YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

FOUNDER OF THE W« M RICE INSTITUTE

Standard History
of
Houston Texds
From a Study of the Original Sources

Edited by
B. H. CARROLL, Jr., LL. B., M. A., Ph. D.
Author of "Die Annexion von Texas, ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der
Monroe-Doc trin," and "The Political History of
Europe from 1815 to 1848. "

Knoxville, Tennessee
Published by H. W. Crew & Co.
1912

Copyrighted 1912
by
H. W. GREW & GO.

Knoxville Printing & Box Co.
Printers and Bindei s
Knoxville, Tenn.

Foreword

The Story of Houston has not proved an easy one to write.
A city is in many respects a conglomeration of units rather
than an aggregate of unities. The units are of character so
varying that it is hard to reduce them to a common denominator.
Municipal consciousness is vague and much that happens in the
development of a city seems to be fortuitous rather than
teleological. Yet Houston has in many respects grown to
formula and plan and has often responded heartily to conscious
effort made at improvement of conditions. The foundations of
the past have been used and effort has been often cumulative in
results. Undeniably there is a municipal spirit, an esprit du
corps of the citizens that argues well for the future of the town.
The plan followed in writing this history has been to outline
the beginnings of things, especially in the days of the Republic,
in a manner that in so far as possible follows the order in which
the events occurred. After Texas entered the Union the growth
of the city is incidentally shown in tracing the growth of the
several institutions the aggregate of whose history is the history
of the city. The last chapter of the book 'hinges in a manner
directly on to the last chapter on the days of the Republic and
outlines the various periods in the municipal life, gives pen
pictures of the city at intervals of years, and recapitulates
briefly the latest era of greatest achievement.
The volume is true history in that an appeal has been
made directly to the sources of history. These have been three ;
newspapers, there have been newspapers in Houston from the
earliest times and it began with a newspaper advertisement;
th.e observations of eye-witnesses as they were recounted in
books, especially those of travel and adventure, as to conditions
in Houston ; and the recollections of the citizens themselves. A

10 History of Houston, Texas
number of manuscript letters of Sam Houston and others were
also used. Every extant number of the files of the Telegraph, the
Morning Star, the Houston Post and the Houston Chronicle
was carefully searched for data, an expert spending four months
in going over the newspaper files alone. Matter sufficient for
the writing of five volumes the size of this one was obtained
and the question of the selection of data assumed importance.
Many facts and incidents are given as they are recalled in the
memories of old citizens who had personal knowledge of the
facts or who participated in the events.
A number of the chapters were written by Dr. S. 0. Young,
whose family belongs to the earliest settlers and who often
writes from personal recollections of events occurring within the
last half century. Dr. Young was at one time the editor of
the Houston Post, was later the managing editor of the Galveston
News and has a wide acquaintance with both local and Texas
history and is famed as a raconteur.
A number of chapters, including all those of the period of
the Republic and the chapter on the Wm. M. Rice Institute,
were written entirely by the editor.
Such statistics as are given without reference to their
source are those current in the newspapers of their respective
dates or such as are given by those in position to possess true
information. This work may fairly lay claim to the following negative
merits :
There is not one line of its text that is advertising. Such
mention as is made of firms, persons or corporations is absolutely
gratuitous and is made because the editor believed that the
per=cn, firm or corporation deserved such mention in fairly
telling the story of Houston.
There is no conscious or deliberate padding of facts and
figures or exaggeration of statement. The editor feels great
pride in Houston, but he has made no attempt to show the city
in a rosy glow.
There has been a careful avoidance of the valley of dry

Foreword 11
bones of municipal politics. Dead issues have been left in their
moribund condition fully wrapped in their shrouds and
vestments. Only when such important matters as the beginning
or ending of the carpet bag government or the change from the
old ward system of politics to the commission form of government
were to be noted have the issues of municipal campaigns been
noticed. Much more has there been an avoidance of state and
national politics.
In writing this history special prominence has been given
to the Rice Institute because this institution seems certain
to play a tremendous part in the city's future history. The
sketch of "William M. Rice is the only one ever written and in
preparing it the men who had known him in his lifetime and
his business activities were consulted for information in their
possession. It is believed to be a faithful portrayal of the man
who takes rank as Houston's greatest benefactor.
Growth in the future will be so rapid that unless some
measures are taken to preserve the city's early story it might
easily be lost.
Such a volume as the present one, despite the care and
trouble necessary to prepare it, necessarily appeals to a circle
of readers found within the list of the citizens of Houston
itself, together with a few outside students of economic or
municipal conditions. It is believed, however, that this book
will be of interest and value to all lovers of Houston and
the editor chiefly deplores that he has found it impossible to
even name all the worthy men and women who have contributed
to the growth and prosperity of the city, and will be the first
to admit that the services of many here unnamed are worthy to
take rank along with the highest and best of those capitulated.
The editor cordially acknowledges the aid and assistance
rendered by newspaper writers, by musicians, by architects and
by others who have given counsel or advice on matters relating
to their professions or callings.
The work is submitted as a record of the achievements of
a city that is just three quarters of a century old. The record
is carried to a date that varies between February 28, 1911 and

12 History of Houston, Texas
November 1, 1911, as the chapters went to press at varying
dates. It is the wish of the editor that it may prove to be
worthy of the friendly consideration of those who love Houston
and believe in her future.
Nov. 21, 1911. THE EDITOR.

This edition of the Standard History of Houston was
printed for subscribers only. The edition was limited to the
subscription list and the type has been distributed. The Publishers.

Protrait Illustrations
Rice, "Wm. M   Frontispiece
Rice, J. S  Facing 313
Jones, Jesse H  " 336
Carter, "W. T  " 369
-Jones, Fred. A  " 403

CONTENTS CHAPTER I
Settlement and Pioneer Life

HOUSTON, a Monument to Real Estate Promoters' Art. First
Built on Paper and Advertised all over America. Pro
hibitive Prices of Land at Harrisburg Caused Choice of
Houston's Site. Foresight of .A. C. and J. K. Allen. The
First Steamer up the Bayou. City Mapped and Plotted.
Rivalry with Harrisburg. Founding of Harrisburg. Geo
logical Formation of Harris County. Early Social Condi
tions. Fights and Murders. Civil Officers, Laws and
Justice. Building Court House and Jail. First Court
Trials, First "Wedding, First Divorce. City's Mayors under
the Republic. Much Litigation and Many Land Frauds.

CHAPTER II
Early Day Amusements

Hunting, Fishing and Poker. The Jockey Club and Horse
Racing. Notable Dances, the San Jacinto Anniversary
; i'7 Ball- and Description of Sam Houston and Other Partiti
on pants.. A Festival Meal at Houston's First Hotel. City's
7 "First Theatres and their Performances.

CHAPTER III
Houston and the Red Men

Sam Houston and the Cherokees. An Jndian Dance. Letters
from Chiefs John Jolly and Bowles. Houston's- Indian
Talk. Fate of Cherokees and Comanches.

16 History of Houston, Texas
CHAPTER IV
Capital Days and Annexation

Houston Chosen as Capital City of New Nation. Erection of
Capitol Building. First Newspaper. British Representa
tive, present at Sam Houston's Inaugural Address. Second
Congress Meets in Houston— Its Activities. Visit of
Admiral Baudin of France. Mirabeau B. Lamar and His
Policies as President. England's Refusal to Recognize
Independence. Slaves in Houston. Removal of Capital
to Austin. Causes of Annexation. The Vote in Harris
County.

CHAPTER V
Early Religious Organizations

Houston's Pioneer Churches. Methodists, Presbyterians, Bap
tists and Catholics Early Founded Congregations.

CHAPTER VI
Early Growth and the Bayou

City of Houston's Early Progress and Poverty. Arrival of
Schooner "Rolla." Financial Panic and Yellow Fever
Epidemic of 1839. First Book Published in City. Building
of Wharves and Organization of Chamber of Commerce.
Early Descriptions of the Buffalo River and its Steamboat
Life. British Consul Ikin's Description of Houston. Civic
Prosperity. Houston Enters Union as Commercial Empor
ium and Business Capital of the State.

CHAPTER VII
The City Government

Early City Limits. First Market House. "Reconstruction"
Administration. First Bridge Across Buffalo Bayou. The

Contents 17
First Fire Company. Houston Hook and Ladder Company.
The Fire Department of Today. Early Police Officers. Some
Old Police Notes. The Police Department Today. City
Water Works. Houston Gas Company. Contending with
a Big Debt. What Mayor D. C. Smith Accomplished.
Mayor Rice and the Commission Form of Government.
What the Commission Has Done for Houston.

CHAPTER VIII
The Bench and Bar

High Character of Early Lawyers,. First District Court. Early
Legal Documents. Great Criminal Lawyers. Ex-Governor
Henderson 's Butcher Knife. Members of Early Bar. Crim
inal and District Court Judges. The County Court and
Its Judges. Judge Hamblen's Reminiscences. Harris
County Bar Association. Houston as a Source of Legal
Business.

CHAPTER* IX
Medical History

Pioneer Physicians and Their Labors. First Houston Medical
Association. Organization of the State Medical Association.
Railroad Surgeons Association. Harris County Medical
Association. Houston's Modern Hospitals. Story of Early
Epidemics. The Doctors and the Newspapers.

CHAPTER X
Church History

Founding of the Evangelical Churches in Houston. Organiza
tion of the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and
Episcopalians. German Lutheran Churches, Disciples and
Christian Scientists. The Roman Catholic Institutions in

18 History of Houston, Texas
Houston. Congregation Beth Israel and Hebrew Syna
gogues. The Houston Y. M. C. A.

CHAPTER XI
Education and Free Schools

Houston's Earliest Schools were Private Enterprises. Lack of
Proper School Facilities. The Houston Academy. Congres
sional Appropriations for Public Schools. Free Schools
Flourished only after Civil War. Arguments Against the
System. Houston First City to Take Control of Her Schools.
City School Superintendents. Opening of Public Schools
in October, 1877. Comparative Growth from 1877 to 1909.
Scientific Features in City's Schools. Superintendent
Horn's Summary of. Decade from 1901 to 1911. Private
School Enterprises.

CHAPTER XII
The Rice Institute

Houston's Inheritance Through a Tragedy. The Storv of a
Famous Crime. A Princely Gift. A Biography of William
M. Rice. The Initial Donation. A Continuaiting Benevo
lence. The Monument to the Childless Man. William M.
Rice as Philanthropist and Business Man. Dr. Edgar Odell
Lovett elected President of the Institute. Laying the Corner
Stone. The City's Dominant Institution.

CHAPTER XIII
Houston Newspapers

Story of First Newspaper in Texas and its Removal to Houston.
The Telegraph and Register. The Morning Star. Flood of
Newspaper Enterprises Following Civil War. . Special Inter
est and Trade Periodicals in Houston. The Houston Tele-

Contents 19 1
gram. The Houston Post Organized and Suspended. The
New Post. The Houston Herald. The Chronicle and Its
Makers. Some Famous Newspaper Men. Some Early and
Late Authors and Writers. Organization of Texas State
Press Association.

CHAPTER XIV
Transportation and Communication

Early Transportation Difficulties. An Early Monopoly Pro
posed. The First Railroad. Other Early Roads. The G.
H. & H. Road. Beginning of Texas and New Orleans Line.
Railroads During War and Reconstruction Days. Systems
Center in Houston. The Plank Road Company. The Ox-
Wagon Trade. Paul Bremond's Enterprise. Growing Need
for Roads. Houston as Terminus for Seventeen Roads.
Houston's Railroad Trackage, Trains and Headquarters.
Sunset Central System. Katy and Sap Terminals. Santa_
Fe and Frisco Lines. Bayou Navigation. The Wharfage
Fight. Charles Morgan and the Ship Channel. The Gov- -
ernment and the Channel. Deepening the Channel. Bayou
Traffic. Houston Terminal Company. First Street Car
Company. Extending Street Railways. Operation Under
Stone-Webster Syndicate. Trackage and Pay Roll. Houston
Galveston Interurban. Earliest Telegraph Service. Begin
nings of Telephone Service. Present Telegraph Service in
Houston. Southwestern Telegraph and Telephone Company.
Automatic Telephone Company. Wireless Telegraphy.

CHAPTER XV
Societies and Clubs

Free Masonry in Texas. Holland Lodffe and Texas Grand Lodge
Organized. First Lodge of Odd Fellows. Knights of
Pythias and Elks. The Houston Turn Verein. The volks-
Fests. Societies of War Veterans. Terry's Texas Rangers.
Second Texas Infantry and Waul's Legion. Hood's Texas
Brigade. The Bayou City Guards. Dick Dowling Camp U.

20 History of Houston, Texas
C. V. and Post McLennan No. 9, G. A. R. Houston Militia
Companies. The Light Guard. Troop A. First Texas
Cavalry. Jeff Miller Rifles. The Annual No-Tsu-Oh Carni
val. Z. Z. and Thalian Clubs. Country Club. Houston
Club. Charitable Societies. Organized Charities, Faith
Home, Wesley House, Florence Crittenden Home, Star of
Hope Mission. Houston Settlement Association.

CHAPTER XVI
Societies and Clubs- — Continued

First Literary Society. Organization of Houston Lyceum.
Early Efforts to Establish a Library. The Houston Lyceum
and Carnegie Library. The Ladies Reading Club. Ladies
Shakespeare Club. The Two other Shakespeare Clubs.
Current Literature Club. Houston Pen Women's Associa
tion. Houston Branch of Dickens Fellowship. Lady Wash
ington Chapter. Daughters of the American Revolution.
San Jacinto Chapter No. 2, Daughters of the Republic of
Texas. Robert E. Lee Chapter 186, United Daughters of the
Confederacy. Oran M. Roberts Chapter 440, U. D. C.

CHAPTER XVII
Organized Labor

Organized Labor is Prosperous in Houston. Houston Labor
Council's Full Report Showing Numbers and Conditions
in all the Organized Crafts. Good Wages are Paid and
Sweating System is not in Vogue.

CHAPTER XVIII
Board of Trade and Banks

Organization of Board of Trade and Cotton Exchange. The
Cotton Exchange Building. Officers of Exchange. Cotton

Contents 21
as King. Cotton Compresses and Warehouses. The Hous
ton Business League. The Chamber of Commerce. Hous
ton's Early Banks. Growth Shown by Bank Clearings.
Houston's Modern Banks. City's Big Trust Companies.
The Houston Clearing House.

CHAPTER XIX
Houston 's Manufacturers

Primitive Beginnings. Natural Advantages Offered. The
First Mills. Advent of Colton Compress. Coming of Icon
Foundries. Revival of Manufacturing Following the Civil
War. First Ice Plants. Packing Plants. Conditions from
1880 to 1890. Car Wheel Shops. Electric Lights. Cotton
Seed Products. Textile Mills. Furniture and Other Wood
working Plants. Manufacturing in 1905. Coffee Roasting-
Launch Building. Manufacturing Statistics. Fuel and
Water. Home Products Banquet.

CHAPTER XX
Wholesale Trade and Big Business

Pioneer Conditions of Trade. Steamboat Element in Houston's
Business Prosperity. Natural Advantages Built up Creat
Industries. Water Competition Gives Advantageous Rail
road Tariffs. Houston's Trade Territory. How Annual
Wholesale Business of $90,000,000 is pro rated. City's 376
Incorporated Companies. Growth of Produce Business.
Importation of Fruits. Sugar Jobbing Trade. Packing
House Business. Changes in Methods of Marketing Cotton.
How Houston was Made a Cotton Buyers' Market. Houston,
the Great Selling Market for Lumber. Results of Lumber
Panic Prices of 1907, in Concentrated Selling Agencies in
Houston. Manufacturing Capacity of Big Lumber Firms.
Movement ot Curtail Manufacture. Facts and Figures on
Lumber Industry. Turpentine Trade. The J. R. Morris
Plan for Rice Culture. Houston's Rice Mills. Rice Pro
duction and Food Value. Houston's Retail Trade and Wage
Earners. Capital Invested in Retail Trade.

22 History of Houston, Texas
CHAPTER XXI
Music and Art

Houston's Early Development as Musical Center Due to Cultured
German Citizens. High Capacity Demanded by Thursday
Morning Club. City's Record on Symphony Concerts. The
Treble Clef Club. The Womans Choral Club. The Hous
ton Quartette Society. Federation of English Singing Soci
eties of Texas. The Houston Saengerbund. The Houston
Music Festival Association. Symphony Orchestras and
Grand Operas. The Japanese Maid. Bands and Orchestras.
Co-operative Work. Musical Critics. The Future in Music.
But Few Local Artists. Hugo Schoppman. Work of Thuse-
tan Donnellen and Edgar Mitchell. Boris Gordon's Famous
Portrait. The Art League.

CHAPTER XXII
Houston's Public Buildings

City's Early Court-Houses and Jails. The New County Court
House. Present County and City Jails. A Peripatetic Post
Office. The New Federal Building. The Viaduct. The City
Market House. The New Auditorium. The City Fire

Stations.

CHAPTER XXIII
Architecture and Building

Tents and Log Huts Were First Buildings. Primitive American
Architecture. The First Brick Houses. The First Three-
Story House. The First Four-Story Hotel. The Latin
Influence. The First Six-Story Office Building. Effect of
Introducing the New Building Materials. Restrictions
Placed by Climate on Architecture. First Eleven-Story
Building. South Texas National Bank Building. The
Carter Building. First National Bank Building. The Union
National Bank Building. The Chronicle Building. South-

Contents 23
western Telephone Building. New Union Station. Southern
Pacific Office Building. The Court House and the Federal
Building. Apartment Houses. The Bender Hotel. The
New Rice Hotel. Architecture of the Churches. Y. M. C.
A. Building. Suburban and Country Homes. The Wm.
M. Rice Institute. Houston Residences. Building Permits.

CHAPTER XXIV
Insurance

Houston Gets Lowest Rate of Fire Insurance Premium. Fire
Fighting Apparatus. Early Fire Insurance. Planters Fire
Insurance Company. Purchase of Bogus Bonds Destroyed
Houston Fire and Marine Insurance Company. Guarantee
Life Insurance Company. Remarkable Prosperity of the
Great Southern Company.

CHAPTER XXV
Theatres

Santa Anna Broke up First Theatre Project. The Thompson
and Buckley Theatres. The Gray Opera House. Early
Amateur Dramatic Clubs. Academy of Music First Local
Home of Vaudeville. The Beautiful New Majestic Theatre.
The Prince Theatre. The Old Majestic. The New Cozy.
Moving Picture Shows and Stock Companies.

CHAPTER XXVI
Parks and Cemeteries

Purchase and Development of Sara Houston Park. Highland
Park. Cleveland Park. Elizabeth Baldwin Park. City's need
of Plaza Parks. Ruined Condition of City's Earliest Ceme
teries. Episcopal Church and Holland Lodge Cemetery.
Glenwood and Catholic Cemeteries. List of other Cemeteries.

24 History of Houston, Texas
Sylvan Beauties of Burying Ground. Land Tenure of Cem
etery Lots.  o 
CHAPTER XXVII
Old Landmarks

The Old Indian Trading Post. The Old City Hotel and Hutchins
House. Site of Capitol and Land Office Buildings. Hous
ton's Mansion. Where the First Store Stood. Two Historic
Bridges. Sites of Early Railroad Construction. The Old
City Wharf. Reminiscences on Destruction of Houston's
First Hotel.

CHAPTER XXVIII
Houston's Growth and Progress

The Several Periods of Houston's History. The Plan Followed
in Writing the City's Story. A Chapter of Recapitulation.
Characteristics of the Pioneer Builders. Trade Revival
Following Annexation. The Days of Ox- Wagon Traffic.
Benefits from the First Railroad. The Destructive Early
Fires and their Results. A Pen Picture of the City in 1857.
¦ Houston During the Civil War. Blockade Running and Trade
Conditions. Houston as Military Headquarters. Feverish
Gaiety of the War Period. A Dearth of Food and Clothes.
Confederate Money and Shin Plasters. Rapid Business
Revival When War Closed. Texas on Gold and Silver Basis.
City Looted Under Carpet Bag Rule. A Pen Picture of
Houston in 1879. A Period of Lethargy and Stagnation.
The Years of Growth and Expansion. Rapid Increase in
Property Values. City's Population Doubles Each Decade.
The Great Skyscraper Era. Synopsis of City's Relation to
Big Business Taken from City Directory of 1911. What
Houston has Accomplished in the 75 Years of its Life.
The Promise of the Future.

CHAPTER I
Settlement and Pioneer Life

HOUSTON, a Monument to Real Estate Promoters' Art. First
Built on Paper and Advertised all over America. Pro
hibitive Prices of Land at Harrisburg Caused Choice of
Houston's Site. Foresight of A. C. and J. K. Allen. The
First Steamer up the Bayou. City Mapped and Plotted.
Rivalry with Harrisburg. F.ounding of Harrisburg. Geo
logical Formation of Harris County. Early Social Condi
tions. Fights and Murders. Civil Officers, Laws and
Justice. Building Court House and Jail. First Court
Trials, First Wedding, First Divorce. City's Mayors under
the Republic. Much Litigation and Many Land Frauds.

Houston is a splendid monument to the success of the
real estate promoter's art. Other cities have prospered Topsy
wise. They just grew. A lucky place at a cross roads, a river
bend or a mountain pass where they might catch the drift from
the tides of travel and by the simple process of accretion or
the fortuitous concourse of human atoms a city came into being.
Not so Houston. Its site was selected by promoters, it was
mapped and planned ere ever a house was built, its advan
tages were touted in the national press and it has performed
the singular feat of growing largely according to the plans
and specifications originally laid out for its development and
has surpassed the most ' ' whopping ' ' predictions as to its growth
and prosperity.
All the stage wits and travelling vaudeville artists use
Harrisburg as the target for their country village jokes and
yet curiously enough it was the prohibitive price of land in
Harrisburg that caused Houston to be chosen and built. The
promoters recognized the obvious fact that Harrisburg is a

26 History of Houston, Texas
better place for a city than Houston and tried to buy there
but the owners of the proposed townsite were greedy and
hence a site farther up the river was chosen.
By a deed of the date of August 26, 1836, and for a recited
consideration of $5,000, two New York speculators, the brothers
A. C. and J. K. Allen, purchased of Mrs. T. F. L. Parrott the
south half of the lower of the two leagues of land granted
to John Austin, near the head of tide water on Buffalo Bayou.
It was immediately put on the market as a townsite. The
first formal annoucement is an advertisement published in the
"Columbia Telegraph" of the date of August 30, 1836. It
reads :
"THE TOWN OF HOUSTON,
"Situated at the head of navigation on the west bank of
Buffalo river is now for the first time brought to public notice,
because, until now, the properties were not ready to offer to
the public, with the advantages of capital and improvements.
"The town of Houston is located at a point on the river
which must ever command the trade of the largest and richest
portion of Texas. By reference to the map it will be seen that
the trade of San Jacinto, Spring Creek, New Kentucky, and
the Brazos, above and below Fort Bend, must necessarily come
to this place, and will at this time warrant the employment
of at least $1,000,000 of capital, and when the rich lands of
this country shall be settled, a trade will flow to it, making it,
beyond all doubt, the great interior commercial emporium
of Texas. ' ' The town of Houston is distant 15 miles from the Brazos
river, 30 miles a little north of east from the San Felipe, 60 miles
from Washington, 40 miles from Lake Creek, 30 miles south
west from New Kentucky and 15 miles by water and 8 or 10
by land above Harrisburg.
"Tide water runs to this place and the lowest depth of
water is about 6 feet. Vessels from New Orleans to New York
can sail without obstacle to this place, and steamboats of the
largest class can run down to Galveston Island in 8 or 10
hours in all seasons of the year.

Settlement and Pioneer Life 27
"It is but a few hours sail down the bay, where one may
make excursions of pleasure and enjoy the luxuries of fish,
fowl, oysters and sea bathing.
"Galveston Harbor, being the only one in which vessels
drawing a large draft of water can navigate, must necessarily
render the island the great naval and commercial depot of the
country. ' ' The town of Houston must be the place where arms, ammu
nitions and provisions for the government will be stored,
because, situated in the very heart of the country, it combines
security and means of easy distribution, and a national armory
will no doubt very soon be at this point.
"There is no place in Texas more healthy, having an abun
dance of excellent spring water. ;ind eujoyiiig the sea breeze
in all its freshness.
"No place in Texas possesses so many advantages for
building, having fine ash, cedar and oak in inexhaustible quan
tities, also the tall and beautiful magnolia grows in abundance.
In the vicinity are fine quarries of stone.
"Nature appears to have designated this place for the
future seat of government. It is handsome and beautifully
elevated, salubrious and well watered and now in the very heart
or center of population, and will be so for a length of time to
come. "It combines two important advantages — a communi cation
with the coast and foreign countries and with the different
portions of the Republic. As the country shall improve, rail
roads will become in use and will be extended from tnis point
to the Brazos and up the same, and also from this up to the
headwaters of San Jacinto, embracing that rich country, and in
a few years the whole trade of the upper Brazos will make
its way into Galveston Bay through this channel.
"Preparations are now making to erect a water saw mill
and a large public house for accommodation will soon be
opened. Steamboats now run in this river and will in a short
time commence running regularly to the island.
"The proprietors offer the lots for sale on moderate terms

28 History of Houston, Texas
to those who desire to improve them, and invite the public to
examine for themselves. Signed A. C. ALLEN, for
A. C. & J. K. Allen.
August 30, 1836, 6 m.
"The Commercial Bulletin of New Orleans, Mobile Adver
tiser, The Globe at Washington, Morning Courier and New
York Enquirer, New York Herald and Louisville Public Adver
tiser are requested to make 3 insertions of this advertise
ment and forward their bills to this office for payment."
How familiar it all sounds. Houston boosters ever since
then have been consciously or unconsciously plagiarizing that
model and brilliantly worded advertisement of the unborn city.
Land in Texas was inexhaustible and cheap, and it is start
ling only to think of the sheer nerve of the Allen Brothers in
buying a large segment of a virgin wilderness on the banks
of a brush grown bayou and deliberately starting out to make
a great city there and to make it the capital of a new nation
and then to advertise it all over a foreign country, for the
United States was then a foreign country. Not only did the
Allen Brothers start out to work this miracle but they actually
accomplished it. Within a year's time this city of paper and
tents was the capital of Texas and was entertaining distin
guished men from many parts of the world.
Like most promoters, the Aliens strained the facts a bit, but
the facts could stand the strain. Communication with the
coast and foreign countries was not of the best. It took four
days to traverse the distance from Harrisburg to Houston by
boat and only a bridle path traversed the jungle that inter
vened between the two points by land.
When the new city was first announced, Dr. Pleasant W.
Rose of a neighboring town with a party visited the site of the
city. They found "one dug out canoe, a bottle gourd of whis
key, a surveyors chain and compass and a grove inhabited by
four men camping in tents."
Low hanging trees and snags in the bayou made progress
slow by water. Francis R. Lubbock, one of the earliest and

Settlement and Pioneer Life 29
most prominent citizens, who was later Governor of Texas,
"discovered Houston," in January, 1837. The little steamer
on which he came up the bayou required three days to make
the trip from Harrisburg, a distance of 12 miles by water.
He says: "The slow time was in consequence of the obstruc
tions we were obliged to remove as we progressed. We had to
rig what were called Spanish windlasses on the shore, to heave
the logs and snags out of our way, the passengers all work
ing faithfully. All hands on board would get out on the shore,
and cutting down a tree would make a windlass by boring
holes in it and placing it upon a support and throwing a
bight of rope around it, secure one end to a tree in the rear,
and the other to the snags or fallen trees in the water. Then
by means of the capstan bars we would turn the improvised
capstan on land and draw from the track of the steamer the
obstructions. ' '
The saddest part of it was that even then the passengers
came very near not finding the city. A party of them took the
yawl to try and find the landing but missed it and passed on
until they stuck in the brush in White Oak Bayou and then
backed down until they found wagon wheels and footprints in
the mud bank at the waters edge and then saw the stakes driven
in the ground that indicated that Houston was there.
This steamer was the "Laura" and was the first to ever
reach the wharfless landing.
The Allen Brothers had the germ of faith. It could not
move mountains and hence the feature of beautiful elevation
in the advertisement was a trifle difficult to find, but it could and
did build cities.
The original plan of the city and the map of it contem
plated only 62 blocks, all on the south side of Buffalo Bayou.
Gail Borden, the man who subsequently discovered or invented
condensed milk, and T. H. Borden made the survey and map
in 1836. The streets were given the names they now hold except
that Austin Street was then Homer Street and LaBranch
Street was then Milton Street. Homer Street had its name
changed within a short time in honor of Stephen F. Austin

30 History of Houston, Texas
and Milton Street in honor of Alcee LaBranch Charge d' Affairs
from the United States and the first minister to announce the
recognition of Texas among the nations of the world. Epic
poets of Greece and England were thus forced to give place to
American heroes and statesmen.
Another map, made by Girard, of the Texas Army, is now
in the possession of John S. Stewart of Houston.
On the original map, block 31, the present site of the
court house, was set aside and marked court house, and block
34, the present market square, was marked Congress Square.
John Allen, who selected the site of Houston immediately
following the Battle of San Jacinto, called the street now tra
versed by the Houston and Texas Central Road, Railroad Street,
saying, "This is the street which the great Texas railroad will
traverse. His foresight was correct and his prophecy came
true, but he died before the first locomotive blew its whistle
over the right of way. His death occurred in 1838.
On April 7, 1837, the townsite was enlarged and a new
map was drawn, extending one tier of blocks beyond Rusk
Street on the south, one tier beyond Crawford Street on the east
and one tier beyond Clay Street on the west. The square west
of the Rice Hotel square on Main Street was originally designat
ed as Capitol Square but when the Capitol building was erected
in 1837 it occupied the site now occupied by the Rice Hotel and
soon to be occupied by the new 18-story Rice Hotel.
A little group of settlers, among them the promoters of the
town, settled in Houston during the year 1836. They lived in
tents. On January 1, 1837, the city was still one of tents
although Henry Allen had a small log house and several small
houses were in course of erection. Logs were being hauled in
from the forest for a hotel on Franklin Street at the corner
of Travis, now occupied by the Southern Pacific building, where
the old Hutchins House stood for many years. Col. Benjamin
Fort Smith built the first hotel. He had been Inspector Gen
eral at the Battle of San Jatinto. All lumber was them sawed
by hand and cost from $150 to $200 per thousand feet. There
was a saw mill at Ibrrisburg. but some of tlie earliest houses

Settlement and Pioneer Life 31
were built out of lumber that was shipped from Maine by water.
Most of those wrho came to the new town stayed, possibly
because it was practically impossible to get away. The forests
that surrounded Houston on every side were filled with abun:
dance of wild game. Bear, deer, antelope, buffalo, wild turkeys in
great flocks, and large herds of wild mustang horses
roamed within a few miles. On the opposite side of Buffalo
Bayou several tribes of wild Indians were accustomed to camp
in the splendid forest, a custom which they kept up for several
years after the founding of the town.
The streets were broad paths cleared by the axe, and bot
tomless with mud in wet weather. There were no sidewalks.
The tents and huts clustered on the banks of the steam or a
few blocks away. The town was still without a hotel, a court
house, a jail or a church in December, 1836. Even the saloons
occupied large tents. The battle of San Jacinto had been
fought and won, but in Houston as elsewhere the inhabitants
were without money, without revenue, without credit and
without many of the most ordinary necessities of life. Cane
brakes were burnt down and corn planted on the charred
ground brought forth good crops. Some of the inhabitants had
slaves, and cotton was early planted. Harrisburg was still
the metropolis because it had a saw mill and its saloons were
housed in wood instead of canvas. By December, 1836, the
rivalry between the two places was keen, but Houston was
pulling for the honor of being selected as the seat of govern
ment and aspired to be the capital of the new nation and the
city destined to become a nest of sky-scrapers and the most
populous city of Texas was fairly launched. One somehow
wishes that its valiant yankee promoters could have seen a
vision of even the Houston of today with bird men soaring in
aeroplanes around the lofty buildings that serrate the city's
skyline and give to it for the first time that beautiful elevation
of which the initial advertisement spoke.
Under the Mexican government, a short time before the
commencement of the Texas revolution in 1833 there had been
created the municipality of Harrisburg as a political subdivi-

32 History of Houston, Texas
sion. This included the entire district of which Harris county
is only a part. For a short time the island of Galveston also
formed a part of Harrisburg County as the municipality was
called under the Republic after the Declaration of Independ
ence in March, 1836, and continued to be called for several
years. When Houston was founded this section was sprinkled
with settlers in all directions. A Mr. Knight and Mr. Walter
C. White at the time of Long's expedition in 1820 had burnt
off a canebrake and raised a crop of corn on the San Jacinto
near its mouth, but subsequently moved to Brazoria.
John Henry Brown in an article in the Houston Post of
December 17, 1891, gives a detailed account of the first settlers
largely from information from Mary J. Briscoe, of Houston, a
daughter of the John B. Harris who founded Harrisburg. He
settled there in 1824, laid out the town in 1826 and built the
first steam saw mill in Texas for which he received as a bounty
two leagues of land. He was a merchant, a tanner and the
owner of a schooner whose name — ' ' The Rights of Man, ' ' reveals
something of his religious and political views. This
schooner plied between Harrisburg and New Orleans. In 1828,
David, a brother of John B., arrived in Harrisburg and in 1830
William P. Harris and "Honest Bob" Wilson arrived, who
were followed in 1832 by Samuel Harris, a fourth brother, all
coming from Cayuga County, New York.
Mary Jane Harris, a daughter of the first settler, married
Captain Andrew Briscoe, a colleague of the great Mexican
patriot, Don Lorenzo De Zavala, and was one of the early
settlers in Houston. Her daughter, Mrs. Adele B. Looscan, lives
in Houston. Perhaps the honor of being the first settler in Houston
should go to a Mrs. Wilkins, who, with her two daughters and
a son-in-law, Dr. Phelps, settled, in 1822, in territory now within
the city limits of Houston.
Harrisburg was the seat of justice of the new Republic
from March 22 to April 13, 1836. On the approach of the Mex
ican Army it was abandoned and Santa Anna put it to the

Settlement and Pioneer Life 33
torch. The first lone star flag made in Texas was improvised
at Harrisburg in September, 1835, by a Mrs. Dobson and other
ladies. A Miss Troutman, of Georgia, gave a lone star flag to
Captain (later Colonel) William Ward, near the same time.
Following the battle of San Jacinto the First Congress
of the Republic met in Columbia and on December 15, 1836,
selected the new town of Houston as the seat of government
to continue until 1840. The seat of government was moved to
Houston just prior to May 1, 1837, and soon after — an event
that proved to be even more important — the county seat was
moved from Harrisburg to Houston. Since that time Harris
burg has been in a state of arrested development, a sleepy little
town on the bayou, while Houston has steadily grown until its
city limits have been thrust into the very heart of old Harris
burg and the turning basin and ship channel bid fair to give
back to that town, now de facto a part of Houston, the dignity
and prosperity it enjoyed three quarters of a century ago.
Harris County, in which Houston and Harrisburg are now
located has an elevation of from 50 to 75 feet above sea level.
Its surface is almost level with an almost imperceptible slope
toward the south. One-fifth of the surface is slightly undulat
ing. A scientific writer in an early newspaper, who appears to
know what he is talking about, says that the geological forma
tion is past tertiary and that below the surface there is a layer
of clay with streaks of calcareous nodules varying in color
from white to gray and yellow to red. In the northern part
of the county below the clay there is a stratum of sand, and
in the southern part a moderately hard calcareous sandstone
in which springs originate. Water is found from a depth of
15 feet upward and contains small quantities of lime, magnesia,
chloride of sodium, and other minerals with a trace of organic-
matter. The surface soil in the north is a sandy earth and in
the south a black waxy loam enriched with decomposed organic
matter. It is probable that there are large deposits of oil at a
considerable depth as oil has been found on nearly all sides of
the county.

34 History of Houston, Texas
Most of the stirring events of early Texas history center
elsewhere than in Houston, although the actors in those events
were often residents of and visitors to the little new town on
the bayou. Where these events relate to Texas rather than
to Houston history they can not even be categoried. San
Jacinto had been fought before Houston was founded, and the
events of the following years were mainly those of frontier
growth all over Texas although the country was causing one of
the prettiest diplomatic webs to be woven in the history of the
American continent and England, France, Germany and other
countries soon cast covetous eyes upon the new republic. The
important years for the new town were from the middle of April,
1837, to the latter part of 1839, during which time it was the
seat of government.
The years 1837 and 1838 were the fat years of growth
and prosperity for Houston and the year 1839 the lean year of
famine, pestilence and backset in Houston as elsewhere.
Government and the administration of justice, occupied
much of the time of the settlers in their isolated forest town
and, in a community where the key note was independence and
where the population was of the rough, hardy, self reliant,
courageous and opinionated sort, neither government nor the
administration of justice was easy. Every man had
infinite confidence in his own judgment and was always ready
to back his opinion with pistol or bowie knife if anybody
doubted its correctness. The duello was still an institution and
quarrels and fights among the prominent citizens were
thoroughly a matter of course.
The army and the legal profession and the government
had made titles super-abundant and one could not fire a load
of buckshot into any group without crippling a few judges,
colonels and majors and as likely as not a general or a mem
ber of Congress or some cabinet dignitary.
The cooped up condition, the utter lack of news facilities
and outside objects of interest, the sense of military importance
and the undeniable fact that a goodly per cent of the popula
tion had left its former home moved by other motives than

Settlement and Pioneer Life 35
undiluted enthusiasm for Texas and that another portion was
far better at a fight than at plowing corn, made for fractious-
ness and trouble. Government was largely personal, the states
men all quarrelled with each other outrageously and often
without adequate cause and partisanship ran high. All offices,
both civil and military, were elective and there was an active
demand for rotation in office so that everybody got honored
with a few titles sooner or later. The multitude of personal
difficulties is illustrated in the following story by Governor
Lubbock which recounts conditions that have not entirely
ceased in Houston even at this day. "An occurrence at an
early day shows how Houston failed to get a carriage factory
and lost at least one good immigrant. Charles Hedenberg, of
the firm of Hedenberg & Vedder, commission merchants, had
induced an uncle of his to come out from New Jersey with
the view of establishing a carriage manufactory. Arriving very
early in the morning his trunks were taken to the business
house. About ten o'clock that day Hedenberg suggested to
his uncle that the Congress of the Republic was in session and
that if he would go up to the Capitol he might be entertained,
and after a while they would go to the house. While the
Jersey faian was seated in the Senate Chamber rapid firing
took place in the hall of the building which caused every one
to rush out to see what had occurred. The uncle was just in
time to see the body of Senate Clerk Thompson being borne
away after having been badly shot up by Senate Clerk Brashear.
He had never seen a man shot before and rushed out of the
building going down Main Street on the west side. After
walking several blocks he was passing the Round Tent saloon
when a soldier, who had just been shot by a man named Seevy,
rushed out and nearly fell upon him. Now thoroughly
frightened he dashed across to the other side of the street and
just as he got over in front of John Carlos' saloon, a man
rushed out of the saloon door with his bowels protruding from
an immense gash inflicted on him by the bowie knife of a
discharged soldier. The visitor rushed to the commission store
and gasped out an order for his trunks to be put on a dray

36 History of Houston, Texas
and sent to the boat for Galveston at once. The nephew remon
strated, 'Why Uncle, you have not had time to look at the
town.' The old man replied, 'Charley, I have seen all I ever
want to of Texas. Get my trunks.' "
Government, as has been pointed out, was the chief concern
of the Texans. Harrisburg County was created by the General
Council at San Felice, but was not fully organized until 1837.
Captain Andrew Briscoe, elected chief justice by the first
Congress, held elections for precinct and county officers who
had their offices at the county seat at Harrisburg. Those
elected were : sheriff, John W. Moore ; coroner, William Little ;
clerk of the district court, James S. Holman; clerk of the
county court, Dewitt Clinton Harris. By the middle of 1837
Houston had captured the county seat from Harrisburg and
the county offices and most of the officials moved there.
The first court house and jail, necessitated by the removal
of the county seat, were built in 1837. The jail was a log
structure with a kind of upright log palisade as a part of it,
but the new court house was a two story frame building. They
were built by Dr. Morris S. Birdsall, the contractor with the
county. The course of law did not wait for their completion.
The first instrument in writing in the Harrisburg or Harris
County records is a bond for title from Zadoc Hubbard to
Lorenzo Brown to make good and sufficient title to one-half of
lot 10, block 21. The instrument is dated February 22, 1837
and is recorded February 27. The site is that of the store
later occupied by W. D. Cleveland.
The first grand jury, which met in the shade of some lopped
off branches of trees on court house square, had B. F. Smith
as foreman and the following members: Edward Ray, B.
Stencil, Abraham Roberts," P. W. Rose, William Goodman, M.
H. Bundic, William Burnett, John Goodman, Sr., Freeman
Wilkerson, Gilbert Brooks, Thomas Hancock, Allen Vince,
John Dunnam, John Earls, Elijah Henning, Andrew H. Long
and James House, Sr.
Three indictments were brought in at its first session : one
against Whitney Britton for assault and battery, one against

Settlement and Pioneer Life 37
John T. Beall for murder and a third against James Adams for
larceny. The results of the trials suggest with a grim sort of
humor the mental attitude of the people toward the several
classes of offences. Whitney Britton 's case was dismissed as
a triviality, the petit jury decided that John T. Beall had done
no more than they would have done under the circumstances
and brought in a verdict of justifiable homicide, but when the
scoundrel James Adams, who had stolen property instead of
battering up the human form divine or taking human life,
came to trial, he met the full vigor of an outraged^ justice. He
was found guilty of theft, was ordered to make restitution to
Lawrence Ramey of $295, and the notes he was charged with
having abstracted, and was further sentenced to get 39 lashes
on the bare back and be branded with the letter "T" in the
right hand. He would thus carry, graven in his palm the
insignia that he was a thief, as long as he lived.
The 39 lashes were to be laid on by the sheriff in a public
place on Friday, March 31, 1837, and it was so done.
In extenuation of the high value attached to property
and the low value set on life it should be remembered that
every man went armed and was supposed to be able to take
care of himself and that the citizens were living in an almost
unproductive wilderness where poverty was attended with
great hardships.
The eases cited above were tried at the first district court
held in Houston which was presided over by Hon. Benjamin
C. Franklin. All killers did not escape punishment even at that early
day however, and the first years of Harris County might show
a better record for legal executions for homicide than the last
decade. While the courts were yet young, two men were tried
for murder. One, a gambler named Quick, had killed a man
with whom he was gambling, and the other, named Jones, had
killed a fellow soldier, Mandrid Wood, of the New Orleans
Grays. Judge J. W. Robinson, who had been lieutenant gov
ernor under the provisional government in 1835-6, was on the
bench and overruled all motions for a new trial and thwarted

38 History of Houston, Texas
all efforts for delay after the men had been tried and convicted
of murder. Everything had been done to prevent the sentence
and it was finally represented to the court that the jail was
very insecure, the weather quite cold and the men forced to
wear irons for greater security because of the weakness of
the palisade jail. The judge was so touched by the recital
that he pronounced sentence that "the prisoners, in conse
quence of the insecurity of the jail, the extreme cold weather
and their uncomfortable situation," be hung on the Friday
following, which was done in a clump of timber that long bore
the name of hangman's grove.
During 1837, Houston, which had become both the seat of
the county government and of the national government became
ambitious for yet more government as, counting citizens, state
officials and congressmen, there were nearly a thousand people
in her environs, and so early in June, Congress was persuaded
to incorporate Houston as a city. Organization was delayed
several weeks which gave an opportunity for mass meetings
and protests which were greatly enjoyed by the citizens.
The first mayor was Francis Moore, Jr., who did not
assume office until the first Monday in January, 1838. George
W. Lively was mayor in 1839 and George H. Bringhurst was
surveyor, an office of importance where land titles and head
rights were beginning to assume importance. John D. Andrews
became mayor in 1841 and in 1842 was re-elected. In 1843
Francis Moore was re-elected. Horace Baldwin succeeded him
in 1844, and in 1845 W. W. Swain assumed the office which he
held at the time of annexation.
Among the names of early aldermen are found Captain
R. P. Boyce, J. De Cordova, author of the First Handbook of
Texas, and Alexander McLewen.
Dr. Moore, the first mayor, was for a long time the editor
of the Telegraph, he and his partner, Jacob W. Cruger, having
established the first newspaper in Houston by the removal
early in 1837, of the "Telegraph" from Columbia, the news
paper following the seat of Government to Houston. Dr. Moore

Settlement and Pioneer Life 39
was afterwards state geologist and held many prominent posi
tions. The first marriage license signed under the law of
the Republic was issued at Houston on July 22, 1837, signed
by DeWitt C. Harris, county clerk. It authorized Hugh
McCrory to wed Miss Mary Smith. The ceremoney was per
formed the following day by Rev. H. Matthews, a Methodist
minister. Mr. McCrory died within a few months and in 1840,
his widow married Dr. Anson Jones, afterwards the last presi
dent of the Republic of Texas and perhaps the greatest diplo
mat of any man who ever held that office.
Mrs. Jones survived for many years, dying on December
31, 1907, in Houston, and holding at the time of her death the
office of President of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.
In 1905, the writer visited her in Houston and heard from
her lips many stories of the early history of Texas. Her son,
Judge Anson C. Jones was county judge for a number of
years and many relatives of note still live in Houston, among
them Judge Charles E. Ashe, of the 11th district court, a
grandson. Not until the 24th of March, 1838, was the first divorce
granted at which time the gallant court relieved Susan
Williams from the matrimonial fetters that chained her to
John Williams.
The court house was the center of city life. At least one
of the four pages of the early editions of the newspapers in
Houston was entirely given up to advertising sheriffs sales,
and other matters that centered around the court house.
On August 6, 1844, the two story frame court house was
sold to make room for what was described as a "palatial struc
ture," the second of the seven buildings which have occupied
court house square. All of them have been palatial structures
however, the last, recently dedicated, costing about a half million
dollars. By December 4, 1839, there were 400 suits on the docket
and a bell had been placed on the court house to summons
the citizens. .Disputed land titles caused most of the suits.

40 History of Houston, Texas
All kinds of frauds were practiced by sharpers upon strangers
and one green horn, fresh from the States, purchased in good
faith a head right to land alleged to have been issued to Peter
Ourang Outang. The papers were full of warnings but the
sharp practices flourished.

CHAPTER II
Early Day Amusements

Hunting, Fishing and Poker. The Jockey Club and Horse
Racing. Notable Dances, the San Jacinto Anniversary
Ball and Description of Sam Houston and Other Partici
pants. A Festival Meal at Houston's First Hotel. City's
First Theatres and their Performances.

Hunting, fishing and fighting were occupations so ordinary
among the early inhabitants of Houston that one does not
know whether to rank them as amusements or ordinary mat
ters of daily routine.
Worlds of fish and game were to be had and every man
was an expert with shot gun and rifle. Wild turkey and prairie
chickens were in great favor as game birds but there were so
many varieties of the feathered tribe in the forests, including
even gaudy paroquets, that the great French naturalist Audo-
bon, the most famous of ornithologists was a visitor to Houston
before the town was a year old. An unflattering description
of the town in his diary bears the date of May 4, 1837.
The Round Tent and other saloons, mostly under canvas,
provided abundance of cheap whiskey and furnished a con
gregating place for the thirsty and the fractious. Poker,
twenty deck poker, faro, stud poker, and several Mexican
card games were in full blast. At elections the candidates
would each have his open barrel of whiskey, and during the
campaign to open up a whiskey barrel and distribute tobacco
was the accepted popular method of electioneering.
One of the most wholesome influences of the genesis of
Houston was that of Masonry. Holland Lodge No. 1, the

42 History of Houston, Texas
mother of Texas lodges was organized in 1837. And by the
middle of 1839 Temple Lodge No. 4, was in existence.
Masonry preceded the building of churches in Houston
for as late as O'ctober 14, 1839, the Morning Star complains
editorially that "In a city of 3,000 inhabitants and so much
wealth there is no place for public worship and not one resi
dent minister." There had been preaching services prior to
that time however and even congregations organized.
Nicholas Nickleby, which was running as a serial in
English papers and magazines was attracting wide attention
and being eagerly read in Texas, in 1839.
The Jockey Club was established early and held spring
and fall meetings at which racing flourished. Jack and Shelby
Smith and General Tom Green were breeders of racing stock
and were known as sporting men although the most of the
horses that contested were the wiry mustang ponies. At one
of the meets, in a close finish, General Houston is said to have
cheered one of Colonel Green's mustangs on to victory and lean
ing over the railing cried as the mare swept into the stretch:
"A million on the mare." He wras never called "Bet-you-a-
million Houston" on that account however, and so the title
was left for another Texan by adoption, John W. Gates.
Dancing was in vogue and one of the most memorable
balls that was ever given occurred at Houston on April 21,
1837, the first anniversary of the battle of San Jacinto, when
General Houston, just elected president, and just returned
from New Orleans, where he had gone after the battle of San
Jacinto that his wound might heal, was the leading figure.
Other distinguished guests were present in Houston and
were doubtless present at that festivity which was held just
on the eve of the Second Session of the Congress of the Republic
and the first that was to be held in Houston.
The day had been made memorable by the arrival of the
first sailing vessel that ever reached Houston, the schooner
"Rolla," which had taken four days to make the trip from
Harrisburg and had brought a crowd of visitors and guests,

Early Day Amusements 43
and by an Indian war dance around the flag pole at the capi
tol. General Houston was then a widower, clothed about with
all the romance that made him leave his young wife and the
governorship of Tennessee for some mysterious reason, and
newly crowned with the laurels of San Jacinto. He had a
habit of whittling out of bits of soft pine, little hearts, crosses
and other emblems and giving them to the ladies as souvenirs.
Some of these whittled souvenirs are still cherished in Houston
today by descendents of some fair belle of the pioneer days
of Texas. The wierd contrast between the primitive, crude surround
ings and the fine apparal and culture of many of the partici
pants gave to the occasion a genre touch that has perhaps
never been surpassed. The scene of the festivities was on Main
Street. Houston was still a camp in the woods, its dwellers
living mostly in white tents or shanties of clapboards and pine
poles. A large two story building, half finished, as yet without
a floor and without anything to cover the rafters between the
first and second story was the place selected for the dance.
Pine boughs, vines, creeping plants and clustered foliage were
used to conceal the nakedness of the house and give it a roof.
This building stood on ground now occupied by the new wing
of the First National Bank and that was for many years occupied
by the T. W. House bank.
The following account of the ball is signed "Texan," and
appears in many, early publications including the Ladies ' Mes
senger, the Post, during the first year of its existance, and, in
Governor Lubbock's memoirs. It was written by Mrs. Adele B.
Looscan, the daughter of Mary Jane Briscoe, nee Harris.
"Chandeliers were suspended from the beams overhead
but they resembled the glittering ornaments of today in naught
save the use for which they were intended. Made of wood,
with sockets to hold the sperm candles and distributed at
regular distances, each pendant comprised five or six lights, which
shed a dim radiance, but alas, also a liberal splattering of
sperm upon the dancers beneath. The floor being twenty feet

44 History of Houston, Texas
wide by fifty feet in length, could easily accommodate several
cotillions, and although the citizens of Houston were very few,
all the space was required for the large number who came
from Brazoria, Columbia, San Felipe, Harrisburg, and all the
adjacent country. Ladies and gentlemen came in parties on
horseback distances of fifty and sixty miles, accompanied by
men servants and ladies' maids, who had in charge the elegant
ball costumes for the important occasion. From Harrisburg
they came in large row boats, that mode of conveyance being
preferable to a horseback ride through the thick undergrowth,
for at that time there was nothing more than a bridle path to
guide the traveller between the two places.
"General Mosely Baker, one of Houston's first citizens
was living with his wife and child (now Mrs. Fannie Darden)
in a small house built of clapboards. The house comprised one
large room, designed to serve as parlor, bedroom and dining
room, and a small shedroom at the back. The floor, or rather
the lack of floor in the large apartment, was concealed by a
carpet, which gave an air of comfort contrasting strangely
with the surroundings.
"As the time for going to the ball drew near, which was
as soon as convenient after dark, several persons assembled
at General Baker's for the purpose of going together. There
were General Houston, Frank R. Lubbock, and his wife, John
Birdsall, (soon after attorney-general) and Mary Jane Harris,
(now the surviving widow of Andrew Briscoe), General Houston
was Mrs. Baker's escort, General Baker having gone to see that
some lady friends were provided for. When this party
approached the ball room, where dancing had already begun, the
music, which was rendered by violin, bass viol and fife, im
mediately struck up 'Hail to the Chief;' the dancers withdrew
to each side of the hall, and the whole party, General Houston
and Mrs. Baker leading, and maids bringing up the rear,
marched to the upper end of the room. Having here laid aside
wraps and exchanged black slippers for white ones, for there
was no dressing room, they were ready to join in the dance,
which was soon resumed. A new cotillion was formed by

Early Day Amusements 45
the party which had just entered. General Houston and Mrs.
Baker were partners, Mrs. Lubbock and Mr. George Cruger,
and Mr. Lubbock and Miss Harris. Then were the solemn
figures of the stately cotillion executed with care and pre
cision, the grave balancing steps, the dos a dos, and others
to test the nimbleness and grace of dancers.
"General Houston had just returned from New Orleans,'
where he had been since the battle of San Jacinto for the
purpose of having his wound treated. Being the president
elect, he was, of course, the hero of the day, and his dress on
this occasion was unique and somewhat striking. His ruffled
shirt, scarlet cassimere waistcoat and suit of black silk velvet,
corded with gold, was admirably adapted to set off his fine,
tall figure ; his boots, with shoit red tops, were laced and folded
down in such a way as to reach but little above the ankles, and
were finished at the heels with silver spurs. The spurs were,
of course, quite a useless adornment, but they were in those
days so commonly worn as to seem almost a part of the boots.
The weakness of General Houston's ankle, resulting from the
wound he had received in the battle of San Jacinto, was his
reason for substituting boots for the slippers then universally
worn by the gentlemen for dancing.
"Mrs. Baker's dress of white satin, with black lace over
dress, corresponded in elegance with that of her escort, and
the dresses of most of the other ladies were likewise rich and
tasteful. Some wore white mull with satin trimmings; others
were dressed in white and colored satins, but naturally in so
large an assembly, gathered from so many different places,
there was a great variety in the quality of the costumes. All,
however, wore their dresses short, cut low in the neck, sleeves
generally short, and all wore ornaments of flowers or feathers
in their hair, some flowers of Mexican manufacture, being par
ticularly noticeable on account of their beauty and rarity.
"At about midnight the signal for supper was given, and
the dancers marched over to the hotel of Mr. Ben Fort Smith,
which stood near the middle of the block, later for so long a
time occupied by the Hutchins House. This building consisted

46 History of Houston, Texas
of two very large rooms, built of pine poles, laid up like a log
house, with a long shed extending the full length of the rooms.
Under this shed, quite innocent of floor or carpet, the supper
was spread; the tempting turkeys, venison, cakes and other
viands displayed in rich profusion; the excellent coffee and
sparkling wines invited all to partake freely, and soon the
witty toast, and hearty laugh went round.
"Returning to the ball room, dancing was resumed with
renewed zest, and continued until the energy of the musicians
began to flag, and the prompter failed to call out the figures
with his accustomed gusto. Then the cotillion gave place to
the time honored Virginia Reel and by the time each couple had
enjoyed the privilege of 'going down the middle,' daylight began
to dawn." The above description was written some years after the
event, but has reproduced its quaintness, dignity and strange
charm with great effect and contains vastly more of human
interest than the work of the average society editor in writing
up latter-day festivities.
Even that memorable ball, however, was not permitted
to be without a reminder that Houston was on the frontier.
Among the guests present were the Misses Cooper, and while the
dance was in progress news came that their brother had been
killed by Indians on the Colorado River.
A little over a year later, on May 21, 1838, there was a
grand ball at the Jockey Club, at which we are told the ladies'
tickets were printed on white satin" and Mrs. Briscoe danced
successively with Generals Sam Houston, Albert Sidney John
son and Sidney Sherman.
Before Houston was a year old it had a theatre and before
it was three years old it had two. The first threatre was on
the site now occupied by Henke's store between Louisiana and
Milam Streets on Congress Avenue. One of the early plays
was "The Dumb Girl of Genoa," whieh was played so badly
that one of the actors by the name of Carlos was hung in effigy
c n the limb of a large pine tree in front of the hall.
Henry Corri was the manager of a company that came

Early Day Amusements 47
from New Orleans to Houston in 183S. It played the "School
for Scandal," and other plays. The newspapers at that remote
date were cruel enough to sometimes criticise plays harshly
and not give mere press agent notices arid boosts accord
ing to the prevalent custom now. When it was rumored
that one of the actors had been bitten by a mad dog the Morn
ing Star said the report was too good to be true, but suggested
that in such case the company might produce Hamlet, King
Lear or Othello so as to give room for his newly acquired ability
in madness. The press agent sometimes got in his work how
ever in thoroughly approved style as witness the following
from the Morning Star: "Engagement of April 29, 1839.
Unprecedented! Unparallelled ! Unheard of Attractions!!!!
First night of the 'Ensanguined Shirt.' First appearance of
High P. Ranter, who is engaged for six nights only and can
not possibly be re-engaged on account of sickness in the family
(who was sick or the nature of the illness does not appear')
First appearance of Miss F. Ranter since her recovery from the
whooping cough. First night of the real earthquake ! Grand
Fancy Dress Breakdown on a Cellar Door by Miss S. Swipes.
This piece has been got up without regard to expense, weather
or anything else. An amount of property has been invested
in properties which frightens the manager and will astonish
the public. Among other things which have been secured espec
ially for this piece are 400 streaks of lightning with thunder
to match and 300 alligator skin shields with brass knuckles and
knobs. The press agent apparently had not, like Miss Ranter,
recovered from the whooping cough, but the appetite for amuse
ments must be jaded indeed that, does not respond with a
gustatory quiver to the delights here promised.
Edwin Booth and other great actors are said to have visited
Houston at an early date and with dancing, horse-back
riding and racing and "swopping," whittling, romancing in
Leatherstocking wise of Mexicans and ' ' Injins, ' ' and the delights
of the theatre and of electing everybody to office, times were not
hopelessly dull in the Houston of the days of the Republic.

CHAPTER III
Houston and the Red Men

Sam Houston and the Cherokees. An Indian Dance. Letters
from Chiefs John Jolly and Bowles. Houston's Indian
Talk. Fate of Cherokees and Comanches.

Untouched by the stain of blood shed in Indian warfare,
Houston stands almost isolated among the cities of Texas. No
savage massacre ever occurred in its environs and the inhab
itants of the town were never in the frontier days startled by
the blood curdling war hoop. Yet Houston, especially that
part now known as the fifth ward, was a favorite camping ground
of the Indians and the complete immunity from attack was
perhaps due first of all to the influence of Sam Houston and
second to the fact that Houston occupied a place near the
center of the several settlements.
Sam Houston, be it remembered, was ari Indian chief, an
adopted member of the Cherokee nation. He had won his first
wounds and his earliest laurels in bloody Indian warfare, but
he had also been a member of the Indian tribes, had lived in
the forests and adopted their customs and spoke their tongue.
He had been later a commissioner for their interests at Wash
ington, D. C, and to this day there exists in Houston the com
mission or passport given to "General Sam Houston" by the
United States Government in which he is commended to all
Indian tribes. That was before he came to Texas but even as
president of the new nation he never forgot his friendship for
the Indians and his policy was always one of justice and con
ciliation to all the tribes and especially to the Cherokees.
Early in May, 1837, a day or two after the opening of the
Second Congress and within a few days of the time when

Houston and the Bed Men 49
General Houston, as president elect, arrived in the city named
in his honor, we find him in conference with a number of
Indians at Houston. The interview is thus reported in the
Philadelphia Morning Chronicle of that time, by its Houston
correspondent: "Several tribes of Indians being encamped in
the splendid forest which covers the udulating ground on the
opposite side of Buffalo Bayou, where the city is situated, a 'big
talk' was arranged with the president, General Sam Houston,
and the cabinet of Texas, at which Mr. Crawford (the special
representative of the British Government) was invited to be
present. "The 'talk' was held in the White House of Texas, General
Houston's residence, then a log cabin consisting of a passage
or hall open at both ends, and a room of very moderate dimen
sions on each end.
"On the anniversary of the battle of San Jacinto (April
21st, 1837) a lofty flagstaff had been erected on Main street,
and on this occasion a splendid silk flag of the new Republic
was for the first time displayed from it. Around this flag sev
eral hundred Indians and squaws danced a grand war dance.
They began moving around the center like so many radii, as is
done in the flower dance when represented on the stage, accom
panying the movement in a dull and monotonous sort of music
of their own voices, which became quicker and quicker until
they got into a very rapid motion with occasional shouts and
yells, and then all at once stopped and suddenly dispersed.
"After this the chiefs adjourned to the 'talk.' These con
sisted of some six elderly and very sedate, grave gentlemen,
who were seated around a table and communicated through an
interpreter. The latter appeared a very intelligent, middle-
aged man, and seemed to possess the implicit confidence of
the chiefs. "General Houston acquitted himself with his usual tact
on such occasions, and aroused a real enthusiasm by his 'talk'
to the red men. But nothing can be done towards treating
with Indians without presents, so next comes that most impor
tant part of the whole ceremony.

