African Cemetery No. 2. |
Despite this being more than two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Texans were so removed that the President's executive order was never enforced. But Major General Gordon Granger offered this General Order No. 3:
"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 heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer."Among those Union troops arriving at Galveston were six regiments of the U.S. Colored Troops organized in Kentucky. Those regiments, and the location of their organization, are listed below:
109th - Louisville
114th - Camp Nelson
115th - Bowling Green
116th - Camp Nelson
117th - Covington
122nd - Louisville
African Cemetery No. 2, Lexington, Ky. Fred Rogers/NRHP |
Since 2003, Juneteenth has been annually celebrated in Lexington, Kentucky at the African Cemetery No. 2 on East Seventh Street (Note, however, that local festivities are held on Saturday closest to Juneteenth).
This year, the sesquicenntial celebration will include a flag ceremony honoring the 65 known USCT soldiers buried at the ceremony who served at Galveston. Also included will be discussions on Fayette County's African-American hamlets of Bracktown and Adamstown.
IF YOU GO
Juneteenth Celebration
June 20, 2015
10:00 a.m. to noon
African Cemetery No. 2.
419 E. Seventh St., Lexington
Free and open to the public. |
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