Juneteenth – Did You Know?

Did You Know? Squire McWorter Jr, grandson of Frank and Lucy, was one of the soldiers who arrived in Galveston, TX on June 19, 1865, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation.

On Juneteenth we commemorate the day freedom was finally enforced for the last enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865.

For the New Philadelphia Association, this history carries a deeply personal connection.

Squire McWorter Jr., grandson of Free Frank McWorter, served in the U.S. Colored Troops 38th Infantry Regiment. In 1865, he was transferred to Galveston, Texas, where he helped enforce emancipation following General Order No. 3, the event we now recognize as the first Juneteenth.

As Union forces established authority in Texas, soldiers like Squire helped ensure that freedom promised by law became freedom realized. Their service helped bring an end to the unlawful enslavement of men, women, and children who were still being held in bondage long after the Civil War had ended.

Today we honor Squire McWorter and the thousands of U.S. Colored Troops whose courage helped transform the promise of freedom intro reality #Juneteenth #FreeFrankMcWorter #NewPhiladelphia #USCT #FreedomDay

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