by Marks Hinton
CLEAVER: A. G. – Born in Nacogdoches he came to Prairie View A & M University in 1907 to study agriculture. Impressed with his talent the school hired this black educator in 1925 to head up the Industrial Education Department which he ran for the next 32 years. Early on during Cleaver’s tenure his salary was only $100 per month. To make ends meet he raised hogs, cows and owned over 700 chickens. 95
CLEMONS SWITCH: Known now as Clemons it was founded as a switch on the Texas Western Railroad, a narrow gauge line that passed through here. It is named for Martin Key Clemons who operated a general store and was the postmaster from 1885 until 1888. The town was the home of Edwin A. Waller for whom Waller County is named. Today it is a small rural community with a few scattered dwellings. (See Waller.) 96
CLEMSON: This land grant South Carolina college opened in 1893 in a town of the same name. It is well thought of for its agricultural courses. 97
CLEVELAND: Eddie – He was mayor of Pelly, Texas prior to its annexation by Baytown. 98
CLEVELAND: Settlers began arriving in this area in 1836 when the Texas General Land Office offered acreage in exchange for military service. Father Peter La Cour built a church and convent here in 1854. The town formed in 1878 after Charles Lander Cleveland donated 64 acres of land to the Houston, East & West Texas Railway and asked the station here be named for him. Since its founding Cleveland’s economy has been driven by oil and gas discoveries, farming, ranching and the mining of sand and gravel. 99, 100
CLEVELAND: William D. – Evidence indicates this Third Ward street is named for an influential alderman during Mayor William R. Baker’s term (1880-1884). He was known for his financial acumen and was closely involved with the city treasury, bondholders as well as local and out of state bankers. From 1884 until 1891 he was president of the Cotton Exchange. As a cotton merchant he founded Cleveland Compress Company in 1895. Captain Cleveland was a founder, director and first president of Houston’s Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). 101
CLIFTON: (See Bacliff.)
CLINTON: No, it’s not named for William Jefferson Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States. In 1874 the Morgan Steamship Line and the Port of Galveston had a falling out over wharf fees. Ship owner Charles Morgan, who founded the port of Morgan City, Louisiana, dredged a channel up Buffalo Bayou from Morgan’s Point to Simms Bayou. There he constructed a turning basin and named the new town Clinton. The docks opened in 1876 with rail lines to the major railroads in the area. Now he not only didn’t have to pay a red cent to Galveston but also could charge hefty fees to other ship owners that wanted to use his channel and docks. 102
CLODINE: (See Alief-Clodine.)
CLOVERLEAF: Both this street and the small town of the same name began life as a station on the Beaumont, Sour Lake & Western Railroad. It has appeared on county highway maps since 1936. 103
CLUTE-ANGLETON: One of Brazoria County’s first plantations (1824) was located near the future site of Clute. Called Evergreen, it was owned by Alexander Calvit, one of Austin’s Old 300, and Jared E. Groce. John Herndon bought it and named the plantation for himself. When Soloman J. Clute established a town nearby he named it for his family. (See Angleton.) 104
COCHET: Henri – This French tennis player was ranked No. 1 in the world in 1926-30. He won five French Championships in singles and three in doubles, Wimbledon singles and doubles twice and the U. S. Championship singles once. Oddly enough, he is the only male player in tennis history who failed to defend all eight of his singles titles. 105
COCHRAN: Owen L. – In the 1850s he was Houston’s postmaster. Cochran opened an insurance agency in 1856, the first in Texas. By the time the firm was 100 years old in 1956 it was the oldest existing business in Houston. He married one of Benjamin A. Shepherd’s daughters and was an officer and director of Shepherd’s First National Bank. This civic-minded Houstonian gave almost 1,000 books to the Lyceum (predecessor to the Houston Public Library) in 1876. (See Shepherd.) 106
COCHRAN’S CROSSING: Prior to the development of The Woodlands, where this street is located, the Grogan-Cochran Lumber Company owned this property. 107
COLDSTREAM: See sidebar All Things English, page 175.
