Historic Houston Streets
Page 4
BAKER: William R. – Research strongly indicates this street was named for Houston’s mayor from 1880 to 1886. He later owned an interest in the Houston Post and was president of City Bank of Houston. Baker was the developer of the Sixth Ward. He was also president of the Houston & Texas Central Railroad. 17
BALDWIN: Horace Rice – Baldwin’s sister Charlotte was the wife of Houston founder Augustus Allen. They were children of a wealthy New York doctor. Horace came to Houston in the 1830s to join his sister. He was a talented man and within a few years he was elected mayor in 1844. Baldwin was a nephew of William Marsh Rice. (See Rice.) 18
BALL: George – Born in New York in 1817, he moved to Galveston in 1839 and opened a dry goods store. He learned the banking business as a director of Commercial & Agricultural Bank, the first incorporated bank in Texas. With that knowledge he opened his own bank, Ball, Hutchens & Company, in 1854. Ball was a generous philanthropist contributing to charities, hospitals and schools. Ball High School is also named for him. 19
BALTHASAR: He is one of the three Wise Men from the East who are mentioned as bringing gifts to the newborn Jesus in the New Testament. It is curious that we have no streets named for the other two - Gaspar and Melchior. 20
BALTIMORE & OHIO: Started in 1828, this railroad ran from Baltimore, Maryland to its terminus on the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. 21
POLITICIANS, STREETS AND MAYORAL ELECTIONS
In his 11 terms as Houston’s mayor the “Old Grey Fox,” Oscar Holcombe, acquired a number of political enemies. According to the Houston Chronicle the mud slinging between the pro and anti-Holcombe forces became particularly ugly during the 1952 campaign. Councilman Louie Welch announced during his campaign for the City’s top job that “When elected I will not build boulevards on the prairie that start nowhere and go nowhere and serve only the needs of a real estate promoter.” The leader of the anti-Holcombe crowd, former City attorney Lewis Cutrer, pointed out that Welch had backed Holcombe on 54 votes in a 20 month period to extend South Park Boulevard, Belfort Boulevard and Wayside Drive. Candidate Welch’s memory was Clintonesque in his inability to recall these votes. Cutrer’s response was classic: “Personally I don’t feel that his plea of ignorance on these 54 occasions is a very sound platform on which to base a campaign for mayor.” 4
BAMMEL: Charles - A small north Harris County community and road remember this Houstonian of German descent who opened a general store, Bammel & Kuehnle Merchandise, in 1915. He was later named postmaster of Westfield, a station on the International-Great Western Railroad. (See Westfield Village.) 22
BANBURY: See sidebar All Things English, page 175.
BANKER: (See Stavinoha.)
BANKS: John L. or William W. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.
BANKS: See sidebar Southampton’s English Streets, page 255.
BARBARA: This West University Place lane is named for Barbara Page, an investor in the Pemberton Company. Her husband, Dr. J. H. Page, was also a shareholder in that real estate development firm. (See Pemberton.) 23
BARBARELLA: Jane Fonda played this leading character in the 1968 science-fiction movie of the same name.
BARBERS HILL: This road recalls the first settler of the area near Mont Belvieu, Amos Barber. A rancher, he built his house on the high ground in the area called the “Hill” in 1849. The town of Barbers Hill sprang up near the ranch. In 1890 the name of the city was changed to Mont Belvieu, French for “Mount Beautiful View,” to avoid confusion by postal authorities with other Texas towns. 24
BARBOURS CUT: In 1928 Captain Clyde A. Barbour purchased 1,435 acres in Morgan’s Point with hopes of building a marine terminal to compete with the Port of Houston. He succeeded in dredging a canal he called Barbour’s Cut. Unfortunately his timing was poor and the Great Depression ended his dream. Beginning in 1985 a terminal was built here that is one of the largest, most modern container shipping facilities along the Gulf of Mexico. Its official name is the Fentress Bracewell Barbours Cut Container Terminal. Bracewell served as chairman of the Port Commission for 15 years. 25
BAREK: This family was among the first settlers in Guy. (See Old Guy.) 26
BARKDULL: Earl – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.
