by Marks Hinton
TROON: The Troon Golf Club (Royal Troon) is one of the most well known of the Scottish links. It traces its history back to 1878. It is most famous for its 3 par 8th hole, called the Postage Stamp. 70
TRUETT: William – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.
TRUXILLO: According to Bart Truxillo, a Houston architect specializing in historical preservation, this street was named for a member of his family who immigrated to America from Spain. The Truxillo family arrived in New Orleans and one of them came to Houston. He lived in the area where the street is today. Being very popular with his neighbors they petitioned to have a street named for Mr. Truxillo. When Bart and his family moved to Houston in the early 1950s there were no Truxillos living here. However, in the taxi on the way to their new house they kept hearing the name Truxillo on the cab’s radio. It turned out that the dispatcher had a fare on that street that needed a ride. William Sidney Porter, who would become famous under the nom de plume of O. Henry, lived at 1310 Truxillo when he worked as a reporter for the Houston Post in 1895-96. 71
TUAM: This street is named for the Irish hometown of Civil War hero Dick Dowling (see Dowling.) 72
TUCK: Robert E. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.
TUCKERTON: The Tucker family were landowners and rice farmers in this area of northwestern Harris County. 73
TULANE: This Heights avenue is named for Tulane University in New Orleans. On the original plat of the Houston Heights it is named Portland. The name was changed by a city ordinance. 74
TULLY: Darrell – This street is located next to a football stadium of the same name. It honors Coach Tully, the head football coach and athletic director of Spring Branch High School from 1957 until 1964 and athletic director of the Spring Branch ISD from 1964 until he retired in 1978. Seating 15,000 fans it opened in 1969. The first game was between Memorial High and Dallas Kimball. 81
» TURNING BASIN: Houston Ship Channel Turning Basin in the early 1900’s
TUPPER LAKE: Named for a village in upstate New York, William Farrington, developer of Tanglewood among many other Houston projects, just liked the sound of the words. It also met his criteria of being easy to spell and not difficult for a telephone information operator to understand. 75
TURNING BASIN: In order for Houston to build a port on Buffalo Bayou it was necessary to have a location for ocean going vessels to turn around and head back out to sea. In 1906 the Atlantic, Gulf & Pacific Company of New York began dredging this basin. The project took two years to complete. (See photograph on page 321.) 76
TUSKEGEE: This predominately black university is located in the Alabama town of the same name. Booker T. Washington was the founder and the first teacher. The inaugural class had 30 students. Dr. Washington was principal of the institution from 1881 until his death in 1915. The all-black Tuskegee Airmen flight training program was conducted here during WW II. Many of those pilots were highly decorated during that war. 77
TWIN SISTERS: These are the two most famous pieces of artillery in Texas history. Originally they were a gift from the citizens of Cincinnati, Ohio to the Texas revolutionaries. The cannons were instrumental in winning the Battle of San Jacinto. The Confederates used them during the War Between the States. In November 1863 to prevent them from being captured by the Union, some soldiers buried them near Harrisburg on Buffalo Bayou and they haven’t been seen since despite more than 140 years of intense searching. They may have been named for the twin daughters of C. C. Rice. The girls accompanied the cannons on their initial trip to Texas in 1836. 78
TWO PENNY: (See Shekel.)
