Historical Markers in Harris County
Texas·318 places·Page 3 of 13
History
City of Humble
A pioneer oil boom town. Originated as crossroads community named for settler Pleasant Smith Humble (1835?-1912), who lived here before 1889, hewing his timber into railroad ties, mining gravel from his land, keeping store, and serving as justice of the peace. Neighbors included the Bender, Durdin, Isaacks, Lee, Slaughter, and Williams families. Economic bases were farms and sawmills.
History
City of Katy (History)
Karankawa Indians hunted buffalo on this site as late as the 1820s. Present Fifth Street follows the course of the San Felipe Road, which was opened to Austin's colony in that decade. In 1836 Santa Anna used that road in his march toward San Jacinto. This site was in the 1839 land grant of Republic of Texas citizen James J. Crawford.
History
City of Pasadena
This area has progressed from Indian territory to pioneer ranch land to space-age Pasadena. Known at one time for its strawberry patches, it is now acclaimed for its oil and chemical industries. The Vince brothers, members of Stephen F. Austin's original 300 settlers, developed area as ranch land.
History
City of West University Place
Tennessee politician Ben W. Hooper led investors in forming the West End Realty Co. in 1910. They chose land near Rice Institute, which opened in 1912, and created West University Place, connected to Houston by streetcar. Homesites sold primarily to young, middle-class families. Trying to address the area's frequent flooding, citizens incorporated in 1924, electing L.B. Ryon as mayor.
History
Clayton House
Built in 1916-17, this Georgian revival house was the home of William L. Clayton (1880-1966), founder of Anderson, Clayton, & Co., a cotton trading firm. A leader in public service as well as business, Clayton was a principal architect of the Marshall Plan for economic recovery in Europe after World War II.
History
Colonel Benjamin Franklin Terry
(February 18, 1821 - December 17, 1861) Star and Wreath Fort Bend County planter. Member Secession Convention, 1861. Sent to Virginia hoping to fight for South in first battle of war. Cited for valuable volunteer service First Manassas. Raised cavalry regiment that attained renown as Terry's Texas Rangers. Accepted his commission only after his men elected him colonel.
History
Confederate Naval Works at Goose Creek
In 1854, brothers Thomas and John Chubb bought land in the William Scott League on the east bank of Goose Creek at the mouth of Tabbs Bay. On this site, they established the Chubb Shipyard prior to the Civil War. At the time, Texas shipbuilding was a developing industry.
History
Contributions to the Texas Rice Industry by Seito and Kiyoaki Saibara
Seito Saibara (1861-1939), former president of Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, and first Christian member of the Japanese Diet (Parliament). Arrived in the United States in 1901 to study theology, and with the desire to establish a Japanese colony in America.
History
Cooley School
Soon after Houston Heights (The Heights) was founded in 1891, the new neighborhood's leaders turned their sights to providing schools for the children of the area. Community leaders Daniel Denton Cooley (1850-1933), affectionately known as the "Father of Houston Heights," and Helen Grace Winfield Cooley (1860-1916) believed in education's importance and financed the construction of The Heights'…
History
Courtlandt Place
Platted in 1907 on land once owned by area pioneer Mrs. Obedience Smith, Courtlandt Place was established as a private neighborhood for Houston's elite. Encompassing 15.47 acres of land, it is a showcase of impressive homes designed by some of the most prominent Texas architects of the early twentieth century, including Birdsall P. Briscoe, Alfred Finn, John Staub, Sanguinet * Staats, and Olle J.
History
Crown Hill Cemetery
Permanent settlement of this area began about 1891. Lot sales in the new town of Pasadena began in 1893, and the town was officially platted three years later. The first recorded burials in this vicinity occurred about 1894, although the exact locations of the graves are unknown.
History
Dairy (Alief)
Reynolds Reynolds claimed a grant of 1,250 acres of land in this area in 1861. Land developer Jacamiah Seaman Daugherty bought the property from Reynolds' heirs in 1888, and in 1889 he granted a right-of-way to the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad. His plans to develop a townsite almost came to an end when he faced foreclosure in 1893, but the land was purchased by Francis I.
