March 11th Texas history, Sam Houston took command of the Texas Army in Gonzales in 1836, setting the stage for the eventual independence of Texas from Mexico.
In 1878, eight young men enrolled in the Alta Vista Agricultural College, which was the first public black college in Texas. The school was later rechartered as Prairie View Normal Institute and eventually became Prairie View A&M University.
In 1890, W. Lee (Pappy) O’Daniel, a future Texas governor and U.S. senator, was born in Malta, Ohio. He would go on to have a significant impact on Texas politics and business.
In 1926, the Texas Railroad Commission approved the construction of a carbon black plant in the Panhandle by the Phillips Petroleum Company. This marked an important development in the state’s industrial progress.
In more recent history, in 2015, legendary musician Phil Collins was named an honorary Texan for his generous donation of Alamo and Texas Revolution-related artifacts to the Alamo.