50 History of Houston, Texas
"In the afternoon the presents were delivered and instant
distribution began, each carrying away his share. Tobacco
seemed, of all the articles they received, to be the most
esteemed. Drunkenness then began, and at last General
Houston had to send around to the liquor stores to request
that no more whiskey be sold, which had the effect of inducing
them quietly to retire to their camp, but the woods rang nearly
all night with their yells."
Some of these Indians were wild Comanches from the West
and on their way back home they killed and scalped several
whites. Not only Mr. Crawford, an agent of the British min
ister to Mexico who had come on a secret mission, but prob
ably also Alcee La Branche, the United States Charge d'affaires,
and R. J. Walker of Mississippi, the first mover of Texas
independence in the United States Senate, saw that Indian war
dance, for both were in Houston at the time.
Among General Houston's private letters the writer found
several documents of great interest including a letter from
John Jolly, chief of Houston's own tribe of Cherokees, a
communication from Chief Bowles, the head of the Texas Cher
okees and addressed to "All my White Friends," and one of
Houston's famous Indian talks in his own handwriting and
with his own signature and written in the stately form of a
ceremonial state paper. As the two latter throw direct light
on Houston's methods of dealing with the Indians and Ins atti
tude toward them, and as they have never, so far as is known,
been published, they are here reproduced from the originals in
the possession of Hon. Frank Williams, General Houston's
grandson in this city. This is an extract from the John Jolly
letter ¦ "Mouth of the Illinoie, 27 March, 1838.
' ' Dear Friend :
"I wish you would write and srive me, all the news and
the prospects of your country and what disposition your gov
ernment will make towards the Red People, and if the Chero-

Houston and the Bed Men f>1
kees will have a country set apart for them and be supported
in their rights by your government. Your friend,
(Signed) John Jolly."
The "Indian Talk" is dated October, 1838, and is typical
of General Houston's methods. In structure and theme it
smacks of the Old Testament. Here is the full text of the
talk: "My Brothers:
"There is much talk of war. It is useless. There is no
sense in it. I know that my brothers, the Alabamos and Coosat-
ties, will not deceive me. A few bad men may have gone from
amongst you and been killed with the enemy. This shall not
destroy your band. Remember the words which I have spoken
to you. "The little chiefs of the Texas nation shall not hurt you.
My words have been spoken and the winds shall not scatter
them. Remember me and be happy with your women and
children. Winter is coming and cold weather and you may
be unhappy unless with your women and children. Stay with
them until the spring comes and you shall receive a talk from
the chief of this nation. You must not take up the tomahawk.
Nor will I allow other men to raise it against you.
"I send to you wise men to give you counsel. Listen to
them and walk in the path they direct. Tell your young men
to stay at home that they may not bring your nation into
trouble. Old men speak wisdom and young men should pur
sue their counsel.
"He that stops his ears against instruction is a fool and
the wise men of his nation should punish him.
"There is a light from the countenance of the Great
spirit upon the good man when he walketh in the straight
path. But brush and darkness falleth in the way of him that
walketh the path of crookedness. (Signed) Sam Houston."
The Texas Indians consisted of the wild Indians, the most
warlike of which were the Comanches, yet comprising a score

52 History of Houston, Texas
of other tribes, and the semi-civilized Indians or the Cherokees
and 12 associate tribes who had crossed the Texas border and
occupied the territory lying north of the San Antonio road
and the Neches and west of Sabine and Angelina. These Cher
okees claimed the land they occupied. The Consultation of San
Felipe, in 1835, recognized these claims and a resolution was
signed by the entire body to secure the Cherokees in these
rights and to- have their boundaries established.
General Houston, Col. John Forbes and others as commis
sioners met the Cherokee chiefs, Bowles, Big Mush and others,
at the Cherokee village on February 23, 1833, and entered into
a boundary treaty with them. This was never ratified by the
Texans. The Cherokees felt that they had been treated in
bad faith and entered into negotiations with the Mexicans
which the Texans discovered and this ultimately led to the
expulsion of the Cherokees, the killing of Bowles and the driving
of 4,000 Indians from the border. The Texans. showing perhaps
fully as much cruelty, treachery and bad faith as the Indians.
One of Houston's last acts as president had been to instruct
Colonel Alexander Horton to survey this boundary. This was
in 1838 and the work was done at least in part.
President Lamar distrusted the Cherokees and all Indians
and his policy was one of warfare, a policy that appealed far
more to the fighting Texans than the William Penn policy of
peace and equity pursued by Houston. Many land speculators
coveted the Cherokee lands which Houston tried to save for the
state after the Indians had been driven out.
There were atrocities sufficient to justify the whites and
Indians alike in feeling that the other side was dangerous and
treacherous and the war of extermination was taken up in
earnest after Houston left the presidency for the first time,
with bloody results on both sides. When a short time later
the Comanche chiefs were massacred at San Antonio in the
pocket of Chief Muke-warrah was .found a copy of Houston's
treaty of 1838.
The only part played by the City of Houston in the

Houston and the Bed Men 53
Indian wars was in furnishing troops, the Milam Guards par
ticipating in more than one hard campaign.
The general sentiment of nearly every early Texan was
that the only good Indian or good Mexican was a dead one,
and they reformed them at every opportunity. These con
versions were lasting. Save those negotiations that were con
ducted from Houston as the capital of the Republic from the
spring of 1837 to the fall of 1839, the Indian history of blood
and battle belongs to the history of Texas and not to that of
Houston.

CHAPTER IV
Capital Days and Annexation

Houston Chosen as Capital City of New Nation. Erection of
Capitol Building. First Newspaper. British Representa-
tive, present at Sam Houston's Inaugural Address. Second
Congress Meets in Houston — Its Activities. Visit of
Admiral Baudin of France. Mirabeau B. Lamar and His
Policies as President. England's Refusal to Recognize
Independence. Slaves in Houston. Removal of Capital
to Austin. Causes of Annexation. The Vote in Harris
County.

John Allen's trump card in founding Houston was that
he intended to make it the capital of the Republic of Texas.
It would seem a large ambition but the Allen brothers not
only announced this as a purpose but carried it out within a
year from the time the deed was recorded for the site on which
the city was to stand.
They had to catch the capital on the wing, as it were, for
it seemed to be very fugacious in disposition. Santa Anna
had gotten the capital into the habit of jumping and it had
never gotten over the habit. San Felipe de Austin, Washing
ton, Harrisburg, Galveston, Velasco, and Columbia had all
enjoyed the fleeting honor.
The first Congress of the Republic, on December 15, 1836,
selected the new town of Houston as the seat of government.
It was intended that it should remain here until 1840, but it
only lasted until the fall of 1839.
The capitol building was to be erected under the super
vision of Col. Thomas W. Ward and was to contain 22
rooms. He commenced it in April, 1837 and in 14 days had it

Capital Days and Annexation 35
ready for occupancy making a record job as a contractor and
architect. About the first of May, the Congress arrived and the second
session of Congress of the Republic was held in Houston. Gen
eral Houston made a brilliant inaugural address and the town
was filled with visitors. The site of the capitol building was
that of the Rice Hotel and was then far out on the prairie.
With the capital came, as has been noted, the Telegraph
from Columbia, and the Morning Star and the Intelligencer
soon followed suit. Houston was provided from the beginning
with newspapers enough to represent the several dissonant
views of the ambitious political experts and statesmen who
controlled her destiny.
General Houston's office was a small log house on Frank
lin Street and his residence a clapboard house of two rooms
built for him by Captain R. P. Boyce, another noted contractor
and builder of the day.
The recognition of the independence of Texas by the
United States, news of which had recently arrived ; the unsat
isfactory condition of the finances of the land law ; the informa
tion that Northern Indians had visited Matamoras and offered
Mexico 3,000 warriors if it would resume the war; praise for
the army and its general, Albert Sidney Johnston; the need
of a navy ; and the resources of Texas and her ability to main
tain her independence ; were emphasized in the inaugural
address. Perhaps in deference to Mr. Crawford, the British rep
resentative, who occupied an honored position in the hall, the
president commented on the iniquity of the African slave
trade and its prohibition )iy Texas.
In the session that followed, the government of the republic
and its various departments were organized and their power
defined, a general land office was established, the public debt
was consolidated and funded, and all the islands of the Repub
lic, including Galveston, were offered for sale. The western
boundary of the Republic was fixed definitely at the Rio
Grande and the Cordova rebellion of Mexicans and Indians

56 History of Houston, Texas
was suppressed. The Texas Railroad Navigation and Banking
Company was incorporated with a capital of $5,000,000 but
never went into existence because of the inability to pay into
the treasury $25,000 in gold or silver.
Houston pursued a policy of peaceful negotiations with the
Indians wherever possible and of diplomatic handling of nego
tiations to secure recognition from foreign countries. A com
mercial treaty with England was announced on January 4,
1838, by General Henderson, who had gone to England and
France, in 1837, as Envoy Extraordinary with powers pleni
potentiary. M. de Saligny, as the representative of the French govern
ment, visited Houston in the spring of 1838, and on May 13,
of that year Admiral Baudin with a French fleet, stopped at
the ports of Galveston and Velasco. At Galveston, Baudin
returned the salute gun for gun until 22 guns, the national
salute, had been fired. The Admiral visited Houston and was
received with great ceremonies and it was on his report that
France soon after acknowledged by treaty the new Republic,
Mirabeau B. Lamar, himself a hero of San Jacinto and a
man of brilliant personal traits and no mean degree of states
manship, succeeded Houston as president, and was installed
in office in December, 1838. He was an anti-annexationist and
favored close relationships with Great Britian. The failure
of the United States to grant annexation when it was first
sought had roused the pride of Texas and thenceforth the
annexationists had to fight to a certain extent under cover. This
pride was so strong that within two years' time Texas ceased all
attempts to secure recognition and from then on the overtures
came from the United States. Lamar, in his first annual mes
sage, said, that "To Great Britian the independence of Texas
could not be an indiff event event."
Lamar favored pressing the war against Mexico and a
drastic policy toward the Indians. Texas was in a position
where Mexico could^not successfully attack her and could not
hope to regain her lost province but Texas was still less in con
dition to successfully attack Mexico. Under Lamar the

Capital Days and Annexation 57
Comanches were severely punished and the Cherokees were
expelled from the state.
By an act approved January 4, 1839, actual settlers com
ing to Texas, under appropriate conditions, were to receive
grants of 640 acres each. This offer was to hold until January
1, 1840. It encouraged imigration to Houston as well as else
where in Texas.
England refused to acknowledge Texas' independence in
1839, owing somewhat to O'Connell's attack on Texas as a
country where slavery was permitted. This inflamed sentiment
in Texas against England and the Houston papers fulminated
against O'Connell. The Morning Star said editorially: "We
shall always oppose any foreign protection or assistance that
may be predicated upon the slightest interference with our
domestic institutions as they now are."
By an ordinance of April 12, 1839, passed by the city
council of Houston, slaves found on the streets after 8 o'clock
in the evening, were to receive from 10 to 30 lashes. No free
negroes were allowed to live in Houston. The government
passed rigid laws forbidding any intermarriage between white
people and those of African descent, a law which was especially
praised by the British consul to Texas, Mr. Ikin, in a booklet
called "Texas," published in London in 1841, in whieh the
purity of the Anglo Saxon race is contrasted with that of the
Latin races which have become mongrelized in America by
intermarriage with negroes and Indians.
On September 25, 1839, Marshal Soult for France, signed
with Mr. Henderson the treaty of amity, navigation and com
merce, Marshal Soult, who was also Duke of Dalmatia, saying
he was proud to be the European god-father of the new Repub
lic. This was the last event of international importance that
occurred while the capital remained in Houston for in the
fall of 1839 the archives were loaded on thirty wagons and
removed to Austin, the new capital. Houston was greatly
aggrieved at the change and President Lamar, who was supposed
to favor it, came in for a large share of local criticism. Sam

58 History of Houston, Texas
Houston also opposed the change as Austin was then on the
Indian frontier and some stirring chapters of Texas history
were made by the old General's subsequent attempt to move
the archives and the capital away from Austin.
On November 16, 1840, Lord Palmerston, at London, signed
with General Henderson, the treaty by which England recognized
the independence of Texas and a similar treaty was signed at
the Hague about that time.
The Santa Fe expedition in 1841, was participated in by
many Houstonians and Mr. Kendall of the New Orleans Pica
yune, who was one of those making the trip, has a vivid
chapter on Houston and her horse market, in which the Milam
Guards are greatly praised. Kendall's book was published in
1845. Houstonians also participated in the Mier expedition
that followed, but the fate of neither of these can be considered
local history.
Whenever there was a threat of a Mexican invasion,
Houston promptly supplied her quota of soldiers, furnishing
on one occasion two companies of mounted infantry equipped
by local merchants.
Great Britian evinced a lively interest in Texas from the
first and had planned to control this country either as a colony,
a protectorate, or by close treaties. Between 1840 and 1845
England's plans were enlarged to purchase California, and press
England's claims to Oregon that would bring that boundary
down to within 45 miles of territory claimed by Texas and thus
control the entire Pacific slope of the United States.
Some wise men in Texas and in the United States under
stood her diplomacy. She prevented Mexico's acknowledging
the independence of Texas until it was offered as the price
of Texas staying out of the American Union. The United
States also waked up to the fact that the Monroe doctrine was
in danger and the great presidential campaign of 1844 was waged
on the democratic platform of "Polk and Dallas, Texas and
Oregon 54°, 40' or fight."
With the United States as the suitor, Texas agreed to come
into the Union rejecting, at the same convention, the counter

Capital Days and Annexation 59
proposition from Great Britian of English friendship, and Mex
ican recognition of her independence.
George Fisher, one of Houston's most noted citizens, diplo
mats and soldiers, a Hungarian by birth, saw England's plan
most clearly and in a letter, dated, Houston, January 2, 1844,
and published in the Madisonian at Washington, February 5,
he points out the English menace to the Monroe doctrine.
In a dissertation, written in German and published at the
University of Berlin in 1902, the editor of this history has dis
cussed at length the plans of England and other countries in
regard to Texas. The title of the book is "Die Annexion von
Texas, ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Monroe Doctrin."
As soon as Texas saw that the United States was in deep
earnest at last, sentiment for annexation became strong again.
An annexation mass meeting 'was held in Houston with Hon.
M. P. Norton, chairman, George II. Bringhurst and A. M.
Gentry, secretaries, and the following committee on resolutions :
J. W. Henderson, Francis Moore, Jr., W. M. McCraven, F. R.
Lubbock, J. Bailey, A. Wynns, J. W. Brashear, T. B. J. Hadley,
T. M. Bagby, William M. Rice, C. M. McAnnelly, M. T.
Rodgers, M. K. Snell, H. Baldwin, S. S. Tompkins and John H.
Brown. The committee resolved: "That in exchanging our
present political position for that of a sovereign state of the
American Union, we shall indeed be merging the beams of our
single star, but only that it may acquire new and increased
splendor from the more full and pervading light of a glorious
constellation, as certain planets are said to withdraw themselves
from view when they become illumined in a group of great
stars." By the time the vote came on annexation and the consti
tution which occurred on October 13, 1845, the sentiment was
so certain that many stayed away from the polls in full confi
dence as to how the choice would be made. The vote of Harris
County was for annexation, 321, of which number 241 votes
were cast in Houston ; against annexation 50, of which number
44 ballots were cast in Houston; for the Constitution 299,
against the Constitution 68. Texas had returned to her father's

60 History of Houston, Texas
house. The Harris County delegates to the Constitutional con
vention of 1845 were Isaac W. Brashear, Alexander McGowen
and Francis Moore, Jr. Its first state senator was Isaac W.
Brashear and its first representatives Peter W. Gray and J. N.
0. Smith. The lone star had yielded to the sweet influences of
the Pleides.

CHAPTER V
• Early Religious Organizations

Houston's Pioneer Churches. Methodists, Presbyterians, Bap
tists and Catholics Early Founded Congregations.

The first evangelistic sermon ever preached in Houston,
according to Dr. B. F. Riley, sometime pastor of the First Bap
tist church of this city, in his ' ' History of Texas Baptists, ' ' was
by Rev. Z. N. Mor'rell. Rev. Mr. Morrell and an aged com
panion, Rev. R. Marsh, reached Texas in 1835 as Baptist mis
sionaries. Both came to Houston shortly after it was founded.
In the general rush for Texas many preachers were included
some of whom had come for other reasons than the good of
the cause. To guard against ministerial frauds and imposters
a meeting was held in the office of Dr. Marsh in Houston on
May 8, 1837, while the first Congress to meet here was in
session and a preachers' vigilance committee was organized.
On the committee, besides the two named, were W. W. Hall, a
Kentucky Presbyterian, and three Methodists, W. P. Smith,
of Tennessee ; L. I. Allen, of New York, and H. Matthews, of
Louisiana. The committee pledged itself to recognize no
preacher coming from the United States or elsewhere, unless he
brought with him testimonials of good character.
Rev. Littleton Fowler, a Methodist minister of piety and
zeal was among the early ministerial arrivals. He was elected
Chaplain of the Senate in the fall of 1837.
Mr. Fowler obtained as a gift from the Aliens the title to
the half block of ground on Texas Avenue between Travis and
Milam Streets formerly occupied by the old Shearn church, but
now occupied by the New Majestic Theatre and the Chronicle
building. It was deeded in 1837.

62 History of Houston, Texas
Rev. William Y. Allen, a Presbyterian minister, acted as
Chaplain of Congress for a time in 1838 and often preached at
the capitol during 1838 and 1839.
Rev. Edward Fountain preached to an unorganized Meth
odist congregation in Houston in 1838.
The first Sunday School was established in Houston in
1838. It seems to have been largely interdenominational as
no churches were then organized. This Sunday School had an
average attendance of 100.
David G. Burnett was elected president of the Texas Bible
Society which was organized in 1838. Mr. Burnett had been
the first President of the Republic and was President when
Houston was founded.
The first evangelical church formally organized in Houston
was of the Presbyterian faith and the organization was effected
on the last day of March, 1838, by Rev. William Y. Allen in
the Senate chamber of the capitol building. The following
names were signed to the Presbyterian Confession of Faith, and
church government, that was then adopted : James Burke, who
was the first ruling elder, A. B. Shelby, J. Wilson Copes,
Isabella R. Parker, Ed Belden, Marian Shelby, James Bailey,
Sarah Woodward, Jennett Smith, Harris G. Avery, and Sophia
B. Hodge. Mr. Allen continued as pastor of this church until
1842. The church built by this congregation was not finished
until late in 1840. It was located on Main Street, between
Texas and Capitol Avenues, and was destroyed by fire in 1862.
On March 16, 1839, Christ church of the Episcopal faith
was organized. On April 1, the first board of vestrymen was
selected as follows : William F. Gray, John Birdsall, M. Hunt,
A. F. Woodward, James Webb, William Pierpont, Tod
Robinson, E. S. Perkins, D. W. C. Harris, J. D. Andrews, C.
Kessler and George Allen. The first church edifice on the site
of the present church was consecrated in 1847 by the Right
Reverend George W. Freeman, Missionary Bishop of the West.
The site of the Church was donated by the Aliens.
In May, 1839, Bishop Leonidas Polk visited Houston on
a tour of the Republic.

Early Beligious Organizations 63
The First Baptist church in Houston was organized on
May 22, 1841, by Rev. James Huckins, who had come to Houston
under the auspices of the Home Mission Society of New York.
The Baptists had no meeting house of their own until 1847,
when the efforts of a few noble women and of Elder Tryon at
last secured one.
Mrs. Nathan Fuller, wife of Col. Nathan Fuller, and Mrs.
P. L. Hadley were prominent in the group of women who
secured the church building. •
When Rev. Littleton Fowler, the Methodist minister,
preached in the capitol at Houston in 1837 he found in the
city "gaming and vice and any number of doggeries," but no
churches. Mr. Fowler was an ardent mason and later helped
to organize the Grand Lodge of Texas in the Capitol building.
Abel Stevens was appointed to the Galveston and Houston
circuit on December 3, 1838, but did not take up the work.
During 1839, Rev. L. G. Hoard and Rev. Jesse Strickland
preached several times in Houston. On December 4, 1839, Rev.
Edward Fountain was appointed preacher in charge for Hous
ton and Galveston, but worked almost exclusively in Houston
during the year 1840. On Christmas day, 1840, T'. 0. Summers
was appointed in charge of Houston and Galveston. In Houston
he preached in an upper room, over a store, on Capitol Avenue
between Milam and Louisiana Streets. In 1841, Rev. Mr.
Summer organized the first permanent Methodist church in
Houston, for a long time knowrn as Shearn church, but now
bearing the name of the First Methodist church. Among the
early members were C. Shearn, D. Gregg, A. H. Sharp, Mrs.
Campbell, Mrs. Winn, (a daughter of Dr. Ruter,) Mrs. Mixon,
E. D. Johnson, John H. Walton, Mosely Baker, Dr. John L.
Bryan, Mrs. Bryan, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew McGowan, H. Tracy,
A. Crawford, Francis Moore McCrea, C. Dikeman and G. S.
Hardcastle. The history- of this church has been well com
piled by Mrs. I. M. E. Blandin of Houston.
Abbe Domenech, who was in Houston in July, 1848, makes an
ugly little remark in his book, "Missionary Adventures in Texas
and Mexico," that has become famous. He says: "Houston is

64 History of Houston, Texas
a wretched little town composed of about 20 shops and a hun
dred huts dispersed here and there among trunks of felled
trees. It is infested with Methodists and ants." The only
thing the Abbe tells of Houston besides this statement is the
story of his fight with the ants, these insects causing him
much tribulation.
Many enterprising missionaries and clerics of the Catholic
faith visited Houston during the early days and a congrega
tion was early formed. It flourished and erected its first build
ing in 1841. This congregation was and is known as the Church
of the Annunciation and has played a large part in the religions
history of Houston.

CHAPTER VI
Early Growth and the Bayou

City of Houston's Early Progress and Poverty. Arrival of
Schooner "Rolla." Financial Panic and Yellow Fever
Epidemic of 1839. First Book Published in City. Building
of Wharves and Organization of Chamber of Commerce.
Early Descriptions of the Buffalo River and its Steamboat
Life. British Consul Ikin's Description of Houston. Civic
Prosperity. Houston Enters Union as Commercial Empor
ium and Business Capital of the State.

Such an accumulation of individual cells is a town, so
gradually does it grow, and by such processes of accretion,
and so persistently do the newspapers and periodicals of any
period overlook that whieh is distinctive aud of the deepest
interest to subsequent generations as being a mere matter of
course, that it is difficult to trace the lines of a city's growth.
Here and there however, events are recorded which, if
they will not exactly serve as milestones on the highway of
progress are at least indications of tlie direction in which
progress was made as the stones and gravel mark the path of
vanished glaciers.
When John Allen cut with his bowie knife the coffee bean
weeds from what he had marked out as Majn Street, a mere
muddy pathway that ran down to a muddy bayou's bank, he
was tracing a highway that was one day to be a canyon
between skyscrapers and both his faith and his works speedily
began to be justified.
To his tent town there came, on January 1, 1837, the first
steamer, the "Laura," commanded by Captain Grayson, with
a full load of settlers and immigrants, some of them men of

66 History of Houston, Texas
fame already and others to achieve it in the new country of
Texas. In April, of that year, the capitol was moved and the capitol
building was constructed and a kind of gubernatorial hut was
erected on Travis Street at the spot now occupied by the Trimble
laundry. On April 21, the schooner "Rolla," after spending four
days on the route from Harrisburg to Houston, arrived. This
was the first sailing vessel to reach the new town. She had a
cargo consigned to Allen Brothers, and was chartered by
Messrs Dykeman and Westcott and had made the water voyage
from St. Joseph, Florida. Her numerous passengers attended
the famous anniversary ball in the Carlos building.
The arrival of the Telegraph from Columbia and the
founding of the Morning Star gave Houston two good news
papers. Jack Eldinge, poet and editor was one of the early
promoters of the Morning Star, which changed hands often
during the first few years of its existence.
In the fall of 1837, the first two-story dwelling house was
built in Houston by Judge A. C. Briscoe on the corner of Main
Street and Prairie Avenue. Later it was for many years the
home of Dr. I. S. Roberts. The only other two-story buildings
that year wrere the court house and the capitol.
In the spring of 1838, one of the papers says that Houston
has 400 inhabitants and pine stumps on Main Street. During
the year, ice was advertised for sale at the cut rate of fifty
cents a pound.
A petition, signed by many voters, appears in the Tele
graph of October 11, 1837, asking that something be done to
remedy the muddy condition of the streets around the capitol
and the President's house.
The year 1839 was in many respects a hard year. During
that year New Orleans refused credit to the merchants, the
first yellow fever epidemic visited Houston and caused many
deaths, and on September 15, of that year, the moving of the
capital to Austin was begun.
In May of that year the first regular board of health was

Early Growth and, the Bayou 67
appointed by the city council and a short time later a city hos
pital was created and the cost and upkeep of this hospital was
a large item of city expenditure for the year. From July 1
to December 31, 1839, there were 240 deaths in Houston,
mostly from yellow fever, out of a population given as 2,000.
Yellow fever raged in New Orleans, Galveston and Houston
and ravaged the Texas coast. Its mosquito origin was not then
known but all early settlers noticed its relation to ditches,
filth and bodies of stagnant water. Dr. Ashbel Smith also
noted that a fall of temperature checked its spread. A norther,
on November 20, when the mercury fell to 40 degrees Faren-
heit, put an end to the plague.
The fourth of July, of 1839, was celebrated jointly by the
Sunday School and the new military company, the Milam
Guards. There were 70 in attendance -at the Sunday School.
Rev. William Y. Allen read Deuteronomy, sixth chapter ; J. R.
Read spoke for the Sabbath School; J. W. Eldridge read the
Declaration of Independence and* D. Y. Portiss spoke for the
Guards. It was a curious joint celebration of another nation's
holiday. During the year the treasury notes of the Republic, known
as "red backs," fell to fifty cents on the dollar. They later
fell as low as ten cents on the dollar. Mexico was threatening
an invasion but not much heed was paid to this threat by
Texas although it fulfilled its intention of hurting the credit
of the new nation abroad.
The first flour brought to the new city had sold for $30 a
barrel, in gold, but the price had materially fallen although
all flour was imported, but now in the depreciated currency a
barrel of flour cost $80; a beef; the same; corn meal was $8 a
bushel ; corn, $4 per hundred ears ; sugar, 42 cents a pound,
and other prices in proportion. Famine and bankruptcy
threatened the town. Some of the early merchants were Dowell
and Adams, F. R. Lubbock, William D. Lee, Tom League, T. W.
House, Cruger and Moon, and Sam Whitney, also proprietor
of the Telegraph. The newspapers published each day
lists of current prices and also of New Orleans rates on money.

68 History of Houston, Texas
All the New Orleans bank notes sold below par but the bank
notes of McKinney and Williams, bankers at Galveston, remained
at par and furnished a striking tribute to the credit and solidity
of a Texas institution.
On December 24, 1839, the newspapers note with pride that
some brick sidewalks have made their appearance on Main
Street. During the same month they complained of the rotten
wooden city bridges and of the effluvia, arising from the neg
lected market place.
Probably the first book ever published in Houston, and cer-
tainly the first book, a copy of which is to be found in the city's
library, was published in Houston in 1839. It is called "General
Regulations for the Government of the Army of the Republic
of Texas," and contains 187 pages and shows creditable press
work and also well formulated military regulations. It was
published in the office of the Houston Intelligencer. In the next
few years advertisements for printers and bookbinders make
their appearance in the papery.'
In 1840 the tide of prosperity again slowly turned Houston-
ward which had suffered severely in temper and resources from
the removal of the capital.
On February 3, of that year, the newspapers advocate a
line of stages to Austin which was soon after inaugurated. Dur
ing the month of February a Brazoria man was appointed post
master at Houston. This was regarded as the crowning insult
and the subject furnished a controversy that lasted for months.
Bids were received in February to construct a wharf from
the foot of Main Street to the foot of Fannin Street, and on
February 26, there was a curious organization formed known as
the ' ' Anti-Rat Society, ' ' headed by John W. Eldridge. Its pur
pose was not to attack the head ornaments of the women but the
rodents that swarmed everywhere in the town so as to be a pest.
Houston's first Chamber of Commerce was organized on
April 5, with E. S. Perkins as president. An advertisement of
that month, notes that 20 barrels of whiskey have been received
for sale by one firm and others had large consignments of the
same insinuating beverage. The Morning Star complains on

Early Growth and the Bayou 69
April 20, of the rowdies and black legs who make life intolerable
by their carouses and fights and two days later dragged these
offenders over the coals again in an article beginning "We are
informed that some of the black leg gentry took offense at Our
remarks." The thugs and rowdies were handled without gloves
by the paper and during the year a warm campaign in favor of
temperance and against the use of whiskey in the Houston
climate was waged by it.
A new military company, known as the Dragoons, was
organized in April, 1840. On April 23, one of the papers tells of a
tall lank stranger who visited the city and wrote after his name
the letters P. 0. P. S. F. C. The stranger was asked the meaning
of the letters and said they were an abbreviation of his title,
which, on request he gave as "Professor of Psalmody and School
master from Connecticut." The professor however did not
participate in the first concert given in Houston on May 1, by
Emil Heerbrugger at which solos were rendered on the piano, the
violin and the French horn.
A gentleman by the name of Louis, of France, opened a
fencing school but found some difficulty in persauding the citi
zens to abandon the bowie knife for the rapier as a means of
settling difficulties and smoothing out wrinkles in a sensitive
honor. News of Filisola's invasion and of Burleson's campaign
against the Lipans appeared in the papers.
The papers lament the slow mails. This is a characteristic
complaint of the period: "Pleasant — To have the United States
Mail lay at Galveston two days after its arrival, to have it put
on board the slowest boat that runs on the bayou and to have that
boat lay three days on Red Fish Bar. ' '
Shallow water on Cloppers Bar delayed passenger traffic
and the mails, and it was suggested that if all the boats would
drop bouys along the line of the channel over this bar that boats
always passing in the same track would rub a channel deep
enough for convenient passage and that the mud thus rubbed up
by the boat bottoms would be washed out of the way. It was
one of the earliest projects for deepening the ship channel.
Henry Stuart Foote traversed the bayou in 1840, and in his

70 History of Houston, Texas
book, published in Philadelphia the following year, tells of a
herd' of buffalo on Galveston Bay, of the wonders of water bird
life, the flaming flamingoes, the giant white pelicans, the rice
birds, the white and gray cranes and the eagles. Of the bayou
he says: "In view of navigation only, Buffalo Bayou in connec
tion with Galveston Bay is among the most important water
courses of Texas. To Houston there is a safe and constant
steamboat navigation every day in the year, and for practical-
purposes this city may be considered the most inland point of
navigation of the country. As evidence of this fact the city of
Houston is among the most flourishing towns in Texas."
A description of the bayou by the Abbe Domenech a few
years later mitigates his offensive description of Houston already
quoted. The Abbe says: "We entered the little Buffalo River
bordered with reeds and bullrushes in the midst of which herons
and cranes and thousands of ducks were disputing. By and by
the banks increased in height, approached so near to each other
and formed so many narrow tortuous windings that at every
instance the boat was caught either by the bow or the stern.
At length the high lands appeared, covered with magnolias with
their large white flowers and delicious perfumes. Gray and red
squirrels leaped from branch to branch, while mocking birds and
cardinals imparted life and language to these wonderful soli
tudes." A vivid picture of steamboat life on Buffalo Bayou at this
period is given by an Englishwoman, Mrs. Houstoun, who accom
panied her husband on a yachting voyage and hunting expe
dition to America. Her style is piquant and her comments are
offered without apology. Chapter X of Vol. II of her book,
"Yacht Voyage to Texas," published in London in 1844, deals
with the trip up the bayou and with the city of Houston. She
says: "It was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon of a bright frosty
day that we put ourselves on board the Houston steamer — Cap
tain Kelsey. She was a small vessel, and drew but little water, a
circumstance very necessary in these small rivers. The American
river steamers differ very much in appearance from those to

Early Growth and the Bayou 71
which an European eye is accustomed". They have the appear
ance of wooden houses, built upon a large raft ; there is a balcony
or verandah, and on the roof is what is called the hurricane deck,
where gentlemen passengers walk and smoke.
"On the occasion of our taking our passage, both ladies' and
gentlemen's cabins were quite full, and I therefore preferred
spending the evening in the balcony in spite of the cold. I had
kind offers of civility but I could not help being amused at the
terms in which some of them were couched. The question
addressed to me of ' Do you liquor, ma 'am ? ' was speedily followed
by the production of a tumbler of egg-noggy, which seemed in
great request, and I cannot deny its excellence. I believe the
British Navy claims the merit of its invention, but this is matter
of dispute. ' ' We dined soon after our arrival on board and found every
body very orderly and civil. Certainly there was a strange mix
ture of ranks, but this made it more amusing to a stranger. The
supper consisted of alternate dishes of boiled oysters, and beef
steaks, of which there was plenty and the latter disappeared in
marvelously quick time between the strong jaws of the Texan
gentlemen. I confess to preferring meat which has been kept
somewhat more than an hour, especially in frosty weather. On
one occasion our dinner was delayed for some time, while the
cook went on shore and 'shot a beef.' There was fortunately
water enough for us to cross Red Fish Bar, and we were fast
steaming up Buffalo River. For a considerable distance from
the mouth the shores are low, flat and .swampy, but as the stream
narrowed there were high banks, and the trees were quite beau
tiful in spite of the season, which. was extremely unfavorable to
foliage and woody scenery. Such magnolias — eighty feet in
height, and with a girth like huge forest trees, — what must they
be when in full blossom! There were also a great number and
variety of evergreens, laurel, bay and firs, rhododendrons, cistus
and arbutus. It seemed one vast shrubbery. The trees and
shrubs grew to a prodigious height, and often met over the
steamer, as she wound through the short reaches of this most
lovely stream.

72 History of Houston, Texas
"My berth opened out of the state cabin, and as the only
partition was a Venetian door, I could not avoid hearing all the
conversation that was carried on by my neighbors. Cards and
drinking constituted no inconsiderable part of the pleasures of
the evening, but with all the excitement of talk, tobacco chewing .
and brandy, I never heard people more orderly and reasonable.
There was no private scandal, no wit, no literature, no small
talk ; all was hard, dry, calculating business. One rather import
ant looking gentleman made a stump speech on the expedi
ency of Texas becoming a colony of Great Britian! I do not
know the orator's name but General or Colonel he must have
been. Military titles are taken and given here with as little
ceremony as the title of Count on the Continent. Mr. Houstoun
sprang into a General at once.
' ' There was a Baptist preacher on board, a thin, weary look
ing man, with a cast in his eye which was very comical. He had
fought for his country and though now a man of peace, delighted
in displaying his knowledge of military matters. He was going
to Houston to establish a school for young gentlemen, while
his wife was to superintend the education of their sisters. This,
he said, he was induced to do that his boys might" not mix with
their inferiors. He could not bear, he added, that his sons should
be acquainted with vulgar boys, which they were obliged to do
at Galveston, but he didn 't like it, and now at his school, he could
choose the boys ! Exclusiveness here ! Where shall we look for
a country where the real charitable feelings of equality exist?
I may remark that my maid was obliged to wait until all these
people had done their meals, because, I was told, they did not
like her to eat at the same table. At seven o 'clock in the morning
we arrived at the pretty town of Houston. It is built on high
land, and the banks, which are covered with evergreens, rise
abruptly from the river."
The lady's book has a frontispiece steel engraving of
Houston, evidently made by the artist from the description in
this last sentence. It shows a city on the sloping side of a lofty
hill with a vista of mountains all about. A beautiful arched
viaduct spans the stream just above the wharf where a huge

Early Growth and tlie Bayou 73
side wheel steamboat lies at anchor. It is a very flattering
engraving. Later the lady incidentally gives the information that
Houston had only one brick house at this time.
In a newspaper of April 19, 1839, it is stated that a census
shows Houston to have 2,073 people, 1,620 males and 453 females,
and property assessed worth $2,405,865 with the wharves of a
large commercial city and five steamers constantly plying between
Houston and Galveston. These figures seem padded somehow
and the wharves then were only mud banks and plank platforms
at the water's edge, but in 1840, one gets some authoritative infor
mation as to the city in a booklet entitled "Texas," by Arthur
Ikin, Great Britian 's Texas consul, published in London, in 1841.
Mr. Ikin says : ' ' Houston, though scarcely five years old, has
5,000 inhabitants ; several religious congregations ; shops of every
kind ; daily and weekly newspapers ; numerous professional men ;
a theatre, race course, hotels, cafes, etc., etc., and several steam
ers running between Galveston and this city which will always be
a great depot for the retail trade of the interior."
Mr. Ikin also says that the states which have most largely
contributed to the population of Texas are: Alabama, Georgia,
Tennessee, Kentucky, the Carolinas, and Virginia. "The warm
hearted liberality, intelligence and taste for refinement which
have always distinguished the people of these last mentioned
states, are characteristics that have not been lost by transmigra
tion across, the Sabine. ' '
There is incidental talk of a railroad again in 1840, and
on June 8, of that y^ar, the announcement is made that the city
schools will again be opened. The early schools of the city were
private schools. Hon. Alcee LajJi^c^e, me suited titates reprer
sentative was shown marked courtesies in Houston during the
year. W. L. McCalla was in Houston, in 1840, and the next year
published a book, ' ' Adventures in Texas. ' ' Here is his sole refer
ence to Houston: "I enjoyed for a season the hospitality of
the city of Houston. Here, consulting my moderate purse, I
purchased and mounted a poor, little, ugly, worthless Indian
mare." It is to be hoped that, had his purse been longer,

74 History of Houston, Texas
Houston could have offered him a better bargain in horse flesh.
After 1840, Houston grew steadily and quietly. Five years
after its foundation the city revenue was, for the year, $4,740,
specie value.
From June 1, 1841, to May 5, 1842, there was exported 2,460
bales of cotton, 72,816 feet of lumber, and 1,803 hides and four-
commercial steamers plyed on the bayou. From January, 1842,
to January, 1843, the city consumed, according to the market
reports, 1,124 beeves, 340 hogs, 165 pigs, 128 calves and 36 sheep.
By a city ordinance of June 8, 1841, the city became known
as the port of Houston and put on a wharfmaster and rates of
wharfage. By an act of Congress approved January 29, 1842, the
city was given the right to remove obstructions from the bayou
and to improve navigation.
In the spring of 1844, T. N. Davis brought the first cotton
compress to Houston. The paper announced that Mr. Davis
could compress 500 pounds of cotton into a space 22 inches
square in fifteen minutes by the aid of two hands. The two
hands referred to seem to have been hired assistants.
The Morning Star of December 20, 1845, discusses the pros
pects of Houston, saying: "Notwithstanding the bad state of
the roads, large numbers of teams arrive daily from the interior
with cotton. Four or five new stores have been opened here
within the last month, and we are informed that several mer
chants expect to open stores as soon as Annexation is consum
mated. There is not a house in town to rent and several new
buildings are going up. The hotels are literally crowded with
boarders. The value of real estate in this section of the city has
advanced at least 100 per cent within the last two months."
On June 2, 1845, the finance committee made a report to the
city council that the amount of assessed and appraised property
in the city was $336,559 and at one-half per cent that it would
bring in taxes a total of $1,632.79, which sum would be sufficient
to make all improvements, pay the debt and leave a surplus in
the treasury. As a matter of fact the city's total debt on Jan
uary 1, 1846, only aggregated $875. Houston, when Texas entered
the Union, was practically out of debt, and on an assured basis

Early Growth and the Bayou 75
of prosperity and the highway to growth and influence. There
was published in 1846 a book called "Prairiedom," a story of
Texas, written by a "A Southron." Pages 84 and 85 of this
volume, mirror Houston in pleasing fashion as an abode of pros
perity. The author says : ' ' The city of Houston is a place of
active and profitable trade and in its rise and progress is as much
a miracle in town making as Rochester or Chicago. Houston
is the largest and most flourishing town in the interior, second
only to Galveston in commercial importance, and must always
maintain its ascendency over any other rival. It has now a
population of from 4,000 to 5,000 inhabitants, 40 stores, 3 com
modious public houses, several newspapers, a large cotton press,
an iron foundry, two extensive stearine, candle, oil, and beef
packing establishments, a steam saw and grist mill, various
mechanic shops, schools, and four churches, all of which are well
attended by an intelligent, industrious and moral population.
In 1839, only eight bales of cotton were sent from this point,
in 1844, 7,000 bales and in the current year (1845) some twelve
or fifteen thousand bales will probably be shipped. ' '
Thus it is manifest that during the Republic, Houston
throughly established itself as a seaport, as a commercial man
ufacturing and exporting city, and as the home of a cultivated
and substantial people. It had already become the commercial
emporium and the business capital of the state when annexation
was consummated.

CHAPTER VII
The City Government

Early City Limits. First Market House. "Reconstruction"
Administration. First Bridge Across Buffalo Bayou. The
First Fire Company. Houston Hook and Ladder Company.
The Fire Department of Today. Early Police Officers. Some
Old Police Notes. The Police Department Today. City
Water Works. Houston Gas Company. Contending with
a Big Debt. What Mayor D. C. Smith Accomplished.
Mayor Rice and the Commission Form of Government. What
the Commission Has Done for Houston.

Although Houston was founded in 1836, and soon became
something of a big place, having city boundaries, which were
the bayou on the north, Walker Street on the south, Bagby Street
on the west and Caroline Street on the east; her affairs were
under the control of the county, for the first two years of her
existence. However rapid growth and increased importance soon
demanded a government of its own, and accordingly an election
was held in 1838, and "incorporation" having carried, appli
cation was made and granted, for a charter for the city of
Houston in 1838. Another election was then held and Dr.
Francis Moore was elected the first mayor of the new city. He
served but one year, which was the full term of office in the
beginning. About the first thing done by the new officials was
to extend the city limits, for purposes of taxation, for then, as
now, in certain directions, actual settlement had extended far
beyond the original limits. The limits of the city were extended
so as to form a square, each of the four sides of which should be
three miles in length, thus making the area nine square miles, the
court house being in the center of the square.
Beyond the fact that the city limits were extended, little in the

The City Government 77
way of public improvements seems to have been done by the first
or second city administrations. In 1836, when the Aliens laid out
the city, they set aside the ground, known as Market Square,
for the purposes for which it has always been used. On a map
published as early as 1839 it is designated as ' ' Congress Square, ' '
probably because it is skirted by Congress Street, at that time
one of the main thoroughfares of the city. This square was used
as a public gathering place by the people, and later, traveling
circuses pitched their tents there. In 1839, the city had a fine
market square but no market house beyond a big shed that had
been erected for temporary use. Two Frenchmen, known as
the Rosseau Brothers, had a canvas covered frame structure on
Preston Street, near the middle of the block, fronting Market
Square, where they sold vegetables, game and such things. On
the square itself was the big shed spoken of. This was under the
control of the city and had a regular market inspector. This
first inspector was Thomas F. Gravis, who gave his attention to
his duties for one-half the market fees. Afterwards, when he
found that one-half was not enough for his support, he asked for
and was given all the fees.
On September 20, 1840, the city council determined to erect
a permanent building, to cost $1,200, and the contract was given
to Thomas Standbury & Sons, who completed the structure at a
cost of $8,000 to the city. That contract for $1,200 and the final
bill for $8,000 read like some of the transactions of the city
fathers when the city was under a "reconstruction" mayor and
board of aldermen after the war. There was no doubt a vast
difference, however, for in 1840, Texas money was far below par
in all money markets of the world.
The old market house was a long, single story, frame struc
ture that extended from the middle of the block, facing Preston
Street to Congress Street on the other side. At the end facing
Congress Street was a two-story building, the upper story being
used as a city hall and police court and the lower story as a
city jail and in a small structure adjoining, built a few years
later, were quarters for the fire department. When the market
house was completed, an ordinance was passed by which pri-

78 History of Houston, Texas t
vate, competitive markets were outlawed, and the position of
market master became a valuable one, a fact* that is attested by
there having been ten applicants for the place in 1841. Mr. E.
M. Holmes was the successful candidate. In 1845 the duties of
market master and those of city marshall were combined and
the honors and dignity of the place were borne by Mr. William
Smith, better known as "Billy" Smith, for the next three years.
After the late forties, Captain R. P. Boyce filled the position
for several years.
Among other innovations made by the "reconstruction"
administration of Houston, after the war, was one by which the
city surrendered all control over the market, leasing the whole
thing to private individuals. The first lessee was a Mr. McGregor,
who took charge in 1869. In 1871 the old wooden building was
torn down to make place for a new brick structure. This new
building Mr. McGregor also leased and held until it was destroyed
by fire, in 1876. This famous market house should take first
place among the historic buildings of Houston, for it was not
only the first really substantial building of the kind erected here,
but it was the first one, in the construction of which, what has
come to be known as "high finance" methods were employed.
The history of the construction of the market house reads like the
plot for a comic opera. In 1871, Mayor Scanlan signed a con
tract with Mr. William Brady and the latter's New York asso
ciates, for the construction of the building at a total cost to the
city of $228,000. To pay for this the city was bonded in the
sum of $250,000 at 8 per cent for 25 years. The work of actual
construction commenced, but had not progressed far when things
began to happen. It was discovered that the plans and specifi
cations did not call for floors in some rooms, nor for plastering
and windows in others. No blinds or shades were mentioned
at all, and a careful study of the plans and specifications, revealed
the fact that they were scarcely more than in skeleton form. As
so many changes were necessary the city concluded to make some
additional ones, and put in a theatre on the second floor of the
building. There were changes and counter changes until finally,
when the building was completed, its cost was $470,000 instead

The' City Government 79
of the $228,000 originally counted on. On the morning of July
8, 1876, a fire, which started in the theatre, totally destroyed
the building. It was insured for $100,000, but though it had cost
the city of Houston nearly half a million dollars, the insurance
companies refused to pay even the $100,000, and rebuilt the
market house at a cost to themselves of about $80,000. This
new building was also destroyed by fire in 1901, and the present
magnificent city hall was erected on its site.
Of course it became necessary to issue more bonds to meet
the increased cost of the famous market house, and in order to
do this it became necessary to increase the city limits so as to
have as large a tax area as possible. This was easy and at a
stroke of the pen the area of Houston was increased from nine
square miles to twenty-five square miles and bonds were issued
against the entire territory. Issuing bonds became such a mania
with the " reconstructionists " that by the time the Democrats
secured control of the state and passed a law firing them all out
of office, Houston had a bonded debt approximating $2,000,000
and had, to show for it, an $80,000 market house and a sewer
two or three blocks long on Caroline Street. The new mayor and
aldermen, appointed first by the governor and then elected by
the people, reduced the city limits to the original nine square
miles, but to reduce the bonded debt was not so easy. They
struggled with it for years. Finally part of the debt was paid
on a compromise basis and part by issuing new bonds on the
reduced area. This worked a hardship on some of the citizens, for
today property owners are taxed to pay interest on loans nego
tiated against property still a mile beyond the present city limits.
In early days there was little or no necessity for the people
of Houston to cross to the north side of the bayou. There was
nothing over there to attract them except hunting and fishing,
and small foot-bridges answered their purposes for that, so no
bridges were built for many years. Those coming to or going
from Houston, who had to cross the bayou, did so at a ford,
located at a point which is now the foot of Texas Avenue. But
the trade of Houston with the interior began to increase, so a
suitable bridge became an absolute necessity. In 1843, such a

80 History of Houston, Texas
bridge, the first to span the bayou, was completed. In its issue
for December 21, 1843, the Morning Star said: —
"The bridge over Buffalo Bayou in this city was completed
on Monday. It is 100 feet long and 16 'feet wide. The distance
between the two piers is 50 feet. The piers are 26 feet high, con
sisting of four upright posts resting on a mud sill 40 feet long,
and supporting a beam 18 feet long. The two outside beams
resting on the pier are supported by king posts eight feet high
with braces 25 feet long. This bridge, though insignificant in
comparison with most of the bridges of the United States, is
doubtless the longest and most substantial bridge that has ever
been erected in Texas."
The bridge was located on Preston Avenue, and stood for
ten years, being swept away in 1853, when a great rise in the
bayou occurred. It was replaced by a new bridge, known for
years as the "Long Bridge." It was in fact a long bridge, for
its constructors, bearing in mind the fate of the first one, took
steps to guard against a repetition of that disaster, by placing
the two ends far beyond the reach of possible high water and
elevating the main part of the bridge to what they considered
a safe altitude. No definite figures are obtainable,' but as the
bridge began at a point a little over half way between Smith
Street where it crosses Preston Avenue, and the top of the banks
of the bayou on the south side, and extended to a point on the
north side about half way up the block on that side, it is evident
that the bridge was very appropriately named "Long Bridge."
This bridge stood for years, and while it was more or less dam
aged by several floods, it was never swept away. After a great
flood in the late seventies it was remodeled. The approaches on
both sides were filled in and the present bridge was constructed
and has stood there ever since.
There should be a tablet, or monument placed on this Preston
Avenue bridge, to mark the place, for while it is not the original
structure, it occupies the point over which, for many years,
almost the entire commerce of the state passed. Before the
Houston and Texas Central Railway was built', the entire cotton
crops east of Texas came to Houston in wagons drawn by from

The City Government 81
eight to twelve pairs of oxen, and all entered the city over
that bridge, and all goods shipped to the interior went out the
same way. It was no unusual thing as late as 1858-59, to see
wagons on the streets of Houston from as far north as Waco. The
Houston merchants bought all the crops from and sold all the
goods to the interior planters and merchants.
Even before Houston became a city, in name at least, by
obtaining a charter, steps were taken to organize a fire company.
In 1836, Protection Fire Company No. 1 was organized. That
was perhaps the first organization of the kind in Texas. They
had no engine nor anything with which to fight fire, except
buckets, and their method was a primitive one of forming a
line and passing the buckets from hand to hand. As crude as
this method was, much good was accomplished, because executed
by an organized force rather than an excited mob. Protection
Company No. 1 preserved its organization and identity, until
the old volunteer department was absorbed by the city and
became the present pay department. In the early fifties this
company bought its first engine. It was an old fashioned hand
engine, but at that day was looked upon as a grand affair. It
was a vast improvement on buckets, at any rate, and did a
great deal of good work. Houston was growing rapidly at that
time and the demand for better fire protection was becoming
more apparent each day. The whole city being constructed of
wood, and the houses, in the business part of the town, being
jumbled close together, the fire risk became very great. The
imperative need of better protection was accentuated in 1858-59
by the occurrence of two great fires, one sweeping
away the block bounded by Main, Franklin, Travis and
Congress Streets and the other, the block bounded by Main,
Congress, Travis and Preston Streets. In addition to these there
was another big fire that destroyed a number of buildings on
both sides of Main Street between Texas Avenue and Capitol
Avenue. In 1860, the warehouse of T. W. Whitmarsh, containing
2,100 bales of cotton, was burned. When the first of these great
fires occurred, a number of young men met and formed Houston
Hook and Ladder Company No. 1. This company was organized

82 History of Houston, Texas
April 17, 1858. Its first officers were : Foreman, Frank Fabj ; 1st
assistant, E. L. Bremond; 2nd assistant, 0. J. Conklin; presi
dent, Henry Sampson; vice-president, Fred A. Rice; secretary,
Wm. M. Thompson ; treasurer, S. H. Skiff. The charter mem
bers were: J. C. Baldwin, C. A. Darling, Frank H. Bailey,
I. C. Stafford, Ed. Riodan, R. W. Dowling, Pete Schwander,
Paul Schwander, George A. Peck, W. S. Owens, Charles Nord-
hausen, John S. Hirshfield, J. L. Talman, R. B. Wilson, J. D.
McNulty and John W. Clark.
The company entered at once into active service and accom
plished great good through their well directed and intelligent
efforts. When the great Civil War broke out in 1861, the company
became badly disorganized because nearly all of its members
entered the Confederate Army. In later years it was the proud
boast of the surviving members that there was not a great battle
fought from the Potomac to the Rio Grande, that did not have
an old member of Hook and Ladder on the field. A great many
of them lost their lives during the four bloody years, and, these
noble fellows had their names recorded in mourning and filed
in the archives of the company, as a slight tribute to their great
worth. During the war the organization of Hook and Ladder No.
, 1 was kept up by those members who, for one reason or another,
did not go to the front. The actual work of fire fighting was done
by negroes under the direction of white officers. After the war
was over the returning members took up the work where they
had left it, new blood was incorporated, and the company became
as active and efficient as ever. The original idea of having
none but gentlemen in the company was adhered to. A rigidly
enforced set of by-laws demanded character and standing of all
applicants for membership. No one being admitted until he had
passed a searching investigation, the company preserved its early
reputation, and it became known as the best organized and most
thoroughly drilled truck company in the South.
Four years after the war, April 17, 1869, the company
celebrated the eleventh anniversary of its organization and elected
officers. The following roster shows the character of men who

The City Government 83
formed the membership at that time : Foreman, Frank Bailey ; 1st
assistant, C. C. Beavens; 2nd assistant, J. W. McAshan; presi
dent, S. T. Timpson; vice-president, F. A. G. Gearing; secre
tary, Jesse C. Wagner; assistant secretary, L. F. DeLesDenier;
treasurer, C. A. Darling; steward, J. D. Johnson. Members: —
J. C. Baldwin, H. P Roberts, 0. L. Cochran, C. S. Marston,
R. W. Shaw, P. E. Dowling, J. A. Bailey, George W. Gazley, E.
L. Bremond, Will Lambert, Isaac Siegel, G. A. Gibbons, H. M.
Phillips, Jules Albert, A. Levy, J. M. Tryan, C. Lachman, H.
C. McClure, W. B. Bonner, A. J. Rogers, J. B. Cato, R. Cotter,
A. Ewing, Taylor McRear and John House. Total, 34.
Soon after the formation of Hook and Ladder, there was
another fire company organized, called Liberty Fire Company
No. 2. This gave Houston three fire companies and in order to
make them all more efficient and useful, Mr. T. W. House, who
was mayor in 1862, determined to organize a regular fire depart
ment. He combined the three companies into one organ
ization, known as the Houston Fire Department. Mr. E. L.
Bremond was made chief engineer, with H. F. Hurd and R.
Burns as assistants. The R. Burns mentioned in the foregoing
was not Major Robert Burns at one time prominent in the
Houston fire department, but who at that time, 1862, was in
Virginia with the Texas Troops under Lee. This Houston Fire
Department flourished for a little time and then dfopped out as
a department leaving the individual companies to act as they
saw fit. Twelve years later Mr. J. H. B. House, under more
favorable conditions, took up the work begun by his father, in
1862, and organized a thoroughly efficient fire department. The
department was reorganized in May, 1874. Mr. J. H. B. House
was made chief; Mr. Z. T. Hogan, assistant chief and Mr. C. C.
Beavens, second assistant.
The following companies composed the department: Pro
tection Fire Company No. 1, engine house on Texas Avenue,
between Fannin and San Jacinto Streets; Hook and Ladder
Company No. 1, on Prairie and San Jacinto Streets; Liberty
Fire Company No. 2, on Franklin, between Milam and Louisi
ana Streets; Stonewall Fire Company No. 3, on Travis Street,

84 History of Houston, Texas
between Prairie and Texas Avenues; Lee Fire Company No. 4;
Brooks Fire Company No. 5, engine house near the corner of
Liberty and MeKee Streets; Mechanics Fire Company No. 6,
Engine house on Washington and Preston Streets. The depart
ment, thus organized in 1874, constituted the nucleus of Hous
ton's capable department of today.
Although the Houston Fire Department was not quite one
year old on April 21st, 1875, a point was stretched and the
department celebrated its first anniversary on San Jacinto Day,
that year, in grand style. There was a great procession, in
which, besides the local companies, the fire departments of Dallas,
Waco, Calvert, Bryan, Brenham and Hempstead were repre
sented by strong delegations. Col. J. P. Likens was orator of
the day. The following local companies were in line:
Protection No. 1, the oldest fire company in the state, organ
ized in 1836. Houston Hook and Ladder No. 1, organized April
17, 1858. Liberty No. 2, Stonewall No. 3, and Brooks No. 5, all
organized in the late sixties. Mechanics No. 6, organized October
28, 1873. Houston's Futures, a company of boys, had been
organized but a short time, but appeared in the procession drag-
ing their little hand engine. The following were the officers of
the various companies of the department:
Protection No. 1, Charles Wichman, foreman ; L. Ollre, first
assistant ; S. M. MeAshan, president ; Robert Brewster, secretary ;
R. Cohen, treasurer. Hook and Ladder No. 1, H. P. Roberts,
president; T. L. Blanton, vice-president; William Cameron, sec
retary; 0. L. Cochran, treasurer; Dr. T. Robinson, foreman;
J. C. Hart, first assistant ; G. W. Gazley, second assistant. Stone
wall No. 3, Joseph F. Meyer, foreman ; L. M. Jones, first assist
ant; F. J. Frank, second assistant; W. Long, president; F.
Ludke, vice-president; W. E. Smith, secretary. Brooks No. 5,
I. C. Lord, foreman; William Alexander, first assistant; J. C.
Thomas, Jr., second assistant; J. C. Thomas, Sr., president; I.
Snowball, vice-president ; S. L. Mateer, secretary ; Thomas Milner,
treasurer. Eagle No. 7, John Shearn, Jr., foreman ; Willie Van
Alstyne, first assistant ; Ed Mather, second assistant.
During the year Mr. J. H. B. House had resigned as chief

The City Government 85
of the department but continued to take an active interest in all
that concerned it. On his retirement the department heads were
arranged as follows : W. Williams, chief ; C. C. Beavens, first
assistant; Fred Harvey, second assistant. In the parade that
day the Silsby, steamer of Protection No. 1, was drawn by four
black horses, driven by Mr. J. H. B. House.
In 1876, the Houston fire department had two steamers, one
extinguisher engine, two hand wagons and one hook and ladder
company. The annual operating expense for the entire depart
ment was about $9,000. Its membership was composed of
the best and most prominent citizens, all volunteers, and all well
trained and effective firemen.
In 1893, the volunteer department was disbanded and the
paid fire department was inaugurated. At first it was only a
partial pay department, being composed of paid experts, and
others who had to be on duty all the time, and of volunteer fire
men who gave their services free, whenever a fire was actually
burning. However, in 1895, this halfway system proving unsat
isfactory, the city took over the whole department and placed
it on the pay basis. Its success was assured from the start, and
the Houston Fire Department entered at once on its career of
usefulness. One or two things have contributed to its success.
One is that the department has always been as far removed from
politics as possible, even under the old administration conducted
under the mayor and board of aldermen. Another is that the
chiefs' of the department have always been chosen because of
their fitness to administer the affairs of their important office;
for their executive ability as practical firemen, rather than for
their "pull" as practical politicians and popularity among the
voters of the city. But perhaps a thing that has contributed
most to its success, is the fact that in the performance of its
duties it has received the unanimous support and encouragement
of the citizens of all classes. Unlike the police department, it
has never had to perform duties that created strong animosity
in certain quarters. Its progress has been smooth and unob
structed, and today Houston has a good and well organized fire
department. In January, 1903, Houston had 59 firemen on the

86 History of Houston, Texas
regular list and a number of others on the waiting list. There
were at that time 20 pieces of fire fighting apparatus. Today
their are 104 officers and men employed in the Fire Department
of Houston, and there are 30 pieces of fire fighting apparatus,
of which 9 are modern steamers having a combined capacity of
5,900 gallons of water per minute, and two are chemical engines
of the latest design. The Department has 51 horses in active
service. The actual cost of maintaining and operating the
Department for the year ending February 28, 1911, was
$124,443.76. In early days, when a man's reputation for personal courage,
honesty of purpose and a bulldog determination to do his duty
was established, he was recognized as fit material out of whieh
to make a peace officer. It was the man's personality, rather
than his ability as a business man, or his ability as an executive
officer that counted. The only executive ability demanded of
him was that he be "quick on the draw" and expert in the use
of his pistol. The early peace officer had no regular deputies
nor had he a "force." He was the whole thing himself, and
on occasions when he needed assistance, he could, and did call
on any citizen or citizens to help him. In a newly settled place
like Houston in the early days, there were a number of rough
and desperate characters. Against such men as these, a weakling
or a man who did not have a reputation for coolness and for a
bravery vastly superior to their own, would have been worse
than useless and would have really added to the criminal record
by offering himself up as a sacrifice to the outlaws.
In the very early days police affairs were in the hands of
the sheriff, and this condition prevailed for sometime after
Houston had become a chartered city. In 1840 or 1841, Captain
Newt. Smith, one of the heroes of San Jacinto, was elected city
marshal and served as such until 1844, when Captain Billy
Williams was elected to succeed him. In the late forties Captain
R. C. Boyce was elected city marshal and held office for a number
of years. The city marshal's office was no sinecure. From 1840
to 1860, Houston was at times, particularly about election times

The City Government 87
and on days of public gatherings, what one might call in the
vernacular a little "wild and woolly."
On such occasions both the sheriff and marshal had their
hands full. There were numerous desperate characters here,
whiskey was cheap and plentiful and the wonder is that there
were so few tragedies. It is a remarkable fact that none of the
three men who served as marshal during that troublesome period
ever had to kill a man. It was not because they were not per
fectly prepared and willing to do so should occasion arise, and it
was possibly a knowledge of that fact, on the part of the desper
adoes, that caused them not to offer resistance when the officers
went after them. At the close of the war, Mr. I. C. Lord was
city marshal and his administration was far more strenuous
than any that preceded it. This was due to the generally dis
rupted condition of society; to the fact that the town was full
of returned Confederate soldiers, Federal soldiers, newly freed
negroes and worthless white men, known as "scalawags" and
"carpet-baggers," who did all in their power to stir up strife
between the white people and the negroes. Killings were of
frequent occurrence, and the police figured in the large majority
of them. As bits of police history are always interesting the follow
ing are given here as characteristic. They are taken from an
old book at police headquarters, called the "Time Book," dated
1882. A record on the first page reveals the fact that the police
force in 1882, consisted of a chief, a deputy chief and six patrol
men, the latter divided into a night and a day relief. Charles
Wiehman was chief, or city marshal, and W. W. Glass was deputy
chief. W. H. Smith and F. W. McCutchin were the day force,
while B. F. Archer, Jack White, James Daily and Nat Davis
were the night force. All of these old officers are dead.
From December 23 to 27, 1882, six special policemen were
added to the force to guard against trouble during Christmas
times. These special officers were Bill Paris, Fred Merald,
Louis Williams, Bud Butler, John Kelley, and John Donahue.
On November 1, 1885, officers described as "cow catchers"
are spoken of for the first time in the old record book. These

88 History of Houston, Texas
were two in number, J. E.' Jemison and George W. Penticost.
Items of personal interest are: "W. W. Glass, resigned Feb.
19th, 1886." Another "J. Fitzgerald, clerk, June 1, 1886."
According to the book, Alex. Erickson was city marshal and
B. W. McCarty, clerk, in April, 1892. James H. Pruett was
marshal and A. R. Anderson, deputy in 1894. Deputy Chief
J. M. Ray filled the same position in January, 1895. Among
the old tragedies fatal to peace officers, recorded in the old
book is this: "Richard Snow, killed in the fifth ward." Snow
was a policeman, but beyond the brief record of the fact that
he was killed nothing is said of the tragedy which occurred
March 17, 1882.
Under date of February 8, 1886, appears: "Henry Williams
killed by Kyle Terry at Market Square. ' '
"March 14, 1891, J. E. Fenn was killed by Henry MeGee."
Fenn went into a negro dance hall to make an arrest and was
shot down by MeGee, a negro tough.
Captain Jack White, one of the Sabine Pass heroes, and for
many years a police officer of Houston, died in 1896 and is thus
referred to in the ' ' time book ; " " Jack White died September 15,
buried with military honors. ' '
Under date September 17, 1893, it was recorded that officer
Pat Walsh, alighting from a street car, fell on his revolver dis
charging it and inflicting a wound from which he died later.
In another old book at police headquarters, is recorded the
killing of W. A. Weiss by J. T. Vaughn, on the night of July
29, 1901. Vaughn killed Weiss at Congress Avenue and San
Jaeinto Street and was himself killed the same night. On Decem
ber 11, 1901, is recorded the killing of J. C. James by Sid
Preacher, a gambler. Preacher used a shot gun. No sooner was
James down than Preacher turned and killed Herman Youngst,
another policeman. While James was dying he managed to get
his pistol out and kill Preacher, just as the latter was starting
to run away. James died at almost the same moment that his
finger pressed the trigger. Every year has seen its tragedy in
the police force. In 1910, Assistant Chief Murphy was killed
by McFarlane, a discharged officer.

The City Government 89
Instead of the chief, deputy chief and six policemen that
constituted the police force in 1882, Houston now has a chief and
assistant chief and a police force of 103 policemen. In place of
the two mounted policemen, described as "cow catchers" in
1885, there are now 18 mounted officers and four motorcycle
officers. Chief of Police J. M. Ray, for the year ending February
28, 1911, reports the total number of arrests made by his depart
ment during the year to have been 5,928, classified as follows :
Violating State Laws  4,525
Violating City Ordinances  716
United States Deserters  2
Suspicious Characters  668
Lunacy  _  17
Total  5,928
During the year there were 1,753 runs, covering 2, 691 miles,
made by the patrol wagon during the day, and 1,960 runs,
covering 3,690 miles, made during the night.
Chief Ray says, in his report : "It gives me great pleasure
to report that there has been less crime committed in the city
during the past few months than ever before in the history of
the city, which is not only gratifying to the public at large but
to the officers of the department. Earlier in the year, before
Chief Ray and his assistants took charge of the department,
conditions quite the reverse of those spoken of by the Chief had
prevailed in Houston, and it was this, no doubt, that led Mayor
Rice in his annual message to say :
"During the past year, at different times, there has arisen
sharp criticism of the police force, on account of crime committed
in this city, and as I am the head of the department, I have been
censured by some. All crime is deplorable, and no police force
is perfect. Whenever I can find any weakness in this or any
other department, I shall weed it out ; but I want to serve notice
in this, my annual message, that I not only stand for law and
order; that I am not only going to enforce the law, but that
the 'gun toter' and perjured criminal witness in the city, are
going to be eradicated, if I have to call upon every law-abiding
citizen in the community to assist me."