BARKER: Barker, as in Barker-Cypress, derives its name from the town of Barker in western Harris County. In 1895 the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad sent Ed Barker here to lay tracks for the extension of the railroad. 27
BARNES: S. L. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.
BARNETT: Thomas & Virginia – These early pioneers settled in what would become Richmond/Rosenberg. He was alcalde (mayor) of Austin (1827-9), ayuntamento (important civic official) of San Felipe (1833) and a signatory of the Texas Declaration of Independence (1836). 28
BARNSTON: Henry – Born in Dover, England in 1868, Barnston received his rabbinical diploma in London and his Ph.D. at Heidelberg. He came to America in 1900 after answering an advertisement from a Reform Congregation, Beth Israel, in Houston that was seeking a rabbi. He accepted the pulpit upon arrival and presided over the congregation until his death in 1949. Rabbi Barnston was very active in civic affairs and was a founding member of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Houston Symphony. 29
BARRETT STATION: The small town of Barrett is located off U. S. 90 in eastern Harris County. This black community sprang up during Reconstruction. Founded by a former slave named Harrison Barrett, by 1889 he had become the largest freed slave landowner in the county. This thriving community had many homes, a sawmill, gristmill and coffee mill. Barrett donated land for the Shiloh Baptist Church and School. 30
BARRETT: C. E. – In 1904 this Humble, Texas resident discovered oil at Moonshine Hill. A year later he hit the mother lode with a well named No. 2 Beaty that flowed 8,500 barrels per day. The boom was on. In 1905 the population of Humble grew from 700 to 20,000 and the oilfield produced 15,594,932 barrels of “black gold.” The Humble Field became the greatest salt dome discovery in history eventually surpassing the legendary Spindletop Field near Beaumont. (See Moonshine Hill, Spindletop and Humble.) 31
BARROW: Benjamin – He was an early settler in the Spring Cypress area. 32
BARTLETT: H. B. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22. 33
BARTLETT: See sidebar Southampton’s English Streets, page 255.
» BARZIZA: Decimus et Ultimus – Tombstone in Glenwood Cemetery
BARZIZA: Decimus et Ultimus – This Houstonian has the most unusual name of any person for whom a city street is named. “Decimus et Ultimus” means tenth and last in Latin. This gentleman was the tenth and last child of Phillip Ignatius and Cecelia Amanda Barziza. He was a Captain in Hood’s Texas Brigade and saw action at Gettysburg. Barziza was wounded in the attack on Little Round Top on July 2, 1863 and was taken prisoner. After a year in a Union prisoner of war camp he escaped to Canada. He settled in Houston and opened a law practice. Barziza was an author (The Adventures of a Prisoner of War and Life and Scenes in Federal Prisons), politician (representative to the Texas Legislature) and businessman (founded the state’s first trust company, Houston Land & Trust). 34
BASS PRO: This short drive leads to the Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World in the Katy Mills Mall. This gigantic (138,000 square foot or 3.2 acre) sporting goods store offers fishing, hunting, camping, boating, golf and outdoor gear. It is a mind boggling display of equipment and kitschy woodsy ambience. 35
BASS: Frederick S – This veteran of the War Between the States commanded Company E, 1st Texas Infantry, Hood’s Texas Brigade for a time during the Battle of the Wilderness (May 4-8, 1864). Despite being outnumbered 120,000 to 64,000 the Confederates forced General Ulysses S. Grant to withdraw after suffering 17,666 casualties. 36
