Juneteenth has been celebrated in Bastrop County for generations. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln and went into effect on January 1, 1863. Slaves were freed in all states that seceded from the Union, and all other slaves outside of these states were freed by legislation and constitutional amendments. Slave owners in Texas, as well as the state government, ignored the proclamation. The slaves in Texas did not receive freedom until June 19, 1865 when Major-General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston and sent out Union troops across the state to enforce the law. Although freedom was slow in coming ...