90 History of Houston, Texas
During the year ending February 28, 1911, the total cost
for maintaining the Police Department, was $109,200, while the
revenue from fines, costs of court, etc., was $25,202.60.
Duff Voss, who made a record for efficiency and courage as
deputy sheriff, is now the Chief of Police of Houston, and con
ditions have continued to improve. They are not perfect as a
policeman was killed by a negro in August, 1911, and earlier in
the year, two policemen engaged in a pistol duel on Main Street
to settle a private grudge and crimes against life are alarmingly
frequent in Harris County, which has one of the bloodiest records
in the United States.
A lax public sentiment and sharp criminal practice have
made it almost impossible to convict for any kind of homicide.
With this exception the laws are well enforced. No public
gambling place exists in the city of Houston, the Sunday closing
laws are rigidly execated, the social evil is segregated almost
entirely and immoral houses are not tolerated in the busmess
and residence sections of the city. All city ordinances are well
enforced, property is well protected, and there is a growing
sentiment to back the mayor's energetic campaign against "gun
toters" and gun users. Citizens are determined that harmless
bystanding shall be made a less dangerous occupation and hope to
see the time come when ladies may go upon the streets without
any risk of being perforated by stay bullets fired in impromptu
pistol duels of citizens and officers on crowded thoroughfares.
Until about 1878-79, Houston had but little need for water
works. To that time water for drinking purposes was obtained
from under-ground cisterns and that for fire protection purposes
from similar cisterns located at convenient points along Main
Street. When a fire occurred in the resident part of town,
private cisterns were pressed into service. These cisterns, both
public and private, were from twelve to twenty feet deep and
from eight to fifteen feet in diameter, and held many thousand
gallons of water each. Their construction was simple. A large
cistern was first dug of the desired dimensions and its bottom
and sides lined with brick, as carefully placed as though a house
were being constructed. When the brick work was completed

The City Government 91
the inner surface, sides and bottom, was plastered over with
water-proof cement. As only the water that fell in the winter
was caught and preserved, the water was delightfully cool and
no one ever needed ice water. But by 1878 Houston had grown
beyond the stage of cisterns and the citizens began to realize
that they would have to look elsewhere for their water supply.
On January 15, 1878, Mayor James T. Wilson, in a message
to the council, drew attention to the growing need for water
works and sewers. On November 30, 1878, the city entered into
a contract with Mr. J. M. Loweree and his associates, to supply
the city with water. January 11, 1879, an ordinance was passed
to amend the ordinance of November 30, 1878, authorizing
Loweree and his associates to organize themselves into a cor
poration to be known as the Houston Waterworks Company.
On April 15, 1879, the Houston Waterworks Company was
organized, with Joseph Richardson," of New York, president; T.
F. White, of Houston secretary ; William Runkle, of New York,
treasurer; and Joseph Richardson, Daniel Runkle, William
Runkle and W. Steiger, of New York, and E. Pillot and T. F.
White, of Houston, as directors. J. M. Loweree was named as
superintendent. Books for subscription to the capital stock of
the company, were opened at the City Bank.
The company lost no time in getting to work, and the water
works were completed in July of that same year. In August,
the water committee reported to the city council that the test
of the system made by them was satisfactory and recommended
that the contract be finally signed. The system was a make-shift
affair, and no effort was made to supply the city with suitable
drinking water. The water supply was pumped direct from
the bayou, and the only use it could possibly be. put to was for
fire purposes. Still for this it was a great improvement on the
old cisterns. In the early nineties it was discovered that an
abundant supply of pure artesian water could be obtained any
where in or near Houston, and the Waterworks Company sank
several wells. This gave an abundance of pure drinking water,
as well as water for other purposes. However, the company per
sisted from time to time in pumping bayou water into the mains,

92 History of Houston, Texas
which made the whole system very unpopular. The city author
ities and the waterworks management were constantly at war.
This continued until 1906, when the city of Houston purchased
the water plant from its owners, paying $901,000 for it. The
city at once increased the water supply from artesian wells
and cut out the bayou water entirely. At the time of the pur
chase, the private corporation was charging 50 cents per thou
sand, meter rate, and, as already noted, was pumping from the
bayou whenever it suited their convenience to do so. The city,
so soon as it got control, reduced the rate, and today charges
only 15c per thousand gallons, and it is all wholesome artesian
water. Since the waterworks is the only public utility owned and
operated by the city it is interesting to compare its administra
tion with that of its predecessor, the private corporation. Dur
ing the first five months of 'the commission's management, the
city saved in salaries alone, $2,307.88, notwithstanding the fact
that the pay of all operatives had beeri materially increased.
During the same period, the city showed a gain in earnings,
including hydrant rentals formerly paid by the city, of $10,575.35
and all this with a decreased charge to the consumer for the ser
vice. With a decreased consumption of fuel, the average
monthly pressure was increased from 53.5 pounds in September,
1906 to 62 pounds in February, 1907. All other public utilities
are owned by private corporations, yet they have all put them
selves into hearty co-operation with the commission and usually
respond promptly to definite popular demands for better and
more extended service.
The Houston Gas Company was organized in 1866, by Mr. T.
W. House, Sr., captain; N. P. Turner, governor; J. W. Hender
son, Robert Brewster and one or two others. This was the first
of Houston's public utilities, and while it did not meet with
actual opposition of any kind, it did meet with something harder
to overcome — an almost fatal indifference on the part of the
public. A plant was erected, mains were laid, and then the
company had to take up a campaign of education, and, to actu
ally drum for customers. The hotels, restaurants and public

The City Government 93
places that open at night were the first, and for some time, the
only customers. But gradually the merits of the "new" light
became apparent and homes and other places became customers.
Then the company made a contract with the city to light the
streets, and the use of gas became general.
In 1869, the company was well on its feet and was doing a
large business. That year Mr. T. W. House, Sr., was elected
president ; J. W. Henderson, vice-president ; S. M. McAshan, sec
retary and treasurer; and N. P. Turner, superintendent. The
company's stock was commanding a premium and it was evident
that Houston could and would support such a concern. Perhaps
the secret of the success of the company lies in the fact that from
the very beginning it has been its aim to give the public fair
treatment and to give value received for every dollar collected.
Unlike most corporations, the Houston Gas Company has been
run in the interest of the public from the day of its organization,
hence it has met with no opposition and its course has been free
and unobstructed.
When the company first began manufacturing gas it fixed
the price at $1.50, and this was never changed, not even when
the strong competition of electric lights came about, until in
1910, the price was reduced to $1.10, and on January 1, 1912,
it will be reduced to $1.00.
Since 1905 the company has increased its capacity in every
way. The mileage of gas mains has been increased from 51
miles, in 1905, to 120 miles in 1911, and during that time the
company has spent $528,000 on extensions and mains alone. In
1907 the company purchased three additional lots on (raw ford
and Magnolia Streets, and made a contract with a Philadelphia
concern to build a mammoth gas-holder oo. this property. This
holder is the largest in Texas. It is 100 feet in diameter, 150
feet high and has a capacity of one million cubic feet. It cost
about $100,000 to build it. The use of gas for heating and cook
ing has vastly increased the demand for it.
On January 1, 1846, the city of Houston had a debt of $875,
and had to show for this debt, in the way of public improvements,
a fine bridge over Buffalo Bayou, a good wooden market house,

94 History of Houston, Texas
a block long, and a well-built wooden two-story city hall and
city jail combined.
On January 1, 1875, when the "reconstruction" mayor and
aldermen had been turned out of office and the people of Houston
had been given the management of their own affairs, the city of
Houston had a debt of about two million dollars and had, to show
for it, an $80,000 brick market house and a sewer about two
blocks long on Caroline Street.
Of course it was out of the question to hope for any
growth or advancement of Houston with such a debt as it had,
hanging over it. With the last possible cent squeezed out of the
taxpayers it was impossible to pay the interest on the debt and
to pay the necessary, current expenses of the city. There was but
one thing to do, compromise the debt that had been so unjustly
saddled on the people, and if this could be done, make a new
start in life. The very best business men of Houston were placed
in office, with the sole purpose of using their business talent and
experience in an attempt to solve the trouble. Repeated and
varied offers were made to the bondholders but to. all of them
a deaf ear was turned.
Administration after administration took up the burden, but
all were forced to lay it down again. Suits were brought and
judgments were obtained against the city, thus increasing the
debt all the time. Finally the people became absolutely desperate
and began, not only to speak of the repudiation among them
selves but to advocate it in the newspapers and advance argu
ments to prove the justice of taking such a radical step. If
the bondholders were frightened by such talk they gave no
signs of being so, but remained obdurate, quietly demanding
their money. They made it quite plain, too, that it was hard
cash and no new bonds that they wanted.
Such were the conditions when, in 1880, after consulting
among themselves, a committee of the most prominent business
men of Houston, waited on Mr. Wm. R. Baker, one of the great
men and successful financiers of Houston, and told him that he
had to become mayor of the city and settle that debt. He objected
strenuously, but when told that he would be allowed to select

The City Government 95
his own board of aldermen and that there would be no opposi
tion to the ticket, he consented. He and those whom he had
chosen to serve with him were elected by practically a unanimous
vote of the people. At the end of the first two years they had
accomplished no more than had their predecessors. They were
given another trial. When their second term expired, the city
debt, so far from being settled was actually about $200,000
greater than when they went into office. The cause of this was
quite apparent. Had the bondholders had the framing of the
slate, they would have chosen the very men that the people chose,
for, with such leading and prominent business men in office, all
talk of repudiating any debt of the city became impossible.
Then the people did what proved to be the wisest thing they
ever did. They had seen that the great financiers could do noth
ing so they went to the other extreme and turned the affairs over
to what was facetiously called "the short hair" element. This
might have proven a fatal error had the people selected another
man than Mr. Dan. C. Smith for mayor. At that time he was
practically unknown to most of the people, for he had never
taken part in public affairs and had never sought office of any
kind. He was the right man for the place, as results showed. His
co-workers were known as the labor crowd and it was said that
the city had been turned over to the labor element. This caused
the bond holders to sit up and take notice at once, for they
could imagine "repudiation and ruin" written everywhere on the
wall. They became both willing and anxious to listen to reason
and before Mayor Smith's first term had expired, he had the
city debt well under way toward settlement, by compromise ; and
at the end of his second term, the entire debt was either wiped
out or settled on a most advantageous basis.
It must not be presumed that the settlement was made
entirely through fear on the part of the bond holders. They
sent their representatives here and discovered, what the people
of Houston had also discovered, that Mayor Smith was a man
possessed of executive ability of the highest order, that he was
honest and capable and that it was his intention to do what was
just and right and nothing more. They realized that it would

96 History of Houston, Texas
be folly to try to "dicker and dillydally" with such a man and
they did- not try to do so. At the end of four years, Mayor
Smith turned the city over to his successor with its affairs in
admirable shape. The big debt had been compromised on a
basis that was fair and just to both creditor and debtor, and
had been placed in such form that the city could pay off the
bonds as they fell due and could pay interest on them without
cripling itself to such an extent as to interfere with current
expenses and needed improvements. He also turned over the
city on a cash basis, with little or no floating debt. Succeeding
administrations served with more or less credit.
In 1896, H. B. Rice was elected mayor. He was young, and
a well-trained business man. As mayor he had brought to his
attention, in a practical way, the many defects in a system by
which the affairs of a great corporation, such as a city were often
turned over to the management of men, many of whom were
unfitted through lack of education and training to manage any
business at all. He recognized that honesty without ability was
quite as harmful, as actual rascality, and that the affairs of the
city suffered through the absence of business methods in their
management. There was offered no remedy, however. He served
for two terms and while his administration was marked by
improvements in many departments, there was room for a great
many more, which could not be made under the form of govern
ment then in vogue.
Government was through a mayor and board of aldermen.
Each alderman was elected, not by the whole city, but only
by small numbers of voters living in wards and they necessarily
represented many local and conflicting interests to the prejudice
of the wisest and most economical administration for the city as
a whole. Then, too, each alderman was, in a measure, inde
pendent of the mayor or of his other fellow aldermen. Having
obtained his authority from the votes of his ward only, he recog
nized no higher authority than the ward and placed its interests
above those of the community as a whole. With such methods
it was not surprising that but little public good was ever accom
plished, even when, as was often the case, honorable and capable

The City Government 97
men were placed in power. Yet, such were the conditions that
existed in every city in this country in 1900.
The great disaster in Galveston, September 8, 1900, forced
a change in the form of government in that city, which seems
destined to be far-reaching and wide spread in its effects. In
their great distress and seemingly hopeless condition, the people
abandoned the old mayor and board of aldermen form of gov
ernment, and the governor, by popular request, appointed
a board of commissioners, consisting of five business
men to take control of the city's affairs. The form
of government was permanently changed, and though
the people later elected their commissioners, instead of having
them appointed by the state governor, the commission form of
government in Galveston is today the same as when it was first
inaugurated. Only a few unimportant changes and modifications
have been made. The immediate, beneficial effects of the Galves
ton commission form of government became so apparent that
other cities began to study it and soon realized that in it lay
the secret of successful municipal government. It seems para
doxical to say that the most dangerous form of government that
could possibly be devised, is the safest and best, and yet this so
far has proved true. With such power as is given under the com
mission form of government, bad and dishonest men could ruin
and destroy a city in much less time and far more effectually than
good and honest men could build it up. But in this self-apparent
weakness lies its strength, for while the public is constantly on
its guard, there is only the remotest chance of the reins of power
falling into undesirable hands.
Four years after its inauguration in Galveston the commis
sion idea was submitted to a vote of the people of Houston, and,
on the tenth day of December, 1904, was adopted. A charter,
to suit the needs of the new plan, was prepared by a committee
composed of members of the city council and leading citizens,
and became the present city charter. It was granted by the
legislature on March 18, 1905.
The following synopsis of an address delivered by Mayor
Rice before the Chicago Commercial Club, December 10, 1910,

98 History of Houston, Texas
gives not only the leading features of the commission, but also
some of the things that have been accomplished through it.
Mr. Rice said: "The essential differences between the commis
sion form and the old form of municipal government are three :
"The substitution of a smaller number of aldermen, elected
from the city at large, in place of a large number of aldermen,
elected from different wards or subdivisions of the city ; vesting of
a co-ordinate power in the mayor as in the city council to dis
miss any officer of the city government, except the controller,
at any time, without cause, and, the essential provisions safe
guarding the granting of municipal franchises. Instead of a
body of twelve aldermen, elected from different wards or sub
divisions of the city, under the Houston system, four aldermen
are elected from the body of the city by the votes of all the
citizens, in the same way in whieh the mayor is elected. These
four aldermen, together with the mayor, constitute the city
council or legislative department of the city government. The
executive power is vested in the mayor, but by an ordinance, for
the administration of the city's affairs, a large part of executive
or administrative power is subdivided into different departments,
and a committee is placed over each department, and one of the
four aldermen, nominated by the mayor, is what is known as the
active chairman.
"The mayor and all four aldermen are members of each com
mittee. The active chairman of the committee practically has
control of the administration of the department, unless his views
are overruled by the whole committee but by the organization
of the committees the active chairman does his work, to a certain
extent, under the supervision and direction of the mayor, who
is, in the last analysis, the head of each committee and the person
in whom the executive power of municipal government ultimately
rests. "Under the old system of government, by which twelve
aldermen were elected from as many different precincts of the
city, it frequently happened that unfit men came to represent
certain wards in the city council. Now, unless a man has suffi
cient standing and reputation throughout the body of the city as

The City Government 99
a fit man for the office of alderman, he will not be elected. Again,
each alderman under the present system represents the whole
city. Under the old system the conduct of public business was
continually obstructed by a system of petty log-rolling going on
among and between the representatives of the numerous sub
divisions of the city. Then, too, the smallness of the number
of aldermen now affords opportunity for the transaction of
business. "An executive session is held previous to each meeting of the
city council, at which matters to come before the council are
discussed and action determined on. The small number of alder
men enables the city administration to act on all matters of
importance as a unit. In other words, the system makes it possi
ble to administer the affairs of the city in a prompt and business
like way. "This is one of the strongest arguments in favor of the
present commission form of government, for with a majority of
the aldermen always in session, public business can be, and is,
promptly attended to. It is no longer necessary to go before the
city council with petitions to have something done. Any citizen
who desires to have a street paved, taxes adjusted, a nuisance
abated, or anything else, has only to call at the mayor's office and
have the matter promptly adjusted. After a hearing, the matter
is decided by the council in the presence of the applicant. To
illustrate the great difference between this method and the old
one the following comparison is made. By the old method a
petition was addressed to the council. This was referred to a
committee, whieh acted when convenient. Then a report to the
council was made by the committee. After the action of the
council it went to the mayor and from him to someone else for
execution. The people do not pay their taxes for such treatment.
They want their business attended to promptly and that is what
is being done under the commission."
Mayor Rice illustrated the promptness with which the public
business it attended to by relating the following story:
"A gentleman, a non-resident of Houston, whose home was
in a Western state, owned some property in our city and the

100 History of Houston, Texas
property had been recently taken into the city limits. Investi
gating his assessment he found that his property had been placed
at a much higher valuation than that of his neighbor. Being a
stranger, he called upon one of Houston's leading attorneys and
asked his advice how to proceed for relief. The attorney suggest
ed that they step over to the mayor's office and have the matter
corrected. The owner of the property thought it would be wiser
for the lawyer to get some of his friends to sign a petition to the
council so that, it would have some weight with the authorities.
The attorney replied that this mode of procedure was entirely
unnecessary, as Houston now had a business-like government.
They called at my office and stated their mission. I sent for the
tax collector, and in an hour the stranger had his tax receipt in
his pocket. The owner of the land said that if the case had
been in his city it would have taken weeks for adjustment, on
account of the red tape in existence. ' '
One of the most striking features of the commission charter
is the power that it confers on the mayor. Under its provisions
any officer of the city except the aldermen, who are elected for
two years, and the controller, who is appointed for a term of
two years and subject to removal by the council only for cause,
may be removed by the mayor or may be removed from office
at any time at the will of the council.
This feature of the charter has been subjected to more
adverse criticism than all the others combined, and yet it has
proven in practice to be one of the best and most fruitful for
good. Because of it, the city attorney does not refuse to collect
taxes and say to the city government 'that he was elected by the
people and is responsible to them and that he does not favor col
lecting taxes. Because of it, the chief of police does not refuse
to enforce the criminal ordinances of the city and give the same
excuse for declining to do so. Because of it, the tax collector can
not arbitrarily select what persons he is to exempt from the
payment of taxes, and inform the government that the people
elected him and that he is responsible to the people. The mayor,
under the charter is the responsible head of the government. If
things are permitted to go wrong, it is his fault, and if any officer

The City Government 101
of the city refuses to enforce the law, the mayor can remove him
in five minutes time. Of course it is imperatively necessary for
the people to select a man of good sense and character to be
mayor, but when they have done so, they will know that he will
not be, as under the old system, a dummy and figure head and a
helpless spectator to wanton disregard of law and mal-administra-
tion. This so-called, "one-man" feature of the commission
embodies its whole aim and intention — a responsible head to ,the
city government, chosen by the people themselves.
When the commission form of government went into effect,
July, 1905, the various departments were organized and at the
head of each was placed a commissioner. The school board under
the commission has been kept out of politics. On this board are
democrats, republicans, Israelites and Christians, all working
without compensation, for the best interest of the public schools of
the city. The labor question has been eliminated also; union
labor and non-union labor both work for the city. The only
point insisted on is that the laborer shall understand that the
city of Houston comes first and his organization second, when he
works for the city. If a commissioner discharges an employe
in his department, the action is final. An appeal to the mayor
will do no good, for so long as the head of the department man
ages and works conscientiously for the city, the mayor will sustain
him and leave him with absolute authority. No alderman can
appoint a man on the police force. The mayor selects a chief
of police and holds him responsible for the conduct of his men,
who are all selected by the chief himself.
The school board is nominated by the mayor and confirmed
by the council. It in turn selects a school superintendent. The
teachers are selected for their fitness. No commissioner can even
suggest the name of a teacher to the board. All the commissioners
have to do is to supply the money to support the schools. Their
connection with the administration of the schools, begins and
ends there.
Another most important change that was made when the
commission charter was adopted was that relating to the matter
of franchises. Under the new charter no franchise can be granted

102 History of Houston, Texas
for a longer period than thirty years unless it be submitted to a
vote of the legally qualified voters of the city and approved
by them. The expense of this election must be borne by the
person applying for the franchise. If a majority of the votes
is favorable; the franchise may be granted in the form as sub
mitted, but cannot, in any case, be granted for a period longer
than fifty years.
The council may, on its own motion,- submit an ordinance
granting a franchise to the vote of people of the city.
If a franchise be granted for a period of thirty years or less,
the proposed franchise shall be published in the form in which it
is finally passed and shall not thereafter be changed, once a week
for three consecutive weeks, at the expense of the applicant.
And, if at any time within thirty days after its final passage, a
written petition is presented to the council, signed by at least 500
legally qualified voters of the city, then such franchise must be
submitted to an election of the people to determine whether or
not it shall be granted. No franchise in the streets, highways,
thoroughfares or property of the city can ever be granted until
it has been read at three regular meetings of the council.
No franchise can be granted unless the ordinance granting
the same provides for adequate compensation or consideration
therefor, to be paid to the city, and in addition to any other form
of compensation, the grantees shall pay annually such a fixed
charge as may be prescribed in the franchise.
Every grant of a franchise shall provide that on the termin
ation of the grant, the property of the grantee in the streets,
avenues or other public places, shall thereupon, without com
pensation, or upon the payment of a fair valuation therefor,
become the property of the city, and in estimating such value, the
value derived from the franchise, or the fact that it is or may
be a going concern, shall not be considered in determining the
value. Every grant of a franchise shall provide, by forfeiture
of the grant or otherwise, for efficiency of public service at
reasonable rates, and to maintain the property in good order.
The city reserves the right to inspect the books and accounts of
the grantee of a franchise, which books and accounts shall be

The City Government 103
kept and reports made in accordance with the forms prescribed
by the city council.
The charter reserves the right in the city of Houston to reg
ulate the rates of all public utility corporations. The charter
contains a referendum feature by which 500 citizens on petition
can secure a vote on any municipal measure or utility.
The foregoing brief summary shows the means placed in the
hands of the commissioners by the charter and their methods
of enforcing its provisions. Now let us see what have been the
results accomplished.
The commission has now been in active control of the city's
affairs a little over six years. Inaugurated in July, 1905, the
commission found a floating debt of a little over $400,000, an
empty treasury and the city without credit. The work of
retrenchment and economy was begun at once. Useless and
expensive offices were abolished, while others were consolidated.
A national bank was made treasurer, allowing a salary of $50
per month for clerk hire, and the bank agreed to pay interest
on all balances to the credit of the city.
The city attorney was instructed to file suits against all
delinquent tax payers. This alone resulted in the collection of
nearly $100,000 in the first eight months and during those first
eight months of the commission's life, by the strictest economy,
$306,202.47 of the old floating debt was redeemed, besides paying
all current expenses promptly at the end of each month.
Since the inauguration of the commission rule the city has
wiped out its entire floating debt, and the taxpayers have been
given, out of the treasury, without the issuance of a single bond,
the following permanent improvements:
City Attorney, Law Library  $ 974.10
Assessor and Collector, Block Book System  10,000.00
City Hall, Furniture and Fixtures  1,123.67
Police Department  4,096.03
Fire Department, Buildings and Equipment  66,150.45
Electrical Department  26,551.21
Health Department  — 6,168.26
Parks  52,007.53

104 History of Houston, Texas
Streets and Bridges  65,714.10
Asphalt Plant  -  3,000.00
Auditorium  332,276.02
Ship Channel  98,027.40
Sewers  85,212.18
Paving Streets  179,261.96
Water Department, Extension of Mains
and Improvements  247,932.02
Wharves and Ships  33,109.89
School Buildings  _..340,323.65
Total Improvements  $1,865,757.17
Extraordinary Expenses.
Storrie Certificates  ...$ 73,300.00
Refund Paving Certificates  120,308.70
Sinking Fund  120,220.00

Making a Grand Total of ...-.  $2,179,585.87
All of this was paid out of current revenues, besides the
elimination of the floating debt of more than $400,000.
All this has created . business confidence in the city as a
government, and has given it a credit that it never had before.
Assessments have been increased in a just and equitable way,
while the tax levy has been reduced 30c on the $100 valuation.
The tax levy is $1.70 on the $100. The tax roll for 1912 will
carry a valuation of $80,000,000.
Moral accomplishments have been in keeping with material
feats. Gambling houses have been cleaned out; variety shows
have been abolished, pool rooms have been closed, and the saloons
have been closed after 12 o'clock every night and all day on
Sunday. Houston's experience demonstrates to the world that the
commission form of city government is decidedly a success. The
city owns the water works but all other public utilities are under
private management and control. They, however, willingly and
cheerfully cooperate with the commissioners in all efforts made
to extend their usefulness and to increase public comfort and

The City Government 105
safety. In 1905, when the commission came in power, the price
of gas was $1.50, Jan. 1, 1912, it becomes $1.00. The electric light
plant has also made a material reduction in its charges, the city
having set the example by reducing the cost of water from 50c per
thousand gallons to 15c per thousand. City water is supplied
from 44 artesian wells with a daily capacity of 16,000,000 gallons.
The average daily consumption is 7,800,000 gallons. Fire pro
tection is annually increased — three and one-third per cent in
1910-11. The street car company has reduced its fare for chil
dren under 12 years of age to two and one-half cents, and pays
annually one per cent on its gross receipts to the city. The sal
aries of firemen, policemen, and of some of the employes who
have worked for years and been faithful and efficient, have been
increased. These wonders have been wrought in the short period
of six years and it is worthy of attention that most of them were
assured facts before the expiration of the first three years of the
commission's life. The people have grown to have large con
fidence in the commission, give it their heartiest support and
unite with it in its efforts to build up Houston.
Under the commission the mayor is practically an autocrat.
The commissioners are largely secretaries in charge of their func
tions. In one case a commissioner, who displeased the mayor
was deprived of all participation in the city government during
the remainder of his term. Not a speech has ever been made in
the city council under the commission form of government.
In 1911, the office of Superintendent of Complaints was
created as a buffer between the city council and the public
service corporations. Any citizen can at once register com
plaint against any public service or utility corporation and
attention is at once paid to them. This office is filled by J. Z. Gas
ton, formerly city commissioner, who first advocated the com
mission form of government in a public speech in Houston and
who is called here "the father of tie commission ferm of gov
ernment. ' '
The roster of the present city commission officials, com
mittees department heads and boards is, August, 1911, as follows :

106 History of Houston, Texas
City Officials.
Mayor, H. B. Rice; Mayor, pro. tern., Jack Kennedy -^Com
missioners, J. J. Pastoriza, Jack Kennedy, Robert L. Jones, W.
J. Kohlhauff; Water Committee, R. L. Jones, Chairman, J. J.
Pastoriza, Jack Kennedy, W. J. Kohlhauff; Street and Bridge
Committee, Jack Kennedy, Chairman, W. J. Kohlhauff, Robert
L. Jones, J. J. Pastoriza ; Fire Committee, W. J. Kohlhauff, Chair
man, Jack Kennedy, J. J. Pastoriza, Robert L. Jones ; Ordinance
Committee, Jack Kennedy, Chairman, W. J. Kohlhauff, Robert
L. Jones; Board of Appraisement, J. J. Pastoriza, Chairman,
W. J. Kohlhauff, James P. Welsh.
Heads of Departments.
T. C. Dunn. Active Vice-President of the Union National
Bank,  Treasurer
D. C. Smith, Jr  Controller and Secretary
Miss Roberta Cotter  Assistant Secretary
Jno. A. Kirlicks  Judge Corporation Court
W. H. Wilson  City Attorney
J. E. Niday  Assistant City Attorney
Frank L. Dormant  -  City Engineer
James P. Welsh  Assessor and Collector
Dr. Geo. W. Larendon  City Health Officer
Dr. F. J. Slataper  Bacteriologist
Duff Voss  Chief of Police
W. X. Norris  Building Inspector
Nelson Munger  Purchasing Agent
F. J. Ollre  Market Master
C. R. George  City Electrician
R. F. Ollre  Chief of the Fire Department
M. Murphy  Wharf Master
E. R. Parker  Fire Marshall
Board of Liquidation -. F. A. Reichardt, Ed. H. Harrell,
0. T. Holt, B. F. Bonner, II. W. Garrow.
Board of Health ¦. Dr. Joe Stuart, President ; Dr. W. A.
Archer, Dr. J. W. Scott, Dr. Sidney J. Smith, Dr. J. D. Duckett.
Dr. S. H. Hillen.

The City Government 107
Board of School Trustees.
President, Rufus Cage; vice-president, B. B. Gilmer; sec
retary, A. S. Cleveland. Finance Committee: G. H. Pendarvis,
Sam Swinford, B. B. Gilmer. Teachers Committee : A. S.
Cleveland, J. D. Duckett, B. B. Gilmer. Course of Study and
Text Books : S. McNeill, A. S. Cleveland, Sam Swinford. School
Property, Purchase and Bepairs : B. B. Gilmer, G. H. Pendarvis,
S. McNeill. Hygiene: J. D. Duckett, G. H. Pendarvis, S.
McNeill. School Medical Inspector : Dr. W. W. Ralston. Griev
ances and Complaints: Sam Swinford, J. D. Duckett, A.- S.
Cleveland. W. Peine, Business Bepresentative of the Board.
Owing to the fact that the city hall has been destroyed by
fire, twice, there are very few official documents in existence
relating to the early history of the city. Major Ingham S.
Roberts, whose family was a pioneer in Houston, gives a list of
the mayors of Houston, compiled from various sources which
differs from other lists and the recollections of the ' ' oldest inhab
itants" by claiming that Dr. Francis Moore was not the first
mayor of Houston, as all historians and writers have given him
credit for being. In the Telegraph of September 29, 1837,
Major Roberts found a notice of a special election to fill vacancies
left by aldermen Hugh McCrory and Leman Kelcy, deceased,
which notice was signed by James S. Holman, mayor. On this
evidence he transfers to Mr. Holman the honor of having been
the first mayor of Houston. Major Roberts may be correct or
it may be that in the case of a delayed election, Mr. Holman
was an appointed mayor pro tem. The complete list, as pre
pared by Major Roberts and published by him in The Historical
Review, of southeast Texas, of which he was one of the editors,
is followed as to order of names here :
1837, James S. Holman; 1838, Francis Moore, Jr.; 1839,
George W. Lively; 1840, Charles Biglow; 1841-42, John D.
Andrews ; 1843, Francis Moore, Jr. ; 1844, Horace Baldwin ; 1845,
W. W. Swain ; 1846, James Baily ; 1847-48, B. P. Buckner ; 1849-
52, Francis Moore; 1853-54, Col. Nathan Fuller; 1855-56, James
H. Stevens; 1857, Cornelius Ennis; 1858, Alexander McGowan;
1859, W. H. King; 1860, T. W. Whitmarsh; 1861, W. J.

108 History of Houston, Texas
Hutchins ; 1862, T. W. House, Sr. ; 1863-4-5, William Andrews ;
1866, H. D. Taylor.
In 1867, Alexander McGowan was elected mayor, but on
December 5, of that year, General J. T. Reynolds, commander
of this military district, took semi-military control of the city's
affairs and left the mayor with only nominal authority. This
state of affairs continued until August 8, 1868, when Governor
E. J. Davis turned McGowan out of office and appointed J. R.
Morris in his place. At the same time he appointed T. H.
Scanlan an alderman from the Third ward. In September,
Judge B. P. Fuller, the recorder and I. C. Lord, the city marshal,
were removed by Davis and their places filled by J. G. Tracy,
as recorder, and Capt. A. K. Taylor, as marshal. Captain Taylor
became disgusted and quit and. was succeeded by Capt. M. E.
Davis. But the governor grew tired of taking merely cherry-bites
and, in 1870, made a clean sweep, turning everybody out who
had been elected by the people and putting in his own hench
men. He appointed T. H. Scanlan mayor, and made four
negro aldermen. That was the beginning of scallawag and
carpet-bag rule in Houston.
In 1872, a so-called election was held, and, by importing
negroes from the adjoining counties to vote the republican ticket,
and obstructing the white voters in every way, Scanlan and
his negro associates were declared elected.
At the state election, held in November, 1873, the democrats
secured control of the state. In January, 1874, the charter of
Houston was amended and under its provisions Governor Rich
ard Coke appointed all the city officials of Houston. T. H.
Scanlan and his negroes were ousted and J. T. D. Wilson
was appointed mayor and a board of aldermen, consisting of
representative citizens, was put in. Soon after that an election
was held and Mr. Wilson was elected mayor in regular form.
His successors have been:
1875-76, I. C. Lord; 1877-78, J. T. D. Wilson; 1879, A. J.
Burke ; 1880-84, W. R. Baker; 1886-88, D. C. Smith; 1890, Henry
Scherffius; 1892-94, John T. Browne; 1896, H. Baldwin Rice;
1898-1900, Sam H. Brashear ; 1902, O. T. Holt ; 1904, Andrew L.
Jackson; 1905-1911, H. Baldwin Rice, who is still in office.

CHAPTER VIII
The Bench and Bar

High Character of Early Lawyers. First District Court. Early
Legal Documents. Great Criminal Lawyers. Ex-Governor
Henderson's Butcher Knife. Members of Early Bar. Crim
inal and District Court Judges. The County Court and
Its Judges. Judge Hamblen's Reminiscences. Harris
County Bar Association. Houston as a Source of Legal
Business.

It is true of every nation's pioneer history that "there were
giants in those days." Such names as Campbell, Tankersley,
Gray, Palmer, Henderson, Manley, Riley, Thompson, Tompkins
and a number of others, who established the high standard for the
Houston Bar at the very beginning, are sufficient to prove this
true of the Bench and Bar of this city. In the beginning Harris
County was known as Harrisburg County, and court has been
held here since 1837.
The first record entry of proceedings of the Harrisburg
(Harris) County Court shows that the court was thus consti
tuted :
Hon. Andrew Briscoe, chief justice ; C. C. Dyre, M. Battle,
John Denton, Joel Wheatin, Isaac Batterson, Abram Roberts,
and John S. McGahey, commissioners. D. W. Clinton Harris,
county clerk. The chief business of the term was granting,
ferry privileges, but public roads were promoted to some extent.
On petition of B. Fort Smith, commissioners were appointed
to lay off a road to the county line, towards Washington ; others
to survey a line for a road to Liberty, via Harrisburg and
Lynchburg. D. W. Clinton Harris belonged to the family that. gave the
county its name. Judge Andrew Briscoe was the father of

110 History of Houston, Texas
Mrs. M. Looscan and of Mrs. M. G. Howe. His widow, Mrs.
Mary Briscoe, long survived him.
Several incidents of early justice and the founding of the
courts have been recounted in an earlier chapter. The members
of the first petit jury were : Berry Beasley, Sam M. Harris, Archie
Hodges, J. James Perchouse, D. S. Harbert, Edward Dickinson,
John Woodruff, Marsh McKever, Elliot Hodges, Lemar Celcey,
John 0 'Brien and Joseph A. Harris. The jury rendered a verdict
of justifiable homicide in the case of Joseph T. Bell, and the
prisoner was discharged.
The first judicial act in the municipality of Harrisburg, as
Harris County was first called, was in the probate court. Hon.
A. Briscoe, judge of that court, on petition of Richard Vince,
by the latter's attorney, Thomas J. Gazley, appointed Vince
administrator of the estate of Robert Vince, deceased.
The first licenses to practice law in Harris County were
issued to N. Bassett, Swift Austin, Francis W. Thornton, Robert
Page, Henry Humphrey and James Brown on March 19, 1838,
these gentlemen having successfully passed an examination con
ducted by David G. Burnett, John Birdsall and A. M. Tompkins,
a committee of examiners appointed by the court.
One of the earliest eases was that against David S. Kerker-
not, who was indicted Mareh 2, 1837, for filching a mule belong
ing to the Republic of Texas, which act was declared to be
"against the peace and dignity of said Republic." Another
indictment was returned by the grand jury against the same
man in December, 1838, and seems to refer to the same case, for
the indictment declares that he took the mule "with force and
arms." This man Kerkernot appears to have occupied much
of the time of the courts, for in the September term of 1837 he
was plaintiff and William Scott, defendant, in a suit where the
title to 177 acres of land on the San Jacinto, granted to Stephen
P. Austin, was in controversy. One of the early documents
relates to a suit brought by the city of Houston against Henry
R. and Samuel J. Allen for taxes, amounting to $1,943. The
suit was filed in 1839.
There were many able and brilliant members of the early

The Bench and Bar 111
Houston Bar. The large majority of these confined themselves
to the practice of civil law but one or two won name and fame
as criminal lawyers. This latter field was very exacting, for
legal ethics were on a high plane and the lawyer who attempted
to win a case by chicanery or doubtful methods was generally
reduced to the level of the police court where such men properly
belong. In the days of Manley, Henderson, Barziza, Riley,
Cook and one or two others, the criminal lawyer used no con
venient witness, or fixed juries, but depended entirely on his
knowledge of law and his eloquence as a pleader, to win his
cases. For a man to have fame as a great criminal lawyer in
those days was looked upon as an honor.
Col. John H. Manley was one of the greatest criminal
lawyers who has ever practiced at the Houston Bar. His methods
were strictly ethical and no man was better equipped mentally
than he for the difficult tasks he undertook. He had a thorough
and profound knowledge of criminal law and combined with all
this he was an eloquent orator and pleader. Members of the bar
refer to him as a perfect type for a model lawyer.
In the same category with Colonel Manley, was Captain D.
U. Barziza. His history is remarkable in many respects and
will bear telling briefly. His father was an Italian nobleman,
who had the good, or bad fortune of thinking for himself on
many subjects, among them being religion and forms of govern
ment. He was a protestant, a Baptist, and a republican. He
longed for a freedom that Italy could not offer, so he gave up
his estate and title and came to America. Finally he settled
in Texas. Captain D. U. Barziza, his youngest son was educated
at Baylor University, at Independence, and had just completed
his course when the Civil War broke out. He volunteered at
once and was made captain of one of the companies that after
wards formed part of Hood's Texas Brigade in the Army of
Northern Virginia. His army record was a brilliant one. After
the surrender, he came to Houston, and in order to support him
self he secured a place as night clerk at the old Rusk Hotel.
Here he studied law and looked after the comfort of belated
travelers for several months. He had no law practice and, as

112 History of Houston, Texas
it seemed, no way of ever getting any. But his opportunity came.
Captain John Steel killed Colonel Kirby, apparently in cold
blood, in the office of the military commander of the post here.
Steel shot Kirby down on sight, without a word. As a matter of
fact Steel's provocation had been great and a bitter feud had
existed between the two men for years. On its face the case was
one of cold-blooded murder. Steel was a prominent and well-
known gambler, while Kirby was a man of wealth and great
power and influence. Barziza recognized his opportunity and
promptly volunteered to defend Steel. His services were.
accepted. Able and prominent lawyers were employed by
Kirby 's friends to assist the state's attorney in the
prosecution of Steel. Barziza refused all proffers of
assistance. The trial lasted for two or three days and
by the time it had gotten under way, the lawyers for the
prosecution realized that they had a giant to contend against.
Barziza 's handling of the case excited the admiration of other
members of the bar, but his great triumph came when he went
before the jury to plead the case. The speech he made that day
was spoken of for years afterwards as the most eloquent that
had ever been delivered in the Harris County court house. It
was so eloquent and his arguments were so convincing that
the jury, after the briefest deliberation, returned a verdict of
"not guilty," and Steel walked out a free man. Barziza 's
reputation as a criminal lawyer was established at once.
Another of the great criminal lawyers of Houston was the
Hon. Charles Stewart. He was a man of unsullied character
and too big in every way for little things. He was of splendid
physique and personal appearance and is described one of the
most superb orators that ever faced a jury. He handled many
of the most famous criminal cases tried in Harris County in
the late seventies and eighties, one of the most famous being that
of. a young man named Grisom, who had killed a doctor for
reproving him for swearing in the presence of ladies. The case
was a desperate one, and at the first trial Grisom had been sen
tenced to death, but was granted a new trial because of irregular
ity on the part of the jury that had condemned him. At the

The Bench and Bar 113
second trial the prosecution was powerful and it is said that but
for the eloquence of Colonel Stewart, Grisom would have undoubt
edly been hanged. As it was he escaped with a verdict of man
slaughter and a short term in the penitentiary.
The man to whom was assigned the difficult task of facing
these giants, was Major Frank Spencer, who for years was the
criminal district attorney for the Houston-Galveston district,
and who died in Galveston in 1907. He was very eloquent,
very bitter and very aggressive. He attacked unceasingly and
when a lawyer won a victory over him he deserved all he got.
A connecting link between the famous criminal and civil
lawyers of the early days was Governor J. W. Henderson. He
did a large and very lucrative practice in both branches and
appeared to be as much at home in the one as in the other. Per
haps, though, he was more distinguished as a civil lawyer than
as a criminal one. He was a man of fine personal appearance
and to some extent a self-made man. He cultivated a brusqueness
of manner and was extremely democratic, counting among his
friends and adherents people of all conditions and walks of life.
He was a natural orator, a deep thinker, and had, what was of
the greatest value, good hard common sense and the ability
to put it to the best use at the proper moment. His success at
the bar was great. Before a jury he was almost irresistable. The
Governor was a secessionist and died an unreconstructed rebel.
During reconstruction days he was a power of strength to the
home people in their struggle for self government, and never
lost an opportunity to strike a blow at the usurpers. His zeal
and energy in that respect were so well known that he was
watched and feared by the republican leaders, more than any
other man in Houston. One night, entirely unintentionally on
his part, he came near precipitating a riot on Preston Street.
The Governor had gone into one of the stores on Main Street
and purchased a long carving knife to take home. It was
wrapped in brown paper, and being too long to put in his pocket,
he carried it under his arm. On his way home he heard that
Jack Hamilton was to speak from the balcony of the Dissen
House that evening, so the Governor concluded to remain down

114 History of Houston, Texas
town and hear him. He arrived rather late, but becoming inter
ested in what Hamilton was saying, he kept getting closer and
closer until he was within a few feet of the speaker. Then the
Governor and the spectators were amazed and startled, for four
or five men jumped on the Governor and held him firmly. There
was a terrible uproar and the affair was becoming serious, when
someone found the cause of the trouble. In getting through
the crowd the paper cover of the carving knife had been torn
off, and some of the watchful friends of Hamilton concluded that
the Governor was slipping up on the speaker to annihilate him
with the carving knife, had seized the Governor and disarmed
him. The Governor was furious, but when the crowd learned
the cause of the trouble, the laughter broke up the speaking.
Governor Jack Hamilton, who, though a republican, was a
warm personal friend of Governor Henderson was about as indig
nant as the latter, when he found what had been done.
Among those who confined their practice to civil law Judges
Peter Gray and W. P. Hamblen, both through ability and long
service, deserve to be placed at the head of the list. Both were
men of the greatest integrity and each had marked ability as a
lawyer. Neither was peculiarly remarkable for oratorical power
but each was a profound scholar and well versed in the intricacies
of the law. They are classed together in this way because they
were the nestors of the Harris County Bar and their careers
were very similar. Judge Hamblen died in 1911 as judge of
the 55th district court, which office he had held for many yearg.
Among the other distinguished members of the Bar in early
days were : Benjamin Tankersly, E. A. Palmer, A. N. Jordan,
S. S. Tompkins, A. P. Thompson, A. S. Richardson, Charles
Jordan and Archibal Wynne. For some years, later, C. B.
Sabine was a member of the Harris County Bar. He was after
wards Judge of the U. S. Federal Court in Galveston.
Among the prominent members of the Bar after the war,
were :• Major W. H. Crank, Captain E. P. Turner, George Golth-
waite, the attorney for the Houston and Texas Central Railroad,
and known as the "Supreme Court lawyer" of that road, Judge
Wilson, Judge James Masterson, Judge C. Anson Jones, youngest

The Bench and Bar 115
son of the last president of the republic of Texas, a brilliant
young man who was cut off in the prime of life, W. A. Carring
ton, J. C. Hutchinson, Judge James Baker, father of Captain
James A.Baker and Col. W.B.Botts, all men of probity and honor,
of skill and power, of learning and eloquence, of old fashioned
courtesy and chivalrous consideration, of chaste diction and
faultless bearing, who gave the Bar of Harris County its
high standards, its legal ambitions and its lofty ethics and who
have preserved the good name of the bar without shame and
without reproach.
When the first amended constitution of Texas was adopted
by the people, it created a criminal district court for Harris and
Galveston Counties and Judge Gustave Cook was appointed
Judge and occupied that position for 14 years. In addition to his
great learning as a lawyer he had attributes of character that
rendered him a most lovable person and enjoyable companion.
He was light-hearted, a lover of jokes and pranks, was famous
as a raconteur, and so free and generous with his money that
he was always "broke," and was finally driven to resign from
the bench and go back to the practice of law to make a living.
His successors on the bench have been, in the order named:
C. L. Cleveland, E. D. Cavin, J. K. P. Gillespie, E. R. Campbell
and C. W. Robinson. R. G. Maury is the present criminal
district altorney.
The following were the officers of the Eleventh District
Court from its organization to the present day:
Front 1837 to 1842 — Benjamin C. Franklin, Judge; James
S. Holman, C'erk; John W. Moore, Sheriff.
From 1842 io 1849 — Richard Morris, Judge; F. R. Lubbock,
Clerk ; M. T. Rodgers, Sheriff.
From 1849 to 1854— C. W. Buckley, Judge; F. R. Lubbock,
Clerk: David Russel, Sheriff.
From 1854 to 1862— Peter W. Gray, Judge.
From 1862 to 1866 — James A. Baker, Judge ; W. B. Walker,
Clerk; B. P. Lanham, Sheriff.
For the period from 1866 to 1869, there were no elections

116 History of Houston, Texas
held and the Bar selected the following named to act as judge of
the court : Geo. R. Scott, C. B. Sabin and P. W. Gray.
From 1869 to 1870— Geo. R. Scott, Judge.
From 1870 to 1892 — James R. Masterson, Judge.
From 1892 to 1896— S. H. Brashear, Judge.
From 1896 to 1900— John G. Tod, Judge.
From 1900 to date — Charles E. Ashe, Judge.
The Fifty-first District Court was organized in 1897, and
since that time, has had but three presiding judges, as follows:
From 1897 to 1902— Judge Wm. H. Wilson.
From 1902 to 1911— Judge W. P. Hamblen.
From 1911 to date — Judge Wm. Masterson. Judge Master-
son was appointed by Governor Colquitt following the death
of Judge Hamblen.
The Sixty-first District Court was organized in February,
1903, and has had only one presiding judge since it organization,
Judge Norman G. Kittrell.
The act creating Harris County Court was passed by the
Legislature in February, 1867. Judge John Brashear was,.
elected judge and served until 1869. Judge M. N. Brewster
succeeded Judge Brashear and served until 1876, or during the
time the republicans had control of the county. Judge C. Anson
Jones was elected, and took charge of the office at the July term
of the court in 1876. He served until 1882, when, on his death,
Judge E. P. Hamblen was elected and took office November 24,
1882. After rather a sharp campaign, Judge W. C. Andrews
was elected and assumed the duties of his office at the November
term in 1884. Judge Andrews was a candidate for re-election,
but just before the election he died (November 1, 1892) and
Judge John G.. Tod was elected and took office at the November
term of the court, 1892. Judge Tod remained in office for two
terms and was succeeded by Judge W. N. Shaw at the November
term in 1896. Judge E. H. Vasmer was elected in 1898, and held
office for four years, being succeeded by Judge Blake Dupree in
1902. Judge Dupree also held office for two terms and was fol
lowed by the popular present incumbent, Judge A. E. Amerman

The Bench and Bar 117
in 1906, who is now filling his third term. George Jones has
been County Clerk for many years.
The act creating the Corporation Court for Houston was
passed by the Legislature in 1899. Before then the duties of the
judge of this court, or rather of its predecessor, the city court,
were performed, sometimes by the mayor, sometimes by a city
recorder and sometimes by a justice of the peace. It was more
or less haphazard and methods were undergoing constant change.
At the first election, Judge A. R. Railey was elected and served
until 1902, when he was defeated after a sharp contest, by
Judge Marmion. Judge Marmion was elected one of the city
commissioners when the form of city government was changed,
and Judge John H. Kirlicks was appointed to fill his unexpired
term, and has held office ever since.
This is one of the busiest courts in the city and may be said
to be in session every day in the year, except Sundays and
holidays. A morning session of the court is held at 9 a. m., and
an afternoon session at 4 p. m. 'It has jurisdiction over city and
police cases only.
An idea of the character of men that laid the foundation of
the Harris County Bar, can be formed from reading the follow
ing extracts from an address delivered by Judge W. P. Hamblen
at a banquet of the Houston Bar Association, held January 20,
1910. Judge Hamblen, as the oldest member of the Bar, was the
best source for its history. He said :
"I came to the Bar wheri Judge Peter W. Gray was judge
of the court. He was the distinguished uncle of Judge W. G.
Sears, whose nephew is now a member of this Bar, and he
admitted me to the rights of our profession. He was one of the
chiefest among the intelligencers of that day. He was accom
plished, educated in all the refinements as well as in all the sub
stantial of the profession ; so discriminating, so penetrating, that
no proposition of law was presented to him that he did not seize ;
so absolutely honest that his reputation could stand among a mil
lion without a scar. And moreover I was fortunate enough to be a
favorite of his and was appointed by him district attorney of this
district at that very term of his court, because of the absence of

118 History of Houston, Texas
the district attorney. My relations with him were, I might say,
those of a child and its father. In those days an admission to
the bar was not as it is today, the formal appearance before a
committee almost as a school boy at a spelling match, but it was
a procession of young men to the Bar of the court, summoned
by a committee appointed by the judge who participated in the
examination. When the examination was through the judge
descended from the bench and taking the hand of each applicant
spoke words of encouragement.
"I remember when some youngsters from the country on
Cypress were brought before him because they had gone to the
house of a poor old German and his wife and made the old couple
cook a supper and dance for them. They were presented before
Judge Gray and a fine was imposed, and the boys asked for
mercy. One of them was the son of his most particular friend,
one of all others whom it would have been his pleasure to please.
His lecture to these young men from the bench can never be
forgotten by anyone who heard it. That lecture to those young
men and especially to the son of his friend was so touching that
no -heart could be unmoved, and every youngster who received the
admonition went away feeling that he had done a wrong which
was not expiated by the punishment.
' ' I can briefly mention men who were honorable members of
our Bar at the time I was admitted in 1855. There was E. A.
Palmer who was afterwards Judge of the District Court of
Harris County, and A. N. Jordan, both from Virginia, ranking
high in their profession. The former died in 1864, and in 1866,
the eyes of the latter I closed in death. Governor J. W. Hender
son, from Tennessee, once lieutenant governor of our state and
for six years its governor. He was the author of the verse :
' Here is our old friend, John Doe ;
We have laid him down to sleep,
Together with his companion, Richard Roe,
In one common, lonely heap,
With none so bold as dare a vigil keep. '
"He passed away in 1886. Judge Algernon P. Thompson, an
Englishman, a most scholarly gentleman, who once declared

The Bench and Bar 119
that the author of the phrase 'to- wit' should be burned alive.
Benjamin F. Tankersley, from Mississippi, I believe, father of
our distinguished townsman, Marshal Tankersley, a most highly
esteemed and worthy lawyer who died during the Civil War.
C. B. Sabin, long a practitioner in this city, who died in 1890,
while occuping the bench of the United States district court.
Judge George Goldthwaite, so widely known for his erudition
and legal acumen that he was considered competent to write a
book on continuations without a ground. He died about 1886.
Col. J. T. Brady, from Maryland, once prominent and foremost
in all that upbuilds a state, once a senator from this district in
our state legislature, died about 1891. * * * Hon. James H.
Masterson, for more than twenty years distinguished on the
bench of the district court ; Judge E. P. Hamblen, my worthy
relative, who once graced the county court bench — the two latter
being now dwellers with us. Judge A. R. Masterson, who has
the proud distinction of having surrendered with Lee at Appo
mattox. * * * We will not forget that old commoner, Charles
Stewart, so long your representative in Congress, a powerful
democratic expounder and able advocate. He located in Marlin
and returned here after the war. His 'praises have been sung
by loftier harps than mine.'
"Those who have gone before stood in the front of the
battle for judicial propriety and integrity, and for a construction
of laws that preserved the constitutional liberties without flaw
or blemish. R. K. Cage, father of our worthy citizen, Rufus Cage,
and grand-father of Elliott Cage, died a few years ago. That
soul of wit, John Manley, a son of North Carolina, died in 1874. ' '
The Houston Bar Association was organized in November,
1870. Judge Peter W. Gray was president, George Goldrhwaite,
vice-president; J. T. Whitfield, recording secretary; N. P.
Turner, corresponding secretary, and W. C. Watson, treasurer.
The objects of the association were the elevation of the legal
profession in Houston and to take proper steps looking towards
the purchase of a law library. As its organization the associa
tion was not strong numerically but it was composed of some
of the best men in the legal profession. Today the association

120 History of Houston, Texas
will compare favorably, numerically, mentally, or in any other
way with like associations found anywhere in this country. The
following named gentlemen compose the association today :
L. R. Bryan, president; Thomas II. Botts, secretary; Chester
H. Bryan, treasurer.
Roll of Members.
Amerman, C. A. ; Anderson, W. W. ; Andrews, Jesse ; Ayres,
L. C. ; Amerman, C. H. C. ; Autrey, James L. ; Andrews, Frank;
Ashe, Chas. E. ; Baker, James A. ; Barbee, Will S. ; Botts, Thos.
H. ; Bryan, Chester H. ; Beatty, L. ; Burns, Waller, T. ; Breaker,
George H. ; Beard, Stanley A. ; Britton, Thcs. G. ; Branch, E. T. ;
Baldwin, J. C. ; Ball, Thos. H.; Borden, Henry L. ; Brashear, S.
H. ; Bryan, L. ; Lewis, R. ; Bailey, Edward H. ; Breeding, Jis. A. ;
Barkley, K. C. ; Burns, Coke K. ; Bailey, W. S. ; Blankenbecker,
L. E. ; Campbell, E. R. ; Campbell, J. W. ; Carter, C. L. ; Cage,
Elliott ; Colgin, J. F. ; Cole, J. F. ; Cole, Robert L. ; Chew, E. T. ;
Dannenbaum, H. J. ; Dabney, S. B. ; Dupree, Blake ; Dunn, T.
L. ; Dickson, Raymond ; Eagle, Joe H. ; Ewing, Presley K. ; Ford,
T. W. ; Ford, T. C. ; Fisher, Henry F. ; Franklin, R. W. ; Graves,
Geo. W. ; Garwood, H. M. ; Green, Jno. E.; Garrett, D. E. ;
Garrison, John T. ; Guynes, Chas. 0. ; Gill, W. H. ; Hamblen,
E. P. ; Hamblen, W. P., Jr. ; Hamblen, Otis K. ; Hamblen, A. R. ;
Harris, John Charles ; Holt, 0. T. ; Hume, F. Charles ; Harralson,
E. M.; Hardy, D. H. ; Hutcheson, J. C, Jr.; Hume, D. E.;
Highsmith, C. C; Hume, F. Charles, Jr.; Huggins, W. 0.;
Holmes, H. ; Hunt, W. S. ; John, Robert A. ; Johnson, W. T. ;
Jones, Frank C. ; Jones, Murray B. ; Jones, Homer. (San Anton
io) ; Kittrell, Norman G. ; Kittrell, Norman G., Jr. ; Kirlicks,
John A. ; Kelley, R. H. ; Kennerly, T. M. ; Lane, Jonathan ; Louis,
B. F. ; Lockett, J. W; Lewis, T. B. ; Logue, John G. ; Lewis,
John W. ; Love, W. G. ; Matthews, J. C. ; Monteith, W. E. ;
Myer, Sewall F. ; Maury, R. C; Montgomery, H. F.; McRae,
Chas. C. ; McCarthy, Ed., Jr. ; McLeans, John L. ; Niday, J. E. ;
Parker, E. B. ; Phelps, Ed. S. ; Peterson, Samuel; Price, J. A.;
Pleasants, A. W. ; Pendarvis, G. H. ; Phelps, Lewis C. ; Parker,
J. W. ; Read, John Archer ; Robertson, Robert L. ; Robinson,

The Bench and Bar 121
C. W.; Roberts, I. S. ; Sewall, Cleveland; Standifer, I. M.
Streetman, Sam ; Stewart, John S. ; Simmons, D. E. ; Stewart
Minor; Storey, Jas. L. ; Stone, T. H. ; Sears, G. D.
Shands, H. A. ; Smith, Lamar ; Tarver, W. F. ; Taylor, C. H
Townes, J. C, Jr.; Townes, E. W., Jr.; Taub, Otto; Tallichet
J. H. ; Tharp, G. W. ; Tod, John G. ; Teat, G. L. ; Teagle, C. A.
Taliaferro, S. ; Vann, Andral ; Van Velzer, A. C. ; Warnken, C
A.; Wharton, C. R.; Wilson, A. B. ; Wilson, Earl; Wolters
Jake F. ; Wagner, Meyer C. ; Ward, W. H. ; Whitehead, R. L.
Wilson, W. H.; Wood, Chas. B. ; Wrenn, Clerk C. ; Warren,
John B. ; Wharton, Earl.
• Owing to the vast business interests, lumber, cotton, rice,
oil, manufacturing, railroad and lands, represented in Houston
there has arisen a demand for high-grade, highly-paid lawyers
and the city's brilliant bar has always responded to this demand,
which has also caused many eminent lawyers to move to Houston.
The largest law firm south of New York is located in Houston,
that of Baker, Botts, Parker & Garwood. A former member
of this firm, Judge R. S. Lovett, is at the head of Southern
Pacific and Union Pacific, and those roads generally known as
the Harriman system. Hon. Tom Ball resigned his position
in Congress to practice law in Houston and is a member of the
noted firm of Andrews, Ball & Streetman.
Governor Stephen S. Hogg, after his two terms of office
had expired, moved to Houston and practiced law here until
his death. Judge W. H. Gill, chief justice of the court
of criminal appeals at Galveston, resigned his pcsition to
practice law in Houston as a member of the same firm to which
Governor Hogg had belonged. Judge Gill is recognized as one
of the most brilliant lawyers in the state. More recent acquisi
tions are Hon. John M. Duncan, of Tyler, and Hon. Monta
Moore, of Cameron.
The list of men who have achieved notable success at the
Houston bar is a long one and would be in many respects iden
tical with that of the Bar Association.
Two members of the Houston Bar were chosen to head the
respective forces of the prohibitionists and anti-prohibitionists

122 History of Houston, Texas
in fhe great campaign for a change in the Texas constitution that
was fought out in the summer of 1911 and resulted in a scant
and Phyrric victory for the antis. One of the two is Hon. Tom
Ball, already referred to; the other is the Hon. Jake Wolters,
formerly an officer of the First Texas Volunteer Cavalry in the
War with Spain and at present a member of the law firm of
Lane, Wolters and Storey. Both leaders rendered brilliant ser
vice and both are talked of by their admirers as desirable can
didates for United States Senator.

CHAPTER IX
Medical History

Pioneer Physicians and Their Labors. First Houston Medical
Association. Organization of the State Medical Association.
Railroad Surgeons Association. Harris County Medical
Association. Houston's Modern Hospitals. Story of Early
Epidemics. The Doctors and the Newspapers.

The most casual reader of these pages must be impressed
by the fact that the history of the growth and development of
Houston is in many respects, the history of the growth and
development of Texas. This could scarcely have been otherwise,
since the men who laid the foundation for the future metropolis
of Texas were the same whose wisdom, power and influence were
directed toward the upbuilding of the state. Under such condi
tions as these it is not strange that many movements, commercial,
financial, scientific, and educational, that tended towards intel
ligent growth and expansion, should have either originated in
Houston or originated through Houston influence.
Perhaps the most lasting and beneficial work done by the
early settlers, aside from that of those whose efforts were directly
in the interest of purely material enterprises, was that of the
medical men. Their labor was scientific and largely unselfish,
since it aimed at the prevention of disease rather than at its
cure, and therefore had about it elements, antagonistic to their
selfish interests. Texas was new, Houston was new and society
was much disorganized.
Fortunately the practice of medicine was placed in safe
hands at the very beginning and as early as 1836 a standard
was fixed by such men as Ashbel Smith, who was physician, sur
geon, scientist, statesman and scholar ; by Alexander Ewing, who

124 History of Houston, Texas
was chief surgeon of the Texas army, a skilled physician and
a profound student; by Phillip Anderson, chief surgeon of the
Texas Navy who was, with the exception of Dr. Ashbel Smith,
the most learned man in Texas at that time, and by Dr. McAnally,
who, in addition to his skill as a physician and surgeon, was a
great scientist. Merely calling over these names is sufficient to
show on what a high plane the practice of medicine was placed
at the very outset in Houston.
During the period from 1840 to 1850 the medical profession
in Houston was much strengthened by the addition of several
young physicians who came from the older states. These young
men were graduates from the best literary and medical colleges
in the land and were all men of culture and refinement. Among
them were Dr. S. 0. Young, Sr., Dr. Wm. McCraven, Dr. W. D.
Robinson, Dr. Wm. H. Howard, and Dr. L. A. Bryan.
No effort looking towards an organization of the medical
profession seems to have been made prior to March 11, 1857, at
which time the Houston Medical Association was organized by
Dr. J. S. Duval, Dr. Wm. H. Howard, Dr. Greenville Dowell,
Dr. R. H. Boxley, and Dr. H. W. Waters. Dr. Duval was elected
president, Dr. Waters, vice-president, and Dr. Boxley, secretary.
The avowed objects of the association were: "To cultivate the
science of medicine and all its collateral branches ; to cherish and
sustain medical character; to encourage medical etiquette and to
promote mutual improvement, social intercourse and good feeling
among members of the medical profession. ' ' At that day Osteo
paths, Electro-Magnetic, and Christian Science healers were
unknown. There were but two schools of medicine, the allopaths,
or regulars, and the homeopaths.
There was as much feeling against the Homeopaths on the
part of the regular physicians at that time, as there is today,
as the following shows. It is the first resolution adopted by the
Houston Medical Association after its organization, and is pre
sented as characteristic of the feelings of that body at the time :
"Whereas — The scientific medical world has proven Hom
eopathy to be a species of empiricism, too flagrant to merit the
confidence of rational men, and too fabulous to deserve even the

Medical History 125
passing notice of an educated physician, and as we are convinced
that it is a delusion, far surpassing any other ism known to the
world, witch-craft not excepted, therefore we will not recognize,
professionally or privately, any man who professes to cure dis
eases through the agency of Hahnemanic teachings.
"Be it Resolved — That as a diploma from a regularly organ
ized medical school is the only evidence of qualification which
our community can obtain in regard to the doctors in their
midst, we respectfully recommend to the citizens of this flourish
ing city that they demand of every man who assumes the respon
sibility of a physician to their families, their diplomas as cer
tificates of their worthiness of patronage, and that they see to
it that they are not imposed on by a diploma from a medical
society or a certificate of qualification as a dresser in a hospital. ' '
Notwithstanding this opposition, qualified Homeopaths came
to Houston and flourished. It is probable that the Houston
Medical Association continued in active operation for some time,
for two years later, in 1859, a call was issued by Houston physi
cians inviting the physicians from other points in the state to
assemble in Houston for the purpose of organizing a State
Medical Association. Unfortunately there is no local record
of this meeting, but that it was held, and an organization per
fected, is attested by the fact that when the Houston physicians,
in 1869, issued another call for the purpose of forming the
present State Association, it was spoken of as the "re-organiza
tion" of the State Association.
Some time in March, 1869, the physicians of Houston issued
a circular letter addressed to the physicians of Texas requesting
them to assemble in Houston on April 15, for the purpose of
re-organizing the State Medical Association. This letter was
not only sent through the mails, but was published in the papers
of the state, so it had a wide distribution. In response to this
call twenty-eight physicians, mostly from Houston, Galveston
and nearby-points, assembled in the west parlor of the Hutchins
House on April 15, and organized, or re-organized The Texas
State Medical Association. The first officers elected were:
Dr. T. J. Heard, of Galveston, president; Dr. R. H. Jones,

126 History of Houston, Texas
of Washington County, first vice-president; Dr. D. R. Wallace,
of Waco, second vice-president ; Dr. A. A. Connell, Jr., of Hous
ton, recording secretary ; Dr. W. P. Riddell, of Houston, corres
ponding secretary, and Dr. F. Hassenberg, of Houston, treasurer.
A two days' session was held, but beyond perfecting a
thorough organization, little was done.
The second meeting of the association was also held in
Houston. At that meeting the following officers were elected:
Dr. R. T. Flewellen, of Houston, president ; Dr. D. R. Wal
lace, of Waco, first vice-president ; Dr. A. A. Connell, of Houston,
recording secretary ; Dr. S. 0. Young, of Houston, corresponding
secretary, and Dr. W. P. Riddell, of Houston, treasurer.
The attendance was rather disappointing, being practically
the same as at the first meeting. Only one or two new members,
all from near-by points, were admitted.
• On April 15, 1871, the association held its third session in
Houston. There was a better attendance and increased interest
was shown. At the election, Dr. D. R. Wallace, of Waco, was
elected president and all the other officers were re-elected. Doctor
Wallace was a man of fine executive ability and his influence for
good was felt at once. At his suggestion the State Association
was brought into closer relation with the American Medical
Association and Dr. S. O. Young was chosen as the first delegate
from Texas to that association. Various committees on special
subjects were appointed to whom were assigned topics to be
reported on for discussion at the next meeting.
The fourth annual meeting was held in Houston, April 15,
1872. At the election of officers, Dr. D. F. Stuart, of Houston,
was elected president. Doctors Connell and Riddell having"
died, some changes in other offices were necessary. Dr. S. 0.
Young was elected recording secretary, and Dr. J. Larendon,
also of Houston, was elected treasurer, an office he held for over
a quarter of a century.
At that meeting it was determined to abandon the idea of
making Houston the permanent headquarters of the association,
and to hold future meetings at various points in the state, so
Waco was chosen as the next meeting place.