COLEMAN: John D. – This Houstonian was a civic leader and active in politics in the city’s Third Ward. Governor Dolph Briscoe appointed Dr. Coleman to the Board of Regents at Texas A & M University. His son, Garnet F. Coleman, was a Texas State Representative from District 147 that includes the Third Ward. 108
COLERIDGE: Samuel Taylor – An English poet and philosopher, he is famous for his Rime of the Ancient Mariner. It is a tale of the sea that revolves around the killing of an albatross, considered a mariner’s good luck charm. It is a story of adventure, fright, fall from grace and penance. 109
OOLEWOOD: (See Caelin.)
» COLLINSWORTH: Historical marker on James Collinsworth’s grave in Founders’ Cemetery
COLISEUM: Emperor Vespasian started this Flavian amphitheater in the Forum in Rome in 79 B.C. His son, Emperor Titus, completed it five years later. This huge oval arena had seating for over 45,000 spectators and was the site of the gladiatorial contests. It was the inspiration for our Astrodome. Impresario Roy Hofheinz had visited it on a trip to Rome and sold his partners on the idea of a domed stadium. The Coliseum had a removable canvas roof. 110
OOLLINSWORTH: James – Research leads me to believe this street is named for this early Texas politician. The Republic of Texas’ Constitution prohibited a president from serving consecutive terms. So in 1838 Sam Houston could not stand for re-election. Houston’s opponents and critics backed Mirabeau B. Lamar as the second president. He faced two other candidates, Peter W. Grayson and James Collinsworth. Before the election Grayson committed suicide and Collinsworth drowned in Galveston Bay. So Lamar, as the only living candidate, won in a walk. 111
COLONY: (See Iowa School.)
COLORADO: The Old Sixth Ward remembers three of Texas’ most important rivers. The Colorado flows about 600 miles from its headwaters in Dawson County to its mouth at Matagorda Bay. The word Colorado in Spanish means “red,” a misnomer since the waters of this river are very clear. The Sabine courses 360 miles to reach the Gulf of Mexico and represents the border between Texas and Louisiana. The name comes from the Spanish word meaning “cypress” due to the abundance of those trees that line its banks. The Trinity is one of the longest rivers that has its entire course within Texas. It was named La Santisima Trinidad in 1690 by the Spanish explorer Alonso de Leon. In 1716 the anglicized name was adopted. 112
COLQUITT: Oscar Branch – This long time Texas politician held numerous appointed and elected offices in his lifetime. Among those positions were state senator, revenue agent, railroad commissioner, governor (1910-15) and member of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. In addition he was a newspaper publisher and oilman. Colquitt was one of the honored speakers at the dedicatory ceremonies at the opening of Rice Institute (now Rice University) in 1912. 113
COLUMBARIUM: The owners of Garden Park Cemetery in Tomball named this street. A columbarium is a sepulchral building containing many small niches for cinerary urns. The term is derived from the Latin word columba or dove and its resemblance to a dovecote. 114
COLUMBIA BLUE: The Houston Oilers may have fled town for Nashville, Tennessee but this Missouri City street recalls the team’s uniform colors that were red, white and Columbia blue.
COLUMBIA MEMORIAL: This NASA area highway remembers the tragic crash of the space shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003. A few minutes before 8 AM as the spacecraft was descending for a landing in Florida residents of East Texas heard a series of explosions overhead. As they looked up they saw the shuttle being ripped apart as it headed toward Earth at 12,000 MPH. Unfortunately, the mission was doomed just 82 seconds after lift off. At that time a small piece of insulating foam broke lose from the orbiter’s external fuel tank and slammed into the left wing. When the craft re-entered the atmosphere, the 5,000 degree air temperature penetrated the dama
ged wing and melted critical support structures. All seven astronauts perished in the crash. 115
COLUMBIA: Located in the Houston Heights, it is named for Columbia University in New York City. 116
COLUMBUS: This Austin County road runs from Sealy to Columbus in Colorado County. The town was settled in 1821 by members of Stephen F. Austin’s Old 300. It was first called Beeson’s Ferry or Beeson’s Ford. In 1835 a former resident of Columbus, Ohio suggested renaming it for his hometown. By 1837 it was know for its bars, gambling houses and horse race track. As time passed the economy was driven by tobacco production, cottonseed oil, cattle ranching as well as sand and gravel mining.
