Departed Edna Roland, Clay Roland, Mae Terry Adams, Margaret Pansy, Mitchell Ward, and Roselind Roland gather in the St. John Colony community in 2023, as photographed by Ursula Rogers

 The best kept secret in Caldwell County is the Juneteenth celebration held a few miles east of Lockhart in St. John Colony.

According to Marshall Hill, the current President of The St. John Colony Juneteenth Body, their celebration has been ongoing for 152 consecutive years. Mr. Hill, one of the descendants of the 14 original families that settled the area in 1872, told this writer one of the first things the settlers did was designate 10 acres for their church and Juneteenth observation. He went on to say that at last year’s event, they served 1,600 lbs. of brisket, 9 cases of chicken and 5 boxes of sausage donated by Black’s and Kreuz Market in Lockhart.

However, in the county seat of Lockhart, the observance of Juneteenth faded through the machinations of politics, the passing on of older locals, and the migrations of the younger locals to California, Chicago, and other cities in the 1950s. Attrition is the great equalizer.

The History of Juneteenth

The seeds of Juneteenth were planted on Jan. 1, 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves. When two and a half years later Southern farmers were still holding the slaves – and the situation in Texas was especially egregious – Presidential Order #3 was created. 

President Lincoln dispatched Gen. Gordon Granger to notify the Blacks they were free. When the slaves in Texas were told they were free on his arrival at the port of Galveston, on June 19, the former slaves were jubilant, and Juneteenth was born. Naturally, Freedom Day became a huge event during and following reconstruction.

In Lockhart, for instance, octogenarian resident Mrs. Billie Nixon Reed remembers as a young girl watching the young men play baseball and drinking cool drinks. Later they would play music and dance.

In the late 1970s, Texas Rep. and civil rights activist Al Edwards of Houston spearheaded a campaign to proclaim Juneteenth a Texas State holiday; the governor signed a declaration making it so in 1980. In the meantime, Mrs. Opal Lee, known as the grandmother of Juneteenth, had been on a 50-plus-year crusade to make Juneteenth a national holiday. Mrs. Opal’s faithful, endearing advocacy bore fruit as President Joseph Biden signed the law proclaiming Juneteenth the eleventh federal holiday in 2021.

Looking Ahead

Caldwell County is a tourist friendly destination. Lockhart is known as “The Barbecue Capital of Texas.” The reputation is heartily defended by several venues that have lines outside the doors most weekends. Luling, on the other side of the county, also has a barbecue café well known to the locals as City Market.

Plum Creek and many of its tributaries flow through Caldwell County, which  was an essential stop for the cattle drives that began farther south and west. The herds in the drive grew larger as they trickled through and traveled over what became known as the Chisholm Trail headed to the railheads in Fort Worth and farther north into Kansas.

It is only logical that the Battle of Plum Creek and the Chisholm Trail Roundup are cultural events sanctioned by the city of Lockhart and celebrated and enjoyed by citizens and visitors alike on the second weekend of June. Another city-sanctioned cultural event is celebrated in Luling: the Watermelon Thump, a harvest festival where the farmers in the surrounding community show off their crops. The Watermelon Thump is held on the fourth weekend of June.

Sitting neatly between these two celebrations is Juneteenth, which this writer believes has more significance than all the other 10 federal holidays because it affects all the people. Yet locally, the St. John’s Colony Juneteenth celebration is the only one of note.

This author spoke to various community leaders and residents, such as my sister Margaret Carter, CEO of the nonprofit Where we Thrive. She had the clearest vision of a countywide event that served everyone and that residents could enjoy. Ms. Carter preached inclusiveness and desire to pay especial attention to the overlooked and underserved. Also, Frank Gomillion and A.J. Lewis, representing District 1 Pride, said plans were vague for this year. Ms. Rosie Darby and Hattie Carter, longtime residents, hoped the city would embrace Juneteenth with the same excitement as their participation in Cinco de Mayo, The Chisholm Trail Roundup, and the Watermelon Thump. Mr. Hill said he would welcome sincere collaborations from all. 

I asked  Mr. Hill  if he could envision Juneteenth one day rivaling South by Southwest. He replied, “On the property we have a functioning museum and we are meeting with Caldwell County to permit a septic system to accommodate restrooms for our civic center now close to completion.” Stay tuned …

BY JAMES COFFEE CARTER