Modular Building Associates
(MBA): It has been my experience that history
comes alive when you can connect
your life to the past. With that said, my family
helped settle West Texas. I
am Jeff Austin, founder of Modular Building Associates.
Back in 1890, my great grandfather
was only a young teenager when he left his
childhood home in Alabama.
Leaving home was his only real chance for a future.
Traveling with only his horse, his
gun, and a few dollars in his pocket, he and seven
of his friends reached the Mississippi
River. Two of those friends refused to cross
the mighty river and turned back
home to Alabama. After months of living off the land,
the remaining six finally reached
a small outpost in west Texas that would eventually
become the city of Lubbock and the
home of the Red Raiders. My great grandfather
worked on various ranches as a cowboy,
helped set the first bricks in the new city streets,
set up a local delivery business,
married and raised seventeen children. Most of my great
aunts and uncles lived well into
their nineties. This is my Austin family history.
Texas Facts: In the year
1519, the Texas Gulf Coast was mapped by Alonzo Alverez
de Pineda... In the year 1682, the
first mission was established near present day El
Paso... In the year 1836, Texas won
independence from Mexico... In the year 1845,
Texas joins the United States of
America as the 28th state... In the year 1901, Texas
had it's first major oil strike near
Beaumont... and, as they say, the rest is history.
Texas Facts: The United
States paid Texas $10 million in 1845 to cede territory that
later became parts of New Mexico,
Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming when
Texas joined the United States.
The map above represents the State of Texas between
1836 and 1845 after Texas won independence
from Mexico on the battlefield of San
Jacinto. In 1803, the United
States purchased the Louisiana territory from France for
$15 million which included northern
Texas and other parts of the territory later ceded
by Texas to the United States.
Between 1803 and 1836, Texas was under Mexican rule.
Texas Facts:
April 21, 1836 was the Battle of San Jacinto. "Remember the Alamo"
&
"Remember Goliad" were battle cries
for the Texas soldiers at the Battle of San Jacinto.
It is estimated that the battle only
took about eighteen minutes to fight. In that short
time 630 Mexican soldiers lost their
lives and 730 captured while Texas only suffered
the loss of nine soldiers.
The ultimate success of the Battle of San Jacinto came the
following day with the capture of
General Santa Anna. General Santa Anna was also
the President of Mexico. Three
weeks later General Santa Anna signed a peace treaty
withdrawing all Mexican troops from
Texas territory. The Battle of San Jacinto gave
the Republic of Texas liberation
from Mexico and allowed Texas to become an
independent country.
Texas Facts: March 27,
1836 (Palm Sunday) is the date referred to as the Goliad
Massacre. After taking the
Alamo, the massive Mexican Army surrounded a small
group of Texas soldiers. Colonel
James Fannin and his 300 Texas soldiers surrendered
to the Mexican Army on March 20th.
They expected to be treated as prisoners of war
with possible release to the United
States in the future. Under a decree passed by the
Mexican Congress on December 30,
1835, all armed foreigners taken in combat were to
be treated as pirates and executed.
General Santa Anna considered all Texas soldiers as
pirates. With other captured
Texas soldiers, the Mexican Army executed 343 unarmed
prisoners of war including forty
who were wounded and could not even walk.
Texas Facts: March 6,
1836 after a thirteen day siege, the Mexican Army overran a
small mission, turned makeshift garrison,
with orders to take no survivors. It is
estimated that 182 Texas soldiers
lost their lives in the battle taking about 500 Mexican
soldiers with them. The Alamo
was a mission in south central Texas where Texas
revolutioners gathered against a
massive Mexican Army lead by General Santa Anna.
Famous figures in Texas history who
died in this battle were William Travis, Davy
Crockett and James Bowie.
Texas Facts: One of the
founding fathers of Texas, Stephen F. Austin, was
imprisoned for nearly two years by
Mexico's dictator, General Santa Anna, on a
charge of treason because he had
petitioned for civil rights.
Texas Facts: Mexico was
the third nation to fly its flag over our soil before the
Republic of Texas was established
in 1836. The map of Texas in 1836 would have
included the eastern half of present
day New Mexico, the central half of present day
Colorado and small sections of Wyoming,
Oklahoma and Kansas. Six Flags have flown
over the land of Texas; Spain (1519-1685),
France (1685-1690), Spain (1690-1821),
Mexico (1821-1836), Republic of Texas
(1836-1845), United States (1845-1861),
Confederacy (1861-1865) and United
States (1865-present).