Medical History 127
The organization of the Texas Medical Association has been
dwelt on at some length for a twofold reason. First, because
it was a Houston idea, conceived and carried out by Houston
men, and next, because this Association has been instrumental
in accomplishing much good for the people of Texas, that could
have been accomplished by no other means. Before the Texas
Medical Association came into being the state was literally
overrun by medical quacks and imposters of every character.
There were no laws to restrain these people and none to protect
the public against them. Among the first acts of the Texas
Medical Association were those looking to the curbing and
restraint of frauds and the protection of reputable physicians.
As early as 1871 the Association began the crusade for the
regulation by law of the practice of medicine in Texas. Results
were rather meager at first. The opening wedge was placed when
the Legislature passed a law requiring all physicians to file . a
statement of where, when and at what schools they had been
graduated, and to also register their diplomas. This shut out
some of the imposters but not all, for there are bogus medical
schools as well as bogus graduates. The work was continued,
however, and has resulted in such laws as that requiring a state
board of medical examiners before which every physician who
desires to practice medicine in Texas has to appear and stand an
examination, even though he be a recent graduate from the
Texas Medical College. Another great thing accomplished was
the passage of a law creating the State Board of Health.
In all these movements Houston physicians were prominent
and either conceived the original idea or were largely instru
mental in putting it into execution. From the first they were
leaders in all that promised for uplifting the medical profession
or for safeguarding their fellow citizens against preventable
diseases and epidemics and quack cure-alls and fake panaceas.
Today the medical profession in Texas is well organized. The
state is divided into divisions, such as the East Texas Medical
Association, and the West Texas Medical Association, and each
of these has sub-divisions. Nearly every county in the state has
its County Association. Then, too, special interests have their

128 History of Houston, Texas
own organizations, a notable one being the Railroad Surgeons
Association, which had its inception in Houston. An idea of its
strength and importance may be formed from the following :
On January 21, 1896, the Railroad Surgeons of Texas held a
meeting at Houston. The following were elected officers: Dr.
M. D. Knox, president; Dr. T. J. Wagley, first vice-president;
Dr. J. C. King, second vice-president ; Dr. W. H. Monday, third
vice-president; Dr. Clay Johnson, secretary, and Dr. A. A.
Bailey, treasurer.
The following named surgeons were present and took part in
the deliberations : Drs. J. M. Richmond, J. H. Reuss, A. B.
Gardner, M. D. Knox, W. W. Lum, C. C. Nash, J. H. Jenkins,
C. T. Hughes, P. M. Raynor, F. 0. Norris, Van. B. Thornton, A.
D. Epperson, A. A. Thompson, W. T. Harris, T. A. Pope, A. L.
O'Brien, W. H. Monday, J. C. Mayfield, F. B. Seyman, J. W.
Cox, Sam B. McLeary, W. M. Garrett, James Byars, H. L. Foun
tain, J. C. Loggins, C. A. Smith, Clay Johnson, A. C. Scott, A.
A. Bailey, J. M. Blair, S. C. Red, R. T. Morris, L. H. Lamkin,
D. F. Steuart, Joseph R. Steuart, T. J. Boyles, F. B. King, G. D.
Parker, 0. C. Norsworthy, W. E. Drisdale, N. J. Phoenix, T. M.
Reeves, and M. J. T. Jones.
Although there were a number of able and prominent mem
bers of the medical profession in Houston and Harris County,
no attempt was ever made to form a county medical association
until in December, 1868.
In 1868, several Houston physicians met and organized the
Harris County Medical Association. There were not many
present at that meeting, and, with the exception of Dr. Ashbel
Smith, who resided in the lower part of the county on Galveston
Bay, they were all residents of Houston.
Before then the formation of both a city and county medi
cal association had been discussed, but neither had ever advanced
beyond the stage of suggestion and talk, and it is doubtful if the
organization of the association of 1868 could have been accom
plished had it not been for the fact that it was considered im
peratively necessary to have a local medical association to form
the nucleus for the State Medical Association.

Medical History 129
On December 8th, 1868, the followdng named physicians met
in the parlors of the Hutchins House, for the purpose of form
ing a county medical association : L. A. Bryan, W. H. Howard,
J. Larendon, D. C. Stuart, T. J. Poulson, R. W. Lunday, Alva
Connell, Sr., Alva Connell, Jr., G. H. McDonald, W. D. Robinson,
T. J. Devereaux, J. M. Morris, and W. P. Riddell.
Aside from issuing an address to the physicians of Texas,
inviting them to meet in Houston on April 15th, for the purpose
of organizing a State Medical Association, the Harris County
Association, after that first meeting never held another, and was
allowed to die a natural death. In late years, however, physi
cians have been more active and since 1904 have a county asso
ciation that compares favorably with any similar association in
the country. It has a large membership and has accomplished
much for the advancement of medical science, and for the creation
of closer fraternal and professional relations between its mem
bers. The association holds weekly meetings, and the attendance
is always large, and interest in its aims and objects is never
allowed to flag. The following named are its officers and mem
bers: President, Dr. E. F. Cooke; vice-president, Dr. J. H. Hulen;
secretary, Dr. L. Allen. The members of the board of censors
are J. E. Hodges, H. C. Moore and E. M. Arnold. The committee
on public health and legislation is : W. M. Wier, J. A. Kyle and
J. H. Foster. The delegates to the State Association in 1911
were 0. L. Norsworthy and J. H. Foster. A full list of the mem
bers is as follows : L. Allen, N. N. Allen, W. C. Archer, W. A.
Archer, E. M. Armstrong, E. M. Arnold, D. L. Akehurst, C. M.
Aves, J. M. Blair, C. C. Barrell, F. M. Bourland, J. G. Boyd,
J. M. Boyles, I. Braun, H. E. Brown, C. E. Bruhl, W. M.
Brumby, San Antonio, J. M. Burditt, E. F. Cooke, I. E. Cotting-
ham, R. L. Cox, P. H. Cronin, E. P Daviss, J. B. DuBose,
Humble, J. D. Duckett, J. C. A. Eckhardt, Austin, W. R. Eckhardt,
Wm. Ehrhardt, Westfield, F. G. Eidman, B. V. Ellis, Houston
Heights, H. A. Englehardt, B. C. Eskridge, H. C. Feagan, J. H.
Florence, F. C. Ford, J. H. Foster, W. A. Garrett, J. P. Gibbs, C.
E.Gray, E.E.Grant, Cypress, E.N.Gray, A.E.Greer, C. C.

130 History of Houston, Texas
Green, E. L. Goar, H. R. Gilliam, G. W. Griffith, LaPorte, W. A.
Haley, G. P. Hall, Gavin Hamilton, E. G. Hamilton, J. A. Hill,
C. W. Hoeflich, J. E. Hodges, A. P. Howard, R. H. Harrison, J.
A. James, F. B. King, R. W. Knox, A. Krause, J. A. Kyle, G.
W. Larendon, J. W. Lane, E. H. Lancaster, Z. F. Lillard, S. M.
Lister, W. H. Martin, G. H. Meyer, K. N. MiUer, G. S. Milnes,
R. H. Moers, H. C. Moore, J. T. Moore, S. H. Moore, R. T.
Morris, J. A. Mullen, E. C. Murray, A. J. Mynatt, C. W. Nelson,
F. H. Neuhaus, 0. L. Norsworthy, S. G. Northrup, C. F. Payne,
G. D. Parker, W. G. Priester, I. E. Pritchett, Wallace
Ralston, S. C. Red, G. J. Robinson, W. L. Rogers, F. R. Ross,
J. W. Sandlin, Humble, P. H. Scardino, J. W. Scott, R. T. Scott,
W. N. Shaw, T. W. Shearer, J. L. Short, E. S. Silbernagel, F. B.
Smith, P. L. Smith, S. J. Smith, F. J. Slataper, J. R. Stuart,
M. B. Stokes, C. 0. Terrell, W. B. Thorning, R. H. Towles, Hous
ton Heights, S. V. Wagner, C. A. Wallace, C. D. Warren, A. E.
White, R. D. Wilson, M. A. Wood, W. M. Wier, E. A. Wright, F.
B. Wilkes and J. B. York.
All of the physicians live in Houston except those whose resi
dence is designated. The association has been very active and
has favored preventive measures against disease. Among the men
who have been prominent as its presidents have been Drs. E. N.
Gray, J. P. Gibbs, W. M. Wier, W. W. Ralston, J. H. Foster,
J. T. Moore, and E. F. Cooke.
In 1911 the association began the publication of a bulletin
containing the discussions at the meetings and giving matters
of medical news to the physicians.
The city of Houston has a thoroughly organized health
department. The city administration has taken especial pains
to guard the public health, and while the indigent sick are
carefully treated and nursed, the principal efforts of the health
department are directed towards the prevention, rather than
the cure of disease. In this great work the department has
been materially aided by the wisdom of the commission in
obtaining an abundant supply of pure water and in extending
the water main, so as to furnish the citizens pure and wholesome
water for all purposes. The great benefit of this is shown by the

Medical History 131
decreased death rate from year to year, which decrease keeps
pace with the extension of the water mains. Then, too, the
department retains the services of a skilled pathologist and
bacteriologist, who carries on investigations relating to the purity
of milk, water, foods, etc., as well as diagnosing and locating
transmissible diseases.
An idea of the extent of the work carried on by the health
department may be formed from the statement that during the
municipal year ending February 28th, last, there were 4,000
patients treated at the city dispensary, 550 at the hospital and
36 at the pest camp. The department also vaccinated 2,000
school children; fumigated 783 rooms, 2 automobiles and 7 box
cars for the following diseases :
Tuberculosis  349 rooms
Diphtheria  157 "
Smallpox  147
Scarlet Fever  54
Typhoid Fever  49
Pneumonia  5
Scabes  _  2
Causes not specified  100
Cerebro-spinal Meningitis  16 "
Smallpox  7 Box Cars
Scarlet Fever  2 automobiles
During the year 1910 there occurred in the city of Houston
1,386 deaths, of which 822 were whites and 564 negroes. The
death rate was 13.5 per thousand, that for the whites being 10.7
per thousand and for the negroes 22.1 per thousand. There
were 1,654 births reported; 1,312 white and 342 negro.
The pathological laboratory under the management of Dr.
F. J. Slataper, has been no less busily engaged. During the year
1,781 chemical and microscopical examinations were made. These
cover a wide range from the simple testing of milk to the most
complicated investigation of disease germs. The list of exam
inations shows the scope of the department activity:
Cultures examined for diphtheria  45
Specimens of sputum examined for tuberculosis  209

132 History of Houston, Texas
Tuberculin test in human  1
Specimens of blood examined for typhoid fever  48
Specimens of blood smear examined for malaria  38
Feces examined for ova of intestinal parasites  23
Specimens of urine examined — chemically  316
Specimens of urine examined — microscopically  168
Samples of food examined  53
Samples of milk collected and examined  322
Samples of milk brought to the laboratory and examined  113
Total samples of milk examined  435
Samples of city water collected and examined  9
Stomach contents examined  4
A city hospital was established in 1838 but only lasted a
few years. About 1868, the city having obtained ownership of
the block between McKinney and Lamar Avenues and Carolina
and Austin Streets, decided to establish a city hospital there. An
arrangement was made, whereby the county should have the
right to use the hospital also, by paying a fixed amount for each
patient sent there, but should have nothing to do with
the control or management of the institution. Houston
had a regular city physician and the county had its
physician also, but neither of these had anything to
do with the hospital, which was under the control of a physi
cian who took it under contract, receiving a fixed amount, based
on the number of patients under treatment, and paying all the
expenses of the institution himself. Dr. Charles Owens was the
first physician to take charge of the hospital under the contract
system and continued at the head of the institution, until his
death in 1874. Soon after that a new lease or contract was made
with Dr. T. J. Boyles and Dr. D. F. Stuart and the location of
the hospital was changed. The McKinney property was dis
posed of and the hospital was removed to the old Brashear home,
located on the, then, city limit line, on the Houston and Texas
Central Railroad opposite Glenwood Cemetery. The hospital
remained at that location for several years and Drs. Stuart and
Boyles introduced many new methods and improvements.
Prosperity necessitated the purchasing of a site near where

Medical History 133
the Grand Central depot stands, and erecting a commodious hos
pital building on it. They still retained their contract with the
city and county, but established pay wards and private rooms,
possibly the first thing of the kind in Texas. They also con
tracted with the Houston and Texas Central Railroad to treat
the sick and injured employes of that road and also with other
railroads for similar service. This hospital was known as the
railroad hospital until the erection of the Southern Pacific Hos
pital began in 1910. It is still in operation as a private hospital.
Not barring even the famed Charity Hospital of New
Orleans it is safe to claim that in the Southern Pacific Hospital,
completed in 1911, Houston has the finest railroad hospital in the
South and the equal of any in the country. No expense has been
spared in constructing the building and its equipment is all that
scientific knowledge could make it. As every on,; familiar with
the subject knows, the building and equipping of a hospital is
only one item of cost, for the successful and proper conducting
of such an institution costs far more than all else. This money
comes from the voluntary contributions of the employees of the
various roads of that great system. These contributions are
very small for each individual but in the aggregate, amount to
a large sum monthly.
The location of the hospital is ideal. It is far removed
from the noise and bustle of the city, and though
within easy reach of the heart of the city, is as far as pos
sible in the country. It is in the Fifth ward, on the
sloping bank of White Oak Bayou and the site, being some
what elevated, gives a good view of the woods and stream
on the one side and of the city on the other side. On the
staff of the hospital are : Dr. R. W. Knox, chief surgeon ; Dr. E.
J. Hamilton, assistant surgeon; Dr. 0. S. Moore, interne; Dr.
J. E. Greene, interne ; Miss M. F. McMasters, superintendent.
The building is steam heated, cleaned by vacuum cleaners,
lighted by electricity and gas, has numerous bathrooms on each
floor but only one or two bath tubs in the whole building, these
being done away with as far as possible and the shower and
needle baths substituted. There is an abundant supply of both

134 History of Houston, Texas
hot and cold water at all times, and on each floor is a good
supply of sterilized water for use in special cases. The
wards are large and each is furnished plainly but very
attractively and comfortably. The beds are the ordinary hos
pital iron frames with absolutely luxurious mattresses and
snow white linen. The chairs and tables are dark oak and rose
wood, while on the walls are attractive pictures. One of the
most striking features of each ward and private room is the
lighting. No electric light is visible, the lighting being done
by reflection and diffusion. This does away with all glare and
makes the light very pleasing to the eye.
There are several operating rooms, each completely fur
nished with operating tables and equipped with all aseptic acces
sories and a complete equipment of instruments. On the ground,
or basement floor there is an emergency operating room, equipped
in every way as the others are and always ready for instant use.
The X-ray laboratory is complete in every way and is con
stantly used in determining the extent of injury to bones. One
feature of its use that has been very beneficial to the men who
have gone there for treatment for supposed fractures, has been
the demonstration through the X-ray that the injuries have
been to the ligaments and sinews and not to the bones, thus
enabling them to avoid long delays for observation and con
sequent loss of time on their part.
The laboratory of clinical pathology is very complete. Every
facility for making a rapid and proper diagnosis of obscure
diseases is furnished the surgeons. Only graduated trained
nurses are employed in the hospital.
The Baptist Sanitarium, located on the corner of Lamar
Avenue and Smith Street, is one of the mqst complete institu
tions of its kind in the South. Every arrangement has been made
for the treatment and comfort of its patrons and its fixtures and
appliances are all modern and of the latest models. The building
is steam heated and both electricity and gas are used in lighting.
It is four stories high and has a capacity for fifty patients. The
wards and private rooms are arranged so as to secure the great
est comfort, and everything is done for the welfare of the

Medical History 135
patients. The operating room is located on the fourth floor and
is modern in every way. It is large, well lighted and thoroughly
equipped with everything that goes with a first-class operating
room. Graduated trained nurses are employed -and there is also
a school for nurses in connection with the sanitarium. Dr. D.
R. Pevato is the superintendant in charge and is personally
responsible for many of the modern improvements installed.
Today no city of its size in the United States is better.
equipped with hospitals and private infirmaries than Houston.
These are modern and up-to-date in every way, the strictest
aseptic rules having been adhered to in their construction and
every precaution taken against contagion and infection. Before
the discoveries of modern medicine and surgery, hospitals were
regarded, with much truth and justice, as hot-beds of contagion
and infection, particularly the latter. Today it can be truth
fully asserted that the modern hospital is freer from the danger
of contracting disease than any other place in a community, for
contagious and infectious diseases are not only intelligently
treated, but their spread and propagation are effectually stamped
out by scientific methods. Houston has a number of such insti
tutions, which measure up- to the highest standard of usefulness
and comfort.
The best known of the private hospitals is the Norsworthy
hospital. The Norsworthy hospital is located on the northeast corner
of San Jacinto Street and Rosalie Avenue and is in the quietest
and most attractive resident part of the city. It is a large three-
story brick building with a spacious over-ground basement. The
top floor is arranged for an operating room and its accessories
and adjuncts, and on this floor are the rooms for the nurses.
The second and third floors are for patients alone, and these
rooms are so arranged that one can have a ward bed, a single
room with or without a private bath or two connecting rooms
with or without a private bath.
The whole building is heated by hot water radiation;
cleaned by automatic electric vacuum cleaners; plumbed for

136 History of Houston, Texas
gas and wired for electric lights, call buzzers, private telephones
and fans. An electric elevator and dumb waiter are parts of
the equipment. All the floors are doubled with deadening felt between them.
The exposed flooring is of especially selected rift lumber. The
entire building is plastered. The walls are in various oil tints,
so as to add cheerfulness to each room. The interior finish is
according to strict aseptic rules throughout, rounded corners
and smooth wood with enamel finish. The operating room has
all the accessories of a modern aseptic hospital. The floor and
wainscoating are- of Terrazo, and the walls and ceiling are white
enamel. It has a complete equipment of instruments and an
aseptic operating table. The room is excellently lighted for both
day and night work. Adjoining the operating room is a steril
izing room for instruments and dressings, a dressing and steril
izing room for surgeons, and an anaesthetic room.
The X-ray laboratory is equipped with the Scheidel Western
X-ray Company's special hospital outfit, complete for radiograph
work, and a dark room equipped with photographic apparatus
for quick developing. The laboratory of clinical pathology has
a complete equipment of instruments and apparatus necessary
for all bacteriological and pathological work; embracing blood,
urine, stomach contents, sputum, feces, tumors, tissues, vaccine
therapy, milk and water analysis. This laboratory is under the
direct charge of Dr. E. H. Lancaster, the house surgeon and
pathologist, who was formerly pathologist for the State Board of
Health. Only graduated nurses are employed in this hospital.
Dr. 0. L. Norsworthy is surgeon-in-chief and is assisted by two
house surgeons, Dr. J. P. Gibbs and Dr. E. H. Lancaster.
With little or no knowledge of the laws of sanitation or
hygiene it is not surprising that the early settlers were the vic
tims of frequent and fatal epidemics. Their mode of life and
surroundings were conducive to disease, and being, necessarily,
ignorant of the causes of many of the most fatal diseases, a
statement which applies with equal force to the physicians of
that day in spite of their great learning, proper preventive
measures were seldom ever adopted and all that was done, or

Medical History 137
could be done, was to cope with the disease after it had devel
oped and secured a foothold.
The result was that Houston was frequently swept by
epidemics of cholera and yellow fever. In 1839 there was a
severe epidemic of yellow fever. A number of planters and
farmers from the older states had settled in or near Houston,
bringing their slaves with them, thus supplying abundant mater
ial for the ravages of the fever when it appeared. It is a well
known fact that negroes are more or less immune from yellow
fever, but the epidemic of 1838 seems to have been an exception
to this rule for the mortality among the negroes was very great.
It is interesting to note the fact that the fever appeared in Gal
veston before coming to Houston and that its appearance here
followed the arrival of a man who had been sick in Galveston,
but had recovered and come here.
In 1843 there was another great epidemic of yellow fever
during which the mortality was very great. There was lack of
proper food, and but few nurses and physicians to care for the
sick so that the mortality that year was spoken of ever after when
making comparison with subsequent epidemics. The disease
appears to have been peculiarly fatal that year, whole families
being swept away.
In 1845 or 1846 Houston had its first epidemic of cholera.
The negroes seem to have been the principal victims, though
many whites were attacked also. There is no record of the mor
tality although, according to tradition, it was rather heavy and
confined almost exclusively to the negroes.
From 1843 to 1847 there was no yellow fever in Houston.
During these four years the population had increased and the
town had taken on quite respectable proportions. Thus there
was an abundance of new material for the disease when it
made its appearance late in the summer of 1847. That year
resembled 1843 in the number of fatal eases, and a great num
ber of physicians were among the very first victims. It is said
that in proportion to the population, more physicians lost their
lives during the epidemic of 1847 than in any other of those that

138 History of Houston, Texas
followed. This fact may in a measure account for the great mor
tality among the people.
In 1853 and again in 1858 and 1859 Houston was scourged
by yellow fever. The epidemic of 1858 was marked by great
mortality. Houston's population at that time was between
8,000 and 10,000, and while there is no official record of the
fact, it was estimated that the deaths that year were close to
1,800. From 1859 to 1863, Houston appears to have escaped the
visitations of yellow-fever, but in 1863 there was an epidemic
though by no means a severe one compared with those which had
preceded it. This is all the more remarkable when it is remem
bered that at that time there were thousands of soldiers here,
very few of whom had ever been exposed to the fever.
In 1866, Houston had its second epidemic of cholera. The
disease was confined exclusively to the negro population. Con
ditions were very favorable among them for its propagation.
They had only recently been freed and had not yet learned even
the first principles of how to care for themselves. They were
congregated in huts and hovels and made not even a pretence
of living clean and sanitary lives. There were not so many fatal
cases as might be supposed' and after a month or so of intelligent
effort on the part of the health authorities, the disease was
stamped out.
The next year, 1867, occurred one of the greatest yellow
fever epidemics that ever cursed Houston. The first cases
occurred early in August and the plague lasted until late in
December, the last deaths occurring two days after Christmas.
Everything was very favorable for the spread of the disease.
The town was full of strangers, new comers, and in addition
to these, there was the army of occupation, consisting of several
thousand Federal troops, few of whom had ever been exposed
to the fever. When the presence of the fever was announced
there was something of a panic, and as many as could do so got
away from the city. There were a number of physicians here,
including some army surgeons. With the exception of some of
the older physicians none of these doctors had ever seen yellow

Medical History 139
fever, but, be it said to their glory, not one deserted; every
man remained at his post, though a great many of them paid
the penalty of their lives by doing so. The mortality was fright
ful, due in a large measure to lack of proper nourishment, proper
nursing and medical attention. The physicians were absolutely
worked down and while they did all that they could, it was
physically impossible for them to attend to hundreds who might
have been saved could they have reached them. The Federal
soldiers died like sheep. There were about 2,500 of them and of
these over 700 men and officers died.
The mortality among the citizens, while not so great, was
very heavy. On one day alone, September 26, there were 29
deaths in the city exclusive of those which occurred, among the
soldiers. The epidemic of 1867 was the last that Houston has had,
for though from time to time there have been epidemics of
yellow fever at other Texas cities, notably that at Calvert in
1873, Houston has escaped. In 1897 it was reported that there
was yellow fever in Houston and Dr. Guiteras, a government
expert was sent here to investigate. He pronounced it yellow
fever and Houston was promptly quarantined against by all Texas
towns. The cases were then investigated by such yellow fever
experts as Dr. D. F. Steuart and Dr. R. H. Harrison, who had
gone through a number of yellow fever epidemics, and they,
without hesitation, pronounced the disease dengue fever and all
quarantine was promptly raised. The people knew them and
had perfect confidence in their judgment and experience.
Before closing this brief history of the medical profession
in Houston and of some of the things that have been accom
plished by it, it may not be inappropriate to speak of the attitude
the doctors have always maintained towards quacks and those
who adopt the methods of the charlatan. They have always
been consistent in this and their antagonism at times has been so
bitter that it has almost defeated itself by creating sympathy
for those whom they have attacked. This has been particularly
true in those cases where the attacks have been based only on the
fact that the sinning doctor advertised in the newspapers. The

140 History of Houston, Texas
attitude of the Houston physicians and also that of the Houston
newspapers towards the advertising doctor is well shown in the
following instance:
During January, 1910, the South Texas District Medical
Association held a session in Houston. .During the session a
banquet was given which was attended by all the doctors and
some of the Houston editors. Speeches were made, the principal
topic discussed being "Quackery in Houston." Dr. John T.
Moore, president of the Harris County Medical Association, spoke
at some length saying that Houston was a hot-bed for quacks
and charlatans. He described them as "criminals" posing as
physicians for the people. Many such, he declared, had been
run out of Dallas, San Antonio and other Texas cities, but
Houston was still their Mecca. Here they established resplendent
suites of offices and extorted from the ignorant, large sums of
money for which they gave no legitimate professional return.
He denounced them as "swindlers" and "confidence men" and
declared that the newspapers were solely responsible for
their criminal success. The newspapers were the intermediary
between them and their dupes, whose money they sought. The
newspapers by opening their advertising columns to them became
not only their solicitors but their sponsors. If the newspapers
would close their columns to these men and refuse to print their
glowing and deceptive advertisements, these fellows would be
forced to seek other fields. Doctors Norsworthy and Parker in
dorsed all that Doctor Moore had said and declared that if the
newspapers would assist the doctors these monsters who prey on
the sick and afflicted would soon be run out of town.
Mr. M. E. Foster, president of the Houston Chronicle Pub
lishing Company, entered a strong protest against the attitude
taken by the physicians towards the press. He admitted that
fraudulent and deceptive advertisements, claiming to cure in
curable diseases, should be rigidly excluded from the newspapers.
But he claimed it was difficult, if not impossible for a layman
to determine just what was fraudulent and what was legitimate.
He cited the fact that the mosquito theory of the propagation
of yellow fever had been denounced as a fraud by the medical

Medical History 141
profession and that many other discoveries of real merit now
accepted universally had been at first ridiculed by the doctors.
He also pointed out that the newspapers were always ready to
co-operate in measures for the public health. Thousands of
columns of space have been freely given by the newspapers in
the campaign of education against tuberculosis, the typhoid fly,
the yellow fever and malarial fever mosquito, small-pox, cholera
and other diseases although the physicians still retain an anti
quated and inexcusable prejudice against publicity and adver
tising.

CHAPTER X
Church History

Founding of the Evangelical Churches in Houston. Organiza
tion of the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and
Episcopalians. German Lutheran Churches, Disciples and
Christian Scientists. The Roman Catholic Institutions in
Houston. Congregation Beth Israel and Hebrew Syna
gogues. The Houston Y. M. C. A.

Under the spreading branches of a large oak tree, that
stood on Market Square, was held the first religious service
in Houston. The minister was a transient Methodist preacher,
whose name, unfortunately, has not been handed down to
posterity. Thus in the open air, seated on planks laid over
convenient logs, the early ' Houstonians, in 1837, hears the
gospel. The good man's audience was composed of christians
of all denominations and beliefs, for at that time the Baptists,
Methodists, Presbyterians and Episcopalians, had not formed
themselves into local church organizations, as they did soon
after. In 1838 or 1839, the Aliens donated two or three lots, on
the northwest corner of Main and Capitol Streets, to the
churches of Houston. It was a gift specified to no denomina
tion, but was for the use of all. There was a small house
erected on this property and it was used by all denominations
except the Methodist, who used the Capitol, a block further
down Main Street. The Presbyterians finally fell heirs to this
property, when the other denominations secured locations of
their own.
On April 10, 1841, the first church meeting of what
is now the First Baptist Church, was held and is thus recorded
in the old minutes :

Chunch History 143
"Convened at the usual place of worship, April 10, A.
D., 1841, in the City of Houston, County of Harris, Republic
of Texas, members of Baptist churches from different parts
of the United States and of the Republic, for the purpose of
forming an Evangelical Church of Christ of the regular
Baptist order.
"On motion of Brother S. P. Andrews, Brother Huckins
was called to the chair, and Brother Gardner Smith was chosen
secretary of the meeting * # # ,# Qn moti0n of
Brother Bigalow, Brother S. P. Andrews was elected to serve
as deacon. "Constituent Members: Barnabas Hascall, Martha
Mulryne, Obedience Smith, Gardner Smith, Benjamin M.
George, Abigail Hascall, Louisa Jane Schroder, Charlotte M.
Fuller, Israel B. Bigalow, Elizabeth C. Wilson, S. P. Andrews,
Elizabeth Anisworth, Mary George, Mary H. Bigalow, John
Lawrence, Mary A. Andrews, Piety L. Hadley, Sarah L. Robin
son, Hannah Town, Charlotte Beach, Kitty Mulryne, (colored),
Melviria Gray, (colored), Grace League, (colored), Inda
Schroder, (colored)."
The usual place of worship spoken of in the minutes, was
the general meeting house, corner of Main and Capitol Streets.
Reverend James Huckins, of Galveston, who presided at the
organization of the church became its first pastor and continued
as such until the latter part of 1845.
After the organization of the church, two devoted and
zealous christian women, Mrs. Piety L. Hadley and Mrs.
Charlotte M. Fuller determined through their own exertions,
to build a church edifice. They did not meet with much encour
agement, not even from members of their own families but
they were not discouraged. Some one, as- a joke, made them
a present of a mule. They fattened this animal up and sold
it, thus securing the nucleus for the church fund. They
organized a sewing society, made useful things, gave a church
fair and sold them. The sale of the mule and the goods at the
fair netted the ladies $450. They gave another fair which
earned $900. With this money they purchased the lots, corner

144 History of Houston, Texas
of Travis Street and Texas Avenue, where the first church
stood for so many years. In all their labors and trials these
ladies had the untiring aid and support of a good old christian,
"Brother Pilgrim."
After the purchase of the lots the ladies wrote to Rev.
William M. Tryan, then' a missionary in Washington County,
asking h'im to come to Houston and take charge of the church.
Dr. Tryan accepted the call, and, on February 1, 1846, took
charge of the First Baptist Church then numbering 17 members.
He was reputed to be a highly educated gentleman, a sincere
christian and an earnest worker, and soon commanded the
respect and love of the whole community. Under his charge
the membership grew rapidly, many of the best and leading
citizens joining the church.
He at once began securing funds to erect a suitable church
building. Owing to the financial weakness of his church and
the community at large, he had to look elsewhere for assis
tance, and obtained the greater part of the money from those
of the faith in other states. He received material assistance
in his good work from Mr. W. R. Baker, Mr. T. W. House
and Mr. B. A. Shepard, none of whom was a member of the
Baptist Church, but all except Mr. House being inclined
towards that denomination. The building was completed and
dedicated by Dr. Tryan, just four months before his death
from yellow fever in November, 1847. Before the building
was completed, Mrs. Hadley and other ladies had organized
a Sunday School.
According to the minutes dated June 6, 1846, "on motion
of Brother E. B. Noble, it was resolved that Elder William
M. Tryan, Brother T. B. J. Hadley, Messrs B. A. Shepard, C.
W. Buckley, N. Fuller and William R. Baker be appointed
a board of trustees for the First Baptist Church of Houston,
and that Brothers Tryan and Hadley be authorized, and
requested to take the legal steps for the incorporation of said
church. ' '
At another conference meeting about that time, Brother
Bowers was authorized to buy a box of candles for the church

Church History 145
and it was arranged that each member should pay his or her
share of the expense of the transaction. The church build
ing stood on the corner of Travis Street and Texas Avenue,
and was quite an imposing structure for that day. It had
gothic windows and a high steeple and was considered by
some of the old fashioned members to be too gaudy for the
purposes to which it was dedicated. The indignation of these
good brothers over the gothic windows and steeple was as
nothing to that which was shown when a melodeon was
installed and a choir was organized. One of the most zealous
of the objectors went to the length of slipping into the church
one night, stealing the melodeon and throwing it into the
bayou, where it remained for a long time until scooped out
by a dredge-boat.
A fine bell was presented to the church in November,
1850, and for years was hung in the .steeple, that a few years
before had excited so much antagonism. The donor was Mr.
William McMahan, one of the members, who had been one
of the principal objectors to the style put on by the builders
of the church, but who seems to have changed his views. Mr.
B. A. Shepard generously assisted the church in a financial
way all through its early experience as did also Mr. W. R.
Baker. Later, when the gas works were built, Mr. T. W. House
presented the church with gas fixtures.
On the death of Dr. Tryan, the church called Rev. R. C.
Burleson, then of Kentucky, as pastor of the church. He
proved to be a worthy successor of the lamented Tryan, and
under his charge the church grew and prospered. He remained
with the church for a little more than three years, and was
succeeded by Rev. Thomas Chilton of Alabama. Mr. Chilton
had been a prominent lawyer and a member of the United
States Congress for some years but had relinquished all earthly
honors and glory to take up the work of a humble minister
of Christ. He was a fine orator, a thorough christian and
a zealous worker and many accessions to the church marked
his pastorate. Of Mr. Chilton's immediate successors the church records

146 Historij of Houston, Texas
furnish little definite information. The frequent removals
together with the Civil War troubles greatly damaged the
church work. Rev. Mr. Tucker was pastor when the war
broke out and promptly laid down the cross and took up
the sword. He raised a company, -was elected its captain,
and commanded it during the war. Then came Rev. F. M.
Law, followed by Rev._ J. B. Link, who had also been a
Confederate soldier during the war but who took charge of
the church after the war was over. Rev. J. T. Zealy became
pastor September 16, 1869, and served the church for six
years. During his ministry two chapels, one in the Fourth
and the other in the Fifth ward, were built and mission Sun
day schools were established. In addition to that the prop
erty at the corner of Rusk Avenue and Fannin Street was
purchased. Following Mr. Zealy, Rev. Dr. Horace Clark
occupied the pulpit until April 1, 1877, when Rev. Dr. J. M.
C. Breaker assumed charge. In 1883, the church property on
Texas Avenue and Travis Street was sold and it was deter
mined to erect a new building on the property owned by
the church, on Rusk Avenue and Fannin Street. The corner
stone of the new church was laid July 23, 1883, with imposing
ceremony, and the new church, though not quite completed,
was opened the first time for services, Sunday, January 27,
1884, Dr. Breaker, the pastor, preaching an appropriate sermon
to a large congregation.
When the great storm of 1900, swept over the gulf coast
the Baptist church on Rusk and Fannin was so badly damaged
that it had to be torn down. It was then determined to
abandon that site and erect a new church one block further
south on the corner of Fannin Street and Walker Avenue.
The new building was completed in 1903, and is one of the
handsomest churches of Houston. It is of gothic architecture
and the materials used in its construction are stone, brick,
and concrete. It extends 75 feet on Fannin Street and 111
feet on Walker Avenue. At the corner is a tower of moderate
height which adds much to the beauty of the building. The

Chiuvh History 147
windows are all of stained glass. Dr. J. B. Riley an eminent
scholar and historian, was pastor at the time.
Rev. Dr. J. L. Gross became pastor of the First Baptist
Church, November 1, 1905, and has remained with the church
ever since. He had come to Houston a few weeks before and
had delivered one or two sermons which so pleased the mem
bers that they made a successful effort to retain him per
manently as their pastor, and they have never had reason
to regret doing so. He was called to take charge by a
unanimous vote of the church. He is recognized as one of
the strong men of the Baptist church and his influence for
good has been very great. Like the Rev. Dr. Chilton, Rev. Dr.
Gross was engaged in the practice of law before entering
the ministry. Born in Georgia, he was graduated from the
University of Georgia, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts
and Bachelor of Law, and later took a course in the Southern
Baptist Theological Seminary at Louisville, Ky. His first
church work was at Washington, Ga. He then accepted a call
to Griffin, Ga., and from there went to Selma, Alabama,
whence he came to Houston.
In 1905, Rev. H. C. Smith organized the First Baptist
Church of Houston Heights and under his ministry a beautiful
house of worship was built.
The Baptist Temple was organized June 21st, 1908, in
Houston Heights, with a constituent membership of 20. The
Rev. F. Huhns presided at the organization and was elected
paster. He is a graduate of the Rochester Theological
Seminary and of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
at Louisville, Ky. He had been engaged in missionary work
in Philadelphia, Chicago and other large Eastern and Northern
cities, and, for three years before coming to Houston, had
been missionary evangelist of the Union Baptist Association.
Rev. Evander Amnions is now in charge, Mr. Huhns having
resigned to take charge of a church in Pittsburg, Pa.
The following are some of the Baptist churches and
Baptist missions in Houston, today: First German Baptist
Church, Rev. F. Severs, pastor ; First Baptist Church, Houston

148 History of Houston, Texas
Heights, Yale Street, between Ninth and Tenth Streets, Rev.
C. A. Earl, pastor; Lee Avenue Baptist Church, Houston
Heights; Brunner Baptist Church, Rev. W. P. Grow, pastor;
Liberty Avenue Baptist Church, Rev. Robert Carrol, pastor;
Calvary Baptist Church, Preston Avenue and Sampson Street,
Rev. J. E. Treloar, pastor; Tuam Avenue Baptist Church,
corner Tuam Avenue and Fannin Street, Rev. J. W. Loving,
pastor. This is the South End Church.
Bishop Street Baptist Church, corner Bishop and Fletcher
Streets, Fifth ward, Rev. Thornton A. Payne, pastor; The
Emanuel Baptist Church, Brook Smith Addition, Rev. George
H. Lee, pastor; Tabernacle Baptist, Rev. D. C. Freeman,
pastor. All of these churches have church homes, some of them
very handsome. Th^y have been served by capable and
consecrated pastors.
There are many negro Baptist churches in Houston, the
number of negro Baptists in the city being greater than that
of the whites. They have several handsome churches.
The organization of the Methodist church in Houston
was unique in one way. While the preliminary steps in the
formation of each of the other denominations were taken by
at least two or three zealous christian men and women, the
foundation of the Methodist church was the act of a single
individual, — Mr. Charles Shearn. Mr. Shearn was an English
man, having been born in England, October 30, 1794. He died
in Houston, November 12, 1871. He came to Texas in 1834,
and settled in west Texas. When General Urrea marched
from San Patricio to Goliad, he captured Mr. Shearn, who
was a member of a small company of Texans, and would have
shot him but for the fact that Mr. Shearn was an English
man and claimed to be an English subject. Mexico respected
and feared England too much to ill-treat one. of her subjects,
and that fact saved Charles Shearn.
He removed to Houston in 1837, the year following San
Jacinto, and spent his life here, leaving behind him the
respect, love and admiration of the whole community. Mr.

Church History 149
Shearn began life in Houston as a merchant and prospered.
The first year of his residence here he induced a Methodist
missionary to come here from the states, and took him to his
home, as his personal guest. This was a Mr. Sommers, and
it was perhaps he who held the first religious service in
Houston, under the old tree on Market Square, referred to
elsewhere. Mr. Shearn kept Mr. Sommers as his guest and
together they succeeded in gathering a sufficient number of
sympathizers, to form a Methodist class. In 1842, they deter
mined to build a church, and Mr. Shearn was made chairman
of the building committee. The Morning Star, in 1843, had
this notice of the proposed church :
"The Morning Star has been informed that the Methodist
Society of this city has obtained, chiefly through the liberality
of the brethren in the United States, sufficient funds to erect
a large and commodious church. It has been planned to lay
the corner-stone of the building, March 2, the anniversary
of Texas independence. The building is to be of brick, about
60 feet by 35 feet. Most of the material has been bought and
paid for and the construction of the building will be hastened
as rapidly as possible."
The corner-stone of the brick building was laid, March 2,
1843, according to program, local Masons, Odd Fellows and a
military company assisting at the ceremonies. Col. James
Riley, one of the most eloquent members of the Houston Bar,
delivered an address that was long remembered. Mr. Shearn
was superintendent of construction and had the building
completed and ready for occupancy, the following May.
On May 7, 1844, the following notice was published :
"The new Methodist Episcopal Church in this city will
be open for Divine service on next Saturday evening. On
Sunday morning the dedication sermon will be preached by
the Rev. Mr. Richardson, president of Ruterville College.
Several clergymen from the county will be in attendance.
(Signed)
A. Applewhite,
C. Shearn, Building Committee."

150 History of Houston, Texas
Among those citizens who contributed largely towards
the success of the church, were Mr. T. W. House, Sr., who
was Mr. Shearn 's son-in-law, Mr. Gregg, Mr. McGowan and
Mr. Hardcastle. The church was in constant use from 1844,
until 1861, when it was blown down by a storm.
A large wooden building, unceiled, and but crudely fin
ished, was constructed .on the site at Milam Street and Texas
Avenue, and in this building for several years the Methodists
held their meetings. The war, lasting from 1861 to 1865,
followed by political troubles and the terrible epidemic of
yellow-fever in 1867, caused much delay in building a new
church. Then, too, there was great poverty among the mem
bers and as these seemed satisfied with the old wooden church,
it was not until 1871, that a serious effort was made to erect
a suitable building. That year Mr. Shearn saw the possibili
ties of building a new church, and Messrs. House, Gregg,
McGowan and Hardcastle again came to his assistance, with
the result that what was known as Shearn Church was erected
on the old site of the first building. Credit for building
Shearn Church is due almost entirely to Mr. Shearn who
paid the greater part of the cost of constructing it. The
Methodists clung to the old location on Texas Avenue and
Milam Street until 1907, when it was abandoned and a new
church, which was called the First Methodist Church, was
erected at Clay Avenue and Main Street. The new church
fronts 125 feet on Main and runs back 175 feet on Clay
Avenue. It is constructed of Bedford gray granite, Powhatan
pressed gray brick and pearl-tint terra cotta. It is one of the
finest and most costly structures of its kind in the South.
Rev. Dr. W. P. Packard is the present pastor.
St Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church was organized,
January 1, 1906, with a membership of 130, seventy-six from
other churches, fifty-four by letter and profession of faith.
In 1907, it had 475 members and a Sunday school of 450
pupils, a Home Missionary Society of forty members and a
Young Ladies' Society of sixty-five members.
Before the contract for the erection of its house of wor-

Church History 151
ship had been let, $130,000 was raised. Bishop Seth Ward
turned the first spade-full of earth. Bishop Key named. the
building and selected an organizer and builder to take charge
of the tvhole matter. The plans called for an expenditure
of $175,000. The corner-stone was laid with religious and
Masonic ceremonies June 24, 1907, and until the building was
ready for occupancy, the congregation met in a small chapel
near by. The lot on the corner of McGowan Avenue and
Milam Street, was the gift of Mrs. J. O. Ross, and the official
board of the church, the Women's Societies and other auxil
iaries were organized at her nearby residence.
The first pastor was Rev. Dr. George S. Sexton, formerly
chaplain of the First Texas Infantry, U. S. V. Dr. Sexton
has held many important charges and was a remark
ably gifted man to whom the greatest credit for the clas
sic edifice is due. A set of chimes was given by Mrs. M. T.
Jones. The church has art windows, the subjects of which
are: Portraits of John and Charles Wesley; "Christ the
Consoler"; "Christ and the Doctors"; "Ruth, the Gleaner";
"Christ in Gethsemane"; "Mary at the Tomb"; "The
Ascension " ; " Moses and the Law ' '. In the Sunday School
room special windows represent the flight of angels through
the heavens on the night of the birth of Christ, proclaiming
"Peace on earth, Good Will towards men." This is one of
the most artistic and beautifully finished buildings to be found
anywhere in this country. Its exterior is of classic and
Byzantine lines, the building being in an architectural class
all its own. The method of getting plans for the building
was novel. No competitive plans were submitted, the
architects simply developing plans to meet the requirements of
the building committee. A committee visited the notable
churches in the larger cities of America and adopted the best
features of some and rejected the bad features of all of them.
The result Was the present building. Rev. Dr. Sam. R. Hay
is at present pastor of St. Paul's, and under his charge the
church continues to grow and extend its good influence.
In addition to Shearn Church, now called the First M.

152 History of Houston, Texas
E. Church, South, and St. Paul's, there are several churches
and chapels of the denomination doing good work in various
parts of Houston. The following is a list of them: First
Methodist Episcopal Church, Tenth and Harvard Streets,
Houston Heights, Rev. C. L. Elliott, pastor; Trinity Methodist
Church, corner Loraine and Gano Streets, Rev. F. G. Clark,
pastor; Tabernacle Methodist Church, corner Polk and Caro
line Streets, Rev. W. W. Watts, pastor; Epworth Methodist
Church; Brunner Avenue Methodist Church, Rev. W. W.
Sherill, pastor; Grace Methodist Church, Houston Heights,
Rev. T. M. Brownlee, pastor; Harrisburg Methodist Episcopal
Church, South, Rev. R. C. George, pastor; McAsham
Methodist Church, Rev. A. P. Bradford, pastor; Washington
Avenue Methodist Church, Washington Avenue between
Houston Avenue and Trinity Street, Rev. H. M. Timmons,
pastor; McKee Street Methodist Church, corner Conti and
McKee Streets, Rev. H. M. Walling, pastor; Ebenezer Meth
odist Church, corner Harrington and Chestnut Streets, C. H.
Beneke, pastor; Bering Memorial Church, corner Milam Street
and McKinney Avenue, Rev. E. A. Konken, pastor.
There are many colored Methodists in Houston and the
negroes have several substantial churches, with large congre
gations. The Methodists are the strongest in number and influence
of the Evangelical churches in Houston and have exerted from
the earliest days a wide influence for good.
Of all the early Houston churches the Presbyterians had
the easiest time establishing themselves. They did not have
to worry about a building site and then about a building
to put on it. They had all these at the very beginning, for
the city founders, the Aliens, being members of the Presbyterian
Church themselves, set aside two or three lots on Main Street
and Capitol Avenue, for church purposes and gave it to the
Presbyterians, stipulating only that all denominations should
have the use of the small building, they placed on it, until
they could secure churches or meeting places of their own.
This was faithfully carried out, and for several years Baptist,

Church History 153
Methodist, and other .denominations made as free use of the
building as did the Presbyterians themselves. In the early
part of 1843, several members of the church began an active
canvass for funds with which to erect a suitable church build
ing. They were successful and a large building was erected
near the northwest corner of Capitol Avenue and -Main Street,
facing Main Street. The building was completed in 1842, and
services were held in it regularly. This structure had a ehurch
bell, the first one ever rung in Houston. In its issue of
February 11th, 1843, the Morning Star, said:
"We are requested to mention that the bell of the Presby
terian church will be rung regularly on Sunday mornings
at 9 o'clock for Sunday School and again half an hour before
meeting, and will be tolled ten minutes before service begins."
Many of the leading and most influential citizens of
Houston were members of the Presbyterian church, among
them being Mr. M. D. Conklin, Mr. A. S. Burke, Mr. T. M.
Bagby, Mr. Horace Taylor, Mr. E. II. Cushing, Mr. Geo. W.
Kidd, Sr., Mr. Lillie, and Dr. Cowling, all men of the highest
standing. All these were not Houstonians at the very earliest
stages of the city's beginning, but all were so early on the scene
that it is not unjust to class them all together. At whatever
stage they enlisted they did such valiant work in the cause
of religion in Houston that no discrimination should be made
in awarding credit for what has been accomplished. They
have all, long ago passed to their rewards from a higher than
earthly court.
The large wooden edifice stood for many years on its
original site, and was destroyed by fire one September night
in 1859. The fire started in Baker and Thompson's saw-mill,
whieh stood on the southwest corner of Texas Avenue and
Main Street. The fire consumed all the buildings facing Main
Street, on both sides of the street between Texas Avenue and
Capitol Avenue.
The years 1858 and 1859, were sorrowful ones for the
Presbyterian church in Houston. In September, 1858, one of
their most beloved and universally popular pastors, Rev. Mr.

154 History of Houston, Texas
Ruthvan, was lost at sea. He took passage from Galveston
for New Orleans on the ill-fated steamer Nautilus, which
went down during a great hurricane which swept over the
gulf. Only one person, a negro, who clung to some wreckage,
was saved, of all the passengers and crew. By a singular
coincidence,, another pastor of that church was lost at sea,
eight years later. This was Rev. Dr. Castelton, who with his
wife, sailed out of Galveston harbor on a sailing vessel in
1866. Not a trace of the vessel nor of any of her passengers
or crew has ever been found.
The wooden church which had been burned, was replaced
by a brick building, which was placed further back on the
property, facing Capitol Avenue. Services were held in this
house for many years, until, in 1879, it began to crack and
was comdemned as unsafe. The building was practically torn
down and made safe. While this was being done services
were held in Pillott's Opera House. In May, 1880, the congre
gation moved back to their own church and the first sermon
was preached by Rev. Dr. E. D. Junkin, who had just accepted
a call to the church. Dr. Junkin was a very able man and
a profound scholar, but above even these he had qualities of
heart that soon endeared him, not only to his own congre
gation, but to the citizens of Houston at large, so that his
influence for good was very great. He was the son of Rev.
George Junkin, the founder of Lafayette College at Easton,
Pennsylvania, and was born at Miller, Pennsylvania, February
3, 1829. He was graduated from Lafayette College and
received his D. D. degree from Washington and Jefferson
College. In 1854, he was graduated from Princeton College,
and in 1855, was licensed to preach. After pastoral service
in North Carolina and Virginia he came to Houston and
remained in charge of the First Presbyterian Church until
his death which occurred at Johnson City, Tenn., on July
31, 1891, while on his way to Virginia to visit old friends.
Dr. Junkin 's successor was Rev. Dr. Wm. Hayne Leavell,
who was also a great scholar and pulpit orator. The church
was fortunate in getting such a man as he to follow Dr.

Church History 155
Junkin. Under his administration some of the best work
of the ehurch was done. He remained with the church until
February, 1906, when he resigned and was succeeded by Rev.
Dr. William States Jacobs, the present pastor, who took charge
and preached his first sermon March 4, 1906.
Dr. Jacobs is easily one of the most popular men and
preachers Houston has ever known. He always commands
large congregations and has taken a virile part in the city's
vital and material development. The Chamber of Commerce,
the real estate men and the music lovers of Houston have
found a -great helper in Dr. Jacobs and he has brought many
high grade lyceum entertainments to Houston as well as the
Russian Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Jacobs is the author of
the great descriptive phrase that is Houston's motto "Where
17 railroads meet the sea." He holds many scholarly degrees
and is a popular platform orator.
At a congregational meeting, October 30, 1893, it was
resolved that "the building committee be, and they are hereby,
authorized to negotiate the sale, and the trustees to execute
the necessary papers, for the transfer of the property now
owned by the First Presbyterian Church of Houston, on the
corner of Main Street and Capitol Avenue ; provided that there
can be realized a sufficient amount to secure the half block on
Main Street and McKinney Avenue, known as the House
property, and, in addition, not less than $20,000 in cash."
The building committee was thus constituted : Rev. Dr.
W. M. Hayne Leavell, pastor; R. F. George, representing the
board of elders ; O. C. Drew, representing the board of deacons ;
Dr. D. F. Steuart, representing the members of the church;
and Charles Dillingham, representing those members of the
congregation not members of the church.
The ehurch property brought $45,000 and the committee
paid $22,500, and the cost of paving for the other property,
bringing the cost to between $24,000 and $25,000.
Work on the new ehurch was begun at once, and when
completed it was pronounced by competent judges, to be very
nearly architecturally perfect. Its exterior is strikingly beauti-

156 History of Houston, Texas
ful arid its interior finish is fully in keeping with the exterior.
The Presbyterian Church in Houston long ago outgrew
the capacity of the mother church and also that of its strongest
off-shoots, and now there are nearly a dozen Presbyterian
congregations in and near the city, all flourishing and pros
pering. The following of these all have their own houses of
worship :
Woodland Heights Presbyterian Church, Beauchamp
Avenue and Hooker Street, Rev. George W. Martin, pastor;
First Presbyterian Church of Houston Heights, corner of
Rutland and Eighteenth Street, Rev. R. D. Wear, pastor ; Oak
Lawn Presbyterian Church, corner of Stiles and Sherman
Streets, Rev. A. N. Wylie, pastor; Hardy Street Presbyterian
Church, Rev. Granville T. Story, pastor; Second Presbyterian
Church, Main Street and Denis Avenue, Rev. Frank E. Fincher,
pastor. This is one of the handsomest churches in the city.
Third Presbyterian Church, corner of Bingham and Johnson
Streets, Rev. J. M. Gaul, pastor ; Central Presbyterian Church,
corner of Fannin Street and Pease Avenue, Rev. A. B.
Buchanan, pastor; Westminster Presbyterian Church, Wash
ington and Boulevard, Rev. E. Sinclair Smith, pastor. The
new edifice of this congregation is very modern, and Dr. Smith,
one of the most highly honored of the city's pastors.
The chapels of the Second Presbyterian Church, are Park
Street Chapel, Market Street Chapel, Hutchins Street Chapel,
Hyde Park Chapel, and Blodgett Mission Sunday School. Rev.
Stanley White is superintendent in charge of missions.
On March 16, 1839, while the city of Houston was still
in its swaddling clothes, 39 earnest churchmen met and
organized "the Protestant Episcopal Church of Houston,
Republic of Texas." Isolated from the older parts of the
country, with no means of communication, save by water or
by ox or horse-drawn vehicles, over almost impassable roads,
this handful of earnest Christians laid the foundation for a
church which was destined to become the first in wealth,
influence and power of its denomination in Texas. At the
beginning they had only such services as itinerant ministers

Church History 157
and missionaries could give them. Bishop George W. Free
man, Missionary Bishop of Louisiana took great interest in
the struggling church, and in all ways in his power contributed
to its advancement.
The church adopted a constitution and took the name
of Christ Church, May 12, 1845. Measures were taken to build
a chapel to cost $2,500. Its corner-stone was laid in 1846,
and it was consecrated by Bishop Freeman, May 9, 1847.
Houston was then a most uninviting field for clergymen and
for some years there was no regular minister in charge.
However, the membership increased so rapidly that before
the first ten years had elapsed a large house of worship was
demanded. The corner-stone of a new building was laid in
1859, and within two years the building was completed at a
cost of $16,000. This building was used for years, but in 1876,
a third church was erected, and in 1893, the corner-stone of
the present beautiful building was laid.
1 Of the fifteen rectors of Christ Church before 1892, few
remained longer than two or three years, while others remained
but a short time. In 1892, Rev. Henry V. Aves, then in
charge of St. John's Church at Cleveland, Ohio, where he had
served seven years, accepted a call here. He was confronted
with a church debt of $30,000, and found only one society
for work connected with the church, that of the Ladies'
Parish Association. In less than ten years the debt had been
wiped out and several helping societies, had been organized
and were working effectually. The Sheltering Arms, a home
for indigent women; the Woman's Auxiliary, a power in the
missionary field; a sewing school; the Girls' Friendly Society,
the Altar Society, the Choir Chapter, the Young Women's
Guild, Christ Church Grammar School and several working
bodies connected with the three mission chapels, were all
the results of Rev. Dr. Aves' personal efforts. The building
used for the Sheltering Arms had been erected and paid for
and an infirmary and operating room were projected, before
his first ten years expired.
Rev. Dr. Aves received most valuable support and assis-

158 History of Houston, Texas
tance in all he did from R. M. Elgin, father of the Vestry,
who had grown gray in the service of the church before the
arrival of Dr. Aves, and also from A. S. Richardson, W. D.
Cleveland, W. V. R. Watson, Presley K. Ewing, William M.
Mitchell and Sam Mcllhenny.
Christ Church building is one of the handsomest and most
imposing churches in Houston. A rectory which cost $10,000,
was erected in 1902, and a parish school was opened the
same year as a memorial to Judge Peter Gray and his wife.
When Dr. Aves was elected Bishop of Mexico, and decided
to accept the position, he communicated his decision to the
rectory of Christ Church. The regret of that body is embodied
in a letter and accompanying resolutions from which the
following is a quotation :
"We admire, love and esteem you, and some of us
lean on you as the strong staff of our religious life. Your
beautiful Christian character has been, through these many
years, a beacon for us in God's watch-tower. You have
never, during this long time, preached a sermon, though some
have necessarily been better than others, that would not have
honored any pulpit ; not one that would not have been a means
of grace to any Christian. You have here, at the baptismal
fount, tenderly held our little ones and signed them with the
sign of the cross. You have here, at the marriage altar,
pronounced the words of holy wedlock and blessed with your
benediction the plighted troth. You have here, at the open
grave and in the hidden sanctuaries of sorrow, ministered
comfort with a heart as boundless as human love' and as tender.
It is hard, recalling your ministry, to give you up. We feel
that in your departure ' a beacon light will be blown out above
us, a buoy bell stilled upon the sea.' We feel that taking you
all in all, we shall long wait to look upon your like again.
But we cannot, will not speak to you words of parting. Adieu
— to God — there safe we leave you. Our trembling lips do
speak, but ah, how faintly do they shadow forth the tremor
of our hearts. Precious memories of your past, prayerful hope
for your future — let this be our sentiment.

Church History 159
Faithfully and Affectionately, Your Rectory: Robert M.
Elgin, Senior Warden ; W. D. Cleveland, Junior Warden ; Wm.
V. Watson ; Presley K. Ewing ; Sam McNeil ; M. H. Westcott ;
R. T. Morris; Frank Cargill; Joseph Towlis."
After the departure of Rev. Henry Aves, who is still
Bishop of Mexico, Rev. Dr. Peter Gray Sears was called to the
pastorate of Christ Church, and has proven himself a worthy
successor. Dr. Sears is one of the most profound scholars
and pulpit orators in the South, and, like Bishop Aves, he is
a tireless worker. He has not only continued the work, but
has added to the usefulness of Christ Church in the moral
upbuilding of the city and community.
In addition to the mother church, there are the following
Episcopal churches and chapels in Houston today: Trinity
Church, corner Main Street and Holman Avenue, Rev. Robert
Lee Craig, rector; St. John's Church, corner Leeland Avenue
and Velasco Street, 0. M. Longnecker, superintendent; St.
Mary's Episcopal Church, Rev. G. W. R. Cadman, rector;
Clemens Memorial Church, corner Bingham and Sabine Streets,
Rev. T. J. Windham, minister in charge; St. Andrew's Mission,
230 West Seventeenth Street, Houston Heights, Rev. Mr.
Cadman, minister in charge.
The first German Lutheran Church erected in Houston was
quite an imposing wooden structure that for years stood on
the southwest corner of the block of which The Daily Post
now stands. The church owned a quarter of the block, but
utilized only the corner on Texas Avenue and Milam Street.
Rev. Mr. Braun was the first and only pastor of the church
while it occupied that location. In connection with the church
was a school patronized by the German citizens of Houston
and by many of the Americans who desired to have their
children taught the German language, hence it was generally
crowded to its full capacity. There were a number of
Lutherans in Houston, and as the city grew the needs of their
church grew also, and soon it became necessary to build other
houses of worship. The first of these was one on Louisiana
Street between Preston and Prairie Avenues. But the demands

160 History of Houston, Texas
of commerce seem to have been greater than those of the
church, and both the Texas Avenue and the Louisiana Street
properties were sold and the churches moved elsewhere. At
present the Lutherans have two large and flourishing churches,
one on Caroline and Texas Avenue and the other on Washing
ton Avenue and Young Street. In both churches the sermons
are in the German language, but both English and German
are used in their Sunday Schools.
The Christians in the past fifteen years have come to
prominence and the Central Christian Church, on the corner of
Main Street and Bell Avenue is one of the handsomest of
Houston's many handsome churches. It was completed in 1907.
The Second Christian Church is located at the corner of Hogan
and Common Streets.
In the last ten years, the Christian Scientists have made
great gains in Houston. There are now two churches of this
faith and the first church of the city is erecting a beautiful
classic church building with a Greek front, on Main Street.
All church statistics are difficult to get, but the many
beautiful buildings erected by the various denominations
within the past decade is evidence of their flourishing condi
tion. The first Catholic church in Houston was built on three
lots on the northeast corner of the block on Franklin Avenue
and Caroline Street. There was a large gully running up
Caroline Street and the little church was built on the very
edge of this. Behind the church, and running east and west,
was a long, single-story building used as a home for the priest
and also as a parish school. Both the church and the school
house were wooden structures. Father Querat had charge
of both the church and school for many years, and was one
of the best known and universally respected men in the city.
He was a Frenchman, as his name implies, and was an accom
plished scholar, and was almost as popular with the Prot
estants as he was with the members of his own faith. For
about a quarter of a century that little church was the only
place of worship the Catholics had in Houston. In 1868 or

Church History ]61
1869, the church sold the old church property and purchased
the block on Texas Avenue and Crawford Street, and in 1870,
began the erection of a large brick building on it. This build
ing, the Church of the Annunciation, was completed in 1871,
and remains today one of the handsomest church edifices
in the city. It occupies about one quarter of the block, the
remainder being occupied by a handsome home for the priests
and a large and commodious school, all constructed of brick,
and of attractive architectural design. Father Hennessy has
had pastoral charge of this church for over thirty years, and,
is looked up to with love and veneration by the members of
his congregation, and by all Houstonians who know the sterling
and lovable qualities of the man.
The growth of the church exceeded that of the city and
became necessary early in the eighties to build other edifices.
One was built on Washington Avenue, another in the Fifth
ward and others steadily followed, until Houston has a
number of Catholic Churches, a number of them handsome
and imposing buildings.
In addition to what may be called the parent church, The
Annunciation, the following are prominent: St. Joseph's
Church, Father Banfield, pastor; Church of the Blessed
Sacrament, on Sherman Avenue, Brady addition; St. Patrick's
Church, Father Haughran, pastor; and Sacred Heart Church,
on Pierce Avenue and San Jacinto Street. The parishes are
large and growing so rapidly that constant additions to the
number of churches and chapels have to be made.
The Roman Catholic Church in Houston has among its
institutions, seven churches, four of them fine structures that
would be ornaments to a city twice the size of Houston, a
fine infirmary and several first-class schools. The infirmary
and the schools are not under the church control except
spiritual and are managed by the sisters of religious orders
who have devoted their lives to that work. They have absolute
control of all temporal matters. The hospital is the St.
Joseph's Infirmary, one of the oldest and best patronized
institutions of its kind in the state. St. Agnes' Academy is

162 History of Houston, Texas
one of the schools and it is one of the leading educational
institutions of the city. Its patronage is large, and though
only five years old it is already placed in the front ranks
of denominational institutions of learning in Texas.
The picturesque school building, located in the south end
on Fannin Street, combines beauty and comfort in its ample
accommodations. There are, in round numbers, 10,000 communicants' of
the Catholic church in Houston, and the property of the
church is valued at very nearly half a million dollars.
Houston will soon be known as the city of churches for
every creed and variation of a creed seems to have its
representatives here. In addition to the leading denominations
enumerated in the foregoing pages there are the following
named churches and religious associations in Houston :
Clark Street Mission, Apostolic Faith ; Brunner Tabernacle,
Apostolic Faith; Houston Heights Assembly, Apostolic Faith;
International Bible Students Association; Congregational
Church, corner Caroline Street and McKinney Avenue;
Unitarian Church, Carnegie Library; Theosophical Society,
Odd Fellows Hall; Oriental Textile Chapel, corner of Twenty-
fourth and Lawrence Streets, Houston Heights; Balfour
Mission, 210 San Jacinto Street ; and the Star of Hope Mission,
714 Franklin Avenue, which holds services every night in
the year. In the very early days the leading representative of the
Hebrews in Houston, was the venerable Rabbi Levy. No man
stood higher in this community than he and none enjoyed
the respect and esteem of all classes of citizens more than
he. He was known among the people as "Father" Levy and his
whole life was such as to warrant this love and confidence.
He was an old man, had a long white beard and was the living
picture of an old Patriarch. For many years he administered
to the spiritual needs of his people and when he passed away,
in the late fifties, he was mourned by the whole community.
During the war the Hebrew congregation in Houston
preserved its organization.