BALI HAI MAY CALL YOU
Tiki Island, Texas is perched on a tiny peninsula in Jones Bay just north of Galveston Island. Development began at this resort community in the 1960s. The master plan called for all of the streets to have a South Sea connection. So if you collect Tiki mugs, Trader Vic’s memorabilia or just fondly remember sipping rum laced fruit drinks from large ceramic bamboo bowls with floating gardenias this community is right up your coconut palm. You can own a home on Polynesia (Tahiti, Papeete, Moorea, Bora Bora), Hawaii (Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Lanai, Diamond Head), Kiribati (Tamana), Marshall Islands (Majuro), Cook Islands (Makatea) of something more generic: Leilani (heavenly flower in Hawaiian), Tiki, Coconut, Lotus, Bamboo, Mango, Wahini (Hawaiian for woman), Outrigger, Palmetto, Copra, Castaway, Port O’ Call or how about Paradise. 50
U
U. H. UNIVERSITY: This east side institution of higher learning celebrated its 83rd birthday during the 2009-10 academic year. From humble beginnings as Houston Junior College, established in 1927, the University of Houston expanded into a four-year institution in 1934 and was admitted into the Texas public higher education system in 1963. Its founders, Hugh Roy Cullen, considered by many as the “father of the university,” and his wife Lillie Cranz Cullen were among the school’s many early supporters. Its TV station, KUHT-TV, began broadcasting in 1953. It was the nation’s first public educational television station. (See Cullen.) 1
U. S. STEEL: This company is the largest producer of integrated steel products in America. Founded in 1901 by financiers Andrew Carnegie, J. P. Morgan, Charles Schwab and Elbert Gary, it was the greatest financial enterprise launched up until that time. U. S. Steel was initially capitalized at $1.4 billion, an enormous sum in the early 20th century. In its first year of operation the company supplied 67% of the steel utilized in the country. 2
ULRICH: Minnie – Elected as one of Sugar Land’s first aldermen in 1959, she had a street named for her. Not all of her colleagues were so lucky. (See Pirtle.) 3
ULTRA LIGHT: This lane leads to the location of a former ultra light airport when that craze hit America in the 1980s. 4
UNCLE BEN’S: This gentleman was a black rice grower famous for the yield and quality of his rice crops. His product was so good that other growers would brag that their rice “was as good as Uncle Ben’s.” Many years later the Converted Rice Company chose Uncle Ben to symbolize the high quality of its product. 5
UNITY: This west Houston street leads to Unity Church of Christianity. The non-denominational group is often incorrectly associated with the Unitarian or Unification church. Housed in a gold anodized aluminum pyramid designed by Rapp, Tackett, Fash in 1975, it is quite striking architecturally. And one must remember that Houston and Cairo, home of the great Egyptian pyramids at Giza, are both located on the 30th parallel of latitude. 6
UNIVERSITY OAKS: See sidebar Neighborhoods with Interesting Stories, page 104.
» UNITY: Cairo on the Bayou, Unity Church’s golden pyramid
UNIVERSITY: This Galveston street is on the campus of the University of Texas Medical Branch, better known as UTMB. This facility has been a major part of Galveston’s community since its founding in 1891. It operates numerous facilities including John Sealy Hospital, Shriners Burn Institute and the well respected Medical School. Hurricane Ike dealt a devastating blow to the complex in 2008 with damages totaling over $700 million. For a time the University of Texas planned to close UTMB but has since elected to rebuild it. (See Sealy.) 7
UNIVERSITY: This road leads to the Sugar Land campus of the University of Houston. A street of the same name will take you to the U of H Clear Lake campus. 8
UPTOWN PARK: This Galleria area street bounds Uptown Park, an upscale retail center of restaurants, shops, banks and spas. It was built by Interfin, a Houston-based real estate developer. Other Houston projects by this firm include the high rise condominiums Four Leaf Towers, Villa d’ Este and Montebello. 9
URBAN: E. E. – He was a businessman in Hempstead in the early 1900s. 10
URSULINE: The Ursuline Sisters began construction on Ursuline Academy in Galveston in 1847. It was the city’s first parochial school and was attended by girls of all faiths. The main building, convent and chapel were designed by Nicholas Clayton. More than 1,000 residents took shelter here during the Great Storm of 1900. In 1968 the school
was consolidated with Kerwin Catholic High School and Dominican Girl’s School and renamed O’Connell High School. Unfortunately the Clayton buildings were demolished in 1960s and 70s. 11
USENER: The Usener family arrived in Galveston from Germany on Christmas Day 1839 aboard the brig North. They moved to Houston and finally settled in the Heights. John Daniel Usener owned one of the seven saloons in Houston (along with Dick Dowling) in the 1840s until the 1860s. Both barkeeps gave away free whiskey during the yellow fever epidemics. He was also a well-known sportsman and a founder of the Redfish Boating, Fishing and Hunting Club in 1865. 12
V
VACCARO: (See Scarcella.)
VALENTINE: Most likely this 3rd Ward street is named for the Valentine family who were early residents of Houston. 1
VALKA: Oswald – In the early 1900s he owned the city cafe and meat market in Needville. (See Needville.) 2
VALLEY FORGE: See sidebar America the Beautiful, page 176.
