Texas A&M University at Galveston is Home to Juneteenth Freedom Bell
The bell connects the campus and community to an important moment in Galveston and American history
On June 19, 1865, over two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger of the Union Army arrived in Galveston and announced that all enslaved individuals were to be freed. The day would become known as Juneteenth.
Granger’s first reading of General Order 3, enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation, occurred 900 days after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect with the stroke of President Lincoln’s pen on January 1, 1863, 71 days after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia on April 9, 1865, and 17 days after Confederate General E. Kirby Smith negotiated the official surrender of the Trans-Mississippi Department aboard the U.S.S. Fort Jackson in Galveston Bay on June 2, 1865.
Juneteenth celebrations have been held in various regions since the 1865 announcement. Although Texas has celebrated Juneteenth as a state holiday called Emancipation Day since 1980, it was not until President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day holiday into law in 2021 that Juneteenth became a federal holiday.
At Texas A&M University at Galveston, one way that Juneteenth is remembered is through a Freedom Bell on display in the Jack K. Williams Library. The Freedom Bell was commissioned by Texas A&M University’s Department of Architecture and was initially unveiled in 2021 before arriving on the Galveston Campus in 2025.
“We’re so happy to have the opportunity to host such a meaningful exhibit,” said Kerri F. Foley, Learning and Engagement Librarian at Texas A&M University at Galveston. “The creation of the bell connected TAMU students and faculty to the history of Juneteenth and its importance as a historical event in Galveston. Hosting it here allows our students to develop a greater connection with our rich community.”
The Freedom Bell features imagery related to the enslavement of people, a ship from the Battle of Galveston during the Civil War and the Osterman Building which served as Granger’s base of operations in Galveston. The images were brought to life on the bell using the lost-wax casting method.
Lost-wax casting is a process where an original model is sculpted in wax and encased in a plaster-like investment. The object is then placed in a kiln where the wax melts leaving an impression in the plaster. Molten metal is then poured into the hollow cavity creating the final design.
Juneteenth has long been woven into the tapestry of Galveston. Part of that tapestry is on display at Texas A&M University at Galveston to ensure that current and future generations understand the role the island played in weaving that tapestry. The public can view the Freedom Bell during regular library hours.
