Proc. 2020-11 - Grant historical marker - 12-5-19
Proclamation N0. 2020-18
WHEREAS the Bishop Ward Normal and Collegiate Institute was the fifth black college established in the state of Texas, operating for seven years, on Smith Hill in Huntsville; and
WHEREAS, it was only possible for black students to pursue a higher education through the efforts Bishops Richard H Cain and Thomas M.D. Ward and Reverend Charles W. Porter of the African
Methodist Episcopal Church; and
WHEREAS, the board of trustees for the Institute, which was established in 1883, purchased 54-acre plot that included a two-story brick home that would become the school, with dormitories
later constructed from funds raised; and
WHEREAS, teachers purchased and owned the first textbooks, and courses included Latin, Greek, Mathematics and Grammar, with enrollment of over 100 black students in the first term;
and
WHEREAS, Grant Colony was named after Col. Grant who lived and breathed economy into this area until his death in 1889.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY PROCLAIMED, by the power vested in me on behalf of the Mayor of the City of Huntsville, Texas that:
February 22, 2020
be declared: Col. George W. Grant Day
in the City of Huntsville.
PROCLAIMED AND SIGNED this, the 22nd day of February 2020.
_________________
Andy Brauninger, Mayor