The Briefing Room
State Chapters => Texas => Topic started by: Elderberry on July 21, 2018, 02:47:05 am
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CBS News July 18, 2018
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas -- Forty-eight sets of remains believed to have been buried between 1878 and 1910 have been exhumed from an unmarked cemetery in Fort Bend County, Texas, CBS Houston affiliate KHOU-TV reports. Bodies at the site, which construction crews discovered in April, likely belonged to African-American prison inmates who were forced to work on plantations.
Artifacts, including chains, have also been uncovered.
"Some of these chains, especially the ones that date prior to the Industrial Revolution, some of them have swivels on them, which were more than likely utilized in chain gangs," said Reign Clark, the site's archaeological project manager.
In total, 95 sets of remains have been found since crews found the cemetery when they started work on building Fort Bend Independent School District's $59 million career and technical center in Sugar Land, Texas, according to KHOU-TV.
More than 100 years ago, the suburb south of Houston -- now home to shopping malls, residences and Imperial Sugar Co. -- was comprised of prison camps and sugar cane plantations, The Washington Post reported. Back then, it was known as the "Hellhole on the Brazos." In 1883, the State Convention of Colored Men of Texas complained that convicts who were leased by the state to plantation owners sometimes worked chopping sugar cane until they "dropped dead in their tracks," the Post reported.
More: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bodies-black-inmates-who-worked-on-plantations-exhumed-fort-bend-county-texas-sugar-land/ (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bodies-black-inmates-who-worked-on-plantations-exhumed-fort-bend-county-texas-sugar-land/)
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We have amazing technology that can see skin color on bones that do not contain skin.
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We have amazing technology that can see skin color on bones that do not contain skin.
Ethnic differences in bone geometry between White, Black and South Asian men in the UK
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5004623/ (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5004623/)
What are the anatomical differences between Caucasians and Africans?
https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-anatomical-differences-between-Caucasians-and-Africans (https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-anatomical-differences-between-Caucasians-and-Africans)
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Does anyone know where the location is?
I've read a couple of articles, but all they say is Fort Bend County.
I was thinking it might be in the University/59 area, from the photos I've seen.
This whole deal reminds me of the song "Ain't no more cane in the Brazos".
I've known some of the history.
Slave labor was used until after the civil war.
Convict labor was used after that.
The sheriff was in cahoots with the Imperial Sugar Company.
People would get arrested on trumped-up charges, so they could be sent to the Sugar Land unit to work on the sugar harvest.
There is a train the runs down Highway 90A right past the prison (that used to be there until recently).
The legend was, that when the midnight train would roll by, if the light of the train shined on you, you would be free soon.
Leadbelly wrote a song about it, later made famous by Creedence Clearwater Revival, "The Midnight Special".
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Does anyone know where the location is?
I've read a couple of articles, but all they say is Fort Bend County.
http://fbindependent.com/fbisd-to-build-million-career-and-technical-education-facility-in-telfa-p10086-1.htm (http://fbindependent.com/fbisd-to-build-million-career-and-technical-education-facility-in-telfa-p10086-1.htm)
Located at Chatham Avenue and University Boulevard, the site of the future FBISD facility will allow easy access to Highway 6, Highway 90 and Highway 59 so that students from all 11 comprehensive high school campuses can attend specialized courses at the facility.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Chatham+Ave+%26+University+Blvd,+Sugar+Land,+TX+77479/@29.6049677,-95.6566059,14.56z/data= (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Chatham+Ave+%26+University+Blvd,+Sugar+Land,+TX+77479/@29.6049677,-95.6566059,14.56z/data=)!4m5!3m4!1s0x8640e134f129054f:0x5f34142214e656d4!8m2!3d29.6033402!4d-95.648067
Just south of Hwy 6 and Hwy 90.
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Okay, I know where that is.
Behind the H-E-B on Hwy 6.
It's the first light south of 6 on University.
If you turn right on Chatham, then take the next right, it puts you at 90A right at the prison entrance.
It makes sense, all that land was owned by the prison at one time, and not all that long ago.