VAN BUREN: Martin – America’s 8th President (1837-41) had a difficult time in office. Just after his election a financial panic broke out. He failed to be nominated by the Democrats for a 2nd term as he opposed the annexation of Texas. Based on that last fact one wonders why a developer would consider naming a street after such an anti-Texan. 3
VAN FLEET: James Alward – This soldier graduated from West Point in 1915. His classmates included Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley. He was a battalion commander in World War I and fought with John J. Pershing’s American Expeditionary Force chasing Pancho Villa. In World War II he participated in the D-day landing on Utah Beach in June 1944. He took command of the U. S. 8th Army and United Nations forces in Korea in 1951. Van Fleet was highly decorated, winning three Distinguished Service Crosses, four Distinguished Service Medals, three Silver Stars and three Bronze Stars. He died in 1992 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. 4
VANDERBILT: This Nashville, Tennessee university opened its doors in 1875 as a result of a gift from the tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt. 5
VANWALL: See sidebar Fairbanks Could Have Its Own Concours d’ Elegance and Road Rally, page 140.
VAQUERO: This is a Spanish word for cowboy. It is derived from the word vaca or cow. 6
VARNER: Martin Varner was the original owner of this plantation and a member of Austin’s Old 300. He arrived in what became Brazoria County in 1824. Varner was a rancher and farmer. Varner sold the place in 1834 to the Patton family. Former Texas governor James Hogg acquired the property in 1901 and the name changed to Varner-Hogg. Miss Ima Hogg donated the property to the State in 1958 to make into a state park. Today visitors see a refurbished Greek revival plantation house, outbuildings, grounds and learn about plantation life. 7
VARSITY: See sidebar Neighborhoods with Interesting Stories, page 104.
VELASCO: This street recalls the town of Old Velasco near the mouth of the Brazos River. It was founded in 1831 but 10 years earlier the first 38 of Stephen F. Austin’s Old 300 landed here. Following the Battle of San Jacinto President David G. Burnet named it the temporary capitol of the Republic of Texas. It was destroyed in the hurricane of 1875 and again by the Great Storm of 1900. With the arrival of the petrochemical industry after World War II it began growing again and was annexed by Freeport in 1957. (See Surf.) 8
VASSAR: Opened in 1865 in Poughkeepsie, New York as an institution of higher learning for women, it was a pioneer in the fields of music and physical education. Vassar became co-educational in 1969. 9
VERA CRUZ: See sidebar Learn a Foreign Language on Your Morning Walk, page 125.
VETERANS MEMORIAL: This road passes the Veterans Administration’s Houston National Cemetery. This 400-acre place of rest is for those who fought defending our country. There are more that 15,000 graves of veterans of wars from the Spanish-American War forward. Several Congressional Medal of Honor winners are interred here including Staff Sergeant Macario Garcia. (See Garcia.) 10
VIA BAROLO: See sidebar Neighborhoods with Interesting Stories, page 104.
VIA CHIANTI: See sidebar Neighborhoods with Interesting Stories, page 104.
VIA DAVINCI: See sidebar Neighborhoods with Interesting Stories, page 104.
VIA FIRENZE: See sidebar Neighborhoods with Interesting Stories, page 104.
VIA MICHELANGELO: See sidebar Neighborhoods with Interesting Stories, page 104.
VIA PALAZZO: See sidebar Neighborhoods with Interesting Stories, page 104.
VIA PONTE VECCHIO: See sidebar Neighborhoods with Interesting Stories, page 104.
VIA SIENNA: See sidebar Neighborhoods with Interesting Stories, page 104.
VIA TORRE DE PISA: See sidebar Neighborhoods with Interesting Stories, page 104.
VIA TOSCANO: See sidebar Neighborhoods with Interesting Street Names, page 104.
VIA VINA: See sidebar Neighborhoods with Interesting Street Names, page 104.
VICK: Charles – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.