Church History 163
That the congregation was kept in existence was due to
the fact that in April, 1860, there came to Houston a family
that has played a prominent part in its history. Its head
was the Rev. Samuel Raphael, and the voyage from England
took 10 weeks and was made in a full rigged ship, "The
National Guard," Captain Gates, embarking at Liverpool and
landing at Galveston. The ship was; a merchantman and not
a passenger vessel, and the Raphael family which included the
Rabbi, his wife, Hannah, and six children, Joseph, Rebecca,
Emanuel, Moses, Sarah and Julia, were the only passengers.
Three members of this, family still survive, E. Raphael, Mrs.
Rebecca Nussbaum and Miss Julia Raphael.
Rabbi Raphael, took charge of the Congregation Beth
Israel whose membership was only fifteen or twenty. Among
them were Sam Meyer, Sol. Hohenthal, Isaac Elsasser, Joe
Rosenfield, G. Gerson, Henry S. Fox, Sr., and Isaac Colman.
Only one member of the original congregation still survives,
Henry S. Fox, Sr., president of the Houston National Exchange
Bank. Rabbi Raphael labored faithfully, and it was mainly
through his efforts that the Congregation Beth Israel was
held together, and in the end converted into a virile force. He
was a man of great scholarship, an eloquent speaker and
possessed of much personal magnetism.
Owing to the troubled and disquieting days following the
close of the war, nothing was done towards erecting a suit
able house of worship by the members of Congregation Beth
Israel, until about 1869. That year, however, Benjamin and
Mose Raphael, sons, of the Rabbi, I. Elsassor, A. Harris, A.
S. Fox, J. Harris, M. E. Stern and some others, went quietly
to work, raised sufficient funds, purchased a building site
on Franklin Avenue, and announced that they would erect
a suitable temple. On June 11, 1870, the Telegraph
announced that everything was in readiness and that the
corner-stone would be laid in a few days by Rev. Henry
S. Jacobs, chief Rabbi of the New Orleans Portugese Syna
gogue. About 4 o'clock, Thursday, June 16, a procession of

164 History of Houston, Texas
fully 1,000 persons, consisting of Civil and Jewish organiza
tions, formed on Main Street, near the Masonic Temple, and
led by Schmidt's Band, marched to the site of the synagogue.
The corner-stone, a large block of marble, was swinging on
a tripod. A Divine blessing was asked by Rabbi Jacobs,
after which he informed the Grand Master of one of
Houston's Masonic organizations, the he was deputed by the
Congregation Beth Israel to request that the corner-stone of
its temple of worship should be laid with Masonic honors.
The stone, set in the northeast corner of the foundation,
was made the receptacle of the following articles: A record
of the corner-stone itself; some coins of different countries
of different denominations ; some currency of different values
and countries ; a roll of members of the congregation of Beth
¦ Israel; a scroll of the Hebrew law; copies of the local news
papers; a photograph and souvenir of Gerson Kursheedt, a
member of the congregation who had gone from Texas on a
mission to Palestine and had died there.
This Hebrew congregation in 1908, completed a handsome
new temple building that is one of the most modern church
structures in Houston. It was dedicated with elaborate
ceremonies. Dr. Henry Barnstein is Rabbi and has won fame
in musical as well as religious circles. The new temple Beth
Israel is located at the corner of Crawford and Lamar Street.
The Congregation Adath Geshurun worships in a hand
some synagogue located at the corner of Jackson Street and
Walker Avenue.
The first public meeting, in the interest of the Young
Men's Christian Association, in Houston was held one Sunday
afternoon, April, 1886, in Pillott's Opera House. There was
a large attendance of members of all the various denominations
in Houston, thus giving evidence that the people of Houston
were willing and ready to support such an institution. Many
pledges of support and membership were promptly given in
response to an invitation.
The following named gentlemen were chosen as a board
of directors: Col. Charles Stewart, Capt. W. D. Cleveland,

Church History 165
E. L. Dennis , John Kay , J. F. Dumble , Conrad Bering , Ed.
Smallwood, W. V. R. Watson, C. W. Alsworth, Dr. J. M.
Arnold, Rufus Cage, Y. M. Langdon.
The sum of $2,000, was raised easily within a few days,
and a permanent organization was effected and rooms were
secured in the Brown Building, corner of Main Street and
Texas Avenue, which were opened to the public on May 13,
1886. There was a reading room and a gymnasium, the latter
under the direction of Captain E. B. II. Schnider. It was
also announced that the parlor and lecture room would soon
be ready for occupancy and that members' tickets were being
prepared by the treasurer, Mr. J. F. Dumble.
The following named representative men were chosen as
officers to serve for the first two years : William D. Cleveland,
president; Y. M. Langdon, vice-president; James F. Dumble,
treasurer; Rufus Cage, recording secretary; J. W. Goodhue,
general secretary.
The following were chosen as a board of Directors :
Charles Stewart, Dr. James M. Arnold, Conrad Bering,
William Christian, W. V. R. Watson, E. L. Dennis, John
Kay, C. W. Alsworth, Bd Smallwood.
It was made the duty of the General Secretary, under
the direction of the board, to plan and carry out the objects
of the association.
The association occupied very humble and very inadequate
quarters for about twenty years, but in the latter part of
1906, the needs of the association for larger and more con
venient quarters became so apparent, that an organized
movement was inaugurated to raise $200,000, with which to
build the association a home of its own. The movement met
with popular favor at once. The city was aroused and
subscriptions poured in from citizens of every class until
the full amount was in hand. A site was purchased at the
corner of Fannin Street and McKinney Avenue, and the
following building committee was appointed : W. A. Wilson,
chairman; S. F. Carter, treasurer; E. W. Taylor, secretary;

166 History of Houston, Texas
Capt. James A. Baker, Jr., W. D. Cleveland, Sr., J. V. Dealy,
and J. B. Bowles.
Work was begun at once, and on October 17, 1907, the
corner-stone of the edifice was laid with impressive ceremony.
Secretary Scott, acting for the directors, arranged a pro
gramme for the event.
First there was held a meeting at the old hall, after
whieh a procession was formed and the march taken up to
the new building, along Fannin Street. The ceremonies were
semi-religious but non-sectarian. The main feature was the
laying of the corner-stone by Captain Richmond Pearson
Hobson. The members of the building committee had actual
charge of the exercises. Mayor Rice represented the city, -
while Captain W. D. Cleveland, who was the first president
of the association, acted as chairman.
On the evening of June 21, 1908, the formal opening
exercises of the Young Men's Christian Association took place
in the gymnasium of their new building. There was prayer,
scripture reading, music and eloquent addresses. The speakers
were : Hon. H. M. Garwood and Rev. Peter Gray Sears.
The building is five stories high and is beautifully finished
throughout. On the first floor are located the loby, or
reception room, a spacious reading room, the gymnasium,
swimming pool, hand ball court, bowling alley, dressing rooms,
each equipped with rockers and every arrangement for the
convenience and comfort of the members.
The assembly room, the lecture rooms, the study and class
rooms are on the second and part of the third floors, while
the rest of the building is devoted to apartments for roomers.
There are ninety-one rooms in all. All are of uniform size, and
neatly furnished.

CHAPTER XI
Education and Free Schools

Houston's Earliest Schools were Private Enterprises. Lack of
Proper School Facilities. The Houston Academy. Congres
sional Appropriations for Public Schools. Free Schools
Flourished only after Civil War. Arguments Against the
System. Houston First City to Take Control of Her Schools.
City School Superintendents. Opening of Public Schools
in October, 1877. Comparative Growth from 1877 to 1909.
Scientific Features in City's Schools. Superintendent
Horn's Summary of Decade from 1901 to 1911. Private
School Enterprises.

The early Texans, and those of Houston particularly, placed
the cause of education far to the fore while planning for the
upbuilding of the new republic. Scarcely a public meeting was
held, where questions of public policy were discussed, that the
cause of education was not brought prominently forward. After
San Jacinto, and while the new Republic was largely in the form
ative stages, nothing very tangible nor practical in the way of
concerted action by the people could be accomplished, but, even
at that time, successful efforts were being made to establish pri
vate schools in Houston.
Unfortunately there is no record preserved of these very
early pioneers in the cause of education. Only a stray remark
or a chance allusion, here and there, go to show that soon after
Texas independence had been won, the school-master had taken
up the task of preserving and perpetuating it. The first refer
ence to a school in Houston is that of Mrs. Dilne Harris, who
says, in her reminiscences: "The second anniversary of the
battle of San Jacinto had come and gone and mother said she
hoped there would be nothing else to distract us from our studies,
as the school would close in June. But there was another sensa-

168 History of Houston, Texas
tion. One Monday morning in May, on our arrival at the school
house, we found the town covered with bills. A theatrical
company had arrived and would give the first performance Fri
day night, June 11. This was the first theatrical company to
come to Texas. It not only ran the young people wild, but old
people were not much better."
Professor H. F. Gillett announced in the Morning Star in
1844 that he had opened his 'Houston Academy, in the building
of the Telegraph, at Main and Preston Streets. Terms per
month for tuition in reading, writing and orthography, $2, par
funds ; arithmetic, grammar and geography, $3 ; Latin, Greek,
mathematics, science and the higher branches of English educa
tion, $4. He promised to teach all branches necessary to enter
any college in the United States.
The same year Professor W. J. Thurbur announced that he
had opened a school in the front room, second story, of Mr.
Dibble's building, corner of Main and Franklin Streets, where
he would teach geography, arithmetic, English grammar, natural
philosophy, ortheopy, orthography, history and composition and
that he would open in the same room a night school in which
English grammar would receive especial attention.
These two schools are the only early ones of which definite
information is obtainable. They were, as their advertisements
indicate, private schools. Two years later, however, something
more definite in the way of public action was taken. In pursu
ance to notices in the public prints, there assembled in the Meth
odist church in Houston, January 2, 1846, a number of teachers
and friends of education. The meeting was opened by prayer,
by Rev. C. Gillett. Rev. C. Richardson was chosen president of
the convention and Peter W. Gray, secretary. Rev. C. Gillett,
Rev. C. Richardson, Gen. Hugh McLeod, John II. Walton, John
Sayles and James Bailey were constituted a committee to con
sider and report to the convention, means to further its ends and
promote the cause of education.
A few evenings later another meeting was held at which
this committee made its report. It favored the adoption of uni
form text-books by the private and public schools of Texas; a

Education and Free Schools 169
memorial to be addressed to the legislature of the state at its
first session ; the establishment of a monthly journal to be devoted
to the cause of education; the appointment of a standing com
mittee to which persons desiring to make teaching their business
might apply for positions and to which committee communi
ties needing teachers might look for supplies; the appointment
of six committees to report at the next meeting; measures for a
permanent organization and to make suggestions along different
lines on subjects of interest to the body; and the appointment
of suitable persons to deliver addresses on the subject of educa
tion at the next meeting. Many of these ideas have been
since carried out but little was accomplished at the time.
In March, 1853, the Houston Academy was opened by Messrs.
A. W. Boyd and H. Moore, A. B., who brought to Houston high
testimonials as to their character and ability as teachers. They
announced that in the academy, pupils would be "instructed
in all the branches of science that are taught in the first acade
mies in the Union."
The annual examination and exhibition of the Houston Male
and Female Academy was held about the middle of September,
1857, by James Alexander Bolinger, principal. The Scholastic
year for 1858 began February 1. Early in that year Professor
M. B. Franklin and Mrs. Franklin, from Kentucky, became
associated with Professor Bolinger in the management of the
Academy. In October, 1857, there were ten schools in successful oper
ation in Houston. They were those of Mr. Bolinger, Mrs. Styles.
Mrs. Green, Miss Maher, Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham, Rev. C.
Braun, Professor Ruter and sister, Miss Kate Van Alstyne, Miss
K. Payne and Mrs. H. X. Cotton. Yet in spite of the large num
ber of schools there was not sufficient room for the children of the
city. Most of the schools were very small affairs, tlie pupils
being huddled together in one small room. The citizens of Hous
ton long suffered for schools adequate to the needs of the com
munity and for this reason alone many children were sent away
to obtain an education that should have been obtained at home.
Perhaps the greatest disadvantage was the lack of suitable

170 History of Houston, Texas
quarters adapted to the requirements of different departments
of educational work. There was no building capable of accom
modating not only the primary schools, but advanced schools as
well — schools in which everything from the rudiments to the
higher branches could be taught. Attempts were made from
time to time to meet this demand. In 1857 there were a number
of good schools, all well patronized, but all of them in rooms
not at all adapted to their needs. The best' of these was in
Masonic Hall, corner of Main and Capitol Streets and while
there were fewer than 100 pupils in attendance it was crowded.
All the other rooms in Houston, devoted to school purposes, would
accommodate less than 200 pupils and it was estimated that there
we're 600 children of school age in Houston at that time. Mr.
James H. Stevens had willed to the city $5,000 to be devoted to
the building of an academy, whenever $10,000 should be con
tributed by the citizens for that purpose. Including this amount
$17,000 was available at the end of 1856, for the establishment
of such a school, which sum it was proposed to increase to $20,-
000. Some time before this the block on which the present High
School stands, had been purchased, and some steps toward the
erection of a building had been taken. It had been planned that
the proposed building should cost perhaps $15,000 and that the
remaining $5,000 of the proposed fund should be held available
for a library and for astronomical apparatus.
A meeting of prominent citizens was held; the necessary
funds to complete the amount needed were subscribed at once
and on September 17, 1857, the corner stone of the Houston
Academy was laid. It was made a big event by the people of
Houston. The Houston Academy was completed early in the summer
of 1858. It was a brick structure, 64 x 84 feet, of composite
architecture, with a large open cupola with Ionic columns, which
was surmounted by a gilded globe. Its height from base to
cornice was 45 feet. The entire cost of the building was $21,000.
The Houston Academy was not a public school, though it
was under the management of a board of directors, consisting of
several leading citizens interested in the cause of education. Col.

Education and Free Schools 171
Wm. J. Hutchins was chairman of this board and it was through
his influence that Dr. Asbel Smith was induced to act as- prin
cipal of the school when it began its first session.
When Professor Partridge expressed a willingness to take
charge of the school, Doctor Smith retired. Professor Partridge
resigned as principal of the Academy about 1859 and was suc
ceeded by Reverend Doctor Hutcherson who had been professor
of Latin and Greek at the Oxford University in Mississippi.
Doctor Hutcherson remained in charge of the Academy until
about 1863 or '64, when owing to failing health, he resigned, and
his work was taken up by Prof. W. J. Hancock, a ripe scholar
and an experienced educator. Professor Hancock remained in
charge of the school for several years. He was succeeded by Pro
fessor Fitzgerald, who had formerly occupied a chair in Baylor
University, when that institution was located at Independence,
Washington County. Under Professor Fitzgerald's management
the Academy grew in popular favor and the attendance became
very large. However the Academy was a pay institution, so,
when, in the' early seventies, the first free-schools were opened,
the attendance dropped off to such an extent that the Academy,
after a desultory existence, was forced to the wall. Then the
Academy association got in financial difficulties and the school
was closed until, when the city took charge of its own schools,
its doors were thrown open and it became the High School. .
The constitution adopted by Mexico, in 1824, made it the
imperative duty of the government to educate the masses. When
Texas and Coahuila became a state of the Mexican Republic, its
constitution declared that public schools were necessary to the
life and development of a free people. Yet, under Mexico, little
was actually done towards the advancement of public education,
beyond the enactment of school laws and setting aside portions
of land for the support of schools that were not established, and
when Texas declared her independence, one of the most serious
of her many grievances was that the mother country had failed
to establish a system of public education for the people.
In 1839, the Texas Congress set aside three leagues (13,284
acres) of public land as school lands, in each county, the pro-

172 History of Houston, Texas
ceeds to be devoted to the establishment of a permanent school
fund. In 1840, another league for each county was added to
this appropriation, but the population was so sparse and public
money so scarce that nothing practical was accomplished. In
1845, when Texas was admitted to the Union, her state constitu
tion set aside one-tenth of the revenue derived from taxation for
a permanent school fund. In five years Texas had 349 public
schools, 360 teachers and 7,964 pupils. In 1854 the state system
was improved and the school fund received a donation of two
million dollars in United States bonds. The school revenue in
1860 was $80,984.
It was not until after the Civil War that free schools became
active and vital forces. Being so admirably equipped and hav
ing such material resources for the successful inauguration of a
permanent school system, it is amazing that the state should have
delayed so long in adopting a plan. The true explanation of the
delay probably lies in the fact that conditions existing in Texas
before the war, were such as existed nowhere else. While there
was no aristocracy in one sense of the word, yet there was an
aristocracy in another sense. The people were divided into two
classes, the rich and the poor, just as they are today, wifn this
difference, that the rich were slave owners and were either plant
ers, lawyers, doctors, -or professional men, while the poor were
small farmers, tradesmen, laborers, or men of no calling what
ever. Social lines were not tightly drawn, it is true, still they
were drawn, with the result that there was no unity of purpose
or opinion on any subject that involved such close social inter
course as it was thought the public school would bring about.
The well-to-do were able and did educate their own children,
and thought it unfair, having done this duty to themselves and
state, that they should be taxed further for the education of the
children of others. On the other side, the poorer classes resented
the idea of having their children educated at a charitable insti
tution as they believed the public school to be. Thus it is seen
that there was much work in the way of educating the people,
of both classes, to a proper understanding of the real meaning
and scope of a public school, before the wishes and intentions

Education and Free Schools 173
of the founders of the Republic could be put in practical oper
ation. During the continuation of the great war, all public schools
were practically suspended and the school fund was expended
for other purposes than education. In 1866, the office of State
Superintendent of Education was created and a State Board of
Education, consisting of the Governor, the Comptroller and the
State Superintendent of Education was established. Those were
"reconstruction days" however. The Governor and other State
officials were outsiders who had been appointed to their offices
by the United , States Government, and were considered inter
lopers. They were all what was known as "Black Republicans"
and necessarily had but little influence with the great mass of
Texans, who regarded their every act with suspicion and dis
trust. Under conditions such as these it is not surprising that
very little was accomplished in the way of establishing schools
on a safe and proper basis until nearly a decade later.
The constitution of the state required that the public schools
should be open for six months each year. As this was impossible
with no other funds than that derived from the school fund, pro
vision was made for levying a special school tax in each school
district. Such school districts were given authority, in addition
to levying the special school tax, to build school houses, employ
competent instructors and to put the schools under professional
superintendents who were held responsible for their good conduct
and advancement. In 1876 only two districts in the state had taken
advantage of this law and assumed control of their schools, but
in 1906 their were 389 independent districts and 2217 common
school districts levying local taxes. These results were obtained
largely through assistance given by the Peabody fund, by the
aid of which also the Sam Houston State Normal School was
established. Houston was practically the first city to take charge of its
public schools. At a public meeting, held March 1, 1870, after
some discussion, a petition and bill, prepared by the School Com
mittee, were voted On and adopted, and it was determined to
submit a memorial to the voters of the city for signatures. If

174 History of Houston, Texas
this memorial were well indorsed, as it was believed it would be,
it was hoped that when the legislature convened Houston would
have the management of her public educational institutions
placed in her own hands.
The committee having the matter in hand, were surprised
to meet with the strongest opposition when they circulated the
petition for signatures. This opposition came from several
sources. The opposition used the old argument that a public
school must necessarily be a charity school. This idea being dis
pelled they claimed that such institutions were undesirable because
of the mixed social conditions they would bring about. Such argu
ments -as these were easily refuted but there were others not so
easily overcome.
At that time strong sectional and political feeling existed.
Not only the people who opposed the schools but the politicians,
who cared little or nothing about the schools themselves, as
schools, but who saw in their proposed establishment a powerful
political weapon, attacked the idea vigorously. These gentlemen
argued that books, many of them of undesirable political com
plexion, would be forced on the public; that teachers, all chosen
from one political party, would conduct the schools for partisan
ends, and that a large part of the taxes levied would go for the
support of some hungry politician as superintendent. In reply
to these arguments it was pointed out that suitable books could
be selected by a convention of experienced and reputable edu
cators, and that a good board of school directors would select
teachers, not because of their political beliefs but because of their
qualifications as educators and their ability to teach. It was
shown that if a board of school directors so far forgot themselves
as to select ignoramuses or political hacks for teachers, such
directors could be easily kicked out and good men put in their
places. Those on both sides of the question were si nee v in the
position they took, and both were united on one thing, which
was a desire and determination to remove the schools and the
cause 'of education out of politics. The friends of the measure
believed that the only thing to do was to establish the schools.

Education and Free Schools ITS
Mistakes and blunders could be corrected as they were discovered.
If for any reason the system should fail, wholly or in part, then
the people, having had experience in such matters, would be in
position to put in operation a better system ; under a republican
form of government public education was imperative and no
obstacle should be placed in the way of any movement looking
to its establishment.
The petition received the indorsement of the people, was for
warded to Austin, and the authority was given Houston to
assume the management and control of her public schools. But
there was too much opposition to the plan and nothing practical
was accomplished. There were public schools here but they
were controlled and largely managed by the State Superintend
ent at Austin, who, it was claimed, furnished the local opposi
tion with a strong argument, by appointing his political friends
to the better positions.
The public schools of Houston thus remained in an unor
ganized condition until December 5, 1877, when by a vote of the
people, the city took charge of the schools. The schools were
thoroughly organized the following year. The first superintend
ent of the public schools of Houston was Professor H. H. Smith,
who served from 1877 to 1879, when he resigned to take charge
of the State Normal School at Huntsville. Professor E. N.
Clopper was elected superintendent, when Professor Smith
retired, and died while in office in 1880. The Board selected
Professor F. E. Burnet as Professor Clopper 's successor, but
difficulties arose and Professor Burnet resigned. He was followed
by Professor Foute, who served from 1882 until 1884 when he
was forced to resign on account of failing health, dying soon
after. Professor J. E. Dow then became superintendent, serv
ing from 1885 until 1887. Professor W. S. Sutton, a noted
educator, served from 1887 until 1902. In 1903, Professor P.
W. Horn was elected superintendent and has held the office
ever since.
There have been many chairmen of the school board since
the organization of the Houston schools, but perhaps the greatest
credit for the success of the schools belongs to the first chairman,

176 History of Houston, Texas
Captain E. W. Taylor, who served from 1876 to 1886, and who
was superintendent, pro tem, several times. Doctor Sears, agent
for the Peabody trustees, was largely instrumental in getting the
people of Houston to take charge of their public schools and
secured from that fund a yearly appropriation of $2,000 for
the schools. Mr. Charles E. Shearn, during his service as alder
man inaugurated the movement to build better school buildings
and in other ways further the cause of education.
The public schools opened October 1st, 1877, under the
present system and the following extract from the Houston Age,
of October 2, describes the occasion under the heading, "Open
ing of the Houston Public Schools." The Age says: "Yester
day morning might have been seen bright eyed little boys and
girls, satchels and baskets in hand, wending their way through
every portion of the city, seeking different routes to their respec
tively assigned schools. At an early hour an Age reporter sought
Professor Smith, and with him made the rounds. There are four
teen public schools in different parts of the city, which, adapted to
different wards, are necessarily situated some distance apart,
consequently want of time prevented us from visiting the entire
number. Eight, however, were visited and we found the teachers
of these highly elated with their most promising beginning, and
speaking in the most flattering terms of their newly formed
young acquaintances.
' ' We can candidly say that, despite all that has been urged
to the contrary, we have never witnessed a more refined and
intelligent-looking class of pupils than we found yesterday in
our public schools.
"The schools are patronized by our best and most prominent
citizens and are conducted by some of the most intelligent ladies
in Houston. In short, the public schools of Houston are pervaded
throughout with a spirit of refinement seldom found in institu
tions of a like character.
"In our most pleasant journey with Professor Smith, we
found that gentleman fully alive to the onerous labors attending
his highly responsible position. *****
"Our first visit was paid to the white school of the Third

Education and Free Schools 177
ward, where we found Miss' C. G. Forshey, who as principal,
was assisted by Mrs. M. T. Reddish. They were busily engaged
in assigning the many pupils to the various grades and classes.
Miss Forshey was much pleased with her school. She had under
her charge fifty girls and fifty boys, ranging from the first to the
sixth grades. In cleanliness, good appearance and polite deport
ment Miss Forshey 's school would be hard to surpass. We
may here mention that the pupils are graded according to their
mathematical proficiency, the first grades being most primary.
"After leaving the Third we visited the Fourth ward, in
which, confining ourselves to this side of the bayou, we found five
public schools. The first on our way was that conducted by Mrs.
Z. M. Noble, as principal, assisted by Miss Becky Hillyard. In this
Noble, as* principal, assisted by Miss Becky Hillyard. ' In this
school were 63 pupils, 39 in the second grade and 24 in the first
grade. This school house is beautifully situated on Dallas Street,
with a large play-ground and other modern school conveniences.
The pupils are bright, intelligent children who gave marked
attention to the preliminary instruction of Professor Smith,
who greeted all the teachers and pupils with encouraging
speeches. "The school of Mrs. M. H. Wynne, in the same ward, num
bered 21 pupils, all in the sixth grade and taught by Mrs. Wynne
herself. This is the only school confined to one grade and that
an advanced one. Here Professor Smith made an examination
which reflected great credit on Mrs. Wynne.
"Mrs. Kate de Pelchin, also in the Fourth ward, has under
her efficient charge 13 boys and 18 girls, in the fourth and fifth
grades. ' ' In the Second ward, near the Union Depot, is situated the
school for that district. It is under the able supervision of
Miss Annie Jones, assisted by Mrs. W. M. Roper. These ladies
have a new building for their school which has 50 in the first
grade and 24 in the second.
"In the same neighborhood is the colored school for the
Second ward. There are 72 pupils in this school, ranging from the

178 History of Houston, Texas
first to the fourth grade. Mrs. C. E. Johnson is principal. She
is assisted by Mrs. J. T. MeGee.
"The Third ward colored school is taught by Mrs. L. C.
Fisher and H. Dibble, both colored, the former acting as princi
pal and the latter as assistant. They have 89 pupils ranging
from the first to the fourth grades.
' ' Gregory Institute is the colored school for the Fourth ward,
the largest school in the city. H. C. Hardy, principal ; A. Osborn
and Miss Brinkley, assistants; all colored. The pupils number
170, ranging from the first to the seventh grades."
No details of the teachers or enrollment for the other schools
were given by the Age, but at a meeting of the teachers and
school officials, held October the 13th, Professor Smith made the
following report :
"First ward — whites attending, 78; Second ward, 110;
Third ward, 118 ; Fourth ward, 146 ; Fourth ward south of the
bayou — 195, making the total of white pupils 617. The number
last Saturday was a total of 512, thus showing an increase of
more than 100 during the week. The total number o': pupils
attending the colored schools is 618, an increase of one over the
whites. This makes the grand total 1,235 attending our public
schools, increasing the number nearly 300 since the opening."
At that meeting Superintendent Smith expressed himself
as greatly pleased with such results and expressed confidence in
the successful future of the great work that had been placed in
his hands. At that meeting the Board of School Trustees issued
the following notice :
"Editors of the Age: — The public schools of Houston are
now in operation and working in a satisfactory manner, and the
Board of Trustees report with pleasure that the number of
pupils is daily increasing.
' ' In view of the fact that there is a large number of children'
in attendance who are under eight years of age and over fourteen
years, the trustees would call the attention of parents and guard
ians to section 7 of an ordinance to establish and provide for
public schools in Houston, which reads as follows: 'All chil
dren between the ages of eight and fourteen years, living in the

Education and Free Schools 179
city, shall be entitled to the benefits of the available school fund
of the city under this ordinance, without regard to race or color.
No child shall be admitted to the public schools of the city who
does not reside in the city, and white and colored children shall,
in all cases, be taught in separate schools. ' signed, E. W. Taylor,
B. C. Simpson, R. Cotter, Board of Trustees,"
The public schools having been successfully inaugurated,
and the people having perfect confidence in the gentlemen who
had control of them, all opposition ceased and since then the
course of the schools has ever been upward. Many changes have
been made and improvements introduced, but the fundamental
basis of the system is today the same as that adopted in 1877.
The growth of the schools has kept pace with the growth df the
city of Houston. In 1877 the schools opened with an attendance
of 1,235. During the first week of the session 1885-86, there
was an enrollment of 1,725, and this enrollment had gre. Mn to
3,604 in 1891. The following facts, taken from an address made
by Prof. P. W. Horn, superintendent of the Houston Schools,
shows how phenomenal had been the growth of the scholastic
population of Houston and of the schools under his charge up to
the close of 1909 :
"The city schools furnish perhaps the best means of indi
cating the real growth of the city. While the United States
Government takes a census of all the people every ten years, the
state of Texas counts her school children every year. In this
way the school census, most of the time, furnishes later informa
tion than the government census. For instance the government
census of 1900 made Houston the second city in the state, the
school census of 1909 indicated that Houston was the first city
in the state, though she was surpassed a year later by San
Antonio, according to the government count. Houston had
17,115 children of the school age, while no other city in the stab
had as much as 17,000. If you would trace the growth of the
city it may be done by reference to the school census of different
years. For instance, in 1900 the school census was 8,492, or
less than half of what it was in 1909. This shows that our pop
ulation had more than doubled in nine years. In 1891, on the

180 History of Houston, Texas .
other hand, we had 6,330 children of school age. In eighteen
years the population had almost multiplied by 3. Back in 1881
there were 2,861 children of school age on the census roll. This
means that in 28 years to 1909 Houston's school population was
more than multiplied by six. In 1880 the government census
gave the total population of Houston as 16,664. In other words
there were in 1880 fewer people, of all ages in Houston than
there were school children in 1909. In 1881 there were actually
enrolled in school 1,010 white and 786 colored children, 1,796 in
all. In 1908 there were actually enrolled in school 10,631 chil
dren. There were in 1909 more children in the high school
building and the Fannin building together, than there were,
white and colored, in all the schools in Houston in 1881. In 1881
there were 19 white and 11 colored teachers — 30 in all — employed
in the city schools. In 1909 there were more than 30 employed
in the high school alone. The session of that year employed 202
white and 62 colored teachers, 264 in all. The next session de
manded the services of approximately 300 teachers. Of the
teachers employed in 1881, only one, Professor G. Duvernoy,
remained with the faculty in 1909.
"In 1881 the entire expenditure of the city school system
for maintenance was $15,369.24. In 1909 it amounted to $231,-
636.56. In 1881 the average salary of teachers was $43.53 a
month. In 1909 it approximated $65. In 1881, there were 7
school buildings for whites and 5 for colored children. In 1909
there were 16 for whites and 10 for colored children. The
average number of rooms to the building had greatly increased
also. In 1903-04 there were 8,811 children enrolled; in the
session of 1908-09, there were 1-0,651. The actual increase in
enrollment was 1,840. In 1903-04, there were 147 white and 53
colored teachers employed, making 200 in all. The 266 teachers
of 1908 showed a growth of the teaching force of nearly one-
third. In the matter of school buildings there was even a great
er degree of progress within the five years ending 1909. Within
that period the city had erected 5 new brick bui'dings, for
white children — the Allen, Reagan, Lubbock, Lamar and Travis
school buildings — and 3 substantial frame buildings for colored

Education and Free Schools 181
children — those of the Douglass, Luckie and Dunbar schools.
It gave in the same period, additional rooms at the Jones, Dow,
Taylor, Hawthorne, Austin and Longfellow schools for white,
and at the Gregory school for colored children. At the end of
the period there was in course of erection an annex to the high
school building that would add 30 per cent to its capacity. The
high school annex was completed in 1910 and the additional
enrollment for that year was about 1,200 pupils.
"Without entering upon the discussion of a political ques
tion, it is but justice to call attention to the dates given in the
foregoing, which show that all these great improvements have
been made since the adoption of the commission form of gov
ernment. For some years previous to the adoption of that form
of government, the schools had received only perfunctory atten
tion; had, in a measure, been permitted to languish, and but
little or no advance had been made. So soon as the commission
form was adopted, the schools were given that intelligent atten
tion their great importance demanded and wonderful changes
were wrought. In carrying out their liberal and progressive
policy towards the schools, the commissioners have frequently
had to discount the future and anticipate the growth of the city.
This has not always met with the approval and indorsement of
even some of the best friends of the schools, but results have
shown the wisdom of the city fathers. A notable example of this
was when the Fannin school was located on its -present site. It
was considered to be away out in the suburbs and some of the
best citizens asked the school board why they did not locate the
school in Galveston at once and be done with it. The school
was located as originally planned, however, and by 1909, it was
one of the most crowded schools in the city. The Allen school
now divides the district which the Fannin at first had to serve,
and there is a growing demand for a third school in the same
district. In 1896 there were only six rooms in the Sidney Sher
man school in the Fifth ward. In 1909 there was a 12-room build
ing and another 12-room building and an 8-room building in
the same old district.
"The opposition spoken of did not spring from enmity to

182 History of Houston, Texas
the schools or to those in charge of them, but was due entirely to
a failure on the part of a large number of the most intelligent
citizens, to realize the phenomenal growth and expansion of
Houston. They desired to be conservative, that was all. As
already noted they objected to the Fannin school, but that objec-
1 ion was as peaceful acquiescence compared to the storm of indig
nation that broke out when the present high school was erected.
The school board was accused of stupendous extravagance in
erecting a high school building larger than the city would need
in a hundred years. In fourteen years the building was not only
full, but an annex had to be added increasing its capacity one-
third, despite which, it is now painfully crowded An idea of the
rapid growth of the school population of Houston may be
formed from the statement that the schools opened with 1,300
pupils more in 1908-9 than on the opening day of the previous
session. This indicates that the later growth is the larger
growth in the city schools.
' ' All that has been said in the foregoing refers solely to what
may be termed the material side of the schools. The real value
of an educational system cannot be shown by an array of figures
nor estimated by the outlay of dollars and cents. There is a
higher and better standard of measurement — the intellectual
and practical development of the system. In this regard the
people of Houston have every reason to take pride in their
schools, for it has been the constant aim of those schools to
minister more and more largely to the practical necessities as
well as to the intellectual development of the pupils who attend
them. It is aimed to give to each boy and girl that which will
best fit him or her to meet the actual duties of practical life.
With this end in view manual training and domestic science have
been installed in the schools. The boys are taught to use their
hands, for most of them will have to use their hands when it
comes to a question of earning a living, and all of them will
have to use their hands to some extent. The boys are taught
practical work in regular work shops. Wood work, carpentry,
blacksmith and machine work; in fact everything that will tend
to make them practical workers when the time comes for them

Education and Free Schools 183
to face the serious problems of life. The girls are taught domes-
tie science. The teaching is not theoretical but intensely prac
tical. Classes of girls are actually at work learning not only
the value of food, but how to prepare and cook it. Sewing is
also taught and thus the girls turned out by the Houston schools
are more thoroughly equipped for life's duties. The business
course at the high school is another feature of great practical
value. It affords boys and girls an opportunity to obtain
a knowledge of bookkeeping, stenography and typewriting. Many
who have taken that course are holding responsible positions and
filling them well. The night school is another valuable feature
of the Houston schools. This, too, is a development of recent
j ears. Every pupil enrolled has to furnish ev'denc".' that lie is
employed in the daytime. No pupil' under cw/lve years of age is
admitted. Many pupils over schoolage have been admitted, some
grown men in business. Most of the latter are foreigners anxious
to learn the English language. Young women, employed in the
daytime, have been taught to cook and sew. Young men, at
work in shops in the daytime, have been taught mechanical
drawing and other technical things essential to their progress
as artisans. Many boys and girls employed in stores come at
night for education that will add to their efficiency as workers.
"At the Rusk school in the Second ward, particular effort
is made to adopt the work to special needs. At this school there
is manual training work, domestic science work and kindergarten
work. There is a special room for exceptional and subnormal
pupils, one of the few in the Southern States.
"In 1909 there were four kindergartens connected with the
Houston public school system ; one each at the following schools :
Allen, Rusk, Reagan and Travis. The expense of maintaining
these kindergarten schools is borne by organizations outside the
regular schools.
"The organization of 'a mothers' club' for active work at
each school has been of inestimable assistance and benefit. Most
of these clubs have been in existence only since 1907 and in 1908
and 1909, they expended in money, $21,548.18, besides the great

184 History of Houston, Texas
amount of personal attention and work given by the members.
These sums and efforts increase in amounts each year."
The Mothers Clubs and the Art League have aided the pro
gressive scientific movements in the Houston schools. Hygenic
lunches, at all the schools, trained nurses at some of them, the
examination of the eyes of all the children by the school oculist
Dr. W. W. Ralston and medical lectures by specialists and
physicians, all of these things have marked the distinctive pro
gressive spirit of the Houston schools under Superintendent
Horn, the ablest public school educator in the state, who com
bines scholarship with rare executive and practical ability.
The teachers and principals of the schools are still miserably
underpaid and that fact constitutes the shame of the city in con
nection with its public schools. That so capable a corps of edu
cators can be recruited for so ridiculously small a remuneration as
is paid them, is one of the civic mysteries. Visitors and committees
from many cities are wont to come to Houston to study the
advanced methods and equipment of the public schools here.
Professor P. W. Horn, superintendent of Houston's public
schools, thus summarizes the history of the schools for the decade
ending October 1, 1911 :
"Ten years ago Houston had just heard the returns from the
federal census and was proud to know that her population was
given as 44,633. Now she has just learned that the census gives
her 78,800 people, and she is disappointed even at that figure.
"At that time the streets of Houston were practically all
unpaved and the highest business buildings were only a few
stories high. Now she has miles of paving of various kinds, wdth
numbers of office buildings from 10 to 16 stories high.
' ' The schools have grown as much in the ten years as has the
city itself. At that time the scholastic census said that there
were 8,492 children of school age. Now the census says that we
have 19,112. It is a fact that the former census was based on
the ages from 8 to 17 and that the present census has added a
year and counts children from 7 to 17. The addition of this year
accounts for the fact that the school census has grown so much
more rapidly than the federal census indicates.

Education and Free Schools . 185
"Ten years ago there were actually in school 7,253 children.
Last year there were 12,868.
"Ten years ago we had 16 school buildings, with 107 school
rooms. Last year we had 26 school buildings and 299 school
rooms. "Ten years ago we had 147 teachers. Now we have 325.
' ' The enrollment in the high school has increased even more
rapidly than that in the school systems as a whole. Ten years
ago there were 544 pupils enrolled in the white high school build
ing. Last year there were 1,018. While the schools as a whole
have increased 77 per cent, the pupils in the high school have
increased 87 per cent.
' ' Ten years ago the total value of all the school property of
the city was $430,250. Last year it was $1,000,000.
' ' Ten years ago, of the ten buildings for white children, five
were brick and five were frame. Of the six buildings for colored
pupils, one was brick and five were frame.
"Probably the most striking of the things that have been
added to the schools during the past ten years are the subjects
of manual training and domestic science. These departments
are the growth of the last five years and are probably among the
most popular features of the schools.
"In the domestic science department work of similar practi
cal value is done for girls. They are taught to cook and to
sew. Their cooking is not confined to desserts, or to fancy dishes
but includes those things which the average girl is likely to
need to know how to cook in the home of her parents, or in her
own. The sewing which the girls learn is the kind which they
will need in their actual every-day lives.
' ' Ten years ago there was little or no special attention given
to the physical development or welfare of the school children.
Now we have a physical director who looks after the physical
development of all the school children, and also a woman who
gives all of her time to the physical development of the girls of
the high school. Not only is there formal gymnastic training in
the gymnasium of the high school, and in the outdoor gymnasi-

186 History of Houston, Texas
ums at a number of the ward schools, but there are schedules
of games and of contests between the various schools.
' ' Ten years ago all the children in the schools were using the
community drinking cups. Now in most of the buildings, hygi
enic drinking fountains have been installed so that the children
drink without touching their lips to a vessel of any kind, and
thus avoid one fruitful source of the transmission of germs of
contageous diseases.
' ' Even up to three years ago there was no medical inspection
for the school children. If a teacher thought that a child had
measles or smallpox, or that his eyes looked as if they might be
contagiously sore, she acted on her own judgment and sent the
pupil home. Now we have a paid medical inspector who examines
all of the children once a year, and examines special cases at any
time they may be sent to him. He excludes from school, chil
dren whose physical condition is such that their presence in the
room might endanger the health of the other children. There
is also a school nurse who goes into the homes of the people
when it may be necessary and assists with her advice, seeing to
it that the suggestions of the doctor are carried out. This work
has done a great deal. Not only for the welfare of the children
who were directly affected, but also for the others, by keeping
them from the danger of contagion.
"In most of our buildings today there are rest rooms, or
emergency hospital rooms fitted up for use by teacher or pupil in
case of sickness or accident. Many of them are of such nature that
they would be a credit even in a modern hospital.
"Ten years ago it is probable that there was not a piano in
any one of the public school buildings of Houston. Now there
is at least one in every school building for white children. Some
buildings have two or three pianos. A number of the colored
schools possess pianos. The influence of the piano in giving
instruction to the pupils and in the mere matter of coming into
and out of the building is greater than one would at first suppose.
' ' At several of the school buildings now there are also graph-
ophones, with records of classical music for the benefit of the
children. At a number of these same buildings there are stere-

Education and Free Schools 187
opticons and stereoscopes with views to be used in illustrating
the work in history and geography. The stereopticon is one of
the strong factors in the work of a good modern school. In
many instances the stereopticon, the phonograph and the piano
have not cost the board anything, but were purchased by the
Mothers' Club at the building.
"This brings us to one of the most vital of all the improve
ments made in the past ten years, namely, the Mothers' Clubs.
Ten years ago there were ho mothers' clubs in our schools. Now
there is one at every building for white children and at several
of the buildings for colored children. During the past five years
these clubs have raised and have expended for the schools the sum
of $38,070.67. This has, for the most part, been expended for
things the board could not at the time have secured.
"However, this sum of money gives only a faint idea of the
real greatness of the work of the Mothers' Club.
"Ten years ago there were no night schools connected with
our city system. During last year there were such schools with an
enrollment of 524 boys and girls, men and women. There is no
age limit in the night schools. In some instances men of 40 to
50 years of age attend. The schools are intended for people who
must work during the daytime, but who still are desirous of
obtaining more education. An effort is made to teach the simplest
and most practical things, which the students will put to the great
est use in actual life. For instance, there are classes in reading,
writing, arithmetic and spelling. There are also classes in cabinet
making, mechanical drawing and forging for the boys. There
are classes in cooking and sewing for the girls. There are classes
in bookkeeping, in typewriting and in stenography. There are
special classes for foreigners who desire to learn to speak and
read and write the English language. These classes are held
three nights in the week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
They are making it possible for the man or woman past school
age, or for the child of school age who must help support the
family, to obtain the education, that will be of the greatest prac
tical use.
' ' In recent years also there has been a marked movement in

188 History of Houston, Texas
favor of the socialization of our school buildings and the widest
possible use of our school plants. The present idea is that the
schools are for the education not of the children alone, but of
the community as a whole. Organizations that have for their
object the betterment of the community are welcomed to the
use of the building. Improvement clubs hold meetings and lec
tures are given in the school building. The health of the com
munity is considered and lectures on matters of hygiene are
given from time to time.
"There has also been a distinct change in the standards of
school buildings to be erected. Years ago, the city stopped put-
ing up frame buildings for the white school children. During
the past year it has been definitely adopted as a policy that no
school buildings will in the future be erected that are not fire
proof. It was also decided that all school buildings to be erected
in the future should be constructed along the most modern ideas
as to heating, lighting and ventilation; should have auditoriums
and should be so constructed as to be capable of the widest possi
ble use by the community.
' ' The first of these new buildings to be built will doubtless be
the one to take the place of the old Rusk school, which burned
last year. The plans that have been drawn for this building are
such as to mark a new epoch in the history of school house con
struction in Texas. When the proceeds of the bond issue of
$500,000 voted by the people last May, shall become available,
all of the wooden buildings for white school children in the city
will be torn down and will be replaced with modern buildings of
the kind indicated above. This will mark the last of the old
regime, so far as school buildings in Houston are concerned.
' ' The handling of the financial details of the schools has also
been revolutionized in recent years. They are now in the hands
of the business representatives of the school board. He looks
after such matters as the purchase of supplies, the making of
repairs, the keeping of accounts. By giving all his time to the
work, he is able, with the help of an assistant, to keep matters
in systematic order. He can tell at a moment's notice how much
has been spent for a given purpose up to a given time and how

Education and Free Schools 189
much of the year's appropriation for that purpose remains
unspent. "It may be interesting in conclusion to speculate as to the
progress of the next ten years. If the same ratio of increase
is kept up, which prevailed during the past ten years, Houston
will have a population of 138,688, without making any allowance
for territorial expansions. There will be 22,776 pupils enrolled
in the schools, which is 10,000 more than we have today. There
will be 42 school buildings instead of 26. There will be 2,083
pupils in the white high school alone."
TABLE OF COMPARATIVE FIGURES. 1900-01— 1910-11
Total population, census 1900  44,633 78,800
Children in scholastic census  8,492 19,112
Children enrolled in city schools  7,253 12,868
Number of school buildings  16 26
Number of school rooms  107 299
Number of teachers  147 325
Pupils in white high school  544 1,018
Value of all school property  $430,250 $1,000,000
In addition to its splendid public schools Houston has a
number of denominational and private schools. The Academy
of the Sacred Heart and St. Agnes Academy, both owned and
controlled by the Catholics are high-grade preparatory schools
and have been mentioned elsewhere in this volume. The Barnett
school is a first-class academy for boys, and the Misses Waldo
have built up in Westmoreland a select school for girls that is
in high repute. There are other private schools of repute and
the Y. M. C. A. teaches night classes in many subjects that are
giving valuable training to those unable or unqualified to attend
the public schools. Two business colleges, Draughan's and
Massey 's colleges do a flourishing business and there is a dental
school that gives special training in dental surgery and confers
the degree of D. D. S., on its graduates.
At the several hospitals and the bacteriological department
of the city hall laboratory work and studies in microscopy are

190 History of Houston, Texas
carried on. Nothing more is attempted in this work in regard to
the private schools than to mention several of the more prominent
of them. The greatest educational enterprise in Houston, the
Rice Institute is unique in history and character and will be
treated in a separate chapter.
The district schools of Harris County were organized in
1884 under the jurisdiction and management of the county judge
and commissioners court, composed of Hon. E. P. Hamblen,
Frank S. Burke, Robert Blalock, H. C. Throckmorton and George
Ellis. The county was divided into 30 school districts which
number has been increased to 52.
L. F. Smith was the first superintendent. Henry B. Cline
and B. L. James also served prior to the election of Professor L.
L. Pugh, who has served for the past nine years, and under his
jurisdiction the county schools have reached their present high
plane as indicated by the following statistics taken from his
annual report of August 3, 1911 :
There were then 161 teachers employed, 10 male and 151
female, and the scholastic population was 6,177. There were
82 school buildings for white schools and 31 for colored, of which
18 were brick and 95 frame, with a total valuation of $262,000.
The amount paid to teachers was $60,530. W. G. Smiley, J. S.
Deady, R. L. Robinson, Dr. L. C. Hanna and Dr. E. E. Grant
compose the present Harris County Board of Education.

CHAPTER XII
The Rice Institute

Houston's Inheritance Through a Tragedy. The Story of a
Famous Crime. A Princely Gift. A Biography of William
M. Rice. The Initial Donation. A Continuating Benevo
lence. The Monument to the Childless Man. William M.
Rice as Philanthropist and Business Man. Dr. Edgar Odell
Lovett elected President of the Institute. Laying the Corner
Stone. The City's Dominant Institution.

Inheriting through a tragedy, on Sunday evening, September
23, 1900, at 7 :30 o 'clock, the people of the city of Houston became
the legal heir of a kind, old man, and as the beneficiaries of his
bounty became rightfully entitled to about $4,000,000 which had
been set aside for educational purposes, to be administered by
trustees in behalf of Houston's white citizens and their children.
The donor, dying at that hour at the hand of his trusted
body servant, was truly the victim of his generosity to the
people of Houston and sealed his gift with his own blood, for the
knowledge that the gift had been made, led, according to
testimony credited by the highest courts, to one of the most
gigantic conspiracies in modern criminology's annals, having as
its purpose the spoliation of the city of its inheritance and of the
aged man of his life.
The life of the giver was lost, and that the gift was not lost
to its beneficiaries was due to one of those strange chapters of
coincidences that form the romance of the history of crime and
appal the stoutest hearts with the conviction that there is some
strange mechanism of fate, providence or chance that uncovers
the skillfully concealed traces of felony and by the seeming acci
dent of insignificant detail exposes one of the joined links of the

192 History of Houston, Texas
chain of crime by which its whole buried length is dragged out to
the garish light of day.
The omission of a single letter in a proper name written on
a check, cost the owner of that name a fortune of millions,
branded him as a murderer, and incarcerated him under sentence
of death in a grim New York penitentiary. Because the letter
"1" was left out of the given name of Albert T. Patrick, a sus
picion was aroused that developed into a legal certainty and put
the owner of that name behind the bars, under sentence for mur
der, and, as a corollary, permitted Houston to inherit a school
endowment whose assets are now nearly ten million dollars.
The man who died under a chloroform soaked sponge, held
in a towel cone over his sleeping face, was William M. Rice, and
he was 84 years old when he was murdered in his bed at the
Berkshire apartments at 500 Madison Avenue, New York City
by his only companion, his valet, Charles Jones. While the aged
man was dying two old ladies, his friends, were ringing the bell
at the door of his apartments where they had come with gifts of
cake and wine for their sick friend. Inside the ante-room the
murderer crouched, uncertain in his own mind whether it was
the door bell that was clamoring or whether it was the loud
alarm of his frightened conscience that called him to remove
the death dealing cone from the face of his dying master.
It is not the purpose to tell here the story of that crime.
Its details make it one of the causes celebre of criminal history.
With the possible exception of the Thaw case the crime has
attracted more publicity and been given more newspaper space
than any other that ever happened in America where the victim
was only a private citizen. The valet, Jones, who actually com
mitted the act of murder according to his own tale, was allowed
to go free of justice, and the lawyer, Albert T. Patrick, accused
of planning it, after a sensational trial and a brilliant defense
conducted before the higher courts by himself, was convicted of
murder and is today a life prisoner at Sing-Sing, the death
penalty having been commuted by executive clemency. There
is hardly a detail of that trial that is not in dispute, but the
jury that convicted and the courts that affirmed accepted the
following as true facts :

The Bice Institute 193
That Patrick was personally unknown to W. M. Rice, and
that he was hated by the latter because of hostile litigation in
which Patrick had been engaged.
That Patrick met and corrupted Jones, and through Jones
learned of the habits of the old man, of his few friends, of his
break with his relatives, and of the fact that he had by a will
of 1896 donated the bulk of his property to the William M. Rice
Institute of Houston, Texas.
That Patrick conspired with Jones to forge a will of later
date increasing the legacies to all the beneficiaries of the old will,
and leaving legacies to every person with a claim on the estate
but leaving the bulk of the fortune to Patrick instead of the
Houston Institute. The old will was to be left in existence to
prevent relatives trying to break the new one as all inherited
more largely under the bogus than the true will. Patrick was
made administrator of the will and forged a power of attorney,
bogus checks for sums in banks aggregating some $250,000, and
all papers necessary to enable him to enter into complete and
immediate possession of the fortune of •William M. Rice on the
death of the latter. All these papers together with a series of
letters from Rice to Patrick in which Patrick was made to appear
as a trusted legal counsellor, were in evidence to show motive for
the crime. Particularly damning in its effect was a letter purporting to
be from Rice to Patrick asking that the body of the writer be
cremated immediately on death and expressing a horror of
burial and embalming. This letter gave opportunity for immedi
ate disposition of the body.
On Sunday, September 16, 1900, the plant of the merchants
and Planters Oil Company at Houston was destroyed by fire.
W. M. Rice owned 75 per cent of the stock and letters came dur
ing the week asking that he furnish $250,000 to rebuild. This
would utilize the supply of ready cash in the banks and the
expressed intention of W. M. Rice to send all or a part of this
money on Monday, September 24, is believed to have forced his .
death on Sunday.
Following that death, and before announcing it, Patrick and

194 History of Houston, Texas
Jones took possession of all the papers of the dead man including
both wills, the alleged forgery bearing date of June 3, 1900. Some
of the checks were cashed and attempts to cash another caused
the discovery of the misspelled name. By chance, if chance it
be, this check was shown to Walter H. Wetherbee, a clerk in
Swensen's private bank and the man who was one of the witnesses
to the will of 1896. Wetherbee remembered that Patrick had
suggested to him, in tentative fashion at least, a proposition for
a bogus will, signed by the original witnesses, and at once sus
pected that W. M. Rice was dead. Jones, on being telephoned
to, said that the check, which was for $25,000, was all right, but
admitted that Mr. Rice was dead and that he had notified the
doctor and Mr. Patrick.
Telegrams from Houston, signed by Attorney James A.
Baker and Mr. F. A. Rice, a brother to the dead man, forced a
delay in the cremation of the body which Patrick then ordered
embalmed. Later an autopsy was held and a congested condition
of the lungs discovered such as would result from chloroform.
When Messrs. Baker and Rice arrived from Texas, Patrick
weakened gradually and finally, after offering to give the Rice
Institute $3,000,000 or $5,000,000 or any sum Mr. Baker might
name, rehnquished all control of the papers of William M. Rice
and agreed to the probate of the will of 1896. Later he was tried
and convicted of murder, on the corroborative circumstantial
evidence and the confession of Jones who swore Lhe crime was
instigated by Patrick.
Iu the American Magazine of May, 1907, Hon. Arthur Train,
then assistant district attorney of New York County, tells in
strikingly dramatic fashion the story of the discovery of the
links of circumstantial evidence and graphically presents the
case of the state in narrative form.
Patrick has constantly maintained his innocence and insists
that a thrice perjured, self-confessed murderer such as valet
Jones, is unworthy of any credence. The conviction of Patrick
and the setting aside as forgeries of the alleged will of June 30,
1900, giving the estate to Patrick, left the Rice estate to the people
of Houston.

The Bice Institute 195
The manner of the death of William M. Rice and the dra
matic litigation that followed it, have absorbed public attention
to the exclusion of the study of the character of the reserved,
quiet and solitary man whose generosity is to bear such rich
and abundant fruit.
William Marsh Rice, as the donor of a fund for the estab
lishment of an institute for the advancement of literature, science
and art, for a public library and a great polytechnic school, stands
without a rival as Houston's greatest philanthropist. The insti
tute now being built will take the form of a great university with
emphasis on the practical arts and sciences. The endowment
gifts of William Marsh Rice aggregate at present $9,450,000 at
cautious and conservative estimates made in September, 1911, by
the board of trustees. The great, distinctive school the endow
ment will create will be without alliance with or dependence on
either church or state.
The man who gave this princely gift in perpetuity to the
white citizens of Houston and their children, was one of the
earliest inhabitants of the city.
Family records would indicate that he came to Houston in
1838, when the city was little more than a year old. He was a
native of Springfield, Massachusetts, and was born in 1819, com
ing from Springfield to Texas as a young man with a load of
merchandise on a sailing vessel. He was defrauded of most of his
stock by a sharper on reaching Galveston and wrote to his father
about the occurrence. The father urged him to come home but the
young man proudly replied that he would never return until he
brought back with him more money than he took away.
In Houston he conducted a merchandise business on Main
Street near the site of the Houston Land and Trust Company's
office building. His first store was a tent. His early stock of
goods is said to have been largely brogan shoes and bandana
handkerchiefs. When he had built a little store he was accus
tomed to cook his own meals, work all day in the store and sleep
on the counter at night. Constantly he invested his earnings
and savings in Houston and Texas property.
When the Civil War broke out his sympathies were with the

196 History of Houston, Texas
North and he went to Mexico, remaining there until the conclu
sion of the struggle, when he returned to Houston where his
opinions were known and respected. After the war he became
a director and the financial agent of the H. & T. C. Railroad,
with headquarters in New York City for convenience in making
purchases. Thereafter his home was in the North but it was his
habit to come to Houston every year and spend the winter
months here. He was always deeply inferos! ud in Houston affairs
and invested in its enterprises, being one of the stockholders in
the first electric light company ever formed here, but he did not
like to hold corporate offices of any kind. Those living who kne^v
him, knew him as young men know old men. They describe him
as a man very quiet, dignified and reserved, chary of speech but
stimulating deep interest by the remarks he made, a close student
of men whom he sometimes embarrassed by his pointed scrutiny,
but making few friends and few acquaintances.
In manner he was cold, icy, unapproachable, but the few
men to whom he gave his friendship discovered that he would
go his full length in their behalf and that there was no exhaust
ing his friendship. One of these friends was Sam Houston. On
the occasion of a political campaign in which Houston was inter
ested he was shown the list of subscribers and said : ' ' Billy Rice 's
name ought to be here. ' '
"General, he will not give anything."
' ' Oh, yes he will ; he will give $100. ' ' General Houston then
went to see his friend, finding him in the store. The conversation
was very stately : ' ' Good morning, William, good morning ; are
-you very busy this morning?"
' ' Well, General, we always find something to do, always find
something to do."
"William, we are going to have a very interesting campaign
this fall and we shall need some money."
"Well, General, you know business has been very dull, and
collections have been very bad, quite bad, General. ' '
"Yes, William, but I have put you down on the list for
$100." ' ' Well, General, I could not possibly pay any more than that,

The Bice Institute 197
certainly not any more than that ; but, General, if you feel you
need that much I shall have to spare it to you. ' '
Owing to Houston's friendship Mr. Rice is said to have
secured a contract to carry the mails between Houston and
Austin, which mail route was one of his early enterprises.
So unapproachable was the manner of Wm. M. Rice that men
were often afraid to solicit contributions from him. On one
occasion a carpet was needed for a church and the committee
asked him for a contribution to help buy the carpet. He refused
to help, but after the committee had gone, sent a clerk, had the
church measured and as his own gift sent a beautiful carpet
and one more costly than they had hoped to buy.
The first intimation of an intention to give Houston a library
and school was made in similar fashion. In 1890 Houston was
in great need of school facilities. Some of the citizens conceived
the plan of securing subscriptions to aggregate $100,000 to build
a high school.
Mr. E. Raphael, then a member of the city school board, who
had known Mr. Rice since 1868, approached him for a subscrip
tion. He told him the Houston Academy was falling down, that
the city had no money and that a school was needed. In a man
ner almost curt Mr. Rice said abruptly .- "I will not give a cent.
It is the city's business to build its schools, not that of private
individuals. But I am going to establish an educational institute
to be built after my death. I will give my note for $200,000 to
start it and I want you to be one of the trustees. ' ' This bolt from
the blue was the first intimation to anyone that Mr- Ri°e had
any such idea. He asked Mr. Raphael to notify other trustees.
They were not selected all at once but one name at a time with
an interval of perhaps a week or a month between each selection.
The original board of trustees was William M. Rice of New York
City, and F. A. Rice, James A. Baker, Jr., E. Raphael, C. Lom-
bardi, J. E. McAshan and A. S. Richardson, all of Houston.
Of this number William M. Rice, F. A. Rice and A. S.
Richardson are dead and have been succeeded by William M. Rice,
Jr., B. B. Rice, and Dr. E. O. Lovett.
The initial gift of $200,000 was made in the form of a note,

198 History of Houston, Texas
dated May 13, 1891, bearing interest at the rate of 2% per cent
annually, and payable at the death of the donor. This was
given to the trustees who were selected for life and given power
to elect members to fill vacancies as they might occur. These
trustees were given plenary power over the fund with such addi
tions as might be made to it, with instructions to do nothing
except care for the money so long as Mr. Rice himself might be
alive. He was himself one of the trustees and his dictum as to an
investment of the fund or disposition of it in a business way was
conclusive. It became the habit of Mr. Rice to make some additional
donation to this endowment fund each year. In 1892 he gave
10,000 acres of agricultural land in Jones County, and the fol
lowing year he gave 50,000 acres of pine timber lands in Louisi
ana. The timber rights on these pine lands were sold by the
trustees in 1911 for a sum aggregating over $4,000,000, while
the title to the land itself was retained.
In 1894, Mr. Rice deeded to the fund the Rice Hotel property
and a tract of land on Louisiana Street of about 12 acres, known
as the Rice Institute tract. At that time both the donor and the
trustees expected that the buildings of the institute would be
erected on this tract of land. Other gifts followed, so that at
the time of his death property then estimated in value at
$1,500,000, had been donated to the institute.
By bequest of his true will the institute was named as resid
uary legatee of his entire fortune although bequests to his rela
tives and others aggregated several hundred thousand dollars.
The property going to his estate at his death was variously estim
ated at from $3,000,000 to $4,000,000. This endowment, accord
ing to the estimate made by the trustees in the fall of 1911, is
now worth $9,450,000. These figures are regarded as being very
conservative. To Mr. Raphael and to other members of the trustees and
to relatives, Mr. Rice several times remarked that he had made
his fortune in Houston and that he wanted to leave the institution
as a monument, the endowment to go on for all time to come as a
perpetual supply fund for its needs. At one time he thought

The Bice Institute 199
of making the gift to Dunellen, New Jersey, where he owned a
home, but patriotism and memories of the early days in Houston,
the days of hardship and struggle, the days of his youth and
his ambition and his hope, fixed his choice on the town to which
he had come as a pioneer in almost the first year of its existence.
When the announcement was first made in Houston that the
institute was to be given, the citizens were enthusiastic in their
praise. J. S. Rice, a nephew, then a young man, said: "Uncle
William, the people are saying lots of nice things about you and
your gift. ' ' The old man hesitated, then said : "Jo, your father
has a monument in his boys. I have no children." It was the
warm yearning in the heart of the childless man that men called
cold, to be remembered in his home town, and the children of
his fellow citizens will, for countless generations, perchance,
drink at the fountain of learning that the childless man left
as a monument.
William M. Rice was not himself a well educated man, but
he was profoundly imbued with a sense of education's value
and desired that the children of the brave pioneer generation
should not lack the best and most effective sort of education.
He had very decided ideas as to what constituted an educa
tion and wanted those things taught most that would not leave
the graduate with a feeling of being helpless and stranded with
no trade, occupation or craft. He believed in educating the
hand as much as the head and wanted the students at the school
he gave to be in position to exploit the resources of their state,
and to stand at the head of its crafts as well as professions, to
be able to get, with capable, trained hands and heads, the treasures
from mines, forests and prairies, and hence the polytechnic fea
ture of the school will always be emphasized in accordance with
the wish of its founder, although its scope has already grown
beyond the fondest dreams of the founder, and its character and
work will give it full university rank among the educational
institutions of America.
So the heart of William M. Rice remained in Houston until
his death, yes and will remain here in active benevolence for as

200 History of Houston, Texas
long as one may dare to look into the future or to prophesy as to
its happenings. Among other gifts to the institute was an art collection, now
insured for $50,000, which was made by Mr. Rice and by friends
at his instance. Art, it will be noted, was one of the things that
was to be " advanced ' ' by the institute. The pictures in the col
lection are well chosen and some of them are of rare artistic
merit. William M. Rice had an eye for the beautiful, and the
charter, that sets out the scope of the institution on which he
collaborated when it was drawn up, mentions Art together with
Literature and Science as one of the things in which education is
to be given.
To the personal characteristics of William M. Rice, that have
been noted should be added the fact that he enjoyed exception
ally good health, was a student of hygenics, advocated open air
exercises and a careful diet, drank nothing alcoholic and
abstained even from tea and coffee, as well as from all greasy foods.
He lived largely on cereals and fruit, ate very little meat and did
not use tobacco in any form. He was a close trader and did not
take undue advantage but made close contracts in good faith, was
scrupulous to live up to them, and rigidly demanded that others
do the same. Mr. Rice was regarded as a hard man but Mr.
Arthur B. Cohn, who was his secretary for many years, and has
been the business manager of the Rice Institute since Mr. Rice's
death, says that Mr. Rice gave much to poor people where it was
found they merited it, and that he never refused to furnish the
amount necessary to erect independent school houses in the
county, and that he often helped young men of ambition to secure
an education. He detested notoriety in ¦ connection with any
charity and absolute secrecy was enjoined on his secretary and on
the recipients of all his gifts. He was not a society man, and
only in business developed any sociability. He was not a church
member but was a subscriber to the Christ Church and to other
congregations. The story of his early business life is one of
struggle during which he occupied humble positions. He never
squandered money and never sold property that came into his
possession, save under extraordinary circumstances. After he

The Bice Institute 201
made a business success he financed the H. E. & W. T. Railroad
and was one of its largest stockholders. He was one of the
organizers of the H. & T. C. stage line to Hempstead that pre
ceded the railroad. He was one of the original organizers of
the Townsite Development Company that built and developed
towns along the line of the H. & T. C. road between Houston and
Dallas. He financed various lumber mills and was one of the
first promoters of brick manufacturing in Houston. He was the
partner of H. B. Rice in the ownership of the Rice ranch of
9,500 acres about 6 to 9 miles west of Houston, today known as
Westmoreland Farms and Bellaire. He engaged in soap manu
facturing in Houston in the early 90 's. He was one of the main
stockholders and largely financed the Merchants and Planters
Oil Mill and was a heavy stockholder in Houston's early banks.
His estate is one of the largest individual stockholders in the
South Texas National Bank, this stock being om of the assets of
the institute. It is also a stockholder in the Houston Land and
Trust Company. In 1881 and 1882, Mr. Rice financed the build
ing o^ the Rice Hotel which he described as "a wild pig" of an
enterprise. Mr. Rice's early residence was located in the present
postoffice block.
Having once invested he never looked backward. If any
investment he made proved to be a loss, he never complained,
never even referred to the matter. He had great personal
courage and a high sense of honor and admired these traits
in other men. It was his courage that caused him to live alone
in New York with his valet, against the remonstrances of his
friends. During the latter years of his life the reticence and
self sufficiency of William Marsh Rice had caused, to some extent,
an estrangement with relatives, but it was an estrangement almost
without bitterness.
The first wife of W. M. Rice was Maggie Bremond, eldest
daughter of Paul Bremond and his second wife was Elizabeth
Baldwin of the famous family of first settlers. His brother,
F. A. Rice, married Charlotte Baldwin of the same family. W.
M. Rice had several sisters and other relatives in his birthplace
in Springfield, Massachusetts. One of these sisters, Mrs. McKee,
survived him, but died a few years ago.

