Historic Houston Streets

by Marks Hinton

  why historic galveston has so few streets named for famous citizens

  As one our most historic towns it seemed odd that only a handful of streets in Galveston recall the people who made it what was once called the “Wall Street of the South.” Well there is a very simple reason. It was laid out using a gridiron pattern copied from eastern cities like New York City and Philadelphia by an eccentric surveyor named Gail Borden. He rode his pet bull around town, tried to make jelly from oxen hoofs and horns, invented condensed milk and founded the Borden Company. The plan was simple. Avenues that paralleled the Gulf of Mexico and Galveston Bay were labeled alphabetically. Streets that intersected the avenues were named numerically. As Galveston grew the city officials just continued to expand Borden’s grid. Over the years half of the alphabetical avenues and 13 of the numerical streets were renamed as follows:

  Avenue A – Port Industrial (now Harborside)

  Avenue B – Strand

  Avenue C – Ship’s Mechanic

  Avenue D – Market

  Avenue E – Post Office

  Avenue F – Church

  Avenue G – Winnie

  Avenue H – Ball

  Avenue I – Sealy

  Avenue J – Broadway

  Avenue P - Bernardo de Galvez

  Avenue P ½ – Heard’s Lane

  Avenue S – Stewart

  2nd Street – Ferry

  4th Street – Holiday

  6th Street – University

  14th Street – Christopher Columbus

  21st Street – Moody

  22nd Street – Kempner

  23rd Street – Tremont

  25th Street – Rosenberg

  29th Street – Martin Luther King

  39th Street – Mike Gaido

  41st Street – Jack Johnson

  53rd Street – Mary Moody Northen

  61st Street – Central City

  And finally, where did the ½ streets come from. Legend says the Galveston City Company felt Borden had made the lots too big so they halved some of them by placing a street between say O Street and P Street and calling it O ½. More likely as the town grew toward the Gulf they had run out of letters so they back filled with the use of the ½ 52

  Y

  YALE: This Houston Heights Street is named for Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Elihu Yale was a successful merchant who made a large donation to the school that then changed its name to honor their patron. 1

  YEARLING: In thoroughbred racing this is a one-year old horse whose age is measured from January 1 of the year in which it was foaled. 2

  YELL CEMETERY: This private family cemetery is on the Raleigh Rogers league in Montgomery County. It contains the remains of the Yell and Rogers families. The earliest burial, Raleigh Rogers, was 1854. He was an early settler who was born in Tennessee in 1792. Pleasant Yell died in 1894. 3

  YMCA: This short Pearland street leads to the Vic Coppinger Family YMCA. Born in Missouri City in 1918 his parents moved to Pearland when Coppinger was an infant and except for a stint as a radar bombardier/navigator on a B-29 in the Pacific during World War II, he never left his beloved hometown. He was a banker, two time winner of Citizen of the Year (1987 and 1994) and a two term mayor of the city. He died in 1995 at the age of 76. 4

  YMCA: Baytown also named a street for their YMCA, the Baytown Family YMCA. 5

  YOAKUM: Benjamin Franklin – Although his parents wanted him to be a minister, Yoakum was taken with railroad fever. His first job was on a survey gang laying the route of the International-Great Northern Railroad into Palestine, Texas. Working his way up the corporate ladder at several rail lines, Yoakum joined the St. Louis & San Francisco Railway Company (Frisco). Under his tutelage this railroad grew from 1,200 to 6,000 miles of track. In 1905 the Frisco and the Rock Island Line merged to form a 17,000-mile system, the largest in America at the time. As one of Texas’ leading agrarians he is credited with creating the great agricultural counties of the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas. In 1907 he moved to New York and became a financier, activist agrarian and prizewinning cattle raiser. Yoakum died in 1929 and is buried in New York City. 6

  YOUNG: Houston – This early Humble area resident was a veteran of the War Between the States. 7

  TENNIS OR GOLF, ANYONE?