History
Daniel Denton Cooley
(April 15, 1850 - November 22, 1933) A native of Binghampton, New York, D. D. Cooley moved to Omaha, Nebraska as a young man. In 1887 he joined the American Loan and Trust Company. The company bought a tract of land northwest of Houston in 1891 and sent Cooley and other representatives to oversee its development the following year.
History
Darius Gregg
(Nov. 8, 1804 - Mar. 28, 1870) Born in Nicholasville, Jessamine County, Ky. Arrived in Texas, 1827. Received land grant in Austin's second colony, 1831. Fought (Oct.-Dec. 1835) in Siege of Bexar, including the Grass Fight (Nov. 26). Married Susan Speed Bowen, 1840. Was a surveyor in Houston, 1850s-60s; for Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Railroad, 1862-63.
History
Daughters of the Republic of Texas
On November 6, 1891, seventeen women met at the home of Mrs. Andrew Briscoe at this site to organize an auxiliary to the Texas Veterans Association. Mrs. Anson Jones was elected president of the new organization, Daughters of the Lone Star Republic.
History
David Barker House
Constructed in 1910, this was the home of prominent business, civic, and political leader David Barker (1868-1962). The house was completed during Mr. Barker's third year as mayor (1907-1913) of Houston Heights.
Military
David Grieves
A member of Captain Henry Teal's company at San Jacinto. Born in Scotland; died in Houston June 15, 1837.
History
de Zavala Plaza
Name honors Lorenzo de Zavala, vice president of the Republic of Texas (ad interim, March 17 - Oct. 17, 1836). Born in Yucatan and educated in the seminary of Ildefonso, de Zavala was an ardent liberal who was jailed 1814-1817 for political activities. In prison he learned English and became a medial doctor.
History
Deer Park
Illinois native Simeon Henry West (1827-1920) settled in this vicinity in 1892 hoping to develop the area, with its mild climate and proximity to waterways, into a farming and trading center. By the year's end, he had purchased property and platted the town of Deer Park, naming it after a nearby private park inhabited by many deer.
History
Democratic National Convention, 1928
Due to the efforts of businessman Jesse H. Jones, the Democratic National Committee chose Houston as the site of the 1928 Democratic National Convention. Located on this site, the 20,000-seat Sam Houston Hall was completed in 64 days at a cost of $200,000. The convention met from June 26 to 29. Major issues addressed included the enforcement of prohibition and the plight of America's farmers.
History
DePelchin Faith Home
Founded in 1893 in memory of Kezia Payne DePelchin, a remarkable social worker, teacher, and nurse in Houston during the latter half of the 1800s. The orphanage moved to this building upon completion in 1913 and remained here until 1938.
Architecture
Dora B. Lantrip Elementary School
Eastwood Elementary School was constructed in 1916 on land deeded by William A. Wilson, the developer of Eastwood, one of Houston's first master-planned neighborhoods. Designed by city of Houston architect Maurice Sullivan in the mission architectural style, it was the first Houston school arranged on the 'cottage plan,' featuring classrooms occupying a series of free-standing pavilions that were…
History
Dr. Benjamin Jesse Covington and the Covington House
Dr. Benjamin Jesse Covington (c. 1871-1961), his wife Jennie Belle Murphy (1881-1966), and the stately home they built here in 1911 represented a level of achievement, dignity, and civic service matched by few African Americans in Houston during the first half of the 20th century. Born and reared on a farm in Falls County, Texas, Dr.
Architecture
Dr. Penn B. and Annie A. Thornton House
Erected in 1905 for Houston Heights doctor and businessman Penn Thornton (1866-1927) and his wife Annie (Amsler) (1872-1947), who was active in Heights social and civic organizations, this house is representative of the housing stock in Houston Heights during the early 20th century.
History
Dr. Thomas F. Freeman
(June 27, 1919 - June 6, 2020) Celebrated philosophy professor and debate coach, Dr. Thomas Franklin Freeman, was born in Richmond, Virginia, to Louis and Louise (Willis) Freeman. Thomas Freeman attended Armstrong High School and graduated at age 15. He enrolled at Virginia Union University and earned his bachelor's degree in English.
Elsewhere in Texas
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