202 History of Houston, Texas
The ashes of William M. Rice are in Houston in the vault of
the Institute in the Commercial Bank Building. They will be
transferred to a place of honor in the Administration Building
of the Institute when it is completed.
Portraits of William M. Rice and of Elizabeth Baldwin
Rice, painted by Boris Bernhardt Gordon, will also occupy places
of honor in the institute he founded.
In 1907, Edgar Odell Lovett, M.A., Ph.D., LL.D., a pro
fessor of astronomy at Princeton was chosen president of the
institute. Doctor Lovett, who is a noted scholar, toured the
world studying the educational institutions in all lands prepar
atory to making plans for the Rice Institute.
Work on the Administration Building and two laboratories
was begun in 1910. The site of the institute is on the Main
Street road about three miles from the city. The tract chosen
covers more than 300 acres and will be greatly beautified.
The corner-stone of the Administration Building was laid
by the trustees at noon on March 2, 1911, the 75th anniversary
of Texas independence. The seven members of the board were
present. The ceremonies were of the simplest kind. Captain
James Baker, president of the board, set the huge stone in place,
using a silver trowel made in Houston, and thus inscribed:
' ' With this trowel the trustees of the William M. Rice Insti
tute laid the corner-stone of the institute on the second day of
March, 1911. J. A. Baker, W. M. Rice, Jr., J. E. McAshan,
B. B. Rice, C. Lombardi, E. Raphael, and E. O. Lovett."
E. Raphael, secretary of the board, deposited in the recep
tacle in the stone certain records of interest to Houston and to
the institute. These records were sealed in a copper box, on the
face of which was the following legend engraved in script:
"This box was deposited in the corner-stone of the Admin
istration Building of the William M. Rice Institute on the
second day of March, 1911, the day of the laying of the stone."
Within the box were placed a copy of the Old and New
Testament Scriptures of the King James translation ; the charter
of the Institute, transcribed on parchment, and a brief biography
of William M. Rice, the founder of the Institute and short

The Bice Institute 203
sketches of the careers of the several gentlemen who have served
as trustees of the foundation; a photograph, mounted on linen,
of the plans for developing the site and buildings of the insti
tute, prepared by the architects ; a copy of the Houston Chronicle
of January 12, 1911, and a copy of the Houston Daily Post of
January 18, 1911. The several sketches referred to include
notices of the late F. A. Rice and A. S. Richardson, who, with
the founder and Messrs. Baker, McAshan, Lombardi and Raphael,
were charter members of the board of trustees of the institute.
The carving of the inscription on the stone was deferred until
after the settling of the stone in its place. It is a quotation from
the Praeparatio Evangelica of Enselbius Pamphili, the earliest
historian of the church. Rendered into English, it reads:
" 'Rather,' said Demeritus, 'would I discover the causes of one
fact than become king of the Persians.' " A declaration made
by the Greek philosopher at a time when to be king of the
Persians was to rule the world.
In appropriating this expression of the spirit of science
from a representative philosopher of that people who originated
the highest standards in letters and in art, the trustees of the
institute sought to express that devotion to both science and
humanism which the founder desired when he dedicated this
institute to the advancement of literature, science and art.
A description of the architecture of the proposed institute
will be found in the chapter on Architecture and Building. Dr.
Lovett and the trustees have not yet announced the personnel
of the faculty of the new university but it is announced that it
will be open for students at the beginning of the fall term of
1912. The cost of the first group of buildings will be about
$1,000,000 and about half of that amount has been spent in
further beautifying the grounds by landscape architecture and
gardening. The future of Houston will be dominated to a great degree
by the Rice Institute and it will give to the city the academic
charm and tone that is greatly needed to relieve the strident
commercialism that is now its chief characteristic.

CHAPTER XIII
Houston Newspapers

Story of First Newspaper in Texas and its Removal to Houston.
The Telegraph and Register. The Morning Star. Flood of
Newspaper Enterprises Following Civil War. Special Inter
est and Trade Periodicals in Houston. The Houston Tele
gram. The Houston Post Organized and Suspended. The
New Post. The Houston Herald. The Chronicle and Its
Makers. Some Famous Newspaper Men. Some Early and
Late Authors and Writers. Organization of Texas State
Press Association.

In the winter of 1834, Launcelott Abbotts, a young English
man, who was a printer, stopping in New Orleans, became
acquainted with Mr. T. F. McKinney, a merchant of Valasco
and a Mr. Fletcher, a merchant of San Felipe, who advised him
to locate in Texas. They praised the climate and soil and dwelt
on the generosity of the government in giving to each immigrant
a good lot of land. Those portions of Mexico then known as
Coahuila and Texas constituted, for governmental purposes, one
state, having one legislature and its citizens were called Coahuila-
Texanos. Mr. Abbotts having superintended the printing of
Mrs. Holley 's small book on Texas, published in Baltimore, had
a pretty good knowledge of the territory, its people, its resources
and of its possibilities, so he took their advice and embarked
on a small schooner for the mouth of the Brazos where he
arrived about Christmas. He was prevented from landing for
a day or two by adverse winds that kept the schooner from cross
ing the bar at the mouth of the river. Having landed he at once
made his way to San Felipe, then the capital of the state. Here
he made the acquaintance of two men who were destined to
have great influence over his carver. One of these was

Houston Newspapers 205
Gail Borden, then known as Gail Borden, Jr., who after
wards became famous as the inventor and manufacturer of
condensed milk and as the head of the great Borden Dairy Com
pany. The other was Joseph Baker, who afterwards also became
prominent and influential in Texas. These men were contem
plating the establishment of a newspaper in San Felipe, and,
so soon as they learned that Mr. Abbotts was a practical printer,
they made a contract with him to assist in its production. At
that time there were no mails or postoffices in Texas, so Mr.
Abbotts was forced to return to Velasco, a hundred miles distant,
to dispatch an order to New York for a mechanical outfit for the
proposed paper. On his way back he stopped at Brazoria, then
a small village on the bank of the Brazos, where there was a
small printing plant of doubtful value owned by a Mr. Gray.
This plant was nearly useless, but was capable of being used
in a pinch. There was a well-worn press with a sheep skin ink-
ball (composition rollers being unknown at that time) a few
fonts of old type, some leads and some wood "furniture," and
that was all. Mr. Abbotts wanted the proprietor of this outfit
to print him 100 copies of a prospectus for the paper he pro
posed issuing and whieh it had been decided was to be called
the "Telegraph and Register." This the proprietor refused to
do, but finally allowed Mr. Abbotts to do the work himself, using
the material at hand, for a consideration of ten dollars. There
was also an extra charge for the paper used in printing the cir
culars. Before the press and type arrived from New York the pros
pectus had been circulated and a small list of subscribers had
been secured. J. L. Hill, of Fayette County was, perhaps, the
first subscriber. He has a place in Texas history as the hus
band of the woman who plotted the escape of Santa Anna when
he was a prisoner of war in the hands of the Texans at Columbia.
The first number of the Telegraph and Register appeared October
10, 1836, the same day on which the Texans stormed and took
the fort at Goliad. It should be noted that no other newspaper
was published in Texas at that time or at any time during the
Texans' struggle for independence. Before then Mr. Gray, already

206 History of Houston, Texas
spoken of, had published a paper spasmodically, and a
little sheet had been published for a short time at Nacogdoches.
The appearance of The Telegraph and Register was of the great
est value and assistance to those engaged in the work of estab
lishing and maintaining the new republic, since it enabled them
to create and concentrate public thought and opinion, which
could have been done in no other way than through the medium
of a newspaper.
The pathway of the new paper was not strewn with flowers,
however, and it had many obstacles to overcome. Soon after its
establishment, Mr. Baker, the senior editor, left to join Sam
Houston's army. Then Mr. Abbotts grew patriotic and did the
same thing. This left the entire responsibility of getting out
the paper on the shoulders of a printer from Philadelphia. Prob
ably 22 numbers of the paper had been issued when the Mex
icans invaded Texas. Then the printer, alarmed by the approach
of Santa Anna and his army, abandoned his post, and, not hav
ing the patriotism • of Mr. Baker and Mr. Abbotts, instead of
joining the Texas army, fled to the United States.
When General Houston retreated from the Colorado River,
Thomas H. Borden and his father, Gail Borden, Sr., put the
printing material across the Brazos at San Felipe with much
difficulty, for it was. heavy and transportation facilities were
poor, and conveyed it to Harrisburg. There they secured the
help of a Frenchman, named Bertrand, and a printer from New
York who set up an issue of the paper and had it on the press
ready to publish, when Santa Anna's men surprised and cap
tured them. The Mexicans threw the press, forms, type and.
everything else movable, into the bayou and then proceeded to
burn the town, the printing office included. In the general confla
gration the homes of Gail and Thos. Borden were destroyed.
Instead of being discouraged and disheartened, the Bordens at
once ordered new material for their paper from Cincinnati, and
some time in August, 1836, the first number of the paper printed
after the war was issued at Columbia, where the first Congress of
the Republic of Texas met. The paper bore at its mast head the
names of Gail and Thomas Borden, editors and proprietors.

Houston Newspapers 207
Congress decided to locate the capitol of Texas at Houston and
the Bordens moved their printing plant here also, in the spring
of 1837. Houston at that time was only a city in name for there were
only a few wooden shanties and most of these were incomplete.
Gail Borden having been appointed collector of customs at
Galveston and Thomas Borden wishing to retire from the news
paper field, they concluded to dispose of their newspaper plant
and sold it to Mr. Jacob Cruger and Dr. Francis Moore. These
gentlemen at once revived the Telegraph, publishing it at Hous
ton, first as a weekly, then as a tri-weekly and then as a daily.
In the first issue of the Telegraph and Texas Register, pub
lished in Houston, May 2, 1837, was the following : ' ' The City
of Houston. — This place is as yet merely a city in embryo, but
the industry, enterprise and amount of capital which are now
ministering to its greatness, will soon elevate it to a prominent
rank among the cities of the older countries. Its situation is
remarkably healthy, being upon an elevated and dry prairie,
partly in the skirts of the timbered margin of Buffalo Bayou.
The principal objection to the place is the difficulty of access by
water, the bayou above Harrisburg being so narrow, so serpen
tine and so blocked with snags and overhanging trees that
immense improvements will be required to render navigation
convenient for large steamboats."
Though fhe Telegraph was the first newspaper published
in Houston of which definite record has been left, a gentleman
named Thomas Wilson announced through the columns of the
Telegraph, while that paper was still published at Columbia, that
he would begin the publication of a paper at Houston to be
known as the Texian, on April 21, the anniversary of the battle
of San Jacinto. If the Texian was ever published no record of
that fact is now preserved. Probably it never passed the stage
of the prospective.
"The history of the Telegraph and Register is intimately
connected with the history of Texas," declared the Texas Wes
leyan Banner in 1858. "Dr. Francis Moore has been its editor
and part proprietor ever since its establishment in Houston. It

208 History of Houston, Texas
is the oldest paper in Texas and for years has nobly battled
with the various popular vices peculiar to a new country, such
as dueling, gambling and drinking. Dr. Moore, its veteran editor,
is now its independent proprietor, and intends devoting its
columns in future principally to commercial and agricultural
intelligence. His past eminent service in the cause of Texan
liberty and his intimate alliance with all the various interests
of the state, together with his long experience in the chair editor
ial, entitle him to a liberal patronage."
In 1853, Mr. Harry H. Allen became the editor and propri
etor of the Telegraph and continued as such until 1856, when
the plant was sold to Mr. E. H. Cushing, one of the best and
most gifted newspaper men in the country. He managed and
edited the Telegraph for ten years. Mr. Cushing had exception
al opportunity for the exercise of his executive ability and the
display of his talent as an editor, for during his administration
the great Civil War occurred, which taxed to the limit the
resources at hand. Two great difficulties confronted Mr. Cushing.
One was to get the news, for there were no mails or telegraph
lines to transmit it; the other was to get the paper on which to
print the news when it was gathered. The first was overcome by
establishing a pony express between Houston and points on the
Mississippi River, and the second by using common wrapping
paper, wall paper or any other paper that could be precured.
One issue of the Telegraph would be brown, another green, to
be followed in turn by others representing all the colors of the
rainbow. Sometimes the paper could be printed on one side only,
because the flowers and vines of the wall-paper on the other side
precluded its being used.
Until they were destroyed by fire in the early 80 's, Mr. E.
B. Cushing, of Houston, son of Mr. E. H. Cushing, had in his
possession complete files of the Telegraph for the four years of
the war. These were probably the most valuable newspaper files
ever owned in the South. Those files contained historical matter
and news items of inestimable value. Mr. Cushing loaned these
files to President Jefferson Davis to use in the compilation of his
history of the Lost Cause. Mr. Davis found in them many

Houston Newspapers 209
things that were new and important to him, and when he
returned the files to their owner he said that they contained many
things that would have been of great value to him had he known
them while he was president of the Confederate States.
In 1866, Mr. Cushing sold the Telegraph to Col. C. C.
Gillespie, who was a man of great ability as a writer. He secured
the services of James E. Carnes as editorial writer, and
between the two the Telegraph was soon made one of the best
literary papers in the land. However, too much attention was
paid to fine writing and too little to news, and general interest
soon waned and the paper was almost dead when Colonel Gillespie
sold it to General Webb. General Webb continued to issue the
paper regularly until the great financial panic of 1873 occurred,
when it was forced to suspend. The old paper was not to
remain dead, however. The next year Mr. A. C. Gray revived
it. In an editorial of April 16, 1874, Mr. Gray, the new editor
and proprietor, said: "The Houston Telegraph is an old and
familiar friend to very many in and out of Texas who will hail
its reappearance as the return of a much loved and greatly
lamented companion. Founded in the days of the Republic, it
was true to the government and to the people, and by its efforts
accomplished, perhaps, as much as any other instrumentality in
calling attention to and developing the resources of this great
commonwealth. Under the control and guidance of such men
as Gail Borden, Dr. Francis Moore, Harry Allen, E. H. Cush
ing and others, it has reared for itself an imperishable monu
ment, by its fidelity to law, good government and general pro
gress. Its pages contain an epitome of the history of the Lone
Star State, and reflect the progress she has made in her march
to greatness * * * * It is with no ordinary satisfaction and, we
trust, a pardonable pride, that the present managing editor and
proprietor refers to his past connection with and present relation
to the office of the Telegraph. Twenty-eight years ago, when a
mere boy, he entered it as an apprentice. By patient toil and
proper pride in his chosen profession he became its business man
ager during its most prosperous period. And when, under the
financial panic of 1873, it was forced to suspend and ceased to

210 History of Houston,. Texas
make its daily appearance he mourned as if a friend had fallen.
Since then it has been his ambition to call the slumbering Ajax
to the field again and bid it battle with renewed energy for con
stitutional government, Democratic principles and the general
weal." Mr. Gray made good his promises for under his adminis
tration and guidance the Telegraph soon became one of the most
influential papers in Texas as well as in Houston. It continued
to be the leading paper in Houston until 1878. At that time the
method of gathering news had become so expensive that a much
larger sum than the Telegraph could hope to earn without the
most extensive and costly improvements and expansion, was an
absolute necessity, and the Telegraph was forced to a final sus
pension of publication.
In the foregoing pages much space has been given to the
Telegraph, because of its long and remarkable record. It must
not be supposed that Houston had no other papers during the
existence of the Telegraph. There were many others and some
quite good ones, too.
In 1891, Mr. J. R. Irion, of Denton, gave the Houston Post
a copy of the National Banner for July 13, 1838 and a copy of
the Daily Times for April 16, 1840. Mr. Irion was the son of
Hon. R. A. Irion, who was secretary of state of the Republic of
Texas, under President Houston.
The Banner was a four column paper but the columns were
wide. The first page was devoted to miscellany and poetry, the
second page was an editorial, strongly urging the Republic to
declare war against Mexico. The other pages were rilled with
interesting news items and advertisements. President Houston
published a proclamation offering a reward of $200 for the cap
ture of James Aldridge, accused of killing "Billy," a Choctaw
Indian, late of Nacogdoches, and Thomas M. League, postmaster
of Houston, published a two-column list of unclaimed letters.
Niles & Company were proprietors of the National Banner.
The Daily Times was edited by A. M. Lampkins. An early
item of police court news told of the fining of an Indian for riding
his horse violently through the streets, and another was the recit-

Houston Newspapers 211
al of the ' ' cussedness ' ' and the consequent trouble of one ' ' Jaw
bone" Morris, who had to pay $5 for indulging in disorderly
conduct. The Morning Star, was a tri-weekly paper, first edited by
James F. Cruger. It was very influential in the days of the
Republic but changed editors often. A valuable but incomplete
file of this paper is in the Carnegie City Library. It was exten
sively used in preparing the earlier chapters of this book.
In the early fifties the fight between the Democrats and
Know-Nothings was very bitter. Lines were drawn sharply and
city and county campaigns were lively affairs. The Democrats
had the great advantage of having the Telegraph on their side,
while the Know-Nothings had to disseminate their doctrine by
word of mouth alone. The following communication to the
Telegraph, published October 19th, 1855, incidentally refers to
the strife between the two parties, while it gives, in a nut shell,
the whole local history of one journalistic venture in Houston :
"A New Way to Start a Newspaper. — Messrs. Editors — A
few short weeks ago there was ushered into and circulated about
our city, a sheet bearing the respectable name of the ' Bayou City
News, ' and on the front in bold letters the motto ' Open to All —
Controlled by None.' There being but one secular paper in our
city, it was well received and many of our citizens congratulated
themselves upon its appearance, expecting of course, from the
promises and inducements held out, that it would be a source
of pleasure to its readers and reflect credit on its publishers. It
was a neutral paper in politics and religion and would advance
the great commercial and agricultural interests of our country.
It puffed every calling, trade and profession in. our midst ; pro
pounded more interrogations in one of its issues than could have
been answered in half a dozen; and lo and behold! we got up
one morning inquiring how the Bayou City News was getting
along, and were shocked by the intelligence that, without waiting
long enough to have their interrogations answered, they had sold
themselves to Know-Nothingism and were about to move up to
Washington on the Brazos, where, it is said, an association of
gentlemen will christen it the ' Washington American, ' and advo-

212 History of Houston, Texas
cate Know-Nothingism in a dignified manner, that is, more dig
nified than the other Know-Nothing papers. Verily, Messrs.
Editors, that was an artful dodge. Gentlemen get up in our city
a newspaper, solicit subscriptions among our merchants, mechan
ics, etc., — they subscribe, looking on it as an enterprise like
ly to benefit our city and people; and lo and behold! in about
three weeks they find themselves all transferred to an association
of Know-Nothings away up in Washington on the Brazos and
are very respectfully asked to allow their names and advertise
ments to be retained. As an inducement for the retention of
the latter, we are told that the paper already has a circulation
of 1,500, a number which could have been easily increased to
5,000 with the same dash of the pen. I have known, Messrs. Edi
tors, papers like other property, to change hands, and the sub
scribers to receive the paper for the period subscribed for, but
this is the first time I have known of a paper changing owners,
location, name, politics and religion and calling on its subscribers,
after an existence of three weeks, to sustain it; and I really
believe that nothing but the anxiety to get up a Know-Nothing
paper could have induced the gentlemen to make so modest a
request. — (Signed) Houstonian."
At the close of the Civil War there appears to' have been a
perfect mania for starting newspapers in Houston. Quite a num
ber were established and there was something like rapid fire
change in editors. The following papers were established after
1865 and had all become defunct by 1880 :
Daily Evening Star — Editors : R. H. Purdom, W. H. Crank,
and W. P. Cole -/Daily and Weekly Journal — Editors: R. H.
Purdom, Dudley W. Jones, J. J. Diamond, George W. Diamond,
and J. W. Diamond ; Daily Tri-Weekly and Weekly Union — Edi
tors : J. G. Tracy, E. H. Quick, C. C. Gillespie, James E. Carnes,
J. H. Baker, Will Lambert, and J. H. Caldwell ; Sunday Gazette
— Editors : Charles Bickley, Will Lambert ; Gillespies Daily Tele
graph — Editors : C. C. Gillespie, Jr., Crawford Gillespie, and H.
P. Gillespie; Ku-Klux Vidette — Editors and Proprietors: H. P.
Gillespie and B. F. King; Daily and Weekly Times — Editors:
Sommers Kinney, E. P. Claudon, W. F. Schott, F. Fauntleroy,

Houston Newspapers 213
J. W. Colvin, N. A. Taylor, W. Duesenberry, and Will Lambert;
Daily Courier— Hon. Ashbel Smith, Editor ; Daily Commercial—
Editors : H. Lehman, and N. A. Taylor ; Daily Mercury — Editors :
J. H. Baker, Sam W. Small, and C. L. Martin; Masonic Mirror
and Family Visitor— Editor : B. T. Kavanaugh ; Houston Weekly
Argus and The Houston Weekly Chronicle also enjoyed a brief
existence in this period ; The Houston Telegraph — established in
1836, suspended publication during the financial panic of 1873,
revived by Mr. A. C. Gray in 1874, and died in 1878.
During its long and brilliant career it was edited by the
following named gentlemen : Gail Borden, Dr. Francis Moore, C.
J. Cruger, Harry H. Allen, C. J. Cruger, E. H. Cushing, C. C.
Gillespie, General Webb, A. C. Gray, J. Noble, W. P. Doran, H.
P. Gillespie, W. P. Hamblin, N. P. Turner, Charles Bickley,
Horace Cone, Sr., T. E. Davis, George W. Kidd, Will Lambert,
and C. L. Martin ; Houston Nut-Shell — Bottler and Brown, edit
ors and proprietors ; Monthly Union Land Begister — C. C. Vogel,
editor and proprietor; Texas Sun (removed to San Antonio) —
A. W. Gifford, editor; Evening News — Editors: D. D: Bryan,
and J. P. Farrell; Houston Evening Age — Editors: D. L.
MeGarey, Charles Bickley, Gustave Cook, F. F. Chew, C. L. Mar
tin, Sam W. Small, Judge J. K. P. Gallaspie, B. F. Hardcastle,
A. A. McBride, R. D. Westcott, Ed Smallwood, George King and
H. C. Stevens.
The initial number of the Texas Staats Zeitung, a German
newspaper, Beger and Leonhardt, publishers, appeared Decem
ber 11, 1868. The first number of the Texas Gazette, a small
daily, appeared December 31, 1875. At that date the Zeitung
was merged with the Gazette. The Peoples Advocate, a Green
back organ, C. B. Kitteringham, publisher, appeared in 1878.
Many publications in Houston are designed to foster special
commercial interests. Most of these are issued weekly, but sev
eral are monthly and of magazine rank.
The Texas Bankers Journal, owned and edited by W. W.
Dexter, is a monthly magazine devoted to the interest of banks
and bankers, that reflects credit on its editor and the city. It is
well gotten up and presents a neat appearance. The Texas

214- History of Houston, Texas
Magazine, published by the Texas Magazine Publishing Company,
under the management of Mr. Nelson F. Johnson, and edited
by Harry Van DeMark, is now safely launched on the magazine
sea. Its aim is to exploit the natural, commercial and literary
resources of Texas and to develop home talent in magazine writ
ing, though its field for contributions is not restricted to Houston
or Texas by any means.
The Vagabond, a monthly, owned, edited and published by
Everett Lloyd, was recently resurrected in Houston. It jousts
a tilt at everything that " is. " The editor calls it ' ' The Diamond
of Free-lance Journalism, " " A Literary Melting Pot, ' ' and says
' ' It skins Vesuvius for size and spunk. ' ' The Vagabond bristles
with interest and bids fair to prove a success.
The Deutsche Zeitung, is edited and published by Mr. A.
Haxthausen, and appears as a weekly. The Houston Labor
Journal, is a weekly devoted to the interests of labor and of
working men. It is neat in appearance and is well edited by
its proprietor, Mr. Max Andrews, whose sanity, fairness and
conservatism have put it on a firm basis. The Jewish Herald, a
weekly publication, devoted to matters of interest to the Hebrew
citizens of Houston, is edited and published by Mr. E. Goldberg.
The Texas Bealty Journal, a monthly publication as its name
implies in the interest of real estate, is published by Mr. C. C.
Buckingham, as is also The Texas Tradesman, a journal devoted
largely to the lumber' interest. The Texas Word is a weekly pub
lication owned and edited by Mrs. R. B. Palmer.
The Houston Telegram, published by the Houston Telegram
Publishing Company, made it appearance in 1878, and continued
publication as a daily paper for about two years. This was
really the old Telegraph under a slightly changed name.
In 1880, Mr. Gail Johnson, grandson of Gail Borden, the
founder of the old Telegraph, announced that he would estab
lish a daily newspaper in Houston, to be known as the Houston
Post. There was some delay in receiving the press, type, and
other material from New York and, Mr. Johnson, having a
thoroughly organized editorial staff, grew impatient and deter
mined to issue the Post for a short time as an afternoon paper.

Houston Newspapers 215
having it printed by Mr. W. H. Coyle. This he did and the
Post made its appearance on February 19, 1880. Colonel Bartow
was leading editor ; Dr. S. 0. Young, associate editor ; Mr. D. D.
Bryan, city editor and Mr. Joe Abbey was paragrapher and'
writer of special articles and humorous sketches. He was the
first newspaper man in the South to engage exclusively in such
special work. He afterwards gained something of a national
reputation as a humorist. Mr. Johnson was general manager and
had supervision over both the editorial and business departments.
The Post was first edited in an office on the second floor at 61
Main Street, but on March 11, it moved into new quarters, over
the old Cushing Book Store on Franklin Street, opposite the
Hutchins House. The press and printing material having arrived,
the Post was issued as a morning paper on March 30, 1880,
under the new heading, "The Houston Daily Post."
On February 21, 1881, the paper was moved to the Larendon
Building on Commerce Street, opposite the Court House, where
the Telegram had been located before its suspension. The Post
was favorably received by the people of Houston and had quite
a good circulation throughout the state. Colonel Bartow had
resigned as editor and his place had been filled by Prof. T. J.
Girardeau, a polished writer, and the paper was gaining ground
rapidly in popular favor when the political campaign of 1882
began. Judge J. W. Johnson, the father of Mr. Gail Johnson,
was a staunch Republican, and insisted on having the Post sup
port Hon. Wash Jones, a brave Confederate soldier, for governor
against Hon. John Ireland, the regular Democratic nominee.
This was done against the protest of Mr. Gail Johnson. The cam
paign was a very bitter one and resulted not only in the election
of Ireland but in the obliteration of the Post. The paper lost
ground so rapidly that Judge Johnson who had become sole
owner through the retirement of Mr. Gail Johnson in 1883, was
glad to dispose of it to a number of Houston capitalists who
wanted to have a real Democratic paper. These gentlemen start
ed with the intention of making the Post a first-class paper and
they did so. They secured the services of Mr. Hardenbrook, an
experienced newspaper man, and gave him free hand to do as he

216 History of Houston, Texai
thought best, and, what was more to the point, they gave him
practically an unlimited supply of money. The paper had
superb backing and loyal support. The Post advanced rapidly in
public favor and became at once one of the leading state papers.
Mr. Tobe Mitchel was brought here from St. Louis and placed
in charge of the editorial department. Hardenbrook gave Mit
chel as free a hand as the backers of the paper had given him.
No expense was spared in gathering the news and the Post soon
became the best and newsiest paper published in the South. This
continued for eight or ten months. Then the capitalists realized
that while it had cost a small fortune to put the Post in first
place among newspapers, it was going to cost another to keep it
there, and they threw up the sponge and quit. The Post col
lapsed. The suspension of the Post left Houston without a morning
paper, but this was not to be for long. When the Post suspended,
in addition to the first-class printing plant, there was a large
supply of white paper on hand. Mr. Wm. R. Baker turned over
all this to Dr. S. 0. Young, allowed him the free use of the plant
and allowed him to use the paper, paying for what was used and
when it was used, at actual cost. Dr. Young at once organized
a company and on March 14, the first copy of the Houston Chron
icle was issued. The Chronicle was run strictly on the pay-as-
you-go principle. It was not a brilliant newspaper, judged by
the standard of today, but it was a clean, newsy sheet and while
its existence was largely a hand-to-mouth business, it ended its
first year with a fair patronage and not a dollar of debt.
Mr. J. W. Watson and Prof. T. J. Girardeau were at rhat
time publishing an afternoon paper called the Herald. A iter
some negotiation these gentlemen and Doctor Young, who had
now secured sole control of the Chronicle, determined to .nerge
the two papers. This was done and on April 5, 1885, the Chron
icle and Herald were consolidated under the name of the Houston
Post. In ijs first issue the Post said editorially: "Thousands
throughout Texas will be surprised to see the above caption,
which looks like the materialization of a great but moral enter
prise. The revival of the Post is not to be regarded as an

Houston Newspapers 217
assumption of the obligations of that paper, but an authorized
use of a name made honorable throughout the state, and the
parties, who have adopted the name after mature deliberation,
feel an assurance of popular sympathy on that point. The late
Post made a brilliant record for itself. * * * * The proprietors
of the new Post emphatically announce as the keynote of their
enterprise the principle of restricting all expenditures within the
limits of income. This may be laughed at, but solid business
men will understand and appreciate this honest position assumed
by the proprietors of the Post. ' '
The proprietors, Messrs. Girardeau, Young and Watson, the
latter being Mr. J. W. Watson, the business manager of the Post,
' ' felt a natural confidence in appealing to the community for its
support. They took up the enterprise, not as capitalists nor as
adventurers, but as men known and sized up by their fellow
citizens in a fair and honorable business which must stand or
fall according to the ability displayed and patronage extended. ' '
The proprietors of the Post had a hard fight to keep their heads
above water. First, Professor Girardeau became discouraged and
disposed of his interest to his two partners. However, they were so
fortunate as to get Col. R. M. Johnson, one of the best and most
practical newspaper men in the country, to take his place. In Sep
tember, Doctor Young accepted a flattering offer to become one
of the editorial writers on the Galveston News. This left as sole
proprietors of the Post, Mr. Watson, who was great as a business
manager and Colonel Johnson a most capable editor. They
were dreadfully hampered by the want of money, so in 1886,
they reorganized the Post, turning it into a stock company. The
company became "The Houston Post, Houston Printing Com
pany, proprietors." Its officers were: E. P. Hill, president; T.
W. House, vice-president; A. F. Sittig, secretary; R. M. John
son, managing editor; J. W. Watson, business manager. The
following named gentlemen were chosen as the first executive
committee of the Company: E. P. Hill, T. W. House, W. R.
Baker, Z. T. Hogan, H. F. Macgregor, and S. Taliaferro. For
a few years the fight was all uphill, but finally the ability of
Colonel Johnson as an editorial writer and manager, backed by

2", Pi History of Houston, Texas
the genius of Mr. Watson as a business manager, told and the
Post became what it is today, a paper which has the admiration
of many people in Texas and a source of pride to Houston. It
won its greatest state popularity by espousing the cause of J. S.
Hogg, in the great Hogg-Clark campaign.
In 1882, on November 1, the Houston Daily Sun made its
appearance. It was a small afternoon paper and had but a short
existence. In April, 1883, The Texas Journal of Education was
removed from San Antonio to Houston. This was a monthly pub
lication devoted, as its name indicates, to educational matters.
It was in charge of the Public School Superintendents and was
edited through a directory, of which Mr. Wilkens was president.
The great bulk of its contents was supplied by the superintend
ents of the different public schools of the State.
The Texas Scrap Book, an eight page, 48 column weekly
began publication March 10, 1886, H. R. Zintgraff & Co., publish
ers. It soon suspended publication, but was revived, February
1887, by Spencer Hutchins & Co., who had bought the title and
subscription list, and who assumed all liabilities.
Mr. W. E. Bailey, in 1884, began the publication of the
Houston Herald, an afternoon paper. Mr. Bailey, though
quite a young man, was a good and experienced riews-
paper worker and a forcible writer. He had ideas of
his own, among them being that no man's financial or
social position should shield him from publicity if he deviated in
the slightest from the straight and narrow path. The Herald soon
began creating almost daily sensations. It claimed that it told
nothing but the truth, and intimated that all those who felt
aggrieved could obtain satisfaction either through the courts
or by calling at the Herald office and interviewing the editor per
sonally. One or two adopted the latter method but they found
Mr. Bailey as ready with his hardware as he was with his pen,
and in every case the aggrieved ones came off more aggrieved
than ever. Of course, the Herald became immensely popular
and unpopular, but both added to its circulation, and soon this
circulation increased to large proportions. The advertisements

Houston Newspapers 219
poured in, too, and in a few months- the Herald was firmly estab
lished. The Herald continued its live<-wire existence for several
years and then, its founder having amassed a small fortune,
became more conservative. The Herald became less caustic and
prosy and the public to some extent lost interest in it. In
1902, the Herald, though still a good paper, had lost ground and
Mr. Bailey was glad to dispose of it to Mr. M. E. Foster, who
had organized the Houston Chronicle, and who offered to buy the
plant and good will of the Herald. On October 14th, 1902, the
publication of the Houston Chronicle was begun as an afternoon
paper. That date marks a red letter day in the history of after
noon Journalism in Texas, for from its first issue the Chronicle
became the leading and best afternoon paper in the South. Mr.
Foster has rare talent as an organizer and he also has executive
ability of high order. Every detail had been thought out and
arranged in advance, with the result that when the Chronicle
made its appearance, it was on a plane that would have consumed
months to attain, had ordinary, time-worn methods been followed.
The success of the Chronicle has been phenomenal from its first
issue and today it stands a monument to the wisdom and ability
of its founder, Mr. M. E. Foster. On October 16, the Chronicle
began the publication of a Sunday morning edition. The cir
culation of both the afternoon daily and the Sunday morning
editions is very large and extends over the whole state. The
paper has made itself very popular by its advocacy of measures
for the suppression of gambling, the "pistol toters," mob violence,
and, of the officers of the law who shoot fleeing, prisoners to pre
vent their escape. February 28th, 1910, the Chronicle moved into
its new 10-story skyscraper on Travis Street and Texas Avenue
and celebrated the occasion by coming out in a new dress.
Marcellus E. Foster was an expert newspaper man when he
established the Chronicle. He had risen to the position of man
aging editor of the Houston Daily Post and had inaugurated on
that paper some of its most lasting and popular features such as
the Happyhammer Page. It was the policy of the Chronicle to
put a premium on newspaper excellence in newsgathering and
story writing and Mr. Foster surrounded himself with a brilliant

220 History of Houston, Texas
staff of specialists. C. B. Gillespie became managing editor. He
combined brilliance with a genius for hard work and with kind
liness and tact. The men on the Chronicle always do team work.
Among those who have added to their reputation and that of the'
paper, are W. S. Gard, Frank Putnam, B. H. Carroll, Jr., C. H.
Abbott, George E. Kepple, 0. 0. Ballard, Billie Mayfield, John
Regan, Chester Colby and the jolly crew of newsgatherers that
are still connected with the paper.
The Chronicle has the largest sworn circulation of any
paper in the state and with the exception of the Dallas News has
the largest list of subscribers of any daily paper in Texas. Its
home is the best equipped newspaper plant South of New York
and the Chronicle plant is one of the show sites of the city. The
Chronicle has successfully conducted a number of erusades
against social and political evils and has always been on the
side of cleanness and political honesty.
The Galveston News, which has a strong following and a
large circulation in Houston was represented here for many
years by Colonel Hamp Cook, the dean of the newspaper fra-
•ternity of the city. In June, 1907, Mr. J. R. Montgomery took
charge of the news end of the Houston office and has been bril
liantly successful. A. P. Vaughn is the local business manager-.
Many men of natural reputation in journalism are now
or have been connected with the Houston press. Besides several
of those just named on the Chronicle, George Bailey of "red
headed widows" and "heavenly Houston," fame, of the Post,
and Judd Mortimer Lewis, the sweet singer of the South are here
now. W. C. Brann, the pyrotechnic writer and founder of the
Iconoclast once worked in Houston, and all unrecognized 0.
Henry, the most famous American writer of short stories, once
worked as a newsgatherer in Houston for $16 per week. Karl
Crow went to China from Houston; J. C. Dionne has achieved
reputation as a special writer on lumber, and the honor roll of
Houston journalists is a long one and filled with the record of
worthy achievement.
The first Houston author was a Mr. Kerr who wrote a book
of poems, which he published at his own expense, about 1837.

Houston Newspapers 221
It is doubtful if there is a copy of this wonderful book in exist
ence today, for forty years ago it was so rare that Judge John
Brashear paid $200 for a copy, part of which was torn off. The
book was made up of personal and descriptive poems and was
on the order of the poem written and dedicated to General Brax
ton Bragg by the late Doctor Cooper, the well remembered horse
doctor of Houston, which began :
"There's General Bragg, the noble stag,
Who made the Yankee soldiers wag
At Chic-a-magua. "
Kerr 's poems were just that kind and he described Galveston
as follows : "Galveston Island, long and low,
Devoid of trees and shruberee ;
Small vessels there can safely go,
And find safety and securitee."
The book contained about fifty "poems," all on the order
of the sample given. The poem is not in any way a represen
tative sample of the literary efforts of the early Houstonians. It
is given place here merely because it was the earliest effort of
which any record exists.
One of the earliest prose writers who published his books
was Mr. Cyrus S. Oberly. He was a man of education and
considerable literary ability. He published three stories, each
based largely on his own experience as a Texas ranger during
the Cortina raids and during the Comanche and Apachie troubles.
He was for nearly three years with the rangers on the Texas
frontier, and, of course, had a large fund of personal experience
from which to draw in the construction of his stories. He sold
the copyrights to a New York publishing house, and in conse
quence, his books had a much wider circulation in the East than
they did at home. He wrote charming newspaper verse and was
a regular contributor to the new Orleans Sunday Picayune which,
at that time, had a regular literary department. But for his
excessive modesty and his proneness to hide his light under a
bushel, Mr. Oberly would have attained a much wider reputation

222 History of Houston, Tecas
as a literary man than he had at the time of his death, and to
which he was entitled by his really fine literary productions.
The year 1885 seems to have been one in which the literary
talent of Houston shone with peculiar brilliancy. During that
year, Mrs. Ella Stewart, now Mrs. Seybrook Sydnor, published
"Gems from a Texas Quarry," a compilation of the writings
of Texas authors, a book which found a safe place in Texas lit
erature. Mr. James Everett McAshan was brought into promi-.
nence that year by the publication of a paper on "The Jew,"
which was a scholarly production and would have established his
reputation as a thinker and writer had he published nothing
more. He became a regular contributor to Texas Siftings and
wrote many charming short stories, which were widely repro
duced. Mrs. Lee C. Harby was a writer of both prose and verse.
She was a regular contributor to the leading magazines and as
a short story writer, she had few equals.
Miss Claudia M. Girardeau laid the foundation of her liter
ary reputation in Houston. Many of her earlier poems and
stories appeared in the Post and in other local publications. Her
short stories, won for her a wide reputation. Like Mrs. Harby,
she seemed equally at ease either in prose or verse.
Miss Willa Lloyd was another of the writers of 1885. She
wrote verses but her chief strength lay in writing sketches and
short stories of domestic life.
Mrs. Paul Bremond was the author of a libretto which made
quite a reputation for her, both here and in New York. She
also wrote salable descriptive articles on travel and some meri
torious short stories.
Judge Norman G. Kittrell is one of the most prolific writers
Houston has ever had. His writings have been confined to no
particular field. He is equally at home in law, art, music, litera
ture, or whatever he chooses to attempt. He has written a novel
a school text book and essays and special articles on innumerable
subjects. His novel "Ned Nigger and Gentleman" was drama
tized for a time and had great success. In 1909, he published
a valuable text book called by him "A Primer of the Govern
ment of Texas."

Houston Newspapers 223
The Texas State Press Association had its birth in Houston.
In response to a call that had been published in the papers over
the state, a number of Texas editors assembled in the parlors of
the Hutchins House on Franklin Avenue, May 18, 1880, for the
purpose of organizing the Texas Press Association. Major E. W.
Cave, an old printer, but at that time one of the general officers
of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, welcomed the visit
ors in an eloquent address, which was responded to by Hon. Hall
Gosling, of the Castroville Quill. After the speech-making was
over, the editors settled down to work and perfected a complete
organization by the adoption of a constitution and by-laws, and
the election of officers. At night a banquet was given in honor
of the visiting editors by the Houston Cotton Exchange and
Houston merchants. Little beyond organization was done at
that meeting.
The association met in Houston the following year. Col.
Geo. H. Sweet of the Galveston Journal of Commerce, was the
orator and a poem was read by Miss Florence M. Gerald of Waco.
The session lasted for three days and much good work was done
by the association during that time. The association held the
two following annual sessions in Houston and then determined,
as the Medical Association had done, that it would be more con
ducing to the growth and health of the association to meet at a
different point in the state each year. Houston has not been for
gotten by the editors, however, and it has had the honor of enter
taining them once or twice since they determined to abandon
this city as their permanent headquarters.

CHAPTER XIV
Transportation and Communication

'Early Transportation Difficulties. An Early Monopoly Pro
posed. The First Railroad. Other Early Roads. The G.
H. & H. Road. Beginning of Texas and New Orleans Line.
Railroads During War and Reconstruction Days. Systems
Center in Houston. The Plank Road Company. The Ox-
Wagon Trade. Paul Bremond 's Enterprise. Growing Need
for Roads. Houston as Terminus for Seventeen Roads.
Houston's Railroad Trackage, Trains and Headquarters.
Sunset Central System. Katy and Sap Terminals. Santa
Fe and Frisco Lines. Bayou Navigation. The Wharfage
Fight. Charles Morgan and the Ship Channel. The Gov
ernment and the Channel. Deepening the Channel. Bayou
Traffic. Houston Terminal Company. First Street Car
Company. Extending Street Railways. Operation Under
Stone-Webster Syndicate. Trackage and Pay Roll. Houston
Galveston Interurban. • Earliest Telegraph Service. Begin
nings of Telephone Service. Present Telegraph Service in
Houston. Southwestern Telegraph and Telephone Company.
Automatic Telephone Company. Wireless Telegraphy.

In the very early days, the question of transportation was the
most serious that confronted the pioneer. Except at and near
La Bahia, now Goliad ; Bexar, now San Antonio, and Nacogodo-
ches, the whole country was a wilderness. These were small but
very important Spanish settlements. The early settler had diffi
culties to overcome in getting into Texas and greater ones in
reaching outside markets for his products, after he established
himself here. His choice of transportation was limited to scarce
ly navigable streams, and to the slow and tedious ox-wagons over
dangerous and almost impassable trails.
Under such conditions, it is not surprising that so soon as the
city of Houston was located, its natural advantages were recog-

Transportation and Communication 225
nized and it became the center of growth, commerce and trade
of the new Republic. The founders of Houston were not slow in
appreciating their advantageous position as the natural connect
ing link between land and water transportation, and as early as
1838 four steamboats were carrying cotton and other Texas pro
ducts from Houston to New Orleans.
In 1839, the Republic of Texas appropriated $315,000 for
the improvement of Texas rivers and harbors, but strange to say
no one seems to have been wide awake enough to have attempted
to have any part of the appropriation used for the improvement
of Buffalo Bayou. Doubtless such action was deemed unneces
sary, for the main transportation difficulties were encountered on
land and not on water. Stage-coach lines and freight wagons
were organized and put in operation, and for years, these and
ox-wagons were the only means of communication between Hous
ton and the interior.
Such means were not only very expensive but were absolutely
dangerous because of the hostile and blood-thirsty Indians and
thieving Mexicans. These difficulties and costs of communica
tion were thus referred to by President Houston in 1840, when
speaking of th,e removal of the seat of government from Houston
to Austin : "During the last year the expense to the government
for transportation to Austin, over and above what it would have
been to any point on the seaboard, exceeded $70,000, and the extra
cost of the mails, aside from all other inconveniences attending
its remote and detached situation, amounted to many thousands
of dollars more." He explained these facts by reference to the
dangers to life and property from attacks by Indians and from
frequent raids on the Mexican frontier.
By the late forties, Houston was recognized not only as the
most important connecting link between the outside world and
the interior of Texas, but as the nexus between the older states
and the Pacific Coast. As a result a great many men entered
the transportation business and it assumed important proportions.
It was expensive to shippers and travelers, but it must not be
supposed that it was all clear profit to its operators. It cost one
passenger $200 to ride 1,400 miles and it took 30 days to make

226 History of Houston, Texas
the trip. It cost a shipper one dollar to ship 100 pounds of
freight 100 miles.
Unquestionably this lack of transportation delayed the settle
ment of the state and as late as 1850 only 16 counties in the whole
state had a tax valuation of as much as a million dollars. Harris
County with its water and land transportation had reached a val
uation of more than a million and a half at that time. Houston
at the head of navigation, was the wholesale center and the chief
commercial and financial city in Texas and was, in consequence,
a center of some importance.
There were schemes and schemers even in the very first days
of the Republic. The first of these was the ' ' Texas Railroad and
Navigation Company, ' ' whose promoters sought to have a monop
oly of and control of the transportation facilities and bank
ing of the new Republic. The charter, dated 1836, authorized the
company to connect the waters of the Sabine and Rio Grande
Rivers by means of railroads, canals and rivers, grouped under
the name of "internal navigation and railroads." There was
a banking side, too. The promoters had the right of eminent
domain and a gratuity of half a mile of land on either side of
their right-of-way, and they had begun a campaign of educa
tion among the people to teach them how much they were going
to do for them when the whole thing was knocked on the head
by timely legislation, which took all the life out of the enterprise.
The plan, as a whole, was the initial step in the transportation
and navigation question which was put before the people of
Texas year after year for many years. It was revived in improved
form a few years ago by those who desire to incorporate
it in a great national inter-costal waterway.
While the commerce of the state was carried on by such crude
means as wagons drawn by oxen and horses, as late as 1850, it
must not be supposed that the question of railroads was neglected.
As a matter of fact railroad building had actually begun ten
years before then. In 1840 the Harrisburg and Brazos Valley
people let a contract for 3,000 ties and engaged a force of negroes
to do grading. The road, later to become the Galveston, Harris
burg and San Antonio Railway, was not yet incorporated. Its

Transportation and Communication 227
directing genius was A. Brisco. The Houston Morning Star in
May, 1840, announced that many laborers were ' ' throwing up the
track and preparing it for the rails at an early season, ' ' and that
more would soon be so employed. In 1841, the men controlling the
enterprise were incorporated under the name of the Harrisburg
Railroad and Trading Company. But they soon abandoned their
enterprise, and nothing was accomphshed until some years later.
It was not until 1847 that it again showed signs of life, this time
under the name of the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Rail
road. Columbia and Alleyton were the terminal points first
determined on.
In 1847, General Sidney Sherman acquired control of the
road, bought most of the lots at Harrisburg, gained the assist
ance of Northern capitalists and got a charter for the road. His
local fellow incorporators were : Hugh McLeod, John G. Todd,
John Angier, Jonathan F. Barrett, E. A. Allen, W. M. Rice, W.
A. Van Alstyne, James H. Stevens, B. A. Shepherd, and W. J.
Hutchins. These men were all prominently identified with Hous
ton and Galveston. The spring of 1'851 saw the beginning of
the survey westward, and the beginning of actual construction,
though it was not until late in the next year that rails were laid.
At that time the first locomotive ever in Texas arrived. It was
named the "General Sherman."
The road was finished in 1852 as far as the Brazos, 32 miles
from Harrisburg and in 1860, nine years after it had been begun,
it was constructed to Alleyton, 42 miles farther. The intention
had been to put this line through to Austin, but San Antonio
eventually became its logical objective point.
In 1858 the Columbus, San Antonio and Rio Grande Rail
road Company was incorporated. Its object was to construct a
line from Columbus, via Gonzales to San Antonio. It was
planned to connect this road with the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and
Colorado road at Alleyton by the Columbus Tap road, but work
was stopped by the war and was not resumed for several years.
But the progressive citizens of Houston were not content with
only one railroad, and it reaching out towards the West. They
recognized the existence of a large and rapidly expanding terri-

228 History of Houston, Texas
tory to the North and Northeast and took steps to provide for its
need. The Houston and Texas Central Railroad (though not by
that name) was organized in 1848 and was called the Galveston
and Red River Railroad. Under its first charter Galveston was
to have been its Southern terminus. Its charter was amended,
in 1852, and this also was superseded by a new charter, in 1856,
by which the line was given the name it bears today. Grading
was begun at Houston, in 1853. There were only two miles of.
road completed when the first locomotive was put on. With the
locomotive came two men, one of whom was destined to become
one of the most progressive and able railroad managers in Texas.
This was C. A. Burton, who was the first engineer and ran the
first locomotive for the Houston and Texas Central Railroad,
and who afterwards became the general superintendent of the
road. The other was a young man named Dawson, who was the
first fireman. He died of yellow fever during the epidemic that
occurred soon after his arrival. Twenty-five miles of road was
completed by 1856 and ten miles more by May, 1857. It was
extended to Hempstead by 1858, and to Millican in 1860. This
was eighty miles of road, just about the same as that of the
Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado road. By the completion of
these roads Houston established its claim to be considered the
great distributing point.
During the period from 1857 to 1860, the Washington
County Railroad, a branch of the Houston and Texas Central,
was built, as an independent enterprise, from Hempstead to
Brenham, 21 miles. Brenham was then one of the most impor
tant points in Texas.
The Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad, built as
an outlet to the Gulf, via Galveston, for lines centering in Hous
ton was begun at Virginia Point opposite Galveston, in 1854, and
was finished to Houston in 1858. Its length was 42 miles, and in
many respects it was and is one of the most important' bits of
railroad ever constructed in Texas. Until the summer of 1859
passengers and freight were ferried from Virginia Point to the

Transportation and Communication 229
Island, but a bridge across the bay was then constructed and
in 1860 Houston had direct connection with Galveston by rail. •
Houston began, in 1856, the construction of the Houston
Tap and Brazoria Railroad, seven miles in length, to connect with
the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railroad at Pierce
Junction. The Houston Tap and Brazoria Railroad Company
was later organized to take over the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and
Colorado road, which it did and in 1861, extended it to Columbia,
on the Brazos River, a distance of fifty miles from Houston. That
line is now a part of the International and Great Northern
system. The Texas and New Orleans road, now of the Southern
Pacific system, was originally chartered under the name of the
Sabine and Galveston Bay Railroad and Lumber Company. It
was intended to build a line from Madison to Orange, via
Beaumont to tide water on Galveston Bay. The Company was
chartered in 1859 as the Texas and New Orleans Railroad, the
plans of its projectors having been changed and a riew charter
becoming necessary. By this charter the company was organized
to accept an act passed by the Louisiana legislature legalizing
the construction of the Louisiana part of the line ; and that part
in Texas was to be known as the Texas division.
Actual construction of the road was begun at Houston, in
1858, and it was completed to Liberty, 40 miles, by 1860. In
January, 1861, it had been completed to Orange, on the Sabine
River, 111 miles distant from Houston. The strategic importance
of this road became apparent so soon as the Civil War broke out,
for its value would be inestimable in case of the blockade of Texas
ports, and the people of Louisiana were urged to complete the
link between the Texas border and New Orleans. However noth
ing was done and the road remained in its unfinished state until
long after the war. The Civil War paralyzed railroad building
as it did other industries. At the close of the war, Houston had
371 miles of railroad centering here.
(1) — Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado, Harrisburg to
Alleyton, 80 miles.

