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Abstract:  In the early 1850s, there was only one farm/plantation with slaves, The Doss Plantation, east of Fredericksburg, Texas. About 100 slaves/Africans were brought west to begin farming in Gillespie County. The story of these remaining families is “Lost History” in the community of Fredericksburg and Gillespie County. This presentation reveals the presence of a culture that was integrated into the community before and after the Civil War and whose story is yet to be fully told.

Paul Phillips III, M.D. Biography: Dr. Paul Phillips III was born and raised in Fredericksburg. He graduated from Fredericksburg High School with Honors. He went on to serve his country in the U.S. Army: in addition to serving several years in the Army Reserve, he deployed overseas ten times over a 16-year period until finally retiring as Colonel from the U.S. Army in 2018, with a service record of 24 years. Dr. Phillips was awarded the Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Medicine and did his Orthopedic Residency at MLK/Drew. He is currently an orthopedic surgeon specializing in hand and microvascular surgery with a practice in Fredericksburg while maintaining membership in a number of orthopedic surgery societies. Dr. Phillips’ current work with sites of historical significance to Fredericksburg’s African American community has him involved with the restoration of the Colored People’s  Church of Gillespie County and with the newly designated Colored People’s Section of Der Stadt Friedhof in Fredericksburg. He and his wife have two sons and two daughters and are residents of Fredericksburg.