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Community vows to honor those in unmarked Sugar Land graves
https://www.chron.com/business/article/Community-vows-to-honor-those-buried-in-unmarked-13096212.php (https://www.chron.com/business/article/Community-vows-to-honor-those-buried-in-unmarked-13096212.php)
Under a canopy of crepe myrtles among the manicured environs of Sugar Land, activists stood in near triple-digit heat Sunday afternoon to pay homage to the African-Americans buried in unmarked graves just feet away on the site of a Fort Bend ISD construction project.
They gathered with their children, relatives and friends, waving pan-African and Black Panther flags, as community leaders spoke through a megaphone about the some 95 graves that have been found at the site along University Boulevard and Chatham.
Those buried are believed to have been part of the state’s convict-leasing system, in which prisoners, primarily African-Americans, were contracted out for labor. The statewide program was initiated shortly after slavery was outlawed more than 150 years ago.
Under a canopy of crepe myrtles among the manicured environs of Sugar Land, activists stood in near triple-digit heat Sunday afternoon to pay homage to the African-Americans buried in unmarked graves just feet away on the site of a Fort Bend ISD construction project.
They gathered with their children, relatives and friends, waving pan-African and Black Panther flags, as community leaders spoke through a megaphone about the some 95 graves that have been found at the site along University Boulevard and Chatham.
Those buried are believed to have been part of the state’s convict-leasing system, in which prisoners, primarily African-Americans, were contracted out for labor. The statewide program was initiated shortly after slavery was outlawed more than 150 years ago.
“We’re going to give these ancestors a proper acknowledgment,†said Kofi Taharka, national chairman of the National Black United Front, as the group walked in a procession alongside the construction site.
The group praised and prayed for Reginald Moore, guardian of the nearby Old Imperial Farm Cemetery, who had long believed additional graves existed in the area.
Moore, who was at the event Sunday, had warned the school district not to build on the site. He has been studying the history of the area for years and believes there are more hidden graves in areas nearby.
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Crazy, I read 3 articles on this Saturday, and none mentioned the location.
I was telling Thackney that I live fairly close to this.
3.6 miles to be exact.
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The Sugar Land campus of the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences occupies one of the old Central State Farm buildings now at the intersection of University and New Territory. The last time I was in there some of the prison history was displayed.
I moved to Houston in 1992 and in my early days here TxDC still owned more of the land, including immediately west of Hwy 6 at US Hwy 90 (less than a mile from my desk at this moment). I used to see chain gangs occasionally working near that intersection, but it's been many years since I last saw one. I can't swear that the men were literally chained together, but they were out doing labor under the watchful eyes of mounted officers armed with long guns. I doubt the practice persists today.
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The Sugar Land campus of the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences occupies one of the old Central State Farm buildings now at the intersection of University and New Territory. The last time I was in there some of the prison history was displayed.
I moved to Houston in 1992 and in my early days here TxDC still owned more of the land, including immediately west of Hwy 6 at US Hwy 90 (less than a mile from my desk at this moment). I used to see chain gangs occasionally working near that intersection, but it's been many years since I last saw one. I can't swear that the men were literally chained together, but they were out doing labor under the watchful eyes of mounted officers armed with long guns. I doubt the practice persists today.
@HoustonSam
Funny, how you live in Katy and work in Sugar Land, and I have just the opposite situation.
I've lived in my house over 20 years, and I'd see that sort of thing.
Also the road signs warning you not to pick up hitch-hikers.
We'd get the occasional "be-on-the-lookout" for escapees reports, but that part was many years ago.
We've taken the grand kids to the museum you are talking about.
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...I used to see chain gangs occasionally working near that intersection, but it's been many years since I last saw one. I can't swear that the men were literally chained together, but they were out doing labor under the watchful eyes of mounted officers armed with long guns. I doubt the practice persists today.
Does Texas have chain gangs?
https://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/faq/cid.html#chain (https://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/faq/cid.html#chain)
No, Texas does not use chain gangs. However, offenders working outside the perimeter fence are supervised by armed correctional officers on horseback.