230 History of Houston, Texas
(2) — Houston and Texas. Central, Houston to Millican, 80
miles. (3) — Galveston, Houston and Henderson, Galveston to
Houston, 50 miles.
(4) — Houston Tap and Brazoria, Houston to Columbia, 50
miles. (5) — Texas and New Orleans, Houston to Orange, 111 miles.
The Texas railroads suffered more than almost all other
interests combined, during the war. The State Comptroller in a
report after the war, said that the railways had been so crippled
and disorganized as a result of the four years struggle, that
most of the lines had ceased to be anything more than names.
Train service over the Houston Tap and Brazoria Railroad was
abandoned in the early sixties, and at the comptroller's office, in
1865, it was not known definitely if the Texas and New Orleans
road was in operation or not, so meager were the details. It had
been reported as in bad condition and unfit for use. The Buf
falo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado road was without rolling
stock, road bed, bridges or anything else and had been aban
doned. The Houston and Texas Central was in a dilapidated
condition and unsafe.
During the reconstruction period some of the roads were
forced to organize, others to completely reorganize while others
were sold outright by the state. By. 1870 practically every rofd
in the state was in new hands. Then systems of lines began to
take shape. Outside roads began pushing towards the Texas
border and Houston became the center of a system as important
as any in the South, and more pregnant with future greatness
than any other railway center in the South or West.
Today Houston is the center of several great railway sys
tems in Texas.
The Southern Pacific, usually known as the Harriman lines,
entering Houston, are the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Anton
io; Houston and Texas Central; Texas and New Orleans;
and the Houston East and West Texas. The San Antonio and
Arkansas Pass road, formerly of the system, was separated from

Transportation and Communication 231
it by the railway commission and is now listed as an independent
road. Chief of the Gould group is the International and Great
Northern, 1,106 miles in length, with its headquarters in Hous
ton. This is the only line crossing the state from northeast to
southwest. The next in importance is the Galveston, Houston
and Henderson. The Houston Tap and Brazoria road, formerly
an independent line is now part of the International and is
known as the Columbia Tap. The mileage of the Gould group
of roads is 2,923 miles, and there are more roads belonging to
it than to any other system in the state.
In the early eighties it was of relatively more importance
than it is now, and controlled the Missouri Pacific and the Mis
souri Kansas and Texas roads. The Missouri Pacific divided the
International and Great Northern into two branches, one from
Longview to Houston via Palestine; the other from St. Louis
to Houston, via the Iron Mountain road to Texarkana, and the
International and Great Northern to Houston, and from the
Texas and Pacific to Longview. By a lease of the track of the
Galveston, Houston and Henderson road for 99 years, an outlet
for the International and Great Northern to Galveston was
secured. Down to June, 1907, the Santa Fe lines in Texas aggregated
1,776 miles. Many miles have been built since, nearly all in
west Texas. The main line to Galveston was not originally the
property of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Company. Gal
veston had suffered so much from having Houston quarantine
against her every time there was a yellow-fever scare that she
determined to build a railroad of her own which would be inde
pendent of Houston and reach the interior without coming to or
through Houston at all. With this object in view the Santa
Fe was built past Houston, but eventually built into Houston
from Alvin.
The Katy, or Missouri, Kansas and Texas system, entering
Houston from the northwest, is one of the most important freight
and passenger lines in Texas. It is made up of numerous smal]
lines, bought and consolidated to form one strong system. From

232 History of Houston, Texas
1880 to 1888, the Missouri Pacific Company operated under a
lease. For a time, as already noted, the Katy controlled the
International and Great Northern, but now it controls less than
1,000 miles in Texas.
The Rock Island system is generally regarded as being allied
with the Colorado and Southern system. Of this system the Trin
ity and Brazos Valley line was formerly the mainstay and the out
let to Houston and the Gulf. That line maintains general offices
in Houston. The Rock Island people, operating largely in Okla
homa and Kansas, wanted a direct line for shipment of grain to
the Gulf, and the Trinity and Brazos Valley trackage was the
most desirable of any that was available. When the Frisco sep
arated from the Rock Island, it built a Gulf connecting line
through Louisiana to Houston, completed in 1909, and absorbed
the Gulf coast line to Brownsville. At the present time it has
no other local connection. The section of country that it seeks
to develop lies south and west of Houston. A traffic manager
makes his headquarters here, and the general offices of the road
are in the Binz Building. Its lines entering Houston are the
St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexican line, the Frisco Lines east
and the line of the Houston Belt. and Terminal Co. The B. F.
Yoakum interests are generally considered as controlling these
roads. The Houston Belt and Terminal Railroad Company, owned
and controlled by the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, the Frisco
lines in Texas, the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexican and the
Trinity and Brazos Valley railroads, was organized in June,
1906. It is strictly a Houston enterprise and all material used
in its construction was bought, so far as possible, in Houston.
Its new depot is one of the handsomest structures of the kind in
the country. It is a three-story, steel-frame building of Doric
architecture. Its exterior is faced with St. Louis red brick and
its interior is finished in Italian marble. The building fronts
on Crawford Street, 250 feet between Texas and Prairie Aven
ues, and its covered platforms and its sheds extend back 1,000
feet. Its freight depots are almost equally important.
In the foregoing pages is given a brief summary of the

Transportation and Communication 233
railroad history of Houston from the earliest date to the present
time, and while it shows in a general way that Houston had
much to do with formulating and perfecting nearly all the earlier
plans, it does not show how vitally important was the work
done by individual Houstonians, nor does it show the clear and
intelligent appreciation of the magnitude of the work under
taken, possessed by the pioneer railroad builders in Houston.
Even before the movement for the construction of a rail
road towards the North had taken form, and while the whole
question had scarcely advanced beyond the stage of intention,
Houston men were busy devising means to secure more rapid
communication with the interior of the state. On February 7th,
1850, the Brazos Plank Road Company was incorporated. Its
incorporators were : E. B. Nichols, Paul Bremond, Wm. J.
Hutchins, W. M. Rice, A. S. Ruthven, B. A. Shepherd, Thomas
M. Bagby, James H. Stevens, S. L. Allen, William A. Van
Alstyne, A. McGowan, T. W. House, Francis Moore, and C.
Evans. On June 23, 1852, a meeting was held at the Capitol Hotel,
for the purpose of appointing" delegates to a railroad meeting in
Washington County. Judge H. F. Allen was chairman and
Henry Sampson, secretary, of the Houston meeting. Five dele
gates, J. C. Massie, T. M. Bagby, C. Ennis, A. S. Ruthven, and
Judge Allen were appointed to represent Houston at the con
vention which was to meet at Chappell Hill on July 3. Paul
Bremond, A. J. Burke, W. M. Rice, Abram Groesbeck, and
Henry Sampson, were appointed a corresponding committee.
The following resolutions were adopted:
"Whereas, the citizens of Houston are duly sensible of
the present importance and growing necessity of greatly increas
ing facilities of communication and transportation with those
portions of the state whence the most valuable trade of said city
is derived ; and
"Whereas, the growth of population, production and wealth
in the interior already authorized and demand the expenditure
of capital in the attainment of that object ; it is, therefore
"Resolved: — That the city of Houston will do its part

234 History of Houston, Texas
toward any system of internal improvement calculated to advance
her interests and facilitate her commerce with the interior, that
may be found practical and expedient.
"Resolved:— That this meeting is fully impressed with the
conviction that the trade of this city and the interests of the
people of the Brazos and Colorado Valleys demand the con
struction of a railroad from this city to Austin, the capital of
the state, and that with proper exertion and the aid within our
reach, the construction of such road is entirely practicable.
" Resolved :— That the citizens of Houston will gladly co
operate with the people of Washington County and of other
counties, in the proposed mass meeting to be held at Chappell
Hill, July 3, proximo, and that delegates be sent to represent
this city at that meeting."
The day after that meeting the Telegraph, while strongly
advocating the building of a railroad, also urged adhering to
the idea of the plank road. The argument it used was that the
necessity for better facilities for communication with the interior
was a present and pressing need and one that could not be
delayed. It stated that the Plank Road Company, chartered
two years before, already had about 23 miles graded and that
the road could be planked and thus rendered immediately avail
able, at very small cost. It then pointed out that a charter
could not be obtained for a railroad under three years, and that
the charters then in existence were worse than useless because
they were all loaded down with "tapping" privileges which gave
outsiders ^he right to tap the road every few miles with lines
only a few miles long, thus enabling them to gain the advantage
of - facilities which cost the originators millions of dollars, with
out rendering any return benefit.
However neither the plank road nor the Chappell Hill dis
cussed railroad was ever built, nor advanced further than the
stage of agitation and talk. The graded road was used, just as
it was, and unquestionably did good service, for the trade of
Houston in the early fifties had grown to no mean proportions.
Had the merchants of that day been less unselfish, or rather
less far-seeing, the actual construction of railroads might have

Transportation and Communication 235
been longer delayed than it was. As to Rome, all roads led to
Houston, and the people of the interior had to come here whether
they cared to do so or not. The difficulties of transportation
were things that concerned those only who had to reach the only
market in the state, and relying on her natural advantages,
Houston could afford to be. dilatory about furnishing rapid
transportation to her less fortunate customers. The volume of
trade was very great, and very profitable. An idea of the mag
nitude of the ox-wagon trade, and the number of those engaged
in it can be formed from reading the following extract from an
editorial published in the Telegraph, May 2, 1855 :
"The editor of the Panoplist says, if he were called on to
say what was the 'peculiar institution' of Houston, he would say
it was ox-teams and teamsters. He spoke the truth. Ox-teams
and teamsters have been the pride and glory of this city for
many years. Whatever else might have been dispensed with as
instruments of its prosperity, they are indispensable, for they
form the connecting link between the merchant and the planter,
without which both merchant and planter could do nothing.
They have a position in this great and growing state second to
no other interest, and they stand in the same relation to the
general prosperity that railroads, canals and steamboats do in
New York and Pennsylvania.
"Not less than 4,000 bales of cotton have arrived in this
city in the last two weeks on ox-wagons, giving employment to
4,690 yoke of oxen and 670 wagons and drivers. Besides the
above there have been at least 200 arrivals of wagons freighted
with other produce than cotton. But let us calculate the amount
of capital and industry employed in handling cotton alone.
"Last year, with a short crop, the receipts at this point were
in round numbers 38,000 bales. The loads average from 3 to 10
bales, according to the roads, but, say, an average of 6 bales to
the wagon, which is probably over the mark, then there were
6,333 trips required for last year's business. Many wagons
make from four to six trips per year. At an average of four
trips there were 1,566 wagons, giving employment to an army

236 History of Houston, Texas
of teamsters twice as large as the number of men engaged in
whipping Mexico at San Jacinto.
' ' Each of these wagons require on an average, seven yoke of
oxen, which, with regular teamsters, are changed for fresh
cattle several times each year. Wagoners tell us that it requires
a fresh team as they are almost exclusively fed by grazing along
the road. At this rate it requires, in round numbers, 25,000
yoke of oxen for the year 's business. Oxen are worth an average
of $50 a yoke. Wagons, complete, $150 each. The capital
engaged was as follows :
25,000 yoke of oxen at $50 a yoke  $1,250,000
1,566 wagons at $150 each  234,900
Making a total of  $1,484,900
The expense of a trip will average $40, and the gross amount
of freight money about $100, giving the result of the business as
follows :
Freight, at $100 per trip on 6,333 trips  $633,300
Less expense, $40 per trip  253,320
Net profit  $380,010
' ' The cotton transported last year was fully 40 per cent less
than the whole transport engaged in the trade. In fact the up-
freight from this point required much more than 40 per cent
greater transportation than the cotton, to say nothing of the
corn, sugar, and molasses, hides, skins, etc., brought to this mar
ket. There must be considerably more than two million dollars
invested in transportation to and from Houston, two-third? of
which would be unnecessary if we had about 200 miles of rail
road ; or, in other words, here is $1,300,000 that might be invested
in railroads to great advantage.
' ' We can have no sort of transportation without capital, and
delay investment in railroads as we may, a similar investment
must be made in wagons and oxen, which means that in about
three of four years more instead of 2,000 wagons we will require
8,000, at a cost of about five million dollars. Wagons and oxen
last about five years and when worn out are a total loss. Rail-

Transportation and Communication 237
roads can be constantly repaired, and the cost of repairs in
twenty years is only equal to the original investment. These
figures are merely estimates, but they are approximately correct
and they serve to show what large sums of money are being
thrown away each year on present means of transportation.
"We hope the day is near at hand when railroads will be
one of the 'peculiar institutions' of this city and of the state,
when the ox shall give way to the iron horse which travels with
twenty times the speed of the ox and carries a thousand times
its burden. ' '
Notwithstanding the fact that the charter of the Houston
and Texas Central Railroad was fairly bristling with "tapping"
privileges, the handful of live and progressive citizens of Hous
ton determined not to wait until the old charter could be amended
or a new one obtained, but to go ahead and begin the construction
of the road at once. These pioneer railroad builders were Paul
Bremond, Wm. R. Baker, Wm. M. Rice, Cornelius Ennis, Wm.
J. Hutchins, A. S. Ruthven, B. A. Shepherd, T. W. House, W. A.
Van Alstyne, James H. Stevens, and Dr. Francis Moore. Al
though these men were the leading merchants, bankers and
business men of Houston, not one of them was wealthy, measured
by the standard of today, and it is highly improbable that as
much capital was invested in the railroad when the first steps
were taken towards its construction, as would be required for
the construction of a modern skyscraper. They had what proved
to be about as powerful as capital, an unlimited supply of grit
and determination. Once having put their shoulders to the
wheel, all thought of failure or weakness was abandoned.
The first shovel of dirt was thrown up by Mr. Paul Bremond
on January 1, 1853, at a point that would be crossed by a line
continuing Louisiana Street across the bayou, near where
McGowan 's Foundry stood. A contract for the construction thus
begun had been made, but before the road reached a point about
where the old city limits were, the contractor threw up his eon-
tract and left town. As soon as he realized the magnitude of his
undertaking, he quit. Mr. Bremond had never had the slightest
experience as a contractor, yet he did not hesitate, but promptly

238 History of Houston, Texas
took the contract himself. It was not long before every dollar
that had been paid into the treasury was gone and Mr. Bre
mond had spent his own fortune and stretched his credit almost
to the breaking point, and yet the actual laborers were not paid.
Sub-contractors became disgusted and quit. The laborers became
more than disgusted. They armed themselves with clubs and
hunted for Mr. Bremond, going in gangs on Saturday nights,
and individually on other days of the week. They attacked
his home and carried away his fence when they found they
could not get him to carry away. No railroad builder ever hao.
so strenuous a time as he. Yet he was not discouraged. He
had made up his mind to build that road and he did it. He was
not an orator ; in fact he was no speaker at all, and yet on the few
occasions when he was caught, by the outraged laborers, he suc
ceeded in talking himself out of "a bad fix," and convinced the
laborers that he was the best friend they had and one who was
acting for their best interest. As an illustration of this peculiar
gift as a conversationalist in that special line the following story
used to be told :
One of the sub-contractors, growing weary of his inability to
get a settlement of his account, went to one of the leading lawyers,
and after explaining all its details placed his claim in his hands
for collection. The lawyer told him he would go over and talk
with Mr. Bremond. "No, you keep away from him, for it will
do no good and he will convince you that I owe him money before
he gets through," said the client. The lawyer insisted on going
anyway and told the contractor to wait in his office until he
came back. He was gone for quite a time and came back looking
worried. In reply to a question as to what he thought of the
case, the lawyer blurted out: "I think you have treated Bre
mond d  d badly and I '11 have nothing to do with your case. ' '
"It is pleasant to recount that not a man who ever trusted
Mr. Bremond, willingly or through compulsion, ever lost a cent.
He paid everything in the end and paid it willingly. The truth
is he was an enthusiast, he looked ahead and discounted the
future. He knew what he could do if given time and assistance.
He had faith enough to invest all of his own fortune, and a large

Transportation and Communication 239
part of the fortune of several of his friends, and he asked only
that others should contribute their time and labor to the same end.
It took Paul Bremond five years of actual warfare and con
centrated trouble and discord, to build fifty miles of road. But
when the road had reached Hempstead, the worst of its troubles
were over. The rich and rather densely settled countries near
there became at once tributary to the road and it began to be
something of what its projectors had claimed it would be.
Thirty miles more were built in the next two years, and then
the great Civil War broke out and stopped everything. How
ever, the Houston and Texas Central road had grown to good
proportions, had reached about to the, then, center of production
and was fairly and safely on its feet.
While the early fifties seem to have brought about a realiza
tion on the part of the people of Houston of the fact that the rail
roads were necessary to bring the products of the state here,
railroads were also equally necessary to carry them to tide water.
The fact that the facilities afforded by Buffalo Bayou w'ere inad
equate and that these must be added to become apparent. With
that object in view, a railroad meeting composed of leading
citizens of Galveston and Houston, was held at the Capitol Hotel
in 1852, for the purpose of discussing the construction of a line
of railroad from Houston to Galveston. Hon. Hamilton Stewart,
mayor of Galveston was selected as chairman, Messrs. M. B.
Menard, Willard Richardson and Hiram Close of Galveston ; Col.
D. J. Landes, of Washington County ; Hon. David G. Burnett,
Frances Moore, Jr., and Hon. Ashbel Smith, of Harris County,
as vice-presidents, and William R. Baker, of Houston, and H.
H. Smith, of Galveston, as secretaries. A committee of thirteen
Was appointed to outline a plan of campaign, and to take steps
towards a thorough organization. Immediately after the adjourn
ment, Houston subscribed $300,000 towards the building of
the road, and Galveston did equally as well. However, it was not
until two years later that actual construction was begun, and
the road was not completed until 1858. This road is now known
as the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad and forms
part of the Gould system of roads. It is one of the best pieces

240 History of Houston, Texas
of railroad in the United States, and one of the best paying rail
roads in the country as well.
Houston having thus secured a road to the North, one to the
South and one to the West, Mr. Bremond, (the same man who
built the Houston and Texas Central), conceived the idea of a
great east and west line, one that would traverse the richest
sections of the state. For a long time he tried to interest out
side capitalists as well as those at home, in his plans, but failed.
Then, realizing what he had accomplished before, he determined
to build the road himself with his own resources. His idea was
to build a line from Shreveport to Houston and from Houston
to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He concluded to build the Shreve
port end first, and accordingly, on July 4, 1876, he threw the
first spade of earth for his road at a point near the old Texas
and New Orleans depot, in the Fifth ward. Mr. Paul Bremond
was president of the road, and his son-in-law, Major S. C.
Timpson was secretary and treasurer. Mr. Bremond again had
a strenuous time in railroad building, but profiting by his for
mer experience, and above all by the- reputation he had earned
then of carrying out anything that he undertook, he soori got
everything moving along smoothly and built the road to Shreve
port and constructed about twenty miles of the line to the west
before his death. For some reason the western branch was
never completed.
A fact not generally appreciated is that of the seventeen
railroads centering at Houston, there is not one that does not
make Houston its terminus. There are no through trains enter
ing or leaving Houston. There are through Pullman coaches
and passenger cars, but no through freight trains, and all trains
leaving here are made up in Houston.
Houston is the greatest railroad center in the Southwest, and
there are more railroad employees paid off in Houston every
month than at any other point in the Southwest. There are 2,843
trainmen and clerks who are paid off here and in addition to
these there are 3,000 men employed in the two great railroad
shops here,. which brings the total number of employees tO 5,843,

Transportation and Communication 241
and the amount of salaries and wages paid them is, in round
numbers, $7,000,000 annually.
The International Railroad is preparing to move its general
shops to Houston soon, which will greatly increase these figures,
but at present only the Houston and Texas Central and the
Southern Pacific roads have their shops here. These two roads
have invested $1,042,216 in their plants, pay out $1,349,200 in
wages and do $2,744,722 worth of repair and construction work
each year.
Their shops are equipped with the best and latest machinery,
and can turn out at a moment's notice everything needed in car
or locomotive construction or repairing. They have machines for
making the dainty tacks for the silk curtains in the palace car
and machines for making the iron beams and castings that go
in the frames of such cars and weigh hundreds and
thousands of pounds. As a matter of fact neither shop makes
locomotives and yet each has all the facilities for making them
and could if it were necessary, turn out one locomotive each day.
The railroads own and operate 450 miles of track in Harris
County and the money invested in them is $20,000,000, over
one-half of which is invested in Houstonian terminal facilities,
shops and offices. An idea of the immensity of the
traffic can be formed from the statement that for the
fiscal year closed June 31, 1911, 90,000 trains were
handled in and out of Houston, and that the freight handled by
those trains footed up very nearly half a billion tons. Of the
90,000 trains slightly more than one-half were passenger trains,
and, excluding excursions and special occasions, it is estimated
that these trains handled over 400,000 regular passengers during
the year. Seven roads have their headquarters here, while all
the big systems are represented in the city. The newest acqui
sition is the International and Great Northern, which has just
moved its general offices here. These offices include the following
departments: General freight and passenger office, auditor's
office, treasurer's office, general claims office, general attorney's
office, and the offices of the several division superintendents.
Judge T. J. Freeman, the new president, during all the time he

242 History of Houston, Texas
was receiver of the road maintained general offices in Houston.
Judge Freeman 's ability has rescued the I. & G. N. from bank
ruptcy and made it one of the best equipped roads in Texas.
Judge Freeman is in the first rank of railroad officials in Amer
ica and is one of the three great builders Texas had given to the
railroad world. The other two are B. F. Yoakum and Judge R.
S. Lovett. The coming of the I. & G. N. and the Frisco to Houston has
added about six hundred well-paid employees to Houston's rail
road population. The officers of the Frisco that came to Houston
in 1911 were those of the vice-president and general manager,
auditor, treasurer, car service, purchasing agent and stationer.
Even before the International and Great Northern road
moved its general offices to Houston it was doing an immense
business here and this point was to all intent and purpose its
principal point in Texas. Its coming brings about 250 men
and their families and swells the pay roll of the railroads here
an additional half million annually. The company owns sev
eral desirable places in the city, where their own office building
can be constructed for the accommodation of the general offices,
but it is likely the building will be on San Jacinto Street,
where the freight office of the company is now located. This
building was originally constructed with the object in view of
adding other stories. At present the offices are located in rented
quarters. The Sunset Central system is the largest railway system
under one management in Texas. Thornwell Fay is vice-presi
dent and general manager. It operates four companies embrac
ing six lines. These railroad companies have an assessed val
uation in Harris County of $5,611,926, of which $2,424,770
is located in the city of Houston. The receipts from the sale
of tickets to passengers at the Houston station during the fiscal
year closed in June, 1911, were $4,828,053.47. The principal
terminal of the company is the Grand Central passenger sta
tion on Washington Avenue. Thousands of passenger trains are
operated in and out of this depot every year and hundreds of
thousands of people pass through its gates.

Transportation and Communication 243
The freight terminals are north of the passenger depot, near
the extensive system of shops. These terminals have thirty-two
miles of trackage and enormous sheds and warehouses. Nearly
five hundred yard clerks, switchmen and others are employed
in these yards, working in two shifts, one night and the other
day, in order to keep up with the enormous traffic.
All the Sunset Central general offices are now located in
their new nine-story building, corner of Franklin and Travis
Street. This building has just been completed at a cost of $512,-
793 and is one of the finest buildings in the city.
The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad Company of
Texas is also making extensive improvements. The company has
already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars improving its
property and has not yet completed its task. Additions have
been made to its terminals in the way of increased warehouse
and track facilities, the latter having been doubled, in order to
care for its large and rapidly increasing business. A building
has been constructed for the locomotive department, another for
the car department, artesian wells have been sunk, so as to give
the company its own water-supply, and many other improve
ments have been made. The company now has property in
Harris County assessed at $510,710. During the past year the
pay rolls were: in local shops, $31,081.90; in offices, $21,901.55;
in operating department, $36,963.45.
The San Antonio and Arkansas Pass Railroad runs its trains
into the Grand Central depot. The company owns property in
Harris County amounting to $593,150. It is one of the most
important of Houston's railroads. Its main offices are in San
Antonio, but it keeps a good force here. Its local pay rolls for
1910 were: in freight and passenger departments, $19,927.25;
shops and roundhouses, $11,326.15; in yards and to train men,
$20,312.59 ; to all others, $9,573.30.
The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe road was one of Houston 's
largest industries but with the advent of the Houston Belt and
Terminal Company the road leased all its Houston property to
that company and became one of its tenants. The property of
the Santa Fe in Houston is valued at $1,300,000. The only

244 History of Houston, Texas
employees of the company in Houston are freight and passenger
agents. The road has more than a passing interest in the Hous
ton Belt and Terminal Company, since the vice-president of the
Santa Fe is also president of the Terminal Company. The
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe operates about 8,000 passenger
and freight trains in and out of Houston each year.
Col. J. G. Tracey and two or three associates organized a
Houston Belt and Terminal line in 1882. They had surveys
made, obtained some rights of way, and then, for unknown
causes, abandoned the enterprise. Nothing further was ever
done towards constructing such a line, until in June, 1905, the
Houston Belt and Terminal Line was organized. The company
began active operations at once and expended more than $5,000,-
000 for the completion of a system of railroad terminals for both
freight and passenger business designed to handle all the ter
minal business of Houston if necessary.
Four roads, the Santa Fe, the Frisco, the Trinity and Brazos
Valley and the Brownsville are joint owners and are now using
the terminal facilities. The passenger station, described briefly
elsewhere, is very handsome and cost over half a million dollars,
the marble used in its interior decoration costing $45,000. The
whole, system is constructed on scientific, and practical lines so
that it is perfectly equipped for the objects for which it was
designed. The depot building was dedicated March 1, 1911, and
has been in active use since that date.
The Frisco has made many improvements during the last
year, the greatest being the establishment of its through line to
New Orleans. This is one of the fastest and most thoroughly
equipped trains in the United States. It has oil-burning loco
motives, steel passenger trains, cars and baggage coaches all
equipped with electric lights, fans, etc. The distance between
Houston and New Orleans, 360 miles is covered in twelve hours.
The Frisco has a network of small and great lines in Texas and
Louisiana, all tributary to Houston. All the traffic of the Frisco
in Houston is handled by the Terminal Company, but the road
has a force of about 300 office employees and their pay roll foots
up about $360,000 per year. Mr. W. C. Conner, Jr., the traffic

Transportation and Communication 245
manager, is one of the most brilliant and successful of railroad
officers and has shining prospects in the railroad world.
Houston's seventeen railroads are the following: Houston
and Texas Central; Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio;
Texas and New Orleans; Beaumont, Sour Lake and Western;
Houston, East and West Texas ; International and Great North
ern (Ft. Worth Division) ; International and Great Northern
Trinity and Brazos Valley; San Antonio and Arkansas Pass
Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio (Victoria Division)
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe; Missouri, Kansas and Texas
International and Great Northern (Columbia Division) ; St.
Louis, Brownsville and Mexico; Galveston, Houston and Hen
derson; Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio (Galveston
Division) ; Texas Transportation Company.
It is rather remarkable that with all their enterprise and
public spirit the people of Houston made but few efforts to
improve the navigation of Buffalo Bayou in the early days. As
already noted the Republic had made an appropriation for the
improvement of the rivers and harbors of Texas, but no one
seems to have thought of making use of any of this appropri
ation for the improvement of the bayou. Newell, in his history
of the Revolution in Texas thus describes the bayou in 1 838 : " It
is a very singular water-course, without any current except as
caused by the tides of the sea; very deep, and navigable from
its junction with the San Jacinto to its forks at Houston, for
boats of any draft of water, though too narrow to admit those
of the largest class. The soil upon its banks is generally light
and sandy." The Cayuga, later called the Branch T. Archer, was the
name of one of the first steamboats to reach Houston. The
Cayuga was brought to Texas by John R. Harris and was under
command of Captain Isaac Batterson. It was intended originally
to run on the Trinity River but was changed to the bayou trade.
Soon after that the Constitution was added to the service. She
came up to Houston but was so long she could not be turned
around, and had to be backed down to Constitution bend in the
bayou. No doubt that is the way this big bend acquired its name.

246; History of Houston, Texas
Another early boat was the San Jacinto, which sank in the
bayou near where Clinton now is, and still another was the
Henry A. Jones which was burned in Galveston Bay in 1839,
with some loss of life. A year or so later the Farmer blew up,
killing Captain Webb and Henry Sylvester. The Star State
plied on the bayou in the early forties and met with several
accidents. Once it caught fire and the passengers escaped with
difficulty. Mrs. Peter W. Gray, of Houston jumped overboard
and was rescued with difficulty.
The Billow, Capt. James Montgomery, brought to Houston
the first locomotive for the Houston and Texas Central Railroad.
It was unloaded at the mouth of White Oak Bayou at the foot
of Main Street and run onto a temporary track. Capt. Charles
Burton, afterwards superintendent of the railroad took charge
of the. locomotive.
The Charles Fowler had the first calliope ever heard in
Houston. On her first trip to Houston she stuck at the G. and H.
Railroad bridge over the bayou arid some of its piling had to be
cut away to admit of her passage. The Silver Cloud, laden
with fruit, sank at Harrisburg.
At different times there were in the bayou trade, the Ida
Reese, the Desmonia, the Old Reliable, the J. H. Sterrett, the
Erie No. 3, a stern-wheeler, the Erie No. 12, also a stern-wheeler,
the Wren and the Shreveport. The Diana, Captain Pat Christian,
and the Lizzie, Captain A. Connors, two magnificent passenger
boats ceased running in 1877. The Diana and the T. M. Bagby
were built in Ohio for Captain Sterrett, the best known steam
boat man in Texas, in 1870, and arrived here the same year.
The Diana was 170 feet long, 32 feet beam and 5 feet hold. She
had three boilers, two flues and a full length cabin. Her cost
was $33,000 and she and the Bagby were as fins boats as any that
ran on the Mississippi, which river was said to have the finest
in the world.
It is strange, but true, that the first great assistance Hous
ton had in bringing the question of bayou improvement before
the public came from Galveston, its bitterest commercial rival.
Four or five years after the close of the war, when the railroads

Transportation and Communication 247
had been reorganized and the commerce of the state had grown
to large proportions, the Houston people, naturally, began agitat
ing the question of securing better navigation of Buffalo Bayou
so as to add to Houston's facilities for handling the rapidly
increasing trade. At first Houston stood alone in making its
fight. The people of the interior were indifferent, while those
of Galveston ridiculed the idea of Houston ever securing naviga
tion of its crooked bayou for ocean-going vessels. Unfortunate
ly for Galveston there was at that time in that city a wharf
company that had an absolute monopoly of the whole city water
front, and that company was short-sighted enough to take full
advantage of the monopoly. It made its rates very high and
acted very arbitrarily. It cost $5 per bale to take cotton from
Houston to Galveston by rail and then the Wharf Company took
a whack at it and there was a big hole knocked in the farmer's
or shipper's profit by the time the cotton got on shipboard aftc
leaving Houston.
Houston was not slow about seizing this strong argument
placed in her hands by the Wharf Company and began a cam
paign of education to teach the people of the interior that they
were far more interested in securing deep water at Houston than
was Houston itself. They were shown that could vessels come
to Houston to discharge their cargoes and take on new ones, the
fifty .miles haul to and from Galveston, and the excessive charges
of the Galveston Wharf Company would be things of the past
and millions of dollars would be saved by the interior people
annually. The Houston Direct Navigation Company, for the improve
ment and navigation of the bayou had been formed in 1869, but
by 1870 the campaign of education had so far progressed that
the question was no longer a local one, in any sense of the word,
but was state-wide. The Navigation Company continued the
work of deepening the bayou and began the digging of a chan
nel across Morgan's Point. The city had, through assistance
given the Navigation Company, spent about $230,000 on this
work, when the Galveston Wharf Company again came to its
assistance in the most unexpected way. The assistance was

248 History of Houston, Texas
real and of great value, though it was entirely unintentional on
the part of the Wharf Company.
Charles Morgan, the president and chief owner of the
Morgan Steamship line, that for years controlled the ocean carry
ing trade between New Orleans and Texas ports, asked the Gal
veston Wharf Company for better facilities and better rates than
were given him at that time. The company turned down his
request and treated him with contempt. He threatened to come
to Houston with his ships unless they treated him more reason
ably. They hooted at the idea and told him to go ahead and do
whatever he pleased. He did go ahead. He purchased Hous
ton's stock in the Navigation Company, put his engineers and
a big dredging force to work, and completed the canal through
Morgan's Point. The great storm of 1875 destroyed his fleet
of small vessels and a great many workmen were drowned. But
work was resumed within thirty days and continued until the
cut-off through Morgan's Point was completed. A railroad was
built from Houston to Clinton, a point on Buffalo Bayou about
ten miles by land, and for a few years the Morgan steamers gave
Galveston the go-by and came directly to Clinton. Then the
Wharf Company at Galveston realized the error of its way,
repented and gave Morgan whatever he wanted and he discon
tinued his Houston steamers. However, he had demonstrated
what could be done and there was a popular demand on Congress
to take charge of and develop this important waterway, which
had such brilliant promise for the future.
In the late seventies a bill was introduced in Congress for
the purchase of the Buffalo Ship Channel by the United States
Government, with the view of opening it as a general highway.
A corps of engineers was sent by the Government to inspect the
work already done. They reported that twelve feet of water, as an
average depth of the channel, to the foot of Main Street in
Houston, could be had. The condition of the proposed sale of
the channel to the Government by Morgan was that the Gov
ernment should refund to him the amount expended by him in
the work and carry out the general terms of the undertakirig as
accepted by him when he took over the channel from the Buffalo

Transportation and Communication 249
Bayou Ship Canal Company. One of the conditions of the
transfer was that the work would be completed tp the foot of
Main Street as soon as practicable. The Ship Channel was
assumed to extend from Clinton to Red Fish Bar. From Red
Fish Bar to Bolliver, the Government had done work under
various appropriations, the last of which had been $147,000.
From Clinton to Boliver the channel varied in depth from 14
to 30 feet, and an inspection in 1880 showed that the channel
through Morgan's Pbint and Red Fish Bar had deepened and
widened through natural causes.
On the old channel the Direct Navigation Company
had expended about $200,000 before it had transferred the work
to Morgan. After the transfer, Morgan expended about $700,-
000 more in bringing the work to Clinton, and had expended
about $125,000 in making improvements at Clinton. There was a
long delay and negotiations were not closed until 1891 and the
money was paid to Morgan and the channel through Morgan's
Point was thrown open to the public on May 4, 1892."
The work of the Government on the Houston Ship Channel
has been continuous since the day it took charge. Each Congress,
with one exception when no river and harbor bill was passed,
has made a liberal appropriation for the work. The bayou has
been made straighter by the removal of sharp curves, the stream
has been widened and deepened by dredging and the bayou,
always naturally deep, has been put in first class condition. If
all the channel were as easy of improvemerit as the bayou, the
problem would have been solved long ago. The main trouble
exists at one or two points in Galveston Bay. Red Fish and
Morgan's Point, involving a stretch of channel about twelve
miles in extent, are the chief points on which the work must
be concentrated. At these points the sand is shifting and almost
as fast as a channel is deepened it is filled up by the sand. The
proper solution of the problem, so the engineers say, is to con
fine the currents and tides that sweep over the channel at these
points, so as to direct them along the channel and thus make
them do the work of keeping the channel clear. To do this long
and expensive bulk-heading will be required. When this is

250 History of Houston, Texas
done there is no reason why the large vessels that enter Galveston
Bay cannot come direct to the Houston Turning Ba^in.
The whole thing is simply a question of money. The
Government recognized this when, in 1910, Congress passed a
bill appropriating $1,250,000 for the development of the Ship
Channel, on condition that Houston would raise a similar amount.
So soon as this became known, officially, Mayor Rice of Houston,
consulted with the Harris County Commissioners, with the
result that the Houston Navigation District was formed. An
election was held and the proposition to have the Navigation Dis
trict issue bonds to the amount of $1,250,000 was carried over
whelmingly in 1911, and Houston's future as a deep-water port
was assured.Because the Government engineers have declared that it
will cost two and one-half million dollars to complete
the Ship Channel, there seems to be an impression, even in
Houston, that a vast amount of work yet remains to be done
before ocean-going vessels can make use of the channel regularly.
That is a mistaken idea. A big work will have to be done, but
its magnitude is more in the way of expense than anything else.
There is very little difficulty about it. It is expensive because
about twelve miles of the channel will have to be bulk-headed
to protect the channel from shifting sands at Morgan's Point
and Red Fish Bar, or reef. The bayou itself from Morgan's
Point to the Turning Basin, is wide enough and deep enough to
admit of the safe passage of large steamships of 18 to 20 feet
draught, while the channel in the bay from Red Fish Bar to the
end of the jetties in the gulf is equally safe for the same class
of vessels. One or two large steamers have already made the
trip to the turning basin, safely. The Revenue Cutter Windom,
the Steamship Disa and the Steamship Mercator, the latter
250 feet in length, have made successful trips from the Gulf of
Mexico to the Houston Turning Basin, thus demonstrating that
the Ship Channel is an actual fact and not a theory. It is well
known that steamships are the most timid things in the world.
They take no chances of getting aground or of being detained in
any way, for with them time is literally money. Under these

Transportation and Communication 251
circumstances and conditions it will be difficult to get regular
lines of steamers established until the channel is placed in such
condition that it will be absolutely safe at all times and under
all conditions, as it will be when approved improvements are
completed. The channel in its present condition is used and has been
used for years, and an immense traffic goes on over its waters.
Numerous small boats ply the channel regularly, while tug-
drawn barges carry thousands of bales of cotton and other pro
duce, which swell the value of the commerce to millions of dol
lars annually. Aside from the actual and tangible profits
derived by Houston people from the bayou trade and commerce,
there is a greater one, in the fact that having this outlet to the
sea gives Houston all the benefits of water rates.
When the S. S. Disa came to the Turning Basin on No
vember 8, 1909, all the newspapers stated that she was the first
ocean-going, vessel to come up Buffalo Bayou. Such was not the
case. In the spring of 1863 a good sized steamship ran the
blockade at Galveston and Buffalo Bayou being out of its banks
beeause of a great spring flood, the steamer came directly to
Houston and discharged her cargo of arms and ammunition at
the foot of Fannin Street. She then took on a cargo of cotton,
shipped by T. W- House, Sr., returned to Galveston and ran
the blockade again. Unfortunately the name of this blockade-
runner has not been preserved.
The first street railroad company to operate in Houston,
was a local concern backed by local capital, which was organized
under a charter granted by the Legislature, August 6, 1870, and
known as the Houston City Street Railway Company. A fran
chise was granted to this company in 1873 by the city council.
The stockholders were T. "W. House, E. W. Cave, J. T. Brady,
and William Brady. About 5~y2 miles of track was laid by 1874
and the road was operated continuously until 1883. The .com
pany had the field all to itself for a.while, but in 1881 the Bayou
City Street Car Company was organized and laid a track from
the Capitol Hotel to the Union Depot. In 1883 a controlling
interest in both these companies was bought by Colonel Sinclair

252 History of Houston, Texas
of Galveston who soon sold a half interest in his holdings to H.
F. McGregor. The combined trackage of the two lines was about
six miles. The lines were rebuilt and extended by Messrs. Sinclair
and McGregor until there was a length of about 16 miles, all
operated by mule power.
The business was so prosperous that others determined to
take a hand in it and accordingly, in 1890, a second Bayou
City Street Railroad Company was organized. The promoters
of the new company, Wm. Boyd and Brother, constructed ten
miles of track. Soon after that Sinclair and McGregor sold out
their interest to a Chicago syndicate, which had the president of
the Chicago City Railroad at its head. This syndicate, in turn,
sold its Houston interest to an Qmaha syndicate. The new syndi
cate soon bought a controlling interest in the Boyd Bayou City
Company which had been fairly successful. The Omaha people
prepared to introduce electricity in operating their cars, and the
city council passed an ordinance, October 3, 1890, authorizing
them to do so. At the same time the company was given a new
franchise for a period of 35 years. The two lines were consol
idated and had a total trackage of 28 miles, all being equipped
with electric power. The Houston Heights line was constructed
in 1892-93. It was purchased by the Omaha people and com
bined with the other line, thus increasing its mileage to 35 miles.
The great financial panic of 1893 was disastrous to the company
and in 1895 it passed into the hands of John H. Kirby, as
receiver. The company was reorganized in 1896, with A. W.
Parlin as president and H. F. McGregor as manager. In 1901,
H. B. Rice was entrusted as receiver, with the supervision of all
its affairs, and during his control the road passed to the owner
ship of the Stone and Webster syndicate of Boston, who pur
chased it at a receivers sale, November 12, 1901.
The new owners placed H. K. Payne in charge as manager
and set aside a certain amount of money for rebuilding and
improving the property. One of the provisions of the receivers
sale was that the new owners should assume all liabilities of the
old company. Among these was an indebtedness to the city
of Houston for street paving, variously estimated at from

Transportation and Communication 253
$30,000 to $85,000. After long negotiation, the details of which
were given to the public, the company agreed to pay to the city
$80,000 in full settlement of all claims, and the city agreed to
extend the franchise of the road for an additional ten years. The
company further agreed to establish a transfer system, vestibule
its cars, to build a certain amount of new track within the city
limits each year for two years, and to pay to the city one per cent
of its gross earnings for 23 years and 2 per cent for the remain
ing ten years.
The company immediately set about rebuilding the LaBranch,
Houston -Heights, South End, Louisiana, Franklin, San Felipe,
Arkansas Pass, Brunner and Washington Street lines, replac
ing the old, light rails with the heaviest type of rails and sub
stituting grounded girders for "T" rails on all paved streets.
The company also began the extension of the Liberty Avenue
line, the Montgomery Avenue line, the La Branch line and the
Houston Avenue line. New and modern cars and other equip
ments were supplied, Highland Park was completed, and many
improvements were made. Provision was made for the separa
tion of white and negro passengers on the cars in accordance
with the provisions of an ordinance of the city, which went into
effect October 28, 1903.
The street railroad system of Houston, while far from per
fect, has done much in developing and building up the city.
The Houston Electric Company now operates 13 lines in
Houston and has a total of 51 miles of track. Several exten
sions are under way. On the several lines 191 cars are in ser
vice and the number of employes of the company is 456. It
expends each year on its Houston pay roll $33,839 in salaries
and $230,600 for labor. The company has a capital stock of
$3,000,000 and is not in any sense a local corporation. It pays
large dividends to its Boston owners. David Daly is the local
manager. In September, 1911, the finishing touches were put on the
city part of the track of the Houston-Galveston Interurban
Railroad. This line is 50.5 miles in length, and is said to be
•the best piece of track of its kind in the country. It cost

254 History of Houston, Texas
$2,500,000 to construct it. The main power station at Clear
Creek (half way) cost $275,000 and is fitted with two-fifteen
hundred kilowatt generators and three 520-horse power engines.
There are three sub-power stations situated at La Marque,
South Houston and at the main station.
Most of the grading was embankment fill, but on Galveston
Island and the approach to the causeway, there was a hydraulic
fill amounting to about 164,000 cubic yards. Five long bridges
were constructed, the longest 612 feet in length, was that over
Clear Creek. A passenger station, costing $12,000 has been
erected in Galveston and one costing $40,000 is about completed
in Houston. A viaduct 1,900 feet long, built of reinforced concrete, has
been constructed over the tracks of the Santa Fe and the Lee-
land road just beyond the Houston city limits. This road will
use the great Galveston causeway, the longest bridge in the world,
now almost complete. It will span Galveston Bay from Virginia
Point on the mainland to the island. It will be used by all
railroads, and other traffic lines of communication entering Gal
veston. On account of their intimate connection with transportation
matters, there is given here a brief account of Houston's first
experience with the telegraph and telephone. The first mention
of the telegraph is found in the Houston Telegraph, March 18,
1853. This is the announcement that L. W. Cady & Co., had
determined to connect the telegraph line at Alexandria, La.,
with the Texas and Red River line. A Mr. Preston, who had
lately passed through Houston, was then on his way to the
eastern counties to arrange for the extension of the line from
Alexandria to Houston.
At that time the construction of a line between Houston and
Galveston was actually under way, but in 1854 work on it was
abandoned, for a time at least, though it was stated that the
"gutta percha wire" which was to have been laid under the
waters of the bay from Virginia Point to Galveston Island, was
in Galveston ready for use. Carelessness in putting up the
wires and subsequent neglect of them had caused them to fall

Transportation and Communication 255
down in several places between Houston and Virginia Point.
No further effort was made to build the line until in May, 1858.
Then a successful movement was inaugurated and the line was
built. The plan adopted for raising the necessary money was
simple. An appeal was made to the business men, the profes
sional men and to everybody in general, to take stock in the
company. The expense of construction was placed at $110 per
mile, which made the total cost of the land part $5,500. The
submarine cable, warranted to last one year, was to cost $700,
thus making the total cost of the line $6,200. Houston was
asked to take $3,000 stock which she did. It was stipulated that
the stock was not to be paid for until the line was completed
and in operation.
In the fall of 1878, Mr. Pendarvis, telegraph operator at
Morgan's Transportation Depot, which was over in the Fifth
ward near Bonner's Point, installed a telephone plant between
his office and the office at Clinton, ten miles away. Because the
talking disturbed the clerks in the Clinton office the telephone
was removed. Mr. Pendarvis then strung the wires between his
office, the Direct Navigation office and the Central Depot. It was
found that conversations could be carried on with as much ease
as if the talkers were in one room. ' ' When the great convenience
growing out of these two connections is ascertained by other
railroad men and business men generally," said the Telegram,
"there will be, no doubt, a system of telephonic wires several
miles in length put up here, connecting not only the depots, but
many of the business houses with each other and with private
residences. ' '
Mr. Pendarvis was the first man in Houston to use the
telephone for practical business purposes, though the telephone
had been tested before that, as the following extract from the
Houston Telegram of June 18, 1878, shows : "Mr. J. W. Stacey,
the efficient manager of the Western Union Telegraph office in
this city, has procured a telephone of the latest improved con
struction which he will put up for use during the military
encampment of the volunteers of the state next week. The line
will run from the Fair Grounds to Mr. G. W. Baldwin's library

256 History of Houston, Texas
room in the Telegram Building and everybody wishing to have
the pleasure of conversing with a friend a mile distant will have
an opportunity. Our friends from the country and many in
the city who are skeptical about the truthful working of the
wonderful instrument, will have an opportunity to test it to their
satisfaction. To many of them it will be quite a curiosity, and
. we expect to see its capacity fully tried. Mr. Stacey will make a
trial test today and will have the apparatus in perfect working
order by the end of the week."
A thorough and practical test of the telephone was made for
the first time in a general way in Houston on October 18, 1879,
when instruments were established in several railroad offices
and in the Telegram office and the editor of the Telegram con
versed for over an hour, as he tells us, with Major Swanson,
Mr. Dwyer and others at the Central Railway and Sunset depots
and offices.
The accounts of these primitive telegraph lines with their
"gutta percha wires" for use under water and telephones that
enabled one to ' ' talk to a friend a mile away, ' ' seem very strange
to us of today, when a merchant can go on the floor of the Cotton
Exchange and send a message to Liverpool, have it executed
and receive a reply before he can make a cigarette and smoke it.
Or when one can sit in the library at home, take down the
telephone and converse with a friend in Chicago, St. Loins or
El Paso, with as much ease and dispatch as one can converse with
the next door neighbor. In the newspaper offices in Houston
demonstrations have been made of the wireless telephone.
Immediately after the close of the war the "Star State"
telegraph line between Houston and Galveston and between
Houston and Orange, was absorbed ' by the Southwestern, the
Trans-Mississippi division of the Southwestern Telegraph Com
pany that covered all of the Southern states east of the Missis
sippi River. The new company was placed under the super
vision of Mr. D. P. Shepherd, one of the most expert operators
of that or this day, who, his friends claim, was the first telegraph
operator in the world to receive a message by ear. In addition
to its lines to Galveston and Orange, the company had a line

Transportation and Communication 257
extending to Crockett, where it connected with a line extending
to Shrevesport. In the latter part of 1867 the Western Union
absorbed the Southwestern and this gave the Western Union
control of all telegraph lines in the United States.
Mr. Merrit Harris was made manager of the Western Union
office in Houston but died soon after of yellow fever, in 1867.
Col. Phil. Fall was appointed manager and served for a short
time, resigning to take charge of the telegraph department of
the Houston and Texas Central Railroad Company.
For over forty years the Western Union remained in full
possession of the telegraph field, and then, a few months ago, it
was in turn absorbed by the Southwestern Telegraph and Tele
phone Company, which is the greatest combination of the kind in
the world. The Houston office is thoroughly equipped. It employs
about sixty operators and has over one hundred wires running
into it, forming connection with every city and village in this
country, Mexico and Canada. It also has connection with deep-
sea cables to all parts of the world. Mr. S. P. Jones is manager,
succeeding Mr. C. W. Gribble, long the capable manager, and
Mr. J. E. Johnson is chief operator. The latter is said to be
one of the most skilled electricians in the telegraph service.
The Postal Telegraph Company, a rival of the Western Union
and its successor, the Southwestern, established its office in Hous
ton, July 5, 1898. By strict attention to business and prompt
service it soon built up a good business, and is today a substantial
and solid concern. The company employs about thirty opera
tors, and has wire connection with all points on this continent
and cable connection with the whole world. On the day the
company opened its office here its total receipts were $2.40.
Today the daily receipts average between $400 and $500. Not
only in Houston but in every office of the company all over the
United States, the motto of the Postal is promptness and dis
patch, and by adhering to this motto it has succeeded in gaining
and holding public confidence. The local manager of the Postal
is Mr. John C. Witt.

258 History of Houston, Texas
In 1910, the two telegraph companies handled 3,500,000
messages out of Houston.
The Houston Telephone Exchange was established in Hous
ton by Mr. James A. Stacey, local manager of the Western
Union Telegraph Company, in 1880. Mr. G. W. Foster succeed
ed Mr. Stacey as manager of the telephone company in 1882, the
exchange having ninety-four subscribers and no long distance
lines. The exchange was first located in the old Fox Building,
but Mr. Foster obtained a ten year lease on a room at the top
of the market house tower in exchange for ringing the alarm bell
in case of fire, the alarms to be turned in by telephone. Only one
lineman was employed by the exchange, a negro who divided his
time between his duties and preaching.
The first long distance line was built between Houston and
Galveston in 1883, and Mr. Foster and his wife, who was as
efficient as he, removed to Galveston, where they managed both
the Houston and Galveston offices.
The company has just completed an elegant building of its
own, a skyscraper, on the corner of Capitol Avenue and San
Jacinto Street, which, with its equipments, will cost approxi
mately $1,000,000.
The company had on July 31, this year, 13,874 subscribers,
and when it gets in its new quarters it will be able to care for
20,000 subscribers without making further additions to its jptecnt
The work of putting the wires under ground was begun in
1896 and nearly all are now in conduits.
The company has a very complete system of long distance
wires. There are twelve circuits to Galveston, seven to Beau
mont, three to San Antonio, three to Dallas and one each to Fort
Worth and Corpus Christi. These are direct circuits and all
have branches reaching out over the state in every direction.
It is possible to carry on conversation between Houston
and El Paso, New Orleans, St. Louis and even Chicago, and the
company does a large commercial business. Plans are now being
discussed for the improvement of the service so as to extend it
as far as Los Angeles and San Francisco on the west and New
York and Boston on the east.

Transportation and Communication 259
The officers of the company in Houston are: E. G. Pike,
division commercial superintendent; G. S. Prentice, district
commercial manager; R. E. Hart, division traffic superintend
ent ; Gordon Bell, local cashier. The local service of the com
pany heretofore has been very unsatisfactory and there has
been much private and newspaper complaint.
An Automatic telephone company has been preparing for
several years to open in Houston. Work has been slow and
delays numerous, but there are now several miles of conduit wires
and several thousand subscribers. The success of the automatic
principle remains to be locally demonstrated. Mr. E. G. Ebersole
is the Houston manager. The company is erecting a handsome
office building, but has not yet begun to extend service.
In view of the rapid strides that are made almost daily in
improving and perfecting the means of telegraphic and tele
phonic communication, it is but reasonable to presume that
methods which we regard as practically perfect today will be
regarded as obsolete fifty years from now and will excite as much
wonder as the "gutta percha wire" that was used in place of
a cable across Galveston Bay, by the first telegraphic company
fifty or more years ago, does with us today. There may not be
such radical changes in telegraphic methods where wires and
cables are used, but where these are discarded and only the
wireless used, the advance will be revolutionary.
Two wireless companies operate in Houston. One is, a pri
vate concern owned and operated by the Texas Company. This
company has 2,700 miles of private telegraph wires in Texas,
Oklahoma and Kansas. These lines are used by the company
only, and the wireless plant is kept always in readiness for
instant use, in case the wires should fail from any cause. The
company has similar outfits at Beaumont and in Oklahoma.
The Texas Wireless Telegraph-Telephone is the only one
engaged in doing a public and commercial business. Its location
is admirable, being on the 18th floor of the Carter Building and
having its wire tentacles spread from a tower forty or fifty feet
above the roof of that tall building. This great elevation is very
advantageous for it gives the electric waves free play and wide

260 History of Houston, Texas
range. Another advantage is that it is as far removed from
metal roofs and street wires, which are enemies to the free
transmission of electric waves. The company has now in opera
tion a station here, one in Victoria and another in San Antonio.
It has thoroughly equipped stations at Fredericksburg, Waco
and Fort Worth, but, for some reason, only the first named are
in commission. Probably it is because of the difficulty of securing
competent operators, these being scarce. The area in which the
Houston plant can do effective work in sending messages is about
500 miles. The instrument is not powerful enough to send
a message further than that except under exceptionally favorable
conditions, but it is delicate and powerful enough to receive them
from an indefinite distance.
The local manager of the company frequently hears the
Norfolk Navy yard operator sending messages, and can get
messages from Washington, Cape Hatteras and from a station on
the southeast coast of Cuba. All these stations are equipped
with powerful machines. Three codes are used. The ordinary
Morse code is the one in general use. All German vessels use
the Continental code, while the United States Navy uses the
Navy code. Of course a wireless operator must have all three
codes at his finger ends.
The Texas Wireless Company is a Texas company. AU its
stock is owned in Texas and it is controlled and managed by
Texas people. Mr. G. R. Spielhagen is president and general
manager with headquarters in Houston, while Mr. E. G. Prince
is local manager.

CHAPTER XV
Societies and Clubs

Free Masonry in Texas. Holland Lodge and Texas Grand Lodge
Organized. First Lodge of Odd Fellows. Knights of
Pythias and Elks. The Houston Turn Verein. The Volks-
Fests. Societies of War Veterans. Terry's Texas Rangers.
Second Texas Infantry and Waul's Legion. Hood's Texas
Brigade. The Bayou City Guards. Dick Dowling Camp U.
C. V. and Post McLennan No. 9, G. A. R. Houston MiUtia
Companies. The Light Guard. Troop A. First Texas
Cavalry. Jeff Miller Rifles. The Annual No-Tsu-Oh Carni
val. Z. Z. and Thalian Clubs. Country Club. Houston
Club. Charitable Societies. Organized Charities, Faith
Home, Wesley House, Florence Crittenden Home, Star of
Hope Mission. Houston Settlement Association.

It is not generally known that the establishment of Free
Masonry in Texas was accomplished not only through the great
est difficulty, owing to the isolated and widely separated con
dition of those willing to engage in such work, but also that
the act itself was one replete with danger to those engaged in
it. At that time Texas was a part of Mexico and the people
of Mexico looked on all secret societies, and Free Masonry in
particular, as tools of the evil one and punished all those who
had anything to do with them, as heretics and servants of the
devil. Dr. Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of
Texas, the first master of Holland Lodge No. 1, and also the
first Grand Master of Masons in the Republic of Texas, fortun
ately left a manuscript dairy from which the following facts
are taken: In the winter of 1834-35, five Master Masons, who had
exchanged the signs of their order, resolved to establish Masonry

262 History of Houston, Texas
in Texas. President Jones says that this was not without peril,
for every movement looking towards organization of any kind,
was craftily and censoriously watched by Mexican spies ih the
employ of the government for that specific purpose. However,
these very conditions made some kind of organization on the
part of the American population an absolute necessity for self
protection, and personal rights and liberty. Accordingly, Anson
Jones, John A. Wharton, Asa Bringham, A. E. Phelps and
Alexander Russell in association with J. P. Caldwell, banded
together as the first Masonic lodge in Texas. Their first place
of meeting was in a wild-peach grove on the General John
Austin place back of Brazoria. The spot was a family burying
ground, and for that reason, as well as on account of its environ
ment, .was a secluded place, and deemed safe for the work in
hand. Here, at 10 o'clock on a day in March, in 1835, was
held the first formal Masonic meeting in Texas. It was deter
mined at that meeting to apply to the Grand Lodge of
Louisiana for a dispensation to open and form a lodge to be
called Holland Lodge, in honor of the worshipful grand master
of that body, J. H. Holland. After some delay the dispensation
was granted, and Holland Lodge No. 36 (under dispensation)
was instituted at Brazoria, in the second story of the old court
house. The activities of the lodge were interfered with by the struggle
for independence by the Texans. At the last meeting of the lodge
in Brazoria, in February, 1836, Anson Jones, presided and
Fannin, the Texas hero, was senior deacon. Brazoria was aban
doned in March, and the Mexicans, under General Urrea
destroyed the Masonic records, jewels and other property. The
few members of Holland Lodge were scattered in every direction.
When, in due time, the Grand Lodge of Louisiana chartered
Holland Lodge No. 36, it sent the charter to Texas by
John Allen, who delivered it, with other papers, to Anson Jones
at a point on the prairie between Groce's and San Jacinto, when
Jones was marching with the Texas army. Dr. Jones put the
documents in his saddle-bag and took them with him to where
the army was camped at Lynchburg on Buffalo Bayou. The

Societies and Clubs 263
result of the battle of San Jacinto saved not only Texas but the
charter as well for had the Mexicans triumphed the charter would
have shared the fate of the dispensation at Brazoria.
For various reasons, no attempt was made tb reestablish
the lodge at Brazoria, though the charter was eventually taken
to that place, but, in October, 1837, Anson Jones and associates,
reestablish it at Houston. About the same time Milam Lodge
at Nacogdoches and McFarlane Lodge at San Augustine obtained
charters from the Grand Lodge of Louisiana. Delegates from
these two lodges and from Holland Lodge, convened in Houston
in the winter of 1837-38 and organized the Grand Lodge of
the Republic of Texas, and the connection of these three lodges
was transferred from the Florida jurisdiction to that of Texas.
Holland Lodge No. 36, became Holland Lodge No. 1, of Houston.
For several years the Grand Lodge met at various points
in Texas, but in 1866 its permanent home was established in
Houston. An appropriation of $50,000 was made towards build
ing a temple and to this the Houston Masons made a handsome
donation, so that when the temple was completed, and dedicated
in 1871, its cost was $113,000. It was erected under the super
vision of Mr. C. J. Grainger, one of the early wealthy citizens of
Houston, a past master of Holland Lodge, of 1854, who gave his
work as a gift to the Grand Lodge. Some years later, when the
population of the state had increased and the center of population
had shifted, it was thought advisable to remove the home of the
Grand Lodge to a more central point, and Waco was chosen.
That city erected a temple at a cost of $150,000 for the lodge.
Perhaps one of the most interesting if not important meetings
of the Grand Lodge, was the 46th communication, which was
convened at Houston, December 8, 1881. Interest was centered
in the visit to the lodge, on that occasion, of General Albert
Pike, of Washington, D. C, Provincial Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge of the Royal order of Scotland in the United States,
and said to have been the highest Mason in America, Sovereign
Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of the Ancient
Accepted Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the Unit
ed States. He had been elected to that position twenty years

264 History of Houston, Texas
before. General Prior was also Provincial Grand Prior of the
Great Priory of Canada of the United Military and Religious
Orders of the Temple.
It is rather remarkable that the same man who was so large
ly instrumental in introducing Masonry in Texas should also
have played an equally important part in establishing Odd
Fellowship. Anson Jones, who may be termed, with truth and
justice, the father of Masonry in Texas, was also the father of
Odd Fellowship. In 1838, he and four other brothers organized
Lone Star Lodge No. 1, I. 0. 0. F. in Houston, and he was the
first Grand Master of the organization in Texas. The progress
of Masonry and Odd Fellowship in Houston has always been
side by side. Each has had periods of great prosperity and
periods of depression, but in all instances the prosperity has
predominated, and, today they are two of the most solid and well
established orders in the city. Lone Star Lodge No. 1, I. 0. 0.
F. has the distinguished honor, shared equally by Holland Lodge
No. 1, of the Masonic order, of having had two of its members
fill the high and exalted office of Grand Master of both the
Grand Lodge of Masons and Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows. These
were President Anson Jones and Henry Perkins, of Houston.
In recent years Masonry in Houston has been most furthered
by the efforts of Hon. Frank C. Jones, a 33° Mason and the
present potentate of El Mina Temple nobles of the mystic shrine.
In 1870 the young men of Houston took great interest in
Odd Fellowship, with the result that Lone Star Lodge No. 1,
grew rapidly in numbers and influence. This influence was not
exerted in Houston alone but extended to other nearby cities.
As a result interest in the order increased and it may be said,
truthfully, that the present great usefulness and influence of
the order in Houston dates from that time. Henry Perkins,
who was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge, was a most enthu
siastic worker. He is one of the few really worthy and distin
guished citizens of Houston of the early days, who has never
been given that place in the history and traditions of the city, to
which his merits entitled him. One reason for this was the
excessive modesty and aversion to publicity, which characterized

Societies and Clubs 265
his life. He was willing to work for the good of the order and
always kept himself as far from the lime-light as possible. He
was a man of independent means, a great student and lover of
books, and as a consequence was known, really, by but few men.
Next to the Masons and Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias
is the oldest secret organization in Houston. Lone Star Lodge
No. 1, was organized in 1872, and is therefore not only the oldest
lodge of the order in Houston, but the oldest in the state. The
order has always been popular here and is very strong, both
numerically and in every other way. There are fourteen pri
mary lodges and subsidiary organizations of the order here,
and they are all flourishing and each has a full membership.
Strange to say there is only one lodge of the Elks organization
in Houston. It is Houston Lodge No. 151, B. P. 0. E. It was
organized in January, 1890, and is in a most flourishing condi
tion, numerically. The lodge has over 600 members, and phns
for a magnificent building of its own are now under considera
tion. The Turn Verein, the first German Society in Houston, was
organized January 14, 1854. In its first minute book is recorded
the following: "We, the undersigned, assembled this forenoon in Gable s
house, to confer in regard to the institution of a Turn Verein.
It was the wish of all to belong to a society where each feels
as a brother to the other and lives for him and with him as a
brother. We have, therefore, associated ourselves under a
brotherly pressure of hands and promised each other to organize
a Turn Verein with energy and love in the cause and assure
its existence by continued activity."
(Signed) T. Heitmann, F. Reimann,  Marschall,
Louis Pless, John F. Thorade, Robert Voight, E. B.
H. Schneider, August Sabath, E. Scheurer, and L.
Scheihagen.
Houston, January 14, 1854.
The young Verein had scarcely seen seven years when the
great Civil War broke out. The original ten had grown to about
a hundred and almost to a man they volunteered to do battle for

266 History of Houston, Texas
their adopted country. A company was formed, under the lead
ership of Captain E. B. H. Schneider, composed of members
of the Turn Verein, and was among the very first troops to leave
for the front. That they were not parade soldiers is attested
by the frayed and shot-torn company flag which is among the
most prized and sacredly guarded treasures of the Verein.
But before the war the Verein had already accomplished a
great deal. Under their auspices a gymnastic school for both
sexes had been established, for the motto of the Verein was:
"only in a healthy body dwells a healthy soul." One of the
early volunteer fire companies was recruited from the Turners.
When the war closed the Turners were poor in purse, in common
with everybody else, but they were rich in hope and energy and
it was not long before they had new life and vigor instilled in
the Verein. Within, two years after the close of the war they
had gotten their affairs so well in hand that they were enabled
to start a semi-public school, which, according to the testimony
of old Houstonians, was the best school of its scope and purpose
of the period. Able teachers were employed. Tuitions were
insufficient to defray expenses and the Turners made up the
deficiency out of the treasury of the association. In the great
yellow fever epidemic of 1867 one of the principal teachers died
and the school was suspended and never again resumed.
At that time foreign immigrants were settling in the North
and West and were avoiding the South because the advantages
of the South had never been properly placed before them. The
Verein undertook to correct this and had printed at its own
expense, pamphlets setting forth tbe claims of Texas and cir
culated them in all the large towns of Germany. This work was
very effective in building up the state and particularly Houston.
The Turn Verein cultivated music and popularized it by means
of vocal and instrumental concerts.
With the view of combining all of Houston's citizens
and harmonizing their work for the common good, it organized,
in 1869, the Volks-fest, which was also aided by other German
associations. For about twelve years the annual Volks-fest was
one of the great events of Houston, but gradually interest died

Societies and Clubs 267
out, and by 1880, it was evident that something would have to
be done if it were intended to continue the celebration. Then
dissentions arose and the affairs of the Volks-fest association got
into court. At that time (1881) there were 100 members of the
Turn Verein. There was also another German Association,
known as the German Society, about of the same numerical
strength as the Turn Verein. Almost every German citizen of
any note was a member of one of these associations. These two
associations determined to come to the rescue of the Volks-fest
Association, and to assume all responsibility for future cele
brations. Accordingly a meeting was held at the city hall on
Sunday morning, December 4, 1881, for the purpose of adopting
a charter and by-laws for the new association. Hon. E. F.
Schmidt was called to the chair and Professor Stereouwitz was
made secretary. The charter and by-laws were read and adopted
without discussion. By the admission of new members the mem
bership increased to about 250. It was decided that it would
not be best for the new organization to take further definite
action pending litigation over the Volks-fest fund then in the
District court. Two months later the two factions of the Volks-
fest Association effected a compromise of their differences
whereby the dignity of each was preserved, and it was decided
to give the next festival under the consolidated management.
The announcement was made, March 11, that the charter
of the Volks-fest Association — amended to admit of the consol
idation of the two associations — had been forwarded to Austin
and that so soon as it was legalized and returned, a new and
enlarged directory would take up the work that was needed to
insure the permanency of the Volks-fest. It was planned to
make the coming festival the grandest that had ever been under
taken. An interstate military drill was suggested but the idea
was abandoned because there would be no time to arrange for
more than a State drill. It was decided to do away with the dec
orated wagons that had always been a feature of previous festi
vals, and to apply the money thus saved as a fund to be used as
prizes for the greatest military and firemen's competitions ever

268 History of .Houston, Texas
seen in Texas, and to induce the attendance of singing societies
from all parts of the state.
Early on the morning of May 4, 1882, a salute of fourteen
guns was fired by the Texas Old Guard Artillery announcing
the opening of the fourteenth annual Volks-fest. There was a
grand procession. John D. Usner was Grand Marshal, with J.
J. Fant and William Rupersburg as assistants. The Adjutants
were: John Morris, A. R. Jones, S. S. Ashe, H. Kleinicke,
George Bauss and Ben Keagans. The parade and the festivities
that followed were beautiful and enjoyable. Only one or two
subsequent annual Volks-fests were held and then they were
abandoned voluntarily.
Though primarily a child of the Turn Verein the Volks-fest
had really no official connection with the Turners and its fortunes
and misfortunes affected it in no way. The Turners continued
to grow in strength and popularity, until today it is one of the
strongest and most influential organizations of the kind in the
state, and one of which all citizens of Houston are proud. They
have recently sold part of their property on Texas Avenue and
contemplate erecting one of the finest club houses in the South.
Nearly one hundred of the 300 survivors of Terry's Texas
Rangers met in Houston on December 16, 1880, in annual
reunion. A committee composed of local survivors of that
command had made extensive preparation for the event. That
committee was : S. S. Ashe, of Co. B. ; W. R. Black, of Co. B. ;
P. C. Walker, of Co. K. ; J. M. Morin, of Co. D. ; T. U. Lubbock,
of Co. K.; W. H. Albertson, of Co. H.; S. H. Jones, of Co. H.;
and M. F. de Bajeligethe, of Co. K.
This was one of the most famous cavalry regiments in the
Confederate Army and was the only Texas regiment of cavalry
that saw active service on the other side of the Mississippi River
during the whole four years of the war. The record it made
has perhaps never been surpassed by any cavalry command
in the history of the world. It was recruited in 1861, in
response to a call made by Benjamin Franklin Terry for recruits
who could come armed and equipped to serve in the Confed
erate Army. The response was so prompt that the regiment

Societies and Clubs 269
was recruited to its full strength at once (1027) and had thir
teen supernumeraries, who enlisted for the war as vacancies
occurred. The following brief summary of the regiment's record
tells better than hundreds of written pages could do, what bril
liant service the command rendered the Confederacy:
Full strength of the regiment at the beginning, 1027 men,
rank and file. Recruits received during the war, 398. Absent
during the war, at times only, 28. Discharged for wounds and
disease, 271. Killed in battle, 377. Absent from wounds or
disease at the close of the war, 79. Present for duty at the sur
render, 317.
The command was mustered into the service on June, 1861,
and served until May, 1865, and during that entire time was out
of actual service but 21 days. It was in 38 general engagements
and 160 skirmishes. The regiment, known officially as the Eighth
Texas, had five colonels, seven lieutenant colonels, five majors,
three adjutants, three quartermasters, three commissaries, thirty-
one captains, twenty-nine first lieutenants, twenty-four second
lieutenants and nineteen third lieutenants. The members of the
command, living in Houston, who were present at that reunion
were: Col. Gustave Cook, Lieutenant Col. B. A. Botts, Maj. A.
L. Steel, Maj. B. F. Weems, Sergeant W. D. Cleveland, Privates
S. S. Ashe, T. U. Lubbock, Sam H. Jones, W. R. Black, J. M.
Morin, P. C. Walker, W. H. Albertson, and M. F. deBajeligethy.
Of these only four are living today: Major Weems, Sergeant
W. D. Cleveland and Privates S. S. Ashe, and T. U. Lubbock.
The Second Texas Infantry and Wauls Legion held their
first reunion at Houston, July 4, 1882. There was a business
meeting at Gray's Hall during the morning and a banquet at
night. Captain J. C. Hutchison delivered the address of wel
come and General T. N. Waul, the commander of Waul's Legion,
responded with feeling and eloquence. A thorough organization
was effected and the following officers were elected :
President, General T. N. Waul, of Waul's Legion. First
vice-president, Col. Ashbel Smith, of the Second Texas. Second
vice-president, Col. H. P. Timmons, of Waul's Legion. Cor-

270 History of Houston, Texas
responding secretary, Col. 0. Steele, of Waul's Legion. Record
ing secretary, H. P. Roberts, of the Second Texas. Treasurer,
Sam E. Jones, of the Second Texas. Chaplain, Rev. J. J.
Clemens. The following members were enrolled at the business meet
ing: Second Texas — F. W. L. Fly, Major. Company A. — •
Captain, William Christian, D. S. Smith, William Cravey, H.
Graves, Tom Ewell, Dave Lynch, D. Mahoney, D. Callahan,
and Joe Smith. Company B. — Philip Huebner, Daniel Smith,
Sam Allen, Henry Hartman, William Harting, Theadore Keller,
A. J. Hurtney, H. P. Roberts, and H. Holtcamp. Company C. —
Dr. S. E. Jones. Company D. — Captain, J. E. Foster. Com
pany G.— A. M. Armstrong, E. S. Parkell, A. J. Horton, P. D.
Ring, G. L. Gee, J. W. Daniel, Jack Jones, J. F. Borden, C. A.
Hope, William Hunt, J. W. Farmer, J. K. Addison, E. T. Cott-
ingham, P. D. Scott. Company H. — J. B. McArthur, R. E.
McArthur, T. D. Sullivan, R. G. Broaddus, H. C. Broaddus, L.
L. Stuart, M. J. Houston, E. W. Hudson, H. H. Gilbey, J. G.
Hill, L. W. Broaddus.
Waul's Legion — E. E. Rice, Sergeant Major; Oliver Steel,
Lieutenant Colonel, Second Battalion; S. P. Allen of Company
E. ; Charles Warneche of Company B.; William Burse of
Hogue 's Battery; Isaac A. Levy, John Wagner, and Charles
Holdermany of Company B. ; Captain F. A. Michels, Captain
L. Hardie, Jacob Koch, of Company B., Second Battalion; P.
Briscoe, A. W. Littig, G. M. Noris, H. G. Hutcheson, S. M.
Williams, B. A. Smalley of Company A., Second Battalion;
Louis Kosse.
These signed the record as members in attendance and in
addition to these names were added the following records which
are of the greatest value since both the Second Texas and Waul's
Legion had so many men from Houston and Harris County in
their ranks.
Second Texas Infantry — Company B. : Captain, W. C. Tim-
mins; J. W. Mangum, first lieutenant; J. D. McClearv, second
lieutenant; A. S. Mair, third lieutenant; A. J. Hurley, orderly
sergeant; J. B. Cato,' second sergeant; D. C. Smith, third ser-

Societies and Clubs ' 271
geant ; S. L. Allen, fourth sergeant ; 0. J. Conklin, fifth sergeant ;
W. H. Tyson, color sergeant ; Phil Huebner, first corporal ; H. D.
Donnellon, second corporal; privates: — A. F. Amerman, Phil
Angus, T. H Brooks,  Barrow, T. P. Bryan, Wm. Block,
William Blanton, John Clark, Mike Callahan, Matt Conklin, 
Cogkin, Tom Conway, Tim Grim,  Duncan, N. T. Davis,
Henry Drier, Sterling Fisher, B. Foster, Ames N. Alberts, John
Bouquet, J. Beutcherger, J. T. Bell, Henry Bitner, Nicholas
Castello, George A. Christie, William H. Clark,  Cheeney,
Horace Church, A. Cunningham,  Claspell, Phil Duggin,
C. S. Doty,  Forney, C. F. Gehrman, Charles Finkleman, M.
Gilreath, J. B. Hogan, Henry Hartman, William Hartney, J. C.
Hart, Dan. Huebner, Henry Holcamp, W. E. Jones, Theodore
Keller, John Kirk,  Klein, Joseph Le Due, James Lamber,
William Little, Tom Lillie, Henry Meyer,  McCarthy, 
Meeks, Joe Michaels, James Manuel, M. M. McLean,  North-
rup, Tom Patterson, William Perry, Peter Rhein, H. P. Roberts,
W. G. Spence,  Shoat, Joe Smith, William Tulsen, J. White,
William Wharf,  Williams, A. T. McCorkle, Antone Merkle,
William Miller, George A. Newell, J. C. Potter, E. Rothman,
A. Riter, Alex Senechal, F. D. Shaw, A. B. Seale, E. A. Sprague,
Earnest Trinks, William Worgs, Ed H. Wilson and — Hoffman.
Company C. — This was the famous Bayland Guards, a com
pany raised and commanded by Dr. Ashbel Smith, who was after
wards the colonel of the Second Texas Regiment. The roll given
is the original roll of the company at its organization :
Asbel Smith, captain; J. R. Harrill, first lieutenant; S. S.
Ashe, second lieutenant; M. A. Lea, third lieutenant; R. D.
Haden, first sergeant; R. M. Woodhall, second sergeant; W. H.
Bryan, third sergeant; E. M. Wasson, fourth sergeant; R. G.
Ashe, fifth sergeant ; Isham Palmer, first corporal ; C. M. Owens,
second corporal ; J. Hagerman, third corporal ; C. E. Jones, fourth
corporal; H. Parnell, surgeon; privates: — W. S. Alger, John
Alfson, Mosley Baker, J. W. Barnes, G. H. Brown, Amos Barron,
Barton Clark, J. V. Dutton, L. J. Ellidge , J. P. Evans , F. M.
Fitzgerald, Amos Fisher, J. G. Haden, S. E. Jones, R. V.
Tompkins, Wm. White, B. F. Lamson, Henry Love, Daniel

272 History of Houston, Texas
Matthews , F. M. Rundill , James A. Rhea , T. J. Armstrong ,
G. R. Baker, Hiram Bartiett, C. H. Brooks, T. L. Blagreaves,
Jesse Brooks, D. Dugat, Daniel Duncan, J. T. Elledge, G. W.
Ferrand , Sol Fisher , L. J. Harper , S. A. Hadden , Wm. Evans,
Stanley Brown, W. H. Woodhall, Sol Lawrence, J. Murrell,
Henry Ong, P. L. Reeves, Otis Rush, James A. Stewart, J. W.
Tompkins, A. J. Thomas, A. G. Voortman, Sol Williams, John
Holtz, W. A. Terrell, T. W. Timmins, J. B. Thomas, J. B. Van-
houten, A. J. Woodall, and Sam Houston, Jr., son of General
Sam Houston.
This company was organized in Harris County April 27,
1861. The Second Texas Infantry was organized August 17,
following. Col. J. C. Moore was its first colonel. When he was
promoted to be a Brigadier General, Lieut. Col. William P. Rogers
became colonel. Colonel Rogers was killed at Corinth and was
succeeded by Col. Ashbel Smith, who commanded it until the
surrender. The regiment saw much active service and dis
tinguished itself at Corinth, where, through a blunder, it was
ordered to take an impregnable point, and sent to do work that
it would have required two or more brigades to accom
plish. The Second Texas did not falter, but made the attack
and was nearly annihilated, leaving its brave colonel and most of
its officers and men on the field. The regiment also sustained
heavy losses at Vicksburg and was captured there when the
stronghold was surrendered. After its release from the Vicks
burg parole the regiment was transferred to this side of the
Mississippi and was in the Trans-Mississippi department when
the war closed.
. Waul's Legion. — This body was organized in Washington
County, in the spring of 1862, and was composed of ten com
panies of infantry, one battalion of cavalry and two batteries
of artillery. In the legion was a company of infantry commanded
by Captain Sam Carter, all the members of which were from
Harris County, and another Houston company, commanded by
Captain Otto Natheuesius, who was a trained soldier, having
served in the Prussian army. He was promoted early after
reaching the other side of the river and Captain Frank A.

