Houston History

Join us for another in our series of dives into Houston history!  We will start the day at Freedmen’s Town, Houston’s first designated Historical District and now in the National Register of Historic Places with several UNESCO sites.  This area on the south side of Buffalo Bayou near downtown was settled after the Emancipation Proclamation of June 19, 1865, when hundreds of newly emancipated persons of African descent settled in this Fourth Ward in search of a better life.  We will meet our docent with the Freedmen’s Town Museum on the hand-laid brick streets of the community and engage in a walking tour of several preserved and restored homes and structures in the area including the home of Rutherford B.H Yates and the Gregory School library.   After our tour we will walk to the nearby restaurant Lost & Found, with its tasty southern-style menu and unique patio-dining experience.

After lunch we will head over to the nearby Houston Fire Museum, to see its recently restored 1899 firehouse, the historic Fire Station No. 7, the first built by the Houston Fire Department after it became a fully paid department.  It also is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and a recorded Texas Historic Landmark.  The renovated Romanesque architecture is stunning with its brick details, and housed the horse-drawn fire wagons, horse stalls, dormitory, and officer quarters.  Exhibits are limited to highlight the masonry, woodwork, and window restorations of this historic gem.

We will wrap up after our tours and start to plan the next outing!