VICKSBURG: This riverfront town was the last stronghold of the Confederate States of America on the Mississippi River. From November 1862 until July 1863 a series of battles raged for control of the river. New Orleans and Memphis had fallen to Union armies in early 1862 but Vicksburg stubbornly held out. General Ulysses S. Grant launched two unsuccessful attacks on the city before laying siege to Vicksburg. Unable to attain supplies or reinforcements the Southerners were forced to surrender after holding out for six weeks. 11
VIEUX CARRE: Better known as New Orleans’s French Quarter, the original name was Vieux Carre or “Old Square” in French. It is the site of the first settlement in Louisiana in 1718. Later the town was called Nouvelle Orleans. 12
VIKING: Historically the Vikings were Scandinavian seafarers who plundered England and northern Europe between the 8th and 10th centuries. In the case of this street, John Foster Dulles High School in Fort Bend County chose these fierce marauders as the school’s mascot. 6
» VILLA DE MATEL: The Conventional Chapel of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word
VILLA DE MATEL: This East End street honors the mother-house, novitiate and conventional chapel of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. The congregation arrived in Texas in 1866 to serve as nurses during a yellow fever epidemic. In 1920 the sisters purchased a 72-acre plot of swampland on the far outskirts of town. They hired Houston architect Maurice J. Sullivan to design the project. It was his first major commission and it remained his favorite. It is one of the most spectacular sacred spaces in our city. 13
VILLANOVA: This university is located in a Pennsylvania town of the same name. It was established as a Roman Catholic men’s college in 1842. It became co-ed in 1967. 14
VINCE: William – This early pioneer and one of Stephen F. Austin’s Old 300 was given a league of land in July 1824 in what today is the city of Pasadena. For many years he and his brothers, Allen, Richard and Robert, ran a plantation on their land. The estuary that ran through his property into Buffalo Bayou was named Vince’s Bayou. 15
VINCE’S BRIDGE: Allen Vince built a bridge near San Jacinto that Erastus “Deaf” Smith burned down during the Texas Revolution to impair Santa Anna’s arrival at the battle-field. Vince was a farmer and rancher who purchased land on Oyster Creek in 1840. Today the town of Arcola occupies the property. 16
VIRGIE COMMUNITY: W. M. Donnley bought Fred Neidigk’s sawmill in 1906 and changed the name of the rail station to Virgie Switch in honor of his daughter. (A switch is a device consisting of two sections of railroad track used to transfer rolling stock from one track to another.) A few years later a real estate con artist started marketing lots in a place called Virgie Town, Texas, to out-of-staters. When those poor souls came to claim their property they discovered he had taken the money and disappeared without ever paying Donnley for the land. (See Neidigk.) 17
VIRGINIA POINT: This point of land on the Texas mainland is where the Galveston Causeway connects the island to the coast. It was a part of Stephen F. Austin’s or
iginal colony. By 1840 there was a small town here. Virginia Point was fortified during the War Between the States. The town was destroyed by the Great Storm of 1900 and again in the 1915 hurricane. Today it is mostly marshland. 18
VOGT: Fred – This immigrant arrived in the Tomball area from Stutchberg, Germany in 1863. 19
VOLLMER: Henry and Kate – These German immigrants came to Houston in the 1850s. They owned a farm in the Spring Branch neighborhood where this road is today. 20
VOSS: Records lead us to believe this thoroughfare is named for a landowner in the area named C. H. Voss. Among his holdings were 12 acres at the intersection of Westheimer and Post Oak where the Galleria is today. According to Tanglewood, William Farrington wanted to build the first regional shopping center at that location. In 1951 the only building on the property was a tavern and pool hall owned by Voss and his wife Ella. While cold beer may have been a drawing card for clients, many came to use the pay phone, as it was the only telephone within miles. Voss was not interested in selling his land but after repeated offers he decided to lease his property to Farrington for 99 years. 21
W
W. E. “BILL” CROWLEY PARK: This gentleman was a long time Harris County employee. Crowley was General Superintendent for Roads and Bridges for Harris County Precinct 4. In 1977 former County Commissioner E. A. “Squatty” Lyons had this road and park named in Crowley’s honor. (See Fern and Gessner.) 1
W. W. THORNE: This gentleman was a former superintendent of the Aldine Independent School District and a civic leader in that community. Upon his retirement he won the Star Award from the Aldine Scholarship Foundation for his years of service. 2