  River Oaks was the first Houston neighborhood to name streets after famous golf courses. Since then other developments have used sporting themes for streets. However, few have exhibited the fervor demonstrated by the streets surrounding Friendswood Golf Club. Belmont most likely recalls the golf links at Lake Macquarie, Australia. Opened in 1952 it is famous for its annual amateur tournament. Such famous golfers as Bruce Devlin, Mark O’Meara and Vijay Singh won here before turning pro. Colorado Springs’ Broadmoor Hotel, better known as the “grande dame of the Rockies,” was opened in 1891 as a gambling casino. Today it is a world renowned facility sporting three golf courses by designers Donald Ross (1918), Robert Trent Jones (1965) and Arnold Palmer (1976). Castle Harbour is a 6,440 yard course located on the island of Bermuda. It was designed by Charles Henry Banks. Dawn Hill is a golf and racquet club in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Desert Aire may refer to the Ted Robinson (1960) links in Palmdale, California. Everett may be a misspelling of Evert, as in Chris. She ranks as one of America’s greatest female tennis players, winner of 18 Grand Slam tournaments (6 U. S. Opens, 7 French Opens, 2 Australian Opens and 3 Wimbledons) in the 1970s and 80s. A Fairway is the stretch of land on a golf course that is covered in short grass and extends from the tee to the green. Love is a score of zero in tennis. Martina probably recalls the great Czech tennis pro Martina Navratilova who won 18 Grand Slam single titles (including a record 9 at Wimbledon) and 40 Grand Slam doubles championships. Match Point is the final point needed to win a tennis match. palm Aire Country Club is in Sarasota, Florida. It has two excellent links – one designed by Joe Lee and the other by Dick Wilson. Palmer is for the legendary Arnold. “Arnie,” as he was known by his army of fans, won 92 golf championships including 4 Masters, 2 British Opens and 1 U. S. Open. The Grand Hotel at Point Clear, Alabama has two Robert Trent Jones golf courses. The 6,561 yard Port Royal Golf Course opened in 1970 on the Island of Bermuda. It is another Jones designed links. There are numerous possibilities for St. Cloud. I would like to think it is named for the St. Cloud, Minnesota American Legion memorial course honoring the veterans of World War II. The All-England Lawn Tennis Championships have been played at Wimbledon since 1877. And finally, Windwood may refer to a golf course in Middleton, Wisconsin. 53

  Z

  ZAHN: Among the many German immigrants to our area were the Zahns. They were farmers in northwest Harris County where this street is located. This family was among the first settlers in Cypress along Little Cypress Creek in the 1840s. The Zahns arrived in the area after landing at Galveston. Like hundreds of their neighbors, family members were laid to rest in St. John Lutheran Cemetery. (See Lutheran Cemetery.) 1

  ZAMBEZI: This river flows from the mountains of the south central African country of Zambia to the Mozambique Channel in the India Ocean.

  ZARAGOZA: Ignacio Seguin – This Mexican general was the hero of the famous battle known as Cinco de Mayo (Fifth of May). Born near what is today Goliad, Texas in 1829, Zaragoza initially trained as a priest but deciding he lacked the calling, he joined the military. He saw action at the battles of Saltillo and Monterrey, fought with Benito Juarez in the War of Reform and was named Minister of War and the Navy in 1861. However, it is for his defeat of the French army at Puebla on May 5, 1862 that he will always be remembered. Four months later he died of typhoid fever. Three days after his death President Juarez renamed the city Puebla de Zaragoza and declared Cinco de Mayo a national holiday in memory of this hero. 2

  ZAREEN: (See Bhandara.)

  ZINDLER: Benjamin – In 1888 he founded a men and boys clothing store called Zindler’s. For many years it was located at the corner of Fannin and Congress. Today it operates u
nder the name of Zindler’s Big and Tall Store. His grandson was Marvin “Eyewitness News” Zindler of Channel 13 and the Chicken Ranch fame. Three other streets in this Denver Harbor neighborhood are the names of famous retail establishments. (See Kress, Woolworth and Gazin.) 3

  ZION LUTHERAN CEMETERY: Located in western Harris County this cemetery began as the Mueller family plot in 1873. In 1907 Henry and Mary Mueller deeded the three acre property to the trustees of the Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church of Hufsmith. Many members of that church rest here. 4

  ZOE: Like its neighboring street to the west, Majestic, this one is also named for an early Houston movie palace. Built in the Foster Building in 1915, the Zoe was architecturally interesting because of its large screen, organ, orchestra pit and barrel-vaulted roof. 5

  » ZOO CIRCLE: African elephant sculpture (1982) by Texas native Bob Fowler

  ZOO CIRCLE: Houston’s first zoological garden was located downtown in Sam Houston Park and featured rabbits, raccoons, an owl, a black bear, prairie dogs and an alligator. In 1920 the U. S. Government gave the zoo a buffalo named Earl. In 1922 the zoo moved to Hermann Park. Between 1925 and 1938 lions and elephants were added to the collection. Later additions include Reptile House (1950s), Children’s Zoo (1960s) and World of Primates (1993). 6

  ZUBER: Abe and Philip – In the 1950s these two brothers and two partners bought some land in Galena Park and began a development. The Zubers named this street for themselves and the adjoining streets Leggett and Pugh for their associates. 7

  ZUBIN: (See Bhandara.)

