Juneteenth closures and history
Government offices, banks, and post offices across the Highland Lakes are marking the Juneteenth federal holiday on June 19.
All banks, post offices, state offices, and most city offices will be closed on Wednesday. However, Granite Shoals city offices will close on Friday rather than Wednesday.
Burnet, Bertram, and Horseshoe Bay city offices will not close in observance of Juneteenth.
Businesses in Burnet and Llano counties are expected to have normal hours on Wednesday and throughout the week.
JUNETEENTH HISTORY & EVENT
Juneteenth 2024 is just the fourth time the nation has officially recognized this newest of federal holidays. Texas has been celebrating Juneteenth as an official state holiday since 1979.
Texas was the last state to receive news of the emancipation of enslaved people at the close of the Civil War, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. Union troops landed in Galveston Bay on the Gulf Coast on June 19, 1865, declaring that all enslaved people were freed by executive order.
The freeing of the 250,000 slaves that remained in Texas on that day brought an official end to the institution of legal slavery in the United States.
St. Frederick Baptist Church, 301 Avenue N in Marble Falls, will host a Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 22, from noon to 4 p.m. with barbecue and activities. Bring a side dish to share during the free potluck meal.