BASSETT: Clement Newton, Jr. – Born in Richmond, Virginia in 1842, he moved to Fort Bend County and became a very successful merchant, r
ancher and farmer. Bassett was county sheriff during the Jaybird-Woodpecker War (1888-90), a political feud between two factions vying for control of the county. He later served a four year term as county tax collector. A religious man, Bassett was a founder of the first Baptist church in Richmond. 37
BASTOGNE: This small Belgian town was a critical defensive point for the Allies during the Battle of the Bulge in WW II. (See Ardennes.) 38
BASTROP: Baron Felipe Enrique Neri de – While not much of this European adventurers’ provenance is known, it does appear he settled in San Antonio by 1806 where he operated a freight company. He achieved great influence and became an alcalde (mayor) in Bexar. History remembers the Baron as the man whose authority allowed Moses Austin to acquire the land grant for Anglo-Americans to move into Texas and who assisted Stephen F. Austin in establishing the Republic of Texas. 39
BATAAN: This street is named for a peninsula in the Philippines. It was defended against the Japanese by U.S. troops under the command of General Jonathan Wainwright until they were forced to surrender on April 9, 1942. The 70-mile forced march to a POW camp became known as the “Bataan Death March” as more than 100,000 American prisoners, out of a force of 600,000, died from torture or starvation. 40
BATES: William B. – Bates was a trustee of the M.D. Anderson Foundation and a principal force in the founding of the Texas Medical Center. Known by the honorary title of Colonel Bates, conferred on him by Texas Governor Dan Moody, this bright young attorney became an early partner in the law firm of Fulbright, Crooker & Freeman. His name was soon added to the moniker. 41
BATTERSON: Isaac – An early resident of Harris County, Batterson lived on Buffalo Bayou near the town of Clinton. Today he is thought of as the first resident of Galena Park. The Texas army crossed his land to reach the battleground at San Jacinto. In 1837 he was elected Justice of the Peace. During his term he worked on the committee to build the first Harris County courthouse (at a cost of $3,800) as well as the city’s first jail ($4,750). (See Clinton and Galena.) 42
BATTLE: Mills M. – This early settler received a land grant in 1827-8 where Fort Bend County is today. Mills was one of Stephen F. Austin’s Old 300. He was elected clerk of the county in 1858. 43
BATTLEGROUND: Today this road leads to San Jacinto State Park, the home of the San Jacinto Monument and the berth of the Battleship Texas. However at 3:30 PM on Thursday, April 21, 1836 the scene was very different from the tranquil green space you see today. It was here on that fateful afternoon that in an 18-minute battle, General Sam Houston’s army defeated General Santa Anna and Texas won her independence. 44
» BATTLEGROUND: Santa Anna surrendered under this mossy oak tree after his defeat at the Battle of San Jacinto
BAUER: Siegesmund – This road is named for Bauer, a German immigrant from Wiesenbad, who arrived in Houston’s Spring Branch area in 1847. Like many of his neighbors he was a farmer. Bauer also was a founder of St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church; a congregation that still exists today. He died in a yellow fever epidemic in 1854. 45
BAUER: The Bauers were among the many Germans who immigrated to Texas in the 1800s and settled on land northwest of Houston. Early arrivals, including Heinrich Bauer (1826-1895) and Anna Bauer (1826-1896), are buried in the historic Roberts Cemetery. (See Roberts Cemetery.) 46
BAY OAKS: (See Shoreacres.)
BAY: (See Appaloosa.)
