a few printed versions. This is the only one we know of that is an original-printed version signed by General Granger himself," said Price. "[This document] would have been posted in town squares, city halls and carried by union soldiers."
The backstory
The order guaranteed the "absolute equality of personal rights".
Once on display to the public on June 19...it will be surrounded by other interactive exhibits that show how the order was received with firsthand accounts that often included the phrase, "you are as free as I am."
Marvin Dulaney is the deputy director of the African-American museum and spoke on the historical significance of this document.
"It is one of the significant documents in American history that signifies the end of slavery in Texas and the United States," said Dulaney.
"It means a lot to me that we have this here in Dallas, of all places. Signifies Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 took another 2.5 years before it got to Texas, but when it got to Texas it was conclusive for ending slavery in this country."
What they're saying
Levi Davis, the first African American assistant city manager in Dallas, will be part of the panel discussions.
He says change in Dallas took a long time.
"Dallas was a different place. I became in charge of the police department and I called the police chief who reported to me. But he wouldn't answer the phone because I was black, although I was his boss," said Davis.
What's next
The document will continue to be on display through the end of the State Fair of Texas.
The exhibit will be open to the public, starting with a panel discussion here on Thursday, June 19 at 6:30 pm.
It is free, but a reservation is required.
The Source
Information in this article was provided by interviews conducted by FOX 4's Lori Brown.
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