On June 19, 1865 General Gordon Granger sailed into the Port of Galveston and proclaimed that all enslaved Blacks in Texas were free. The next year freedmen in Austin began to commemorate this day by organizing annual Emancipation Day celebrations. However, these early celebrations were more than just a time to eat, drink and reminisce about their lives before freedom. It symbolized a rite of passage for the freedmen who had transitioned from a life of enslavement to that of freedom. It was during these events that freedmen demonstrated to the white population that they were productive members of the community and worthy of citizenship.

This web project presents an annotated chronology of major events in the desegregation of Austin, Texas, from 1940 to 1980 as they appeared in local newspapers and other materials such as the Austin Files (AF) in the archives at the Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. The timeline is intended as a guide to key events necessary for an understanding of this extraordinary time in the city’s history.

Black in the Past, one-minute vignettes depicting the stories of African Americans and the communities they built. Vignette topics highlight the events, places and people that characterize Black Austin, using historic photographs and documents from the archival holdings at the Austin History Center.

After the founding of Austin as the capitol of the Republic of Texas, many settlers made their way to the new colony. Among these was Alexander Murchison, who reached Austin with his family on June 16, 1839. He brought with him Mahala, a ten-year-old black girl who served as the maid of Mrs. Murchison. One of a few black Austinites, Mahala married and had six children. The number of enslaved blacks increased when the Barton family came to Austin, bringing with them 25 to 30 slaves and settling on the land around what is now known as Barton Springs.