Dallas has only copy of Juneteenth handbill
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The Dallas Historical Society has the only known copy of General Order No. 3, which declared enslaved people were free. Photo: Tasha Tsiaperas/Axios
The only known remaining copy of General Order No. 3, the document that announced the end of slavery in Texas, is in Dallas.
Why it matters: Texas was the last Confederate state with institutional slavery — even after the Civil War ended.
- The general order was issued in Galveston on June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
Flashback: An estimated 250,000 Black people remained enslaved in Texas when 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston.
- Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued Order No. 3, stating "all slaves are free."
- Troops posted handbills, and newspapers published the order. News of freedom then spread by word of mouth across the state.
Driving the news: Starting Wednesday, the Dallas Historical Society will display the handbill as part of an exhibit to commemorate Juneteenth, the nation's second independence day.
- "Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom" runs until Aug. 31 at the Hall of State in Fair Park. The exhibit will reopen for the State Fair of Texas on Sept. 26.
State of play: George Bannerman Dealey brought the handbill from Galveston to Dallas, where he oversaw the launch of the Dallas Morning News in 1885.
- He founded the Dallas Historical Society in 1922 and later donated the document to the group's archives. The original signed order is in the National Archives.
Reality check: The general order also told freedmen "to remain at their present homes, and work for wages" for the people who had enslaved them.
- They were told not to gather at military outposts because they would "not be supported in idleness."
The intrigue: The Dallas Morning News, under Dealey's leadership, warned of the Ku Klux Klan's rapid growth in the city. Dallas had the most Klan members per capita of any U.S. city.
- The paper published hundreds of articles unmasking Klan activities.
What's next: The historical society is hosting a panel discussion featuring civil rights leader Rev. Peter Johnson, historian W. Marvin Dulaney and Levi Davis, the city's first Black assistant city manager.
- The free discussion is Thursday at 6:30pm at the Hall of State. A ticketed happy hour begins at 5:30pm.