About That Confederate Woman's Home in Texas-- Part 2: Too Take Care of Indigent Confederate Widows and Wives

 "The Confederate Men's Home began in Austin  in 1884 and the Albert Sidney Johnston Chapter #105 of the Texas Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) made visits, brought gifts, food and clothing to the veterans .  Under the leadership of President Katie  Daffan, the Texas UDC began coordination and fundraising to  secure a home for needy Confederate wives and widows through dinners, events, concerts and individual donations.

The Texas UDC  purchased property and constructed a Richardson  Romanesque revival style structure.  In addition to several bedrooms and bathrooms, the home featured a parlor, a dining area and a hospital.  UDC chapters from all over the state donated furnishings for the home.

Due to the cost to maintain the home, the UDC transferred the home to the State of Texas on Dec. 23, 1911.  An annex was built that doubled the size and increased the capacity and a hospital was erected in 1916.  The state legislature established the Board of Control to operate the home in 1920.

And then in 19, responsibility transferred to the Board for Texas State Hospitals and Special Schools.

This home provided  for more than 3,400 indigent wives and widows of Confederate veterans and operated  until 1963 when the last residents were transferred to private nursing homes."

So, Does This Historical Marker Sound A Lot Like White Supremacist To You?  But, WAIT!!  --Old Secesh

Hitchcock's Confederate Veterans Home-- Part 2:

The home has been partially restored and is on the NRHP.  It hosts Juneteenth celebrations.  It was built by Virginian Henry Martyn Stringfellow, a private in the Confederate Army who fought at the battles of Yorktown and Richmond.

He accompanied Major General Magruder to Galveston and fought at the Battle of Galveston.  Promoted afterwards to captain, he was put in charge of the Houston ordnance department.  In 1863, he married Alice Johnston of Houston and settled in Galveston.

In 1866, he got involved in growing grapes for wine and in 1883, he started Stringfellow Orchards.

In 1894, he sold the property and it went through several owners and over the years it deteriorated.

--Old Secesh

Hitchcock's Confederate Veterans' Home-- Part 1: Now Owned By a Black Man

From the November 4, 2016, Houston Chronicle "Historic irony in the preservation of Confederate veterans home" by Joe Holley.

Stringfellow Orchards in Hitchcock, Texas,  was built for Confederate veterans in 1884 and is a house on nine acres of land.  Today, it is owned by Sam Collins, III, a black man.

Said Minnette Boesel:  "We've been going around the country tearing down Confederate statues, and here he is, an African American preserving the Confederate soldier's legacy home.  He recognizes the significance of the place as a teaching tool.  Our kids are learning their history from it."

--Old Secesh

Alabama Still Collecting Tax for Confederate Veterans-- Part 1

From the July 20, 2011, AP by Jay Reeves.

I originally wrote about this back on July 21st, but will rewrite.

The last Confederate veteran of the some 60,000 who served from Alabama died generations ago, yet state citizens are still paying a tax to support the neediest of them.  This is despite the state being Republican and they are against taxes.

The tax once funded the Alabama Confederate Soldier Home...which closed 72 years ago.  It operated from 1902 to 1939 and at its height had 91 veterans and 19 widows.

The tax now goes to pay for Confederate Memorial Park where the home used to be.  This park is located in Mountain Creek, Alabama, and consists of 102 acres.  There is also a museum and a research facility.

The tax also brought in millions for the veterans pensions.  Now, lawmakers slice this money up and send it to other projects.  This has been done ever since the men in gray began dying off.

No one has ever challenged the tax. One reason is that very few know anything about it.

Today, the old tax brings in about $400,000 a year, used for the park where the Confederate flag still flies.  The tax isn't all that much when compared to the state's $1.8 billion budget.

For the Cause?  --Old Secesh