Low risk offenders perform public service projects contributing tax savings to local governments. The service jobs range from cleaning storm damage from creeks and rivers to building homes for Habitat for Humanity. Community service work not only benefits the general citizenry, but also allows offenders to make restitution to the community. Often this work is performed by a low risk offender that meets certain classification requirements. Providing service to the community instills a sense of pride and connects the offender to society which may lead to rehabilitation.
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I've seen them cleaning the beaches, but it has been quite few years since I have seen them.
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If any of you are familiar with that piece of land, there used to be a pretty large 2 story brick home, long abandoned, on the site.
I believe that was the warden's house, at one point in time.
Does anyone know for sure?
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Does Texas have chain gangs?
https://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/faq/cid.html#chain (https://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/faq/cid.html#chain)
No, Texas does not use chain gangs. However, offenders working outside the perimeter fence are supervised by armed correctional officers on horseback.
I've seen them cleaning the beaches, but it has been quite few years since I have seen them.
Thanks @thackney. No real surprise that they weren't literally "chain gangs", and based on this link I suppose the practice actually does persist.
Closest similar thing I've seen recently was a similar crew doing beach clean up work down at the Quintana Jetty a couple of years ago, but they were supervised by the Brazoria County Sheriffs' Dept. Obviously they were jail inmates or just community service types rather than prison inmates, and they were mainly following the deputy around as he told stories and cracked jokes. The Boy Scout troop I was helping to lead was probably getting more useful work done.
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If any of you are familiar with that piece of land, there used to be a pretty large 2 story brick home, long abandoned, on the site.
I believe that was the warden's house, at one point in time.
Does anyone know for sure?
Quite happy to report that I've never seen any of that land up close and personal. For some reason I thought the small brick houses at Hwy 6 and US 90 were where trustees were quartered, but I actually have no idea.
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Quite happy to report that I've never seen any of that land up close and personal. For some reason I thought the small brick houses at Hwy 6 and US 90 were where trustees were quartered, but I actually have no idea.
My grandfather was a warden in Georgia. Trustees are still prisoners and have cells as do all prisoners. As they are somewhat trusted, as they do work for the prison, they aren't watched as closely.
I even had a trustee cut my hair in the prison barber shop.
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Quite happy to report that I've never seen any of that land up close and personal. For some reason I thought the small brick houses at Hwy 6 and US 90 were where trustees were quartered, but I actually have no idea.
Those that were on the north side of 90A were where the staff/guards lived.
Our son went trick-or-treating with another kid who lived there with his mom and dad, who worked for the prison, when he was in elementary school.
(No, they didn't trick-or-treat at the prison).
The large house I was referring to was south of 90A, but on the same side (west) of HWY 6.
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Ethnic differences in bone geometry between White, Black and South Asian men in the UK
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5004623/ (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5004623/)
What are the anatomical differences between Caucasians and Africans?
https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-anatomical-differences-between-Caucasians-and-Africans (https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-anatomical-differences-between-Caucasians-and-Africans)
Ok, so we actually did this comparative analysis to conclude the probability of these bones belonging to blacks?
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We have amazing technology that can see skin color on bones that do not contain skin.
Did you not read the article? :shrug:
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Ok, so we actually did this comparative analysis to conclude the probability of these bones belonging to blacks?
Is it important to you that they be whites? Why the eagerness to 'prove' they weren't black?
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Ok, so we actually did this comparative analysis to conclude the probability of these bones belonging to blacks?
One of the articles I read said they believed they were black based on the bone structure.
I'm no anthropologist, but based on what I know about the history of the area, this isn't a shock or surprise.
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Often this work is performed by a low risk offender that meets certain classification requirements
My wife got them when she worked in a cotton mill. Mostly repeat DUI's and Non-Payment of Child Support.
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Is it important to you that they be whites? Why the eagerness to 'prove' they weren't black?
why the eagerness to say there were black?
ThaT is racist.
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Did you not read the article? :shrug:
Yes I did. Why ask?