  HOUSTON STREET PROJECT SIDEBAR NOTES

  1 Teas Nursery, Interview 2000

  2 Miller, Mary Catherine Farrington, Interview 2001

  3 Field trip 2001, Sam Houston Park Memorial & Wood, Jerry, Interview 2001 & Baines, Mrs. W. M., Houston’s Part in the World War (1919), 25-9

  4 Houston Chronicle, 1952

  5 Various old Houston city maps – 1836 – 2003

  6 Key Map: Houston Harris County Atlas – 44th Edition – (Key Maps 2003) – Numerous pages

  7 Key Map: Houston Harris County Atlas – 44th Edition – (Key Maps 2003) – Numerous pages

  8 Key Map: Houston Harris County Atlas – 44th Edition – (Key Maps 2003) – Numerous pages

  9 Key Map: Houston Harris County Atlas – 44th Edition – (Key Maps 2003) – Numerous pages

  10 Delaney, John J., Dictionary of Saints (Doubleday 1980), numerous pages

  11 Houston Chronicle, Undated

  12 Anonymous, Interview 2002

  13 “MAGNOLIA POINT, TX.” The Handbook of Texas Online.

  14 Key Map: Houston Harris County Atlas – 44th Edition – (Key Maps 2003) – Numerous pages

  15 Key Map: Houston Harris County Atlas – 44th Edition – (Key Maps 2003) – Numerous pages

  16 Houston Chronicle, May 8, 1929

  17 Houston Press, Undated

  18 Interviews 2007-8 and field trips

  19 http://www.nasa.gov

  20 Field Trip 2007

  21 Begeman, June A., Stepping Back In Time: History of West University Place (D. Armstrong 1999), 50

  22 Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Ultimate Reference Suite CD-ROM

  23 Key Map: Houston Harris County Atlas – 44th Edition – (Key Maps 2003) – Numerous pages

  24 Houston Chronicle, undated

  25 Key Map: Houston Harris County Atlas – 44th Edition – (Key Maps 2003) – Numerous pages

  26 http://www.referencecenter.com

  27 Senor Marks Hinton se habla Espanol

  28 http://en.wikipedia.org

  29 Houston Chronicle, July 1998

  30 Encyclopedia Britannica (1952), Volumes 1, 3,5, 7,11, 12, 16, 20, 21

  31 www.ushistory.org

  32 Field trip 2001

  33 Wood, Jerry and Raia, John, Interviews 2000, 2001

  34 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Third Edition (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992)

  35 Houston Chronicle & Harris County Facts, 1937, page 548

  36 Raia, John B., e-mail 2005

  37 Key Map: Houston Harris County Atlas – 44th Edition – (Key Maps 2003) – Numerous pages

  38 Houston Chronicle, September 16, 2007

  39 Field trip 2002

  40 Houston Chronicle, March 7, 2001 and Wood, Jerry interview 2001

  41 Rogers, Mary Nixon, A History of Brazoria County: The Old Plantations & Their Owners (T. L. smith, Jr. 1958), 21-62

  42 Houston Chronicle, April 4, 2004

  43 Field trip 2009

  44 Vreeland-Wendt, Susan, interview 2009

  45 Field trip, 2008

  46 Houston City Code Ordinances, Chap. 42 Sec.133

  47 http://en.eikipedia.org

  48 Native Texas knowledge

  49 Key Map, 46th Edition, 2005

  50 Field trip 2008 and Rau, J. M., Key Map: Galveston/Brazoria Atlas 4th Edition (Key Maps 2000), 772

  51 Papademetriou, Peter C., Transportation and Urban Development of Houston 1830-1980 (Metropolitan Transit Authority 1982)