BAYBROOK MALL & BAYBROOK SQUARE: These two gigantic shopping malls face each other on opposite’s sides of I-45 between Webster and Friendswood. 47
BAYER: Both this street and the nearby park are named for Arthur Bayer, a resident of the Spring area. 48
BAYLAND: This beautiful tree-lined avenue was named for Bayland Orphans Home that was located in this Woodland Heights neighborhood from 1887 until it burned down in 1914. The orphanage was originally on Galveston Bay, thus the genesis of the name. 49
BAYLOR: Founded in Independence, Texas in 1845 as a Baptist university, the campus was moved to Waco in 1886. Its famous medical school was opened in 1900 in Dallas and moved to Houston in 1943. The University was named for District Judge R. E. B. Baylor, one of the founders. 50
BAYPORT: This boulevard leads to one of the largest petrochemical complexes (the Bayport Industrial Complex) in our region. It is the site of the world’s largest styrene plant. Produced from a combination of benzene and ethylene, styrene is used in the manufacture of a wide variety of polystyrene products. 51
BAYRIDGE: In 1893 twelve prominent Houston families purchased 40 acres of land in the town of Morgan’s Point to develop a summer resort community. They called themselves the Bay Ridge Park Association. Long narrow lots were platted and allotted to the families by drawing numbers. Texas Governor Ross Sterling built the most palatial home. It was modeled after the White House. It still exists and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 52
BAYS CHAPEL: The Thomas Bay family arrived from Tennessee with a group of settlers in this part of Montgomery in the 1851. They constructed a log building called Bays Chapel Church and School. The church had eight members including the Bay, Harrison and Williamson families. 53
HOUSTON STREETS THAT HAVE CHANGED NAMES
Over the years, since the first map of our city was drawn up in 1836, Houston has seen literally hundreds of streets change names. There are many reasons for this including laws that prevent more than one street with the same name (this makes postal deliveries in the same town possible), citizens requesting changes, streets renamed to honor famous or heroic persons, major streets being extended and connecting with lesser thoroughfares, etc. If the reader wants a more complete list of current and former street names there is a fairly comprehensive list I have compiled in the Texas Room of the Houston Public Library at 500 McKinney downtown. For the purposes of this book I have elected to only show the most important street name changes that have occurred over the last 174 years. 5
CURRENT NAME
ORIGINAL NAME
Austin
Homer
Bagby
Calhoun
Bastrop
Broadway
Bissonnet
County Poor Farm Road
Canal
German
Caroline
Carolina
Cavalcade
Newton
Cullen
St. Bernard
Dowling
East Broadway
Dunlavy
High
Elysian
Panola
Fairview
Minnesota
Hardy
Tyler
Hutchins
West Broadway
LaBranch
Milton
Lawndale
Cut Off Road
Lockwood
Orriene
Lyons
Odin
McGowen
Murry
Montrose
Lincoln
North Durham
Nashua
North Main
Montgomery
North Shepherd
Brunner
Riesner
Young
St. Joseph’s Parkway
Calhoun
Shepherd
Shepherd’s Dam
South McGregor
Savannah
Tulane
Portland
Waugh
Euclid
Welch
Nebraska
West Dallas
San Felipe
Westheimer
Hathaway
University
Amerman
BAYTOWN: Named for its location fronting on Burnet, Scott, Mitchell, Black Duck, Tabbs and Galveston Bays, this industrial city east of Houston comes to its name legitimately. Principally an industrial town, Baytown is home to numerous refineries and chemical plants. The area was first settled by Nathaniel Lynch in about 1822. (See Lynchburg.) 54
BEACH: Isaac Conroe establi
shed this community when he opened a saw mill here in the late 1800s. It was located along the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad line. For unknown reasons he named it Beach. When the timber boom played out the town disappeared. (See Conroe-Hufsmith.) 55
BEAR CREEK: This creek rises near Wolf Hill in northwest Harris County and flows for 18 miles to its mouth on Buffalo Bayou near Addicks Reservoir. (See Addicks Levee.) 56
BEAR-RAM: Alief ISD has two high schools, Elsik and Hastings, that are located next to each other on this road. Hastings mascot is the bear. Elsik students are known as the rams. At the end of each football season these sister schools play a friendly rivalry game in the shared Crump Stadium. 57
BEASLEY-DAMON: This road connects these two Fort Bend County towns. Beasley was laid out along the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railway by Cecil A. Beasley, a Richmond banker, in the mid-1890s. He originally called it Dyer for Miss Isabel Dyer whom he later married. However, when it came time to establish a post office it was discovered that another Texas town was already called Dyer so he changed the name. Damon was founded in 1831 by Samuel Damon, an early Texas pioneer. He established his farm on a large geological mound called a salt dome that rises dramatically above the surrounding flat coastal plains. By 1918 sulfur was discovered under the dome and it was also used to quarry limestone. As a result the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railway laid a 21 mile spur to Damon to ship these products to Richmond. 58