[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 19092-19093]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     ON THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF WISE COUNTY, TEXAS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KAY GRANGER

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 21, 2006

  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 150th 
anniversary of the establishment of Wise County, a Texas county that is 
part of the 12th Congressional District which I have the honor to 
represent in Congress.
  The area that today is known as Wise County, located northwest of the 
Fort Worth/Dallas area, initially was home to Native American Indians. 
The Coronado Expeditions in 1540 found the Wichita Indians roaming the 
region. By the mid-1800s, Texas was being settled to the north and west 
of the Gulf Coast. The first settlers, lead by Sam Woody and his 
family, came to the Wise County region in 1854 attracted by an 
abundance of land, game and other natural resources. The Woody family 
and other pioneers who came from other southern states found their new 
home ideal for farming and ranching.
  On January 23, 1856, the Texas Legislature officially created a new 
county from the larger Cook County and named it for Henry A. Wise, a 
U.S. Senator from Virginia who had supported the annexation of Texas 
into the United States a decade earlier. By a popular vote, the 
community of Taylorville, named for President Taylor, was selected to 
the county seat where the first of four county courthouses was 
constructed. Later, the town's name was changed

[[Page 19093]]

to Decatur in honor of U.S. Naval hero Stephen Decatur at the urging of 
Col. Absolam Bishop, recognized as the founder of Decatur. The present 
courthouse on the Decatur town square is the fourth, a majestic pink 
granite structure constructed in 1895 and remodeled several times 
since.
  By 1860, Wise County had more than 3,000 residents. Although Wise 
County was one of the Texas counties that voted against secession from 
the United States, it did recruit five Confederate military companies 
from among its male residents who fought in the Civil War. Following 
the Civil War, agriculture continued to be the prime focus of the Wise 
County economy. Over time, dairy farming, brick and limestone 
production and oil and gas production became important segments of the 
county's economic base. At the turn of the century, 99 percent of Wise 
County's 27,116 residents still lived in unincorporated areas.
  Wise County has the distinction of being the birthplace of the first 
established junior college when Decatur Baptist Junior College was 
created in 1892 to serve as a ``feeder school'' to Baylor University in 
Waco. In 1965, the junior college took a step forward by moving to 
Dallas and becoming Dallas Baptist University.
  Throughout its history, the many men and women of Wise County have 
served proudly in the U.S. military with distinction and honor. In 
recognition of some of its sons and daughters who fought during World 
War II and who were members of the famed ``Lost Battalion,'' Allied 
soldiers who became Japan prisoners of war, the Wise County Heritage 
Museum has dedicated a room to members of the Lost Battalion.
  Since World War II, Wise County has continued to flourish. Today, the 
county has a population of 60,400. While agribusinesses continues to be 
an important part of its economy, a growing number of residents are 
employed in a wide array of industries spread across the North Texas 
landscape. Wise County has developed a reputation as having a small 
town lifestyle with urban amenities nearby. Seventeen incorporated 
towns and cities are part of Wise County. They include: Alvord, Aurora, 
Boyd, Bridgeport, Briar, Chico, Decatur, Greenwood, Lake Bridgeport, 
Newark, New Fairview, Paradise, Pecan Acres, Rhome, Runaway Bay and 
Slidell.
  To celebrate its heritage, Wise County commemorates its founding from 
September 30 through October 7, 2006, with the Wise County 
Sesquicentennial celebration. The Wise County Sesquicentennial 
celebration honors the past and recognizes the future with events in 
every corner of the county.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to recognize Wise County on the 150th 
anniversary of its establishment and to offer sincere appreciation for 
the many contributions Wise County and its great citizens have made to 
Texas and the United States over the last 150 years.

                          ____________________