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One of the articles I read said they believed they were black based on the bone structure.
I'm no anthropologist, but based on what I know about the history of the area, this isn't a shock or surprise.
Here is some more information from Rice University.
http://news.rice.edu/2018/07/23/activists-archives-of-convict-leasing-system-reside-at-rice/ (http://news.rice.edu/2018/07/23/activists-archives-of-convict-leasing-system-reside-at-rice/)
They were likely part of the Convict Leasing System which was segregated and African Americans who were charged with even the smallest of crimes were 'leased out' to farms. The Rice article has a lot of links including images of those working in the system.
(https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/news-network.rice.edu/dist/c/2/files/2018/07/7d7fca5d7aec9ba61864565cd819b664-2dlnbwf.jpg)
You don't really even need a bone structure or DNA analysis to see exactly who was being used in this program.
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Here is some more information from Rice University.
http://news.rice.edu/2018/07/23/activists-archives-of-convict-leasing-system-reside-at-rice/ (http://news.rice.edu/2018/07/23/activists-archives-of-convict-leasing-system-reside-at-rice/)
They were likely part of the Convict Leasing System which was segregated and African Americans who were charged with even the smallest of crimes were 'leased out' to farms. The Rice article has a lot of links including images of those working in the system.
(https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/news-network.rice.edu/dist/c/2/files/2018/07/7d7fca5d7aec9ba61864565cd819b664-2dlnbwf.jpg)
You don't really even need a bone structure or DNA analysis to see exactly who was being used in this program.
This is all coming together now.
Flanagan House, was that 2 story house I mentioned earlier.
It was the warden's house.
It was pretty much in the center of the plot of land where they are finding this graves.
That existing Imperial Farms cemetery is also on this same parcel, but north of where they are finding these bodies now.
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Ain't no more cane on the Brazos
Ooh, ooh, ooh
It's all been ground down to molasses
Ooh, ooh, ooh
You should've been on the river in nineteen and ten
Ooh, ooh, ooh
They were drivin' the women just like they drove the men
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Go down Old Hannah, don't you rise no more
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Don't you rise up 'til Judgment Day's for sure
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ain't no more cane on the Brazos
Ooh, ooh, ooh
It's all been ground down to molasses
Oh, ooh, ooh
Captain, don't you do me like you done poor old Shine
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Well ya drove that bully 'til he went stone blind
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Wake up on a lifetime, hold up your own head
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Well, you may get a pardon and then you might drop dead
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ain't no more cane on the Brazos
Ooh, ooh, ooh
It's all been ground down to molasses
Ooh, ooh, ooh
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I have seen, within the past year, guys in orange jumpsuits working under supervision outside of the Fort Bend County jail. They were digging a trench, perhaps to get to a leaking pipe or some other buried thing that needed to be fixed.
I wonder how they determined that they were buried starting in 1878: From 1869 to 1874, the sheriff of Fort Bend County was Walter Moses Burton, born a slave in North Carolina. To go from being a slave to the first African American sheriff in the US in four short years (CW 1861 - 1865) is quite a story. He went on to serve several terms in the Texas Senate.
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Yes I did. Why ask?
Because your questions indicate a certain ignorance, that’s all.
As for my questioning your questions because I’m racist, that’s just dumb.
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Low security risk inmates from Orange County Jail were routinely used for work assignments at State Beaches, until recently.
I'm fairly certain low security inmates, get a chance to work on firefighting assignments. For example a fire is burning near Yosemite Nt. Park, and an article said there were 2700 firefighter, there.
Mostly low skilled, but very hard and dangerous work.
I think they earn credits for doing such work. Great flick, starring Josh Brolin about the guys killed near Prescot AZ.
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Because your questions indicate a certain ignorance, that’s all.
As for my questioning your questions because I’m racist, that’s just dumb.
Ignorant of what exactly?
And racism jumps out by those who MUST place a racial component in all news. The fact that there were any but blacks there is immaterial to some apparently as racial characteristics of all news must be maintained.