COMMERCE: In an effort to promote the new city of Houston as an important place to do business, the Allen Brothers elected to name the first major street fronting on Buffalo Bayou Commerce. With its proximity to the steamboat docks, warehouses and merchant stores this street was a public relations gimmick to inflate our status as a bustling business community. 117
COMMUNITY COLLEGE: At the end of this street is Houston Community College’s Northwest Campus. HCC is the 4th largest community college system in America. Founded in 1971, over 1.3 million students have studied here. More than 70 curriculums annually are offered to the 55,000 members of the student body. 118
COMPAQ CENTER: Compaq Computer was founded in 1982 by three former Texas Instruments employees who each invested $1,000 to develop a portable personal computer capable of running all of the software being developed for the IBM PC. Compaq went on to become one of the great success stories of the technology industry. This wide boulevard leads to the company’s headquarters. Compaq was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2002. 119
CONCERT: Located in Hermann Park this street leads to the Miller Outdoor Theater where many concerts are held. This 7.5 acre site hosts more than 250,000 people annually to free performances. The theater is named for Jesse W. Miller who willed the property to the city in 1919. The theater was constructed in 1921 (William Ward Watkin was the architect) and was dedicated in 1923. In 1968 the original theater was replaced with the one we see today. (See photograph on page 78). 120
» CONCERT: Miller Theater in Hermann Park
CONCERTO: See sidebar It’s Music to My Ears, page 218.
CONCORDIA: The German immigrants who settled in the Bellville area started a singing society and named it Concordia Gesangverein. 121
CONCRETE: This street was named in the 1920’s. It leads to the Texas Portland Cement Plant on the Houston Ship Channel. 122
CONGRESS: On November 30, 1836 the legislature of the Republic of Texas voted Houston as the seat of government. On the earliest map of the city (1836) it was clear that the Allen Brothers intended this street to be for government buildings. Two prominent features were Congress Square (between Travis and Milam) and Court House Square (between San Jacinto and Fannin). The Harris County Court House is still at this latter location. The State government was moved to Austin in 1837. Today Market Square is where those august legislative bodies were in the old days. 123
CONNORS ACE: Jimmy Connors was one of America’s greatest tennis players. He was ranked number one in the world from 1974 until 1978. He won five U. S. Opens, two Wimbledon titles and one Australian Open championship. He was the dominant player of the time winning 98 matches at the U. S. Open and 84 at Wimbledon. In his career Connors won 109 singles titles. 124
THE FAKE STREETS OF HOUSTON
A Key Map is a cartographer’s as well as a taxi driver’s dream. No better map of the city of Houston exists. The user can pinpoint with incredible accuracy the location of streets, subdivisions, cemeteries, schools, hospitals, public buildings, parks and post offices just to name a few places. Started over 50 years ago by James M. Rau this company has flourished over the years. In 2010 they published the 51st edition of this map book. Because of the tremendous amount of proprietary data that these maps display the company takes its copyright protection very seriously. On the maps first page in bold letters is the statement, “It is the intent of the publisher to enforce these provisions in federal court.” Over the years those who have infringed on Key Maps’ rights have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The Company developed a clever way of detecting piracy – the fake street. An interesting game for the industrial strength Houston streetophile is to take the official city map and compare it to the Key Map and find these fake streets. Management and the cartographers display a keen sense of humor as well as a bit of disdain for the plagiarists in naming these non-existent streets, lanes and boulevards. In the 2010 edition try to physically locate Fake, Lawsuit, Pistol Whipper, Inkahoots and D+ to name a few. They don’t exist except in the crafty minds of Key Maps’ cartographers. But just try putting one or more of them on your purloined map and see how long it takes to be contacted by the Federates. Enjoy yourself trying to identify other fake streets. 12
CONRAD SAUER: Many immigrants from Germany settled west of Houston in the area we know today as Spring Branch. Land was plentiful, productive and inexpensive. Water was abundant from the region’s many streams. This gentleman was one of the early German farmers in Houston. Sauer operated a dairy as well. For a time he worked as a maintenance man paving and repairing area streets. He was born in 1843 and died in 1876. His grave is in Vollmer Cemetery. 125