Texas Facts: The Congress
of the Republic of Texas adopted the lone star as its
seal back in 1836 when Texas was
an independent nation.
Texas Facts: El Paso
Texas is 55 miles closer to Needles California than it is to
Dallas Texas.
Texas Facts: The state
name came from an Indian word, Tejas, meaning friendly.
The state dinosaur is the Brachiosaur
Sauropod. The first saurodop tracks in the
world were discovered in the Paluxy
River just outside Glen Rose, Texas.
Texas Facts: Texas is
the second most populated state in the USA with over 26.9
million residents counted in 2014.
75% of the Texas population can be found in the
area between Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston
and San Antonio/Austin. Over 17 million
Texans live in these areas;
the Dallas/Fort Worth area has 6.3 million Mavericks, the
Houston area has 5.7 million Rockets,
the San Antonio area has 2.1 million Spurs and
the Austin area has 2 million citizens
cheering on the UT Longhorns. Houston, Dallas
and San Antonio are all on the top
ten list of United States most populated cities.
Texas Facts: Texas has
become one of the most popular travel and tourism
destinations in the United States
generating almost $30 billion in travel spending.
With such a large area to cover,
Texas has more highway and railroad track than
any other state.
Texas Facts: An interesting
form of Texas transportation is the pipeline. It is
estimated that three-forths of the
natural gas burned in the United States is transported
from Texas using underground pipelines.
In January 2015 Texas natural gas
production was 683 billion cubic
feet or 30% of US natural gas production. In 1997
21% of the United States oil production
came from 210 of the 254 Texas counties.
In January 2015 Texas crude oil production
averaged 2.6 million barrels per day or
27% of US oil production. Ranked
fifth in US coal production, Texas has an abundant
supply of natural minerals produced
commercially. Texas is the country's leading
supplier of magnesium. Texas
is the second largest producer of portland cement,
crushed stone, salt, sulfur, gypsum,
crude, ball clay and talc.
Texas Facts: Texas has
1,202 incorporated municipalities ranging in size from 32
residents to over 1.9 million.
Today, over 80 percent of the Texas population lives
in cities and towns, but that was
not always the case. Since the 1900's Texans have
been relocating from our rural communities
into our larger cities. More than 10,000
Texas towns have just ceased to exist
because of this shift in our state's demographics.
Texas Facts: Texas has
254 counties. They range in size from Rockwall's small
148.6 square miles to Brewster's
massive 6,193.1 square miles. You can fit the states
of Connecticut and Rhode Island inside
Brewster County. Texas counties also have a
wide population range. Loving
County Texas is the least populous county in the United
States. Loving County had a
population of 82 people in the 2010 census as compared
to Harris county with 4.1 million
people.
Texas Facts: The Dallas
Morning News was established in 1885 by the Galveston
News as sort of a North Texas subsidiary.
The two papers were linked by 315 miles
of telegraph wire and shared a network
of correspondents. They were the first two
newspapers in the country to print
simultaneous editions.
Texas Facts: Texas has
rugged desert mountains in the southwest... Sandy beaches
along the Gulf Coast... Rolling grasslands
and prairies in the north... Rich pine forests
covering the east... Limestone boulder,
live oaks and beautiful bluebonnets decorating
central Texas... Rugged sagebrush
and mesquite covering most of the west... Many
native plants and animals can be
found nowhere else in the world, but Texas.
Texas Facts: The State
of Texas covers 267,277 square miles large enough to fit 15
of our 50 states within its borders
and still have 1,000 square miles left over. Nearly
77% of the state's land area is a
Texas farm or ranch. Texas leads the nation in
livestock number and diversity.
97% of Texas land is privately owned.
Texas Facts: Texas has
91 mountains a mile or more high and they are all located
in the Trans-Pecos Region.
In the USA, Alaska is the only state with more lakes and
streams than Texas. Texas has
four national forests and five state forests. 10.9% of
the state is covered with trees.
For more information, please contact
Modular Building Associates (MBA)
@
info@modularbuildingassociates.com
or call
(972) 745.4622 (4MBA)
Thank you.
God
Bless America! God Bless Texas! 