  52 Field trip 2008 and Rau, J. M., Key Map: Galveston/Brazoria Atlas 4th Edition (Key Maps 2000), 774-5

  53 http://www.broadmoor.com; http://www.belmont-golf.com.au; http://www.golf-travel.com; http://www.golfreview.com/cat; http://www.thegolfcourses.net; http://en.wikipedia.org; http://www.palmaire.net; http://www.sandhillsonline.com; http://www.marriottgrand.com; http://www.bermudashorts.bm; http://www.stcloudcountryclub.com; http://www.wimbledon.org; http://www.madisongolf.com

  NOTES

  A

  1 www.foytracing.com

  2 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. “,” http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/GG/vrg2.html

  3 Denison, Lynne W. & Pugh, L.L., Houston Public School Buildings: Their History & Location (L. L. Pugh 1936), 1-2

  4 Houston Business Journal, July 1, 1985

  5 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Third Edition (Houghton Mifflin Company 1992), 9

  6 Garraty, John A. Editor, Encyclopedia of American Biography (Harper & Row 1974), 12

  7 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. “,” http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/AA/roa3.html

  8 Texas Historical Marker, State Highway 146, Baytown, erected 1984

  9 “ADDICKS, TX.” The Handbook of Texas Online.

  10 Encyclopedia Britannica (1952), Volume 1, 160-2

  11 Adkins, John, e-mail 2008

  12 Doolittle, Bill, The Kentucky Derby: Run for the Roses (Time Life Books 1998), 144-45

  13 www.espn.com

  14 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. “PEARLAND, TX,” http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/PP/hep3.html

  15 Baytown Sun, May 13, 1996

  16 Houston Chronicle, May 22, 1929

  17 http://www.pollyranch.com

  18 Fieldtrip 2002

  19 Houston Chronicle, January 2, 2008

  20 www.starwars.com

  21 Texas Historical Marker, 905 FM 525, Houston, erected 1999

  22 Baytown Sun, May 13, 1996

  23 “OLD RIVER-WINFREE, TX.” The Handbook of Texas Online.

  24 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. “,” http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/AA/hla11.html

  25 Texas Historical Marker, Bellaire Boulevard at Dairy-Ashford Road, Houston, erected 1984

  26 “CLODINE, TX.” The Handbook of Texas Online.

  27 Houston City Maps

  28 Webb, Walter Prescott, The Hand Book of Texas (Texas State Historical Assn. 1952), Vol. 1, 29-30

  29 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. “,” http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/NN/hjn4.html

  30 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. “PEARLAND, TX,” http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/han
dbook/online/articles/view/PP/hep3.html

  31 Houston District Designation Report, HPO file no. 07HD11, 2007

  32 Key Map, 50the Edition 2009

  33 “ALMEDA, TX.” The Handbook of Texas Online.

  34 “GENOA, TX.” The Handbook of Texas Online.

  35 Baines, Mrs. W. M., Houston’s Part in the World War (1919)

  36 Field trip, 2009

  37 “ALVIN, TX.” The Handbook of Texas Online.

  38 “SUGAR LAND, TX.” The Handbook of Texas Online.

  39 Doolittle, Bill, The Kentucky Derby: Run for the Roses (Time Life Books 1998), 144-45

  40 Ibid., 146

  41 Field trip 2009

  42 Begeman, June A., Stepping Back In Time: History of West University Place, (D. Armstrong 1999), 11

  43 Ibid., 11

  44 www.amherst.edu

  45 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. “,” http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/AA/hla11.html

  46 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. “,” http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/AA/hra39.html

  47 Houston Chronicle, December 20, 1998

  48 Johnston, Marguerite, Houston: the Unknown City, 1836-1946 (Texas A & M 1991), 22

  49 http://www.accessgenealogy.com

  50 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. “,” http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/AA/hla11.html

  51 Raia, John B., Interview 2001 & Glenwood Cemetery records

  52 Encyclopedia Britannica (1952), Volume 1, 981-2

  53 Who’s Who in the Bible (Reader’s Digest Assn. 1994), 117

  54 Adkins, John, e-mail 2009

  55 Laffin, John, Brassey’s Dictionary of Battles: 3,500 Years Of Conflict, Campaigns and Wars (Barnes & Noble Books 1986), 47.

  56 Ibid., 49.

  57 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Third Edition (Houghton Mifflin Company 1992), 87, 1340, 158, 1720, 1377