CONROE-HUFSMITH: In 1881 Isaac Conroe established a sawmill where this road is today. At that time it was near the International-Great Northern Railroad line. In 1884 a railroad officer suggested the name Conroe Switch in honor of Mr. Conroe. About 10 years later it was shortened to Conroe. It was principally an agricultural and timber center until oil was discovered southeast of town in 1931. Conroe suffered greatly during the Great Depression but the oil strike changed that. The school district became one of the wealthiest in the state and for a period of time Conroe had more millionaires per capita than any city in the U.S. As a boy your author lived on the Conroe Texas Company lease where my father was a petroleum engineer. (See Hufsmith.) 126
» CONROE-HUFSMITH: Issac Conroe’s tombstone in Glenwood Cemetery
CONROE-PORTER: Also known as FM 1314, this highway connects these two towns. Porter (early on known as Porters) was founded in the late 1800s. It was a lumber and livestock town. A famous resident was astronaut Robert L. Crippen who piloted the space shuttle Colombia in 1981. (See Conroe-Hufsmith.) 127
CONSTELLATION: This street is named for one of America’s classic aircraft, the Lockheed “Super G” Constellation. This four-engine propeller plane had a range of 5,400 miles and a top speed of 328 mph. The last model rolled off the line in 1959. 128
CONTI: On the city map of 1882 several streets in this 2nd Ward neighborhood were named in conjunction with Louisiana. Conti is a street in the Big Easy’s French Quarter. The street to Conti’s north was once called New Orleans Avenue. Opelousas, named for the Louisiana hometown of Jim Bowie, is also in the neighborhood. 129
CONVAIR: This aircraft was one of the most popular commercial airplanes in the 1950s and 1960s. There were four models of this two-engine piston driven aircraft. 130
COOK: John D. – This gentleman was a cotton farmer in the Alief, Texas area. Born two years after the War Between the States he lived to be 87 years old and is buried in the historic Alief Cemetery. 131
COOLIDGE: Calvin – He was our 30th President, serving from 1923 until 1929. A conservative Republican he cut taxes, reduced Federal spending and lowered the national debt. 132
COPANO BAY: See sidebar The Most Scenic Spots in Texas, page 310.
COPPAGE: H. – This gentleman fought with Walker’s Texas Division during the War Between the States. He was a lieutenant in the 16th Cavalry in command of Company A. 133
COPPERAS COVE: See sidebar The Most Scenic Spots in Texas, page 310.
COPRA: See sidebar Bali Hai May Call You, page 322.
CORBINDALE: Ira Corbin was an early resident of Memorial. He operated one of the earliest gas stations in the area for many years. 134
CORDELL BRI
CK: This lane leads to the Cordell Brick Company. I believe it was originally named the Lighthouse Brick Works. The owner Henry R. Lighthouse manufactured many of the bricks used in commercial buildings and homes in the 6th Ward, including his own two-story Colonial Revival house. Later the name was changed to the Andy Cordell Brick Company. Years ago brick producers imprinted their company names in the product. Keep an eye open in historic areas of the city for Cordell bricks. 135
CORDES: Roy – He was mayor of Sugar Land from 1973 until 1981. Being mayor was not a full time job so he operated a dry cleaning plant there. 136
CORNELL: This land grant university opened in Ithaca, NY in 1868. It is named for Ezra Cornell who donated the land and endowed the school. 137
CORNISH: J. R. – This street is named for an assistant surgeon in the 13th Texas Cavalry Dismounted. He fought with Walker’s Texas Division during the War Between the States. 138
CORONADO: Francisco Vasquez de – This Spanish explorer is best remembered for his failed quest to find the “Seven Cities of Cibola” and the riches of “El Dorado.” In 1540 he set out from Mexico to discover these rumored cities of gold. Two years of difficult trekking turned up nothing but dirt-poor Indian villages. Dispirited, the remnants of his expedition returned empty handed. He retired in Mexico City in 1544 where he died ten years later a broken man. 139
“RED FLAG” SUBDIVISIONS
Developers have had the upper hand in shaping Houston since the Allen Brothers first platted the city in 1836. But unprincipled behavior never was more egregious than with the creation of the “red flag” communities. Beginning in the 1960s land speculators would buy blocks of inexpensive land on the edge of town and lay out a “subdivision” with cheap lots along dirt roads marked with little red flags. The neighborhoods were totally void of municipal services such as paved streets, curbs, gutters, sewer lines, etc. By the 1980s 26 of these communities were located in Houston. An example of one is Magnolia Point. Situated on the north shore of Lake Houston, this suburb was “red flagged” in 1965 and still lacked any services as late as 1984. Is it just coincidence that one of the principal streets here is named Cheatham? 13