Societies and Clubs • 273
Michels assumed command of the company. Charles Warnecke,
Charles Warner, Louis Kosse, John and William Kersten and
John W. Stanfield of Houston were members of this company.
Captain Louis Harde of Houston also commanded a company in
the legion. With the exception of Edgars' battery, the legion
was ordered across the Mississippi in August, 1862, and became a
part of Walker's division. Trellis' cavalry battalion was detached
and included in Van Dorn's brigade and Forest's cavalry.
The infantry under command of General Waul, helped defend
Vicksburg, and after the surrender, when that officer was pro
moted, was divided into two battalions', one commanded by Colo
nel Timmons, and the other by Colonel Wrigley.
Hood's Texas Brigade Association was organized in the
parlor of the Hutchins House, May 24, 1872. At that first
meeting there were sixty-five survivors of that famous command
present. On motion of General J. B. Robertson, an ex-com
mander of the Brigade, General J. B. Hood was called to the
chair, and Maj. Robert Burns was requested to act as secretary.
General Hood made a speech and said that the object of the meet
ing was to organize the survivors of the old brigade into an
association to be called Hood's Texas Brigade Association of the
army of Northern Virginia.
Col. Winkler moved that there should be chosen a president,
a vice-president, a secretary and a treasurer, who should
serve for one year. Also that there should be an executive
committee of two members from each regiment whose duty it
should be to gather all matter for a correct history of the brigade.
The object of the association, as stated by resolution, is
for friendly and social reunions of the survivors of the brigade,
and to collect all data for rolls and history and to perpetuate all
anecdotes, incidents, and many things connected therewith, and
to succor the needy among its members. It was decided to hold a
reunion once every year. The officers elected at that first
reunion were: president, Col. C. M. Winkler; vice-president,
Gen. J. B. Robertson ; secretary and treasurer, Maj. J. H. Little-
field. Mrs. M. J. Young, of Houston, who, for all the four years
of the war had labored unceasingly for the brigade, and who had

274 History of Houston, Texas
raised and sent to Virginia, early in the war, $35,000 in gold,
for the purpose of establishing a Texas hospital in Richmond,
and who had sent clothing and medicine for them, was present
and received an ovation not second to that given the old leader,
General Hood. The first act of the association, after its organi
zation, was to elect Mrs. Young "The Mother of Hood's Bri
gade" by a standing vote.
Houston is directly interested in Hood's Brigade since it
furnished one of the companies that formed part of the
Fifth Texas Regiment in that famous body of troops. There
were but three Texas regiriients in the army of northern Virginia.
The Houston company was the Bayou City Guards, known
officially as Co. A, Fifth Texas Regiment. Nearly every prom
inent family in Houston had a representative in its ranks. Capt.
W. D. Cleveland was one of the company, but after arriving in
Virginia he was disabled and incapacitated for the infantry. He
did not come home however, but went to Tennessee, joined Terry's
Texas Rangers, and remained with that command until the close
of the war.
It is a matter of regret that a full roster of the company is
unobtainable. There were one hundred men in the company
when it left Houston in 1861. In 1862 Lieutenant Clute came back
for recruits and secured six. One or two others joined the
company in Virginia. The company was in twenty-four great
engagements and in a number of heavy skirmishes. The only
roster that can be made out is from the partial records in the
war department at Washington, giving the killed and wounded in
thirteen of the great battles they were engaged in. That list, sup
plemented by another prepared from memory by one of the
company is given here :
A. Angel, killed at Manassas ; John Bell, killed at Manassas ;
Sam Bailey, wounded at Manassas, wounded at Gettysburg and
killed at Spottsylvania ; T. P. Bryan, killed at the Wilderness;
Lieut. J. E. Clute, killed at Gaines' Mill; Robt. Campbell, wound
ed at Manassas, wounded at Chickamauga, wounded at Darby
Town ; S. Cohn, killed at Gettysburg ; Joe Cramer, wounded at
Gettysburg; W. H. Clarke, wounded at Gettysburg, wounded at

Societies and Clubs 275
Chickamauga, wounded at the Wilderness ; Louis Coleman wound
ed at Gettysburg; J. DeLesdernier, killed at Manassas; George
DeLesdernier, killed at Gaines' Mill; John DeYoung, killed at
Manassas; B. C. Dyer, wounded at Sharpsburg; C. W. Diggs,
killed at Gettysburg; J. C. Deloch, wounded at the Wilderness;
A. H. Edey, wounded at Gettysburg; Capt. D. C. Farmer,
wounded at Gettysburg; Lieut. B. P. Fuller, wounded at the
Wilderness; T. W. Fitzgerold, wounded at Gettysburg; E.
Fragee, wounded at Gettysburg; J. H. Garrison, wounded at
Gettysburg; C. B. Gardner, wounded at Chickamauga; J. Heffrin
killed at Manassas ; Sam D. Hews, wounded at Manassas ; Frank
Kosse, killed at Sharpsburg; J. V. Love, killed at Gettysburg;
John Leverton, wounded at Gettysburg; J. E. Landes, wounded
at the Wilderness; J. R. McMurtry, killed at Manassas; Wm.
McDowell, killed at Gettysburg ; J. Massenburg, killed at Manas
sas; J. Morris, wounded at Gettysburg and at the Wilderness-
E. A. Nobles, wounded at Manassas; Geo. Onderdonk, wounded
at Gaines ' Mill ; J. 0 'Nally, wounded at Manassas ; N. Pommery,
wounded at Gettysburg and Chickamauga; F. W. Plummer,
wounded at Chickamauga; W. Reiley, wounded at Manassas; T.
H. Revely, wounded at Gettysburg ; G. J. Robinson, wounded at
the Wilderness ; J. H. Robbins, wounded at Chickamauga ; B. C.
Simpson, wounded at Manassas and Gettysburg; A. Stewart
wounded at Sharpsburg; H. G. Settle, wounded at Gettysburg
and killed near Richmond a year later; C. F. Settle, wounded
and captured at Gettysburg. He made a wonderful escape from
Fort Deleware exactly one year after; W. L. Steel, wounded
at Chickamauga; J. H. Shepherd, wounded at the Wilderness-
S. H. Watkins, wounded at Gettysburg ; D. W. Walker, killed at
Manassas; A. Wolf, wounded at Seven Pines, killed at Sharps
burg. The other members were: A. Beasly, Pat Burns, Robt.
Burns, afterwards brigade commissary, T. E. Bigbee, J. A. Cam
eron, I. Elesessor, W. B. Ferrell, W. A. George, Wm. McGowan,
afterwards Adjutant of the Fifth Texas Regiment ; G. Miller, F.
M. Poland, C. Stevens, H. P. Welch, S. 0. Young.
Of the entire company there were known to be living only

276 History of Houston, Texas
the following in 1911 : J. A. Cameron, Houston, Texas ; B. L.
Dyer, Opelika, Ala. ; W. A. George, Houston, Texas ; James E.
Landes, Chappel Hill, Texas ; F. M. Poland, Houston, Texas ; N.
Pommery, Clark Milstret, County Cork, Ireland; Dr. S. 0.
Young, Houston, Texas.
As Texas saw but little of the real warfare of the Civil War,
the chief part taken by Houston as by other Texas cities was the
furnishing of troops for the great battlefields on both sides of
the river. The reunions of the larger units have indicated how
heroically Houston did her share, like the rest of the South rob
bing the cradle and the grave to send soldiers to the front. Hun
dreds were attached to other organizations and thousands of
citizens who came to Houston after the Civil War had participated
in the great conflict. A full list of these is of course impossible.
The heroic achievements are perpetuated not only by the annual
reunions of the commands named but also by the local lodge of
United Confederate Veterans. It is certain that those who have
been or are now citizens of Houston fought for the South in
every battle of the conflict. Also hundreds of Houstonians par
ticipated on the other side, moving to this city after the war.
Camp Dick Dowling No. 197, U. C. V. was organized in 1892.
The late General C. C. Beavens was largely instrumental in
organizing it and creating interest and enthusiasm. The year
before, he had organized Camp Magruder at Galveston and was
a most enthusiastic worker in all that promised to perpetuate
the memory of the Confederate soldier. Camp Dick Dowling is
one of the best organized and hardest working camps in the
South. Its membership is only about 300, but its meetings are
always largely attended and the interest shown today is equal in
every way to that shown when the organization was new. Meet
ings are held twice each month, at which lectures and talks by
the comrades are given. The camp looks after the sick and indi
gent Confederate soldiers, not only among its own members, but
all others to whom its attention is called. It buries its dead and
no Confederate soldier is ever allowed to occupy a paupers ' grave.
The present officers of the Camp are: J. J. Hall, com
mander; Geo. H. Herman, 1st lieut. commander; J. T. Clower,

Societies and Clubs 277
2nd lieut. commander; Al Longnaker, 3rd lieut. commander;
W. C. Kelly, adjutant; Dr. W. A. Haley, surgeon; Rev. S. H.
Blair, chaplain; J. C. Fowler, officer of the day; F. R. Jones,
vidette; M. W. McLeod, flag bearer.
During the year 1910, fourteen members of the Camp died.
Post McLennan No. 9, G. A. R. was organized in 1885, and
has been in active service ever since. Not having such abundant
material from which to draw as the Confederate Veterans had, its
membership has necessarily been limited. Still the organization
has been kept intact and there is quite as much interest shown
today as there was on the day of its organization. It has a
ladies' auxiliary, which does an immense amount of good work
and cares for the sick and needy of the Post. There are about
one hundred active members of the Post and Decoration Day is
faithfully observed by them. >
Houston has chapters of the Spanish American War Vet
erans and of the Sons of the American Revolution, both of which
are headed by Brigadier General James A. Waties, and has also
organizations of the Sons and Daughters of the Confederacy and
other patriotic societies.
The Houston Light Guard, the military company most
famous in peaceful achievements the country has ever known,
was organized on San Jacinto Day, April 21, 1873. Col. Fairfax
Gray, who had served in the United States Navy before the
war, and who had rendered distinguished service as an officer
in the Confederate Army, was the first captain of the Guard.
Soon after its organization interest began to flag and the com
pany soon existed in name only.
Late in the fall of the same year some of the most zealous
members got together and determined to reorganize the com
pany. Interest among the others was revived and a meeting
was called. The attendance was good and a complete reorgan
ization of the company was effected. Captain J. R. Coffin was
elected captain. The renewed interest was not allowed to wane,
and the new captain put the boys to drilling and did everything
possible to make them soldiers. Uniforms were procured, the color
being cadet gray, better known as Confederate gray. The com-

278 History of Houston, Texas
pany worked so hard and accomplished so much that when
the carnival of King Comus occurred in February, 1874, the
company took part in the parade, the members wearing their
uniforms for the first time. They did even more than that,
for three months later, in May, they entered in a competitive
drill against four outside companies at the Volk-fest celebra
tion. They did not get the prize but they did get experience
and the next year, at Austin, under command of Captain Joe
Rice, they won a sword valued at $500.
The company acted as a guard of honor and escort to
Ex-President Davis of the Confederacy, and has the distinction
of having been the first guard of honor Mr. Davis had after
the war. The ladies of Houston presented the company with a
beautiful flag, in 1875, and the honorary lady members pre
sented it with another in 1882.
In the early eighties the martial spirit was very strong
all over the country, particularly in the South. Military
companies became all the rage and competition between them
on the drill ground was very keen. As a rule the members
of these companies bought their own uniforms, paid their
own traveling expenses and everything of that sort. The
only thing the government furnished them was arms. The
Houston Light Guard was ambitious. Its first appearance in
an interstate drill outside of Texas was at New Orleans in
1881. It was beaten by three companies, but got fourth prize,
$500. '
Next year the boys went to the interstate drill at Nash
ville, Tenn. They were again beaten by three companies, com
ing out fourth, but had the great satisfaction of beating the
Lawrence Light Infantry, a crack company from Boston, Mass.
The people of Houston stood by them as closely in their
defeats as they did later in their triumphs. From Nashville
they came home more determined than ever. The friends of
the company, the business men of Houston, determined that
they should have another trial. To make the opportunity, they
got together and raised the money to offer handsome prizes
and to meet the cost of entertaining the visiting companies at

Societies and Clubs 279
an interstate drill in Houston. The fact was advertised far and
wide and invitations were sent to all the prominent military
organizations in the United States. That was in 1884. A '
number of the crack companies accepted the invitation. Mr.
H. Baldwin Rice was made manager of the drill. The War
Department at Washington, appointed three army officers to
act as judges and to make an official report of the result to
the government. The drill ground was the old fair grounds
where now stands the south end "Fair Grounds Addition."
Fannin School now stands within a few feet of where the
stakes and lines defining the drill field were placed. The drill
was the greatest event of the kind that had ever taken place,
and all the famous military organizations in the country were
here. The drill lasted for a week, a certain number of com
panies drilling each day in the state or interstate contest. All
companies that had ever taken part in an interstate drill were
barred from the state drill. The first prize for interstate com
panies was $5,000. From that the prizes were reduced, so
that the last prize was only about one-fourth of that amount.
The companies competing in the interstate drill were the
Treadway Rifles, of St. Louis ; the Columbus Guards, of Colum
bus, Ga. ; the Montgomery Greys, of Montgomery, Ala. ; the
Washington Guards, of Galveston, and the Houston Light
Guard. These were the crack military companies of the United
States and most of them had national reputations, and were
commanded by the best militia officers in the country.
The Houston Light Guard put up one of the most perfect
drills ever witnessed and won the first prize. Omitting' the
figures grading the several parts of the drill, the totals are
given here :
Houston Light Guard, 2.66 ; Treadway Rifles, 2.55 ; Colum
bus Guards, 2.35 ; Mobile Rifles, 2.29 ; Montgomery Greys, 2.28 ;
Washmgton Guards, 1.95. A perfect drill would have given
3.00, the maximum score.
The following memorandum on the drill was submitted by
the judges :
"Houston Light Guard. — It is observed that the inspection

280 History of Houston, Texas
was nearly perfect. The appearance of the men in- their dress,
arms and accoutrements, and their neatness, exceeded anything
we have seen anywhere — each man like a color man at the United
States Military Academy at West .Point. Captain Scurry had
not proceeded far in the program when, while wheeling his
company from column of twos, improperly, the company was
placed in a position from which it was almost impossible to
extricate it, except as done, exhibiting great presence of mind
on the captain's part.
"Captain Scurry's appreciation of the program and its
requirements was superior to that of the other commanders.
' ' The ground was laid out with the view to testing the length
and cadence of the step in quick and double time. A company
marching as contemplated in the method applied would take
the following number of steps in quick and double time, and in
the time specified. In quick time, 284 steps in 2 minutes and
35 seconds ; in double time, 284 steps in 1 minute and 26 seconds.
> The Houston Light Guard made the following record : In quick
time, 283 steps in 2 minutes and 35 seconds ; in double time in
1 minute and 27 seconds. Aside from all practice in this par
ticular, the result was almost phenomenal. Captain Scurry was
the only one who marched upon the flags with guide to the left,
as directed by the judges."
The Houston Light Guard, having won all it cared for —
fame, offered to divide the money prize among the visiting com
panies, all of whom had been at heavy expense. This offer was
refused, with thanks, of course. The next year, 1885, the com
pany, under Captain Scurry, won three first prizes in interstate
drills, footing up $12,000. The first was at Mobile, Alabama, in
May, and the second, a few days later at New Orleans. The
third was in July, at Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. In this
drill and encampment all sections of the country were represent
ed, there being seventy-five companies there. Only about one-half
of them entered the competitive drill. The Houston Light Guard
took first prize, which was a purse of $4,000 and a flag valued
at $500. From Philadelphia the company went to New York, where

Societies and Clubs 281
they were handsomely entertained at the armories of two of
the famous New York regiments. It is but a matter of justice
to give here the names of the men and officers who made the
Houston Light Guards, "World Beaters." They are as follows:
Captain, Thomas Scurry; 1st lieutenant, F. A. Reichardt;
2nd lieutenant, T. H. Franklin ; 3rd lieutenant, Spencer Hutch
ins; quartermaster, W. A. Childress; surgeon, Dr. S. 0. Young,
at and after the Philadelphia drill; 1st sergeant, George L.
Price; 2nd sergeant, R. A. Scurry; 1st corporal, H. D. Taylor;
2nd corporal, W. K. Mendenhall ; 3rd corporal, George N. Torrey ;
privates — Byers, Barnett, Bates, Bull, Byers, Cook, Dealy, Foss,
Golihart, Hodgson, Hutchins, Heyer, Reynaud, Swanson, John
son, Journey, Wilson, R. Kattman, E. Kattman, Lewis, Mahoney,
Mitchell, McKeever, Powell, Randolph, Steele, Sawyer, Sharpe,
Tyler, Taft, Taylor, Torrey, Wisby; perpetual drummer, John
Sessums (colored.)
The next great victory of the Light Guard was at Galveston
where it took first prize, a purse of $4,500, over the Montgomery
True Blues, San Antonio Rifles, Branch Guards, (St. Louis I,
Company F, Louisville Legion and Belknapp Rifles of San
Antonio. This was perhaps the most perfect drill ever witnessed
in the United States, and excited widespread wonder and admira
tion among military men and the public generally.
¦ The company went to Austin in 1888, and again took first
prize, $5,000, in competition with the flower of interstate com
panies. The next year Galveston wanted to give a great drill,
and did so, but the Houston Light Guard was barred, so as not to
bluff off other companies from competing. That was the highest
honor the company ever had conferred on it. The people of
Galveston had the Light Guard as their guests and gave them
$500 for an exhibition drill.
The Houston Light Guard showed that they were not
merely fancy soldiers when the war with this country and Spain
began, for they volunteered promptly, and under the command
of Captain George McCormick, went to the front. They served
in Florida and Cuba. When peace negotiations began, Captain
McCormick returned home and the lamented R. A. Scurry became

.282 History of Houston, Texas '
captain of the company, and in due time returned home with it.
The company owns its armory, the handsomest in the state.
It was erected in part with the money the company earned in
prizes — about $30,000. Some bonds were issued. These will
mature in a few months, but are all provided for.
The names of the Captains of the company since its organ
ization are as follows : Fairfax Gray, John Coffin, Joe S. Rice,
George Price, James S. Baker, Jr., Thomas Scurry, F. A. Reich-
ardt, George McCormick, R. A. Scurry, C. Hutchinson, Milby
Porter. Dallas J. Matthews is the present capable commander.
For a long time in the Texas National Guard Houston has
boasted a crack troop of cavalry. This troop served during the
Spanish American war as Troop A, First Texas Cavalry, U. S.
V. Major Towles was then captain and C. C. Beavens first lieu
tenant. Towles was made major and Beavens promoted to be
captain. An officer of this troop, James A. Waties, was made
colonel of the regiment and afterwards promoted to be a briga
dier general. He was succeeded by Luther R. Hare, who subse
quently also won a promotion to a brigadiership. Among the
Houston citizens who were officers in this regiment are John A.
Hulen, Jake Wolters, J. Towles, B. H. Carroll, Jr., and C. C.
Beavens. Troop A. has always been the crack troop of the cavalry
branch of the T. N. G.
The Jeff Miller Rifles, which belong to the Second Infantry
regiment of the T. N. G. is also a noted Houston company. For
some years this company has been commanded by Captain C. C.
Breedlove. The No-Tsu-Oh Association is chartered for the purpose of
giving an annual carnival for the entertainment of the people
of the state. It is not organized for revenue and is sustained
entirely by membership fees and subscriptions made by Houston
business men.
The first carnival was held in 1899 and was such a success
that it was determined to perpetuate the entertainment so that
now it is an incorporated concern and spends about $30,000 each
year for fun and frolic. There is a new president, king and

Societies and Clubs 283
queen each year, those who have borne those honors in the past
being the .following: PRESIDENTS.
1899, Norman S. Meldrum; 1900, B. F. Bonner; 1901,
James H. Adair; 1902, John McClellan; 1903, H. T. Keller;
1904, G. J. Palmer; 1905, Charles D. Golding; 1906, George N.
Long, Jr.; 1907, W. D. Cleveland, Jr.; 1908, James A. Radford;
1909, David Daly ; 1910, Geo. P. Brown ; 1911, David A. Burke.
KINGS.
1899, A. C. Allen; 1900, John H. Kirby; 1901, Dennis Call;
1902, Jesse H. Jones; 1903, B. F. Bonner; 1904, Presley K.
Ewing; 1905, Jo. S. Rice; 1906, C. K. Dunlap; 1907, H. M.
Garwood; 1908, James D. Dawson; 1909, James A. Baker; 1910,
W. T. Carter; 1911, Dr. Edgar Odell Lovett.
QUEENS.
1899, Miss Annie Quintan; 1900, Miss Julia Mae Morse;
1901, Miss Aygusta Goodhue ; 1902, Miss Clara Robinson ; 1903,
Miss Bessie Kirby ; 1904, Miss Florence Carter ; 1905, Miss Sallie
Sewall; 1906, Miss Gertrude Paine; 1907, Miss Alice Baker;
1908, Miss Mamie Shearn; 1909, Miss Lillian Neuhans; 1910,
Miss Laura Rice ; 1911, Miss Annie Vive Carter.
A glance at the list of presidents, kings and queens above
will show that the best people of the city have constantly co-op
erated in making the No-Tsu-Oh carnival a success. A week
in November of each year is devoted to festivities, parades, and
carnival features modeled on the Mardi Gras carnivals of New
Orleans and European cities. Large crowds are drawn to
Houston during the week. The two great events of the carnival
are the annual foot-ball game played between the University of
Texas and A. & M. College, and the Queen 's Coronation Ball.
An attempt is being made to give the carnival more of an
exposition character but so far without great success.
Houston's oldest social organization is the Z. Z. Dancing
Club. This was organized over 40 years ago, and its balls and
cotillions during each year are of rare beauty. The Z. Z. Club
for many years has introduced the debutantes at the opening of

284 History of Houston, Texas
each social season with a debutantes' cotillion preceded by a
reception at the home of the president of the club.
Spencer Hutchins, the former Ward McAllister of Houston,
made the club famous. In recent years Hon. Presley K. Ewing
has served several terms as president. He was succeeded in
1910 by J. M. Cary, the present popular president.
Part of the membership of this club in July, 1901, organized
the Thalian Club — a regular social organization. Its first presi
dent was Major J. F. Dickson. The Thalian Club built a hand
some modern club house at the corner of Rusk Avenue and San
Jacinto Street in 1907, at a cost of $40,000, and its social func
tions have been very elaborate. Among its presidents have been
numbered the most prominent men of the city in business and
social life. Its presidents have been, in the following order:
Major John F. Dickson, Mr. R. S. Lovett, Major John F. Dick
son, Hon. Frank Andrews, Col. J. S. Rice, Capt. S. Taliaferro,
Hon. H. M. Garwood, Hon. John Charles Harris, and Mr.
Joseph Hellen.
The present officers of the club are: E. K. Dillingham,
president; J. G. Maillot, vice-president; Murray B. Jones, sec
retary; J. F. Dickson, Jr., treasurer, and W. L. Thaxton, man
ager. The Houston Country Club was organized in 1904 by a
number of Houston club men and golf enthusiasts. In 1909 the
club purchased grounds near Harrisburg and on Bray's Bayou,
aggregating 158 acres of beautiful woodland and lawns. Exten
sive improvements have been made and a club house of the best
bungalow type and containing every modern utility combined
with taste and beauty was erected at a cost of $125,000 for house
and grounds.The club has the finest golf links in the South. A course of
18 holes exists with fine natural hazards.
Those instrumental in organizing the club were Joe Rice, E.
B. Parker, W. W. Dexter, T. B. Timpson, C. D. Golding and
others. The membership is limited to 500.
Its presidents have been, in the order named : Joe Rice, Wm.
M. Rice, and Edwin B. Parker, the present president.

Societies and Clubs 285
A down- town business men's club, known as the Houston
Club, was organized in 1894. Most of the business men of the
city belong and the entire top floor of the Chronicle Building
and the beautiful roof garden are utilized by the club. From
1902 until 1910, for some reason, the club ceased to exist as an
active organization, but in 1910, interest was revived, new blood
was infused and the Houston Club takes rank as one of the most
useful social organizations in the city. Its officers, since its organ
ization have been:
1894-95 — President, 0. T. Holt; Secretary and Treasurer, L. J.
Parks.
1895-96 — The same officers.
1896-97 — President, J. F. Dickson; Secretary and Treasurer,
Ennis Cargill.
1897-98 — President, Jno. F. Dickson; Secretary and Treasurer,
Ennis Cargill, resigned, L. Hoenthal, appointed.
1898-99 — President, Jno. F. Dickson; Secretary and Treasurer,
L. Hoenthal.
1899-1900 — President, Jos. F. Dickson ; Secretary and Treasurer,
B. P. Bailey, resigned, Joseph Hellen, appointed.
1900-01 — President, Jno. F. Dickson; Secretary and Treasurer,
Joseph Hellen.
1901-02 — President and Secretary same as the year before.
After 1902 the club was not active until its reorganization in
1910. In 1910-11 Mr. C. K. Dunlap was elected president and Mr.
T. H. Stone secretary-treasurer. Soon after his election Mr.
Dunlap resigned and Mr. Stone was chosen to succeed him.
The officers of the club are at present : T. H. Stone, president ;
E. A. Peden, vice-president; Arch. MacDonald, secretary and
treasurer. Houston is fairly well supplied with charitable institutions.
While most of the members of these organizations belong to
some religious body, many of them are members of no church,
but all are influenced by that true spirit of Christianity which
finds expression in aiding the poor, relieving suffering and visit
ing the sick and afflicted.

286 History of Houston, Texas
The central organization is the United Charities. This
organization has a modest office in the Binz Building and all its
work is carried on in the field. Its objects are to aid the worthy
poor and to check the impositions of the unworthy to minister to
the sick and destitute, and aid the unemployed to secure work.
The association owns no property and is supported entirely by
voluntary contributions. The annual sale of "red badges," on
the day before Christmas, by the association is one of its chief
revenue producers. From this source alone it derives between
$3,000 and $4,000 every year.
The ladies of Christ Church established the Sheltering Arms
in 1903, and since its opening it has sheltered 140 old and desti
tute women. It owns its own property and, in addition, has a
small endowment. The Catholics maintain St. Anthony's Home.
This is a home for old men and old women. The capacity of the
home is fifty and it is generally full. The oldest charitable
institution is Bayland Orphon's Home. This was originally
intended as a home for the orphaned children of Confederate sol
diers. It was organized in 1867 and was located at Bayland, on
Galveston Bay. In 1888 it was removed to Hereston and now
occupies a 34-acre tract of land adjoining Woodland Heights.
It cares for about 30 children each year.
A school has been maintained ever since the organization
of the home. Since its removal to Houston a teacher has been
employed, the sessions of the school corresponding to those of the
city school. The county paid to it its proportion of the state
tax, but since the extension of the city limits brought the home
within the city limits, the city has appointed and paid for a
teacher, the amount paid by the city being supplemented by the
home. The present managers are : James Bruce, superintendent ;
R. M. Elgin, William Christian, R. B. Baer, J. V. Dealy, E. W.
Taylor, J. F. Meyer and H. J. Dannebaum, board of directors.
The Star of Hope is a mission, under the auspices of the
Baptist churches of Houston for the immediate assistance and
help of homeless and destitute men. It was founded by Rev.
Mordecai F. Ham, an evangelist, and Richard Dowling, a brilliant
man who had gone to the gutter through drink and was reclaimed.

Societies and Clubs 287
The mission is located on Franklin Avenue, near the bayou, and
provides beds and meals for unemployed men and helps them to
secure employment. Daily religious services are held and a
reading room and employment bureau is maintained. It was
organized in 1907.
About the same time the Salvation Army in Houston estab
lished a free relief and dispensory department and by the furnish
mg of medicines to the very poor and by the assistance of the
local physicians has done a large work.
The Houston Settlement Association is not a charitable insti
tution, but is largely a social one. By whatever name it may be
designated it is one of the most useful and helpful organizations
of the kind in the city. Its formal organization dates from Feb
ruary 19, 1907, when about a dozen ladies met at the residence
of Mrs. James A. Baker and banded themselves together for the
purpose of extending educational, industrial, social and friendly
aid to all those within their reach. That was the formal organiza
tion of the association of today, though the nucleus for it had
existed for a year or two before then in the sewing class, organized
by Mrs. M. M. Archer and several young lady assistants, among
the pupils of the Rusk School, in January, 1904. This sewing
class met once each week in the Womans' Club free kindergarten
room. The association is non-sectarian, there being representatives
of all creeds and beliefs on its board of directors. It has a mem
bership of about two hundred and derives its support from vol
untary contributions.
The association has in its charge the free kindergarten of
the second ward; a Womans' club; the Alpha club, a social
association of young men, and minor organizations. Its greatest
work is in cooperation with the school authorities, in estabhshing
and maintaining a domestic science department in the Rusk
School. The officers of the association are : President, Mrs. James A.
Baker; first vice-president, Mrs. Frank Andrews, second vice-
president, Mrs. John McClelland; treasurer, Mrs. J. E. Crews;

288 History of Houston, Texas
corresponding secretary, Mrs. P. B. Simpson, and recording
secretary, Mrs. D. C. Glenn.
If ever an institution were properly named it is the DePel-
chin Faith Home, for it was started entirely on faith, without a
cent in its treasury, if it can be said to have had a treasury
and with no visible source of income. Faith in the big-hearted
•people of Houston was its sole asset. Mrs. E. N. Gray thus tells
its story in "The Key to the City of Houston:"
' ' This is one of the most appealing benevolences of our city,
for it has to do with the needs of distressed children. And hard
indeed is the heart which is not touched by the cry of a little
child. "-This institution owes its inception to the big-heartedness
of Mrs. Kenzia DePelchin, who was practically aided in her
noble undertaking by some of the ladies of our city.
"Mrs. Kenzia DePelchin 's life is as interesting as a story.
She spent many years in Houston, an angel of mercy to the sick
and destitute. The home which she founded for homeless chil
dren stands today as a significant monument to her life of service
and devotion to the cause of helpless humanity.
"Born in the Maderia Islands, of English parents, she was
left an orphan when very young, but under the care of an aunt
she came to Texas, while yet a girl, and then her life of ministry
began. She was first a music teacher, and later she was in Drs.
Stuart & Boyle's sanitarium as one of its most capable nurses.
During the dreadful yellow fever scourge of 1878 she went
to Memphis, Tenn., and gave heroic service. When urged to
accept the money donated to pay the nurses, she accepted it only
to turn it over to a worthy charity of that city.
' ' The last part of her life was spent as matron of the Bayland
Orphans' Home. In the spring of 1892, two homeless little ones
were picked up by her and a notice put in the Post announcing
that a home would be begun at once. She spent the night in
prayer and the next morning a benevolent woman of Houston
went to see her. This was Mrs. W. C. Crane.
' ' With the aid of this lady a small cottage was rented and a
lady was found who would loan her furniture and act as matron.

Societies and Clubs 289
Then the home was a fact, without one dollar ahead and only a
crib for possession. On Monday, May 2, Mrs. Crane took out
some ice cream and cake and Mrs. DePelchin took the orphans
from Bayland Home to the cottage, where they sang their little
hymns and with simple ceremony in Mrs. DePelchin 's own words,
'they christened Bayland 's little sister Faith Home.' The
orphans enjoyed the ride and the unwonted feast, and the guests
departed with a vivid memory of that May day opening.
"From the small beginning in 1892, the institution has
grown and developed, until today it is one of the best equipped
of the city's charities, with its own handsome brick building and
its many happy-faced little ones, sheltered by its watchful care.
"The Faith Home as it now exists, was organized January
20, 1893, and soon after applied for a charter. It was called
'Faith Home' because the heroic founder of that institution
placed her faith in God and the kind hearts of the Houston
people. "This home is not primarily an orphan asylum, but it is a
comfortable home, situated on the corner of Chenevert Street and
Pierce Avenue, where the father who has lost his wife may place
his little ones until he can provide home care for them again ; a
home where the mother may shelter her helpless children while
she earns a living; a home where good care, the best of medical
attention, wholesome food and wise, sanitary surroundings rae
furnished for the helpless children, either orphaned of father's
and mother's care or dependent upon the one parent, too bur
dened to meet their need. The parent who places his child there
is supposed to pay three dollars a month, so long as he has work.
This is of necessity an uncertain and very limited source of
income. Therefore it is incumbent on the general public to see
that this institution is fitly supported. There are always some
forty children in the home.
"The board of directors consist of the officers and chairmen
of the various committees. They are: President, Mrs. T. W.
House; vice-president at large, Mrs. M. E. Bryan; treasurer,
Mrs. F. A. Reichardt ; secretary, Mrs. Jonathan Lane. Mrs. J. W.
McKee, Miss H. Levy, Mrs. J. W. Parker, Mrs. Carter Walker,

290 History of Houston, Texas
Mrs. Ed. Mackey, Mrs. B. F. Weems, Mrs. W. B. Chew, and Mrs.
G. S. Shannon are heads of committees ; Mrs. Kerven is the
matron. ' '
The Florence Crittendon Rescue Home for Girls was organ
ized November 17, 1896, with the following officers and directors :
W. B. Jones, president ; I. S. Myer, vice-president ; G. W. Heyer,
treasurer; A. G. Howell, secretary; Mesdames Belle Blandin, D.
R. Cunningham, E. S. Tracy, W. H. Peregoy, S. Beaty, Messrs.
E. F. McGowan, W. D. Cleveland, Sr., E. W. Taylor, S. E.'Cal-
vitt, Frank W. Fox and George Henrickson, directors. Two and
one-half lots, on the corner of Elgin Avenue and Caroline Street
were purchased for $700 in February, 1907, and by September,
the same year, the home was built and Mrs. Yates installed as
matron. On September 16, she reported one girl in the home.
Since then the average number of girls in the home has been
about seven per month. These girls come from all parts of the
state and none is ever refused admission.
The home is not altogether a charitable institution, though
it is made as nearly so as possible. So long as a girl is trying to
live a decent life and is out of employment the home is open to
her and the officials assist her in finding employment. She is
charged for board and medical treatment and when she finds
employment she must pay to the home one-fifth of her wages
until the amount reaches $34. These are the rules for out-of-town
girls. During the past 15 years more than 1,000 girls have been
helped by the home.
The home is without endowment and is supported by vol
untary subscriptions. The present officers and directors are:
W. B. Jones, president; Mrs. E. N. Gray, vice-president; A. G.
Howell, treasurer ; J. C. Harris, recording secretary ; Mrs. L. S.
Hubbell, corresponding secretary; Mrs. Charles Stewart, I. S.
Myer, W. A. Wilson and Rev. Dr. J. L. Gross are directors.
The Wesley House, a christian center for social educational
and religious activities is maintained by the Board of City
Missions, an organization composed of representatives from all
the Methodist churches in the city. Its departments of work are :
A home for self-supporting young women, a kindergarten, night

Societies and Clubs 291
classes for foreigners, a committee for daily visiting, an indus
trial school, athletic classes for young women, a Sunday school,
and preaching in Spanish the first Sunday afternoon of each
month. Miss Mattie Wright is the superintendent and Miss
Audrey Wade is matron. They have six efficient assistant
workers. The Wesley House Board, in 1907, established the Young
Women's Co-operative Home for homeless wage-earning girls.
It cares for about 33 girls at a time and an effort is being made
to secure $40,000 to erect a home that will accommodate 300
working girls who labor for wages lower than the cost of sub
sistance. Much good has been accomplished by the home and it
seems to be on the threshold of a wider usefulness.
The Young Women's Christian Association, while it has
never received loyal support from the citizens has accomplished
much for girls and has a comportable home where many young
women board. Gymnasium work and a downtown lunch for
working girls in a rest room have also been wholesome features.
There is a movement to build a suitable home for the Y. W.
C. A., similar to that occupied by the Y. M. C. A.
Among the Jewish people of the city there has been a good
work done by the Jewish Charity Home.

CHAPTER XVI
Societies and Clubs — Continued

First Literary Society. Organization of Houston Lyceum.
Early Efforts to Establish a Library. The Houston Lyceum
and Carnegie Library. The Ladies Reading Club. Ladies
Shakespeare Club. The Two other Shakespeare Clubs.
Current Literature Club. Houston Pen Women's Associa
tion. Houston Branch of Dickens Fellowship. Lady Wash
ington Chapter. Daughters of the American Revolution.
San Jacinto Chapter No. 2, Daughters of the Republic of
Texas. Robert E. Lee Chapter 186, United Daughters of the
Confederacy. Oran M. Roberts Chapter 440, U. D. C.

While Houston and Galveston have always been bitterly
opposed to each other commercially, they have ever been the
best friends and have united their efforts to forward and pro
mote all that contributed to intellectual life. As early as 1845-46
there was a literary club, or lyceum, which, while located in Gal
veston, was loyally supported by Houstonians. Dr. Ashbel
Smith, Dr. McCraven and Dr. McAnally were young men at
that time and took great interest in the lyceum and 'contributed
regularly to the monthly meetings, lectures, debates and papers
on chosen subjects. This was undoubtedly the first literary
society organized in Texas and is mentioned here because of the
fact that Houstonians took such a leading part in its affairs.
The Galveston institution did not ante-date that of Hous
ton very much, however, for in 1848 the Houston Lyceum was
chartered and has been in existence ever since, though at times
very quiet and inert. It has had several rather long periods of
rest, only to awaken to new life and renewed activity. Soon
after it obtained its charter it lapsed into a period of inertia and
remained so until 1854 when it was revived for a time and it
was thought there would be no further lapses.

Societies and Clubs — Continued 293
The objects and purposes of the Lyceum as outlined in a
statement made in 1854 were: "To diffuse knowledge among
its members, intelligence and information by a library, by lec
tures on various subjects and by discussion of such questions as
may elicit useful information and produce improvement in the
art of public speaking." At that time 382 volumes had been
gotten together and a book .case was purchased. The Lyceum
had no income except that derived from dues and an occasional
donation, so its existence was very precarious. During the war
it was, of course, in a comatose state, but in 1865 it again became
active. Interest was soon allowed to die out and not until 1877 was
an effort made to revive it. In that year its managers raised
funds for it by a series of musical and dramatic entertainments,
and the reading room was thrown open to the public. The city
also came to the assistance of the association and donated the
use of a large room in the city hall, known as "The Banquet
Hall." A great mistake that the association had made — that
of restricting the membership to males — was corrected in 1888,
and from the moment the ladies were admitted, the association
took on renewed and permanent life.
For a while Mr. Bonner McCraven acted as secretary with
out compensation. The ladies made a gallant fight to have the
city take over the library, but failed. After a long stretch of
adversity it was decided to issue check books at $3 each which
would entitle those who bought them to take books from the
library. Mrs. M. H. Foster was employed as librarian at a small
salary and worked faithfully. The small politicians who hung
around the city hall got in the habit of making the library a
loafing place and that so disgusted the ladies that they refused
to go there. Then, in 1895, Mrs. Looscan, president of the Ladies
Reading Club, appealed to that society to come to the assistance
of the Lyceum. Every member of the club became a patron of
the Lyceum and the books were removed to the Mason Building.
The ladies kept up their fight for municipal recognition and, in
1899, they invited the city officials to visit their hall where they
made speeches and showed them the empty shelves. Soon after,the

294 . History of Houston, Texas
city gave official recognition by donating $200 each month for
its support. That same year Mr. Carnegie gave $50,000 for a
building fund, providing the city would donate a building site,
and make an appropriation of $4,000 annually for the support
of the institution. A subscription of $7,800 was obtained and
the lot, corner of McKinney Avenue and Travis Street was pur
chased. A contract for the building was let, but the building
could not be finished until the city had given $10,000 more for
unforeseen expenses and equipments.
The building was formally thrown open to the public in
March, 1904. In 1900, the Houston Lyceum and Carnegie
Library Association was formed and chartered to take over the
effects of the old Houston Lyceum. Mr. N. S. Meldrum also
endowed the children's department with $6,000 as a memorial
to Norma Meldrum.
The Houston Lyceum had, in 1904, when the transfer was
made, about 4,000 volumes which had all been catalogued before
the new quarters were ready. Before the actual transfer was
made the lyceum library was practically doubled by the gift from
a donor, who desired his name to be unknown, of 4,000 volumes.
N. S. Meldrum also gave $1,000 for the purchase of special books.
This caused a vast amount of work before the library could be
put in perfect condition for the use of the public. There were
over five thousand volumes to be catalogued. The system of
cataloging demanded a complete description of each book, and
for each volume a card index and stock card were necessary.
Among the 4,000 volumes of the unknown donor were books in
Latin and Greek and books that dealt with complicated problems
and technical matters. To examine, describe and record them
required much time. This work was done by Miss Caroline Wan
dell, Miss Julia Ideson and Miss Ethel Jones.
It soon became evident that the library needed more books.
The demand exceeded the supply.
' ' The number of books withdrawn from the library for home
use," said Miss Julia Ideson, librarian, in her report for 1904,
"was 59,751. This seems fairly good for the first year, yet the

Societies and Clubs — Continued 295
circulation might have been considerably greater had we had a
supply of books anywhere nearly equal to the demand. ' '
"Estimating the population of Houston at 75,000," said
Mrs. Henry H. Dickson, president of the board of trustees of
the Houston Lyceum and Carnegie Library Association, in a
report to the mayor and city council made at the same time, ' ' we
are receiving 5% cents per capita for library purposes. Both
Fort Worth and El Paso do much better than that, while San
Antonio gave, last year, over $6,000 and received, in addition,
gifts from her citizens aggregating over $15,000."
In the seven years of the library's active existence the
increase in the number of books has been steady and healthy. In
the beginning there were about eight or nine thousand volumes,
while in 1911, there are, approximately, thirty-two thousand.
In 1904, as already stated, 59,751 books were circulated for
home use. According to the report of Miss Ideson, the librarian,
for the year ending Feb. 28, 1911, there were 90,877 volumes
circulated, which, she states, was an increase over the preceding
year. From the same report the following extracts are made:
' ' The library has shown a substantial growth this year. There
were added, during the year, by purchase, 2,542 volumes; by
purchase, Meldrum fund, 247; by gift, 355, making total acces
sions, 3,144 volumes. ' '
' ' To show the class of people by whom the library is prin
cipally used, statistics of occupations were kept. Of those reg
istering their occupations, there were: manufacturers, 9; mer
chants and business men, 48 ; bankers and brokers, 4 ; real estate
and insurance men, 32 ; mechanics, 31 ; trades, 68 ; farmers and
stockmen, 5; railroad employees (no clerks), 19; engineers, 18;
artists and musicians, 15 ; newspaper men, 8 ; teachers, 92 ; phy
sicians, 13 ; clergymen, 6 ; lawyers, 9 ; other professions, 13 ; ste
nographers and clerks, 384 ; salesmen, 28 ; collectors, 11 ; miscel
laneous, 40."
"The colored branch, for which an appropriation of $500
was made, has had good use. Over 4,000 books, principally chil
dren's books, have been loaned."
The "colored branch" spoken of in the report, was the

296 History of Houston, Texas
branch for negroes opened at the negro high school in May, 1909.
A movement was started by the promoters of this brtmch to
secure for it a permanent building. Mr. Carnegie was asked for
a gift and offered $15,000 on his usual terms and conditions,
but as these have never been complied with, the negro branch
remains as first organized.
The officers of the Houston Lyceum and Carnegie Library
Association are: L. S. Denis, president; Mrs. H. F. Ring, vice-
president; Mrs. I. S. Meyer, secretary; Mrs. E. N. Gray, treas
urer; Mrs. E. Raphael, corresponding secretary; Miss Juha
Ideson, librarian.
It will be seen from the foregoing that the ladies deserve the ,
lion's share of the credit for establishing the lyceum and library
on a firm basis and the same is true of near'y every literary,
artistic and musical movement that has been inaugurated here.
In 1885, the Ladies Reading Club was organized \iy Mrs.
M. Looscan and Mrs. C. M. Lombardi. The first meeting was
held at the home of Mrs. Briscoe on Crawford Street and was
for the purpose of organizing a society for pleasure and mutual
improvement. The movement could not have been in better
hands than those of Mrs. Looscan and Mrs. Lombardi.
There were eight ladies at the beginning, namely : Mesdames
Looscan, Lombardi, Hill, Perl, Stone and Briscoe, and
Misses Allen and Wagley. Mrs. Looscan was chosen temporary
chairman and Miss Wagley was chosen secretary. The name
adopted by the ladies was the Ladies History Class. The adop
tion of this name was due to the fact that it was the intention t-:
take up the study of history at once, and to choose the history
of Egypt as the first course of study. Just at that time the fate
of Gordon at Kartum was exciting world-wide interest. It
was six weeks before a constitution and by-laws were ready for
adoption, but during the delay the club was not idle but had
taken up a systematic study of that mysterious country and
prosecuted it zealously and intelligently. During the six weeks
the membership had increased so that it was decided to organize
thoroughly and formally, which was done. The constitution and
by-laws were adopted and the following named officers were

Societies and Clubs — Continued 297
elected: President, Mrs. M. Looscan; first vice-president, Mrs.
C. M. Lombardi; second vice-president, Mrs. E. P. Hill; secre
tary, Miss A. E. Wagley; treasurer, Mrs. M. J. Briscoe.
At that meeting the name of the club was changed to the
Ladies Reading Club and plans for future work were outlined.
For the first ten years the club met in the parlors of Mrs.
M. G. Howe; afterwards in rented rooms, then at the parish
house of the Christ Church, then in the Lyceum library room
after that institution had been moved to the Mason Building.
Since the opening of the Houston Lyceum and Carnegie Library,
meetings have been and are being held on the upper floor on the
hall designed for club meetings.
As already noted it was the Ladies Reading Club that took
the first steps towards saving the Houston Lyceum from oblivion
and which also led to the establishment of the Carnegie Library
here. During the twenty-six years of the club's existence it has
been faithful to the objects which it had in view at its organiza
tion, namely, the creation of interest in intellectual and social
culture and the creation of a common ground on which ladies
having a literary taste might meet. It has used its influence
in bringing celebrated lecturers to the city, and in behalf of
every measure intended to advance educational interest.
A few years ago it was determined to broaden the influence
of the club by admitting associate members, not +o exceed ten.
These associate members pay more dues than regular members,
but are excused from contributing to the regular literary exer
cises. They are treated as regular members, except that they
cannot hold office. , i
The membership of the club is fifty, exclusive of associate
and honorary members.
The following named ladies have been honored with the
presidency of the club since its organization : Mrs. M. Looscan,
Mrs. C. M. Lombardi, Mrs. M. E. Cage, Mrs. C. A. McKinney,
Mrs. H. F. Ring, Mrs. P. K. Ewing, Mrs. R, M. Hall, Mrs.
W. A. DeLaMatyr, Mrs. William Christian, Mrs. B. A. Randolph.
Those who have filled the post of recording secretary are:
Miss Annie E. Wagley, Mrs. P. H. Goodwyn, Miss Fannie G.

298 History of Houston, Texas
Vincent, Mrs. G. F. Arnold, Mrs. W. B. Slosson, Mrs. H. F.
MacGregor, Mrs. C. R. Cummings, Mrs. P. K. Ewing, Mrs. C.
F. Beutel, Miss Emilia Celestine Bujac, Mrs. G. A Taft, Miss
Laura Yocum, Mrs. A. L. Metcalf, Mrs. J. P. Carroll and Mrs.
March Culmore.
The broad-minded members of the club are thoroughly alive
to the best interests of the city and state, and certain days of
the year are set aside for discussion of Texas topics.
The officials of the club, in September, 1911, are: President,
Mrs. R. M. Hall; vice-president, Mrs. G. A. Taft; second vice-
president, Mrs. I. S. Myer; corresponding secretary, Mrs. J. G.
Boyd; recording secretary, Mrs. B. A. Randolph; and treasurer,
Mrs. D. C. Glenn.
The Ladies Shakespeare Club was organized November 29,
1890, with Mesdames E. Raphael, I. G. Gersom, I. Blandin,
Blanche Booker, and Misses C. R. Redwood, Lydia Adkisson and
Mary Light as charter members. The club was formed for the
sole purpose of literary study and during the many years of its
existence nothing has ever been permitted to divert it from the
course marked out by its members at its initial meeting.
The creed of the club has but two articles : First, that
Shakespeare's plays were written by Shakespeare and not by
Bacon; second, that Shakespeare is the crown and chief glory
of English literature.
Until the completion of the Carnegie Library, the club had
no permanent home, but met at private houses, public halls and
other convenient places. This lack of permanent headquarters
was not allowed to interfere in the least with the club work and
the course of study for each year has been conscientiously car
ried out. It has been serious work, too. The club placed itself
in close communication with the Chicago University where much
valuable study and research work connected with Shakespeare
have been done and, in addition, on one or two occasions has been
instrumental in having Professor Clark, of that University, come
to Houston for the purpose of delivering his famous lectures on
Shakespeare. Of course Shakespeare has been the great trunk of the tree,

Societies and Clubs — Continued 299
but it has had many branches whieh have invited the members
to deviate occasionally and follow them up. For instance the
study of Henry VI and kindred plays led to historical research
while certain of the romantic plays opened the way towards
dramatic construction. The members have never hesitated to
follow any line that offered to throw light on the hidden mys
teries and profound learning of the great bard. Its labors have
been great, but they have been pleasant at all times for they were
labors of love.
The Study Shakespeare Class is simply a number of ladies
who have banded themselves together without official organiza
tion for the purpose of studying the plays of Shakespeare. Mrs.
Alma McDonnell is the moving spirit and it was through her
efforts that the ladies were brought together. "She has the well-
deserved reputation of being a thorough Shakesperean scholar,
and has the ability to impart her knowledge and enthusiasm to
others, so the success of the Study Shakespeare Class has been
very great.
Another Shakespeare Club was organized October 1, 1904,
at the residence of Mrs. A. G. Howell. There were fourteen
ladies present and an organization was perfected at that first meet
ing by the election of Mrs. J. W. Lockett, president ; Mrs. J. W.
Carter, vice-president, and Mrs. Harry Tyner, recording secre
tary. Since most of the members were residents of the south
end of the city, the name South End Shakespeare Club was
chosen, and the membership was limited to twenty-one. As soon
as the club was organized the ladies went to work and began the
study of the tragedy, Othello. The history of the play was given
by Mrs. Howell and why Shakespeare wrote it was explained by
Mrs. Carter. Since that initial meeting, the club has been very
active and its members have studied and discussed many of the
plays and writings of Shakespeare.
One of the most interesting clubs of the city is the Current
Literature Club, which was organized in 1899, by Mrs. Si Pack
ard. Her idea was to get a number of congenial women together
for the purpose of reading and keeping up with the books of the
day. In response to her call about twenty ladies met at her

300 History of Houston, Texas
house and the club was organized. Mrs. Packard was elected
president and held the office for four years. The character of
work done by the club and its methods of work have been thus
described by Mrs. J. T. Lockman.
"At first, only the novels of the day were read and discussed.
Meetings were held at the different homes and books were carried
from place to place by the librarian. It was lots of work but it
was lots of fun. After the study hour was over, the hostess of
each meeting always had a social feature prepared for us, some
thing so bright and cheery that the memory of our 'good old
times' lingers lovingly with all charter members. No one ever
dreamed they could stay away from a meeting. But the current
novels got to be so trashy that the ladies became disgusted and
threw them aside. The library was completed and the club moved
into permanent quarters and all fun ceased. The club took up
the study of more serious matter and engaged in studying works
on travel, history, art, literature and preserves its original inten
tion, in part only, by reading and discussing the current maga
zines and periodicals. The club has forty active members and
twenty -five associate and honorary members."
The officers of the club are : President, Mrs. J. T. Lockman ;
secretary, Mrs. E. A. Adey; treasurer, Mrs. E. Scheultz.
The first year of the Houston Pen Women's Association was
completed March 23, 1907. At the first annual meeting reports
were made by Mrs. Elizabeth Strong Tracy, the president, and
by Mrs. Florence N. Dancy, the secretary. From those two
reports the following facts are taken. The question of organi
zation had long been discussed by the women of Houston who
were engaged in writing for the newspapers. Nowhere else in
the state were there so many members of the Texas Woman's
Press Association. Eighteen women responded to a call to
women of the press and to women engaged in literary work, and
attended a preliminary meeting at the residence of Mrs. William
Christian. Mrs. Christian was made the temporary chairman
and Mrs. Dancy, secretary. Mrs. Tracy, Miss Katie Daffan and
Mrs. Dancy were appointed a committee on constitution and by
laws. A few days later a permanent organization was effected.

Societies and Clubs — Continued 301
Mrs. Tracy was elected president; Mrs. Abbie N. Smith, vice-
president; and Mrs. Dancy, secretary. The membership con
sists of historians, poets, writers of prose. auUiors, journalists
and newspaper writers. The success of the el-ib has been marked.
Its officers are : President, Mrs. J. M. Limbocker ; vice-president,
Mrs. M. B. Crowe ; second vice-president, Miss Abbie N. Smith ;
recording secretary, Mrs. R. R. Dancy; corresponding secretary,
Mrs. Grace Zimmer; treasurer, Mrs. E. S. Tracy.
The' Houston Branch of the "Dickens Fellowship" was
organized in 1909, at the home of its president, Mrs. E. Raphael,
with an enthusiastic membership composed of the following
ladies: Mrs. E. W. Luhn, Mrs. A. S. Dyer, Mrs. J. R. Parks,
Mrs. T. C. Dunn, Mrs. W. W. Ralston, Mrs. S. C. Robbins, Mrs.
J. B. Slack, Mrs. W. Southward, Mrs. Jules Hirsch, Mrs. E.
Adey, Mrs. Jas. Breeding, Mrs. E. Raphael. These received the
first certificates of membership from the London Branch of the
Dickens Fellowship.
This branch is the only off -shoot of the London Fellowship
in the South, and the ninth branch of the United States. The
object of this organization is to foster the love of Dickens' writ
ings, to emulate his genial kindliness, humanitarian impulses
and living interest in all things great and small; and to pass
along the philosophy of life so vividly portrayed by the beloved
author. The Fellowship is still in its infancy, but as it grows it hopes
to become great in numbers and greater in capacity for betterment
of the mind and spirit of its members and those allied to it by
the brotherhood of man. The present officers are: Mrs. E.
Raphael, president ; Mrs. A. S. Dyer, vice-president ; Mrs. W. W.
Ralston, secretary and treasurer. The membership numbers about
twenty active workers.
The club members subscribe to the official magazine, "The
Dickensian" published in London, and so keep in touch with
the spirit of Dickens' lovers elsewhere. This branch hopes to
celebrate in a fitting manner the hundredth anniversary of
Dickens' birthday.
A chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was

302 History of Houston, Texas
organized in Houston, during November, 1899, by Mrs. Seabrook
W. Sydnor, who had been appointed regent at Houston for the
general organization. The chapter took the name of Lady Wash-
ingtori Chapter and was organized in the parlors of the Rice
Hotel. The following named ladies were charter members : Mrs.
S. W. Sydnor, Mrs. W. C. Crane, Mrs. J. C. Hutcherson, Mrs.
W. L. Lane, Mrs. Thos. Franklin, Mrs. James Journeay, Mrs.
Henry Lummis, Mrs. Paul Timpson, Mrs. M. H. Foster, Mrs.
H. F. Ring, Mrs. Botts Fitzgerald, Mrs. D. F. Stuart, Mrs. W.
R. Robertson, Mrs. C. L. Fitch, Mrs. Susan R. Tempest, Mrs. H.
T. Warner, and Mrs. R. F. Dunbar.
The Chapter has been in active existence since its organiza
tion and its affairs are in excellent condition. Social functions,
in commemoration of national holidays, bazaars and other enter
tainments, for the purpose of raising money for special pur
poses, historical research and kindred matters have occupied the
attention and interest of the members.
The Chapter has erected a monument to Alexander Hodge
in the Sam Houston Park. Hodge was a Revolutionary soldier
and served with Marion. He came to Texas and served with the
Texas army, thus becoming a veteran of two revolutions, each
among the most successful and far-reaching in the history of the
world. He died and was buried in Texas. Among his descend-
ents is Mrs. Seybrook Sydnor, who has been State Regent and
most active in promoting the interests of the Daughters' organi
zation in Texas.
San Jacinto Chapter No. 2, Daughters of the Republic of
Texas, was organized in 1901. The chapter has accomplished a
great deal in the way of perpetrating the memories of the Texas
heroes who established the independence of Texas, and has col
lected many valuable historical data. It has taken under its
care. San Jacinto battlefield and has marked, with suitable monu
ments and tablets, historical points and localities associated with
early Texas history.
The chapter has at present fifty active members. Its officers
are: Mrs. J. J. McKeer, president; Mrs. E. T. Dumble, first
vice-president; Mrs. G. A. Fosgard, second vice-president; Mrs.

Societies and Clubs — Continued 303
Geo. Hamman, third vice-president ; Mrs. M. B. Urwitz, secretary ;
Mrs. C. H. Milby, treasurer ; Mrs. Rosine Ryan, historian.
Robert E. Lee Chapter, 186, United Daughters of the Con
federacy, was organized in 1897. The first officers were : Mrs. J.
C. Hutcherson, president ; Mrs. M. G. Howe, vice-president ; Mrs.
T. R. Franklin, vice-president; Mrs. M. H. Foster, secretary.
There were fifty charter members.
This chapter is one of the largest and hardest working chap
ters in the state and has accomplished a great deal since its organ
ization. Its growth has been rapid from the first year of its
organization. Its members have contributed generously towards
all monument funds, one of the most beautiful of which is that
known as the Spirit of the Confederacy, located in the city park,
and have done much to preserve the memory of the Confederate
soldiers who have passed over the river and to care for and com
fort those who are still on this side.
The present officers of the chapter, October, 1911, are : Mrs.
M. E. Bryan, president; Mrs. J. F. Burton, Mrs. J. L. Bates,
Mrs. Carter Walker, Mrs. G. L. Black, vice-presidents; Mrs. W.
A. Rowan, recording secretary; Mrs. W. H. Bailey, correspond
ing secretary ; Mrs. P. H. Fall, treasurer ; Mrs. A. G. Henry, reg
istrar ; Mrs. J. W. Dittmar, curator.
Oran M. Roberts, Chapter No. 440, United Daughters of the
Confederacy was organized in 1901, with -sixty charter members.
Its first officers were : Miss A. A. Dunovant, president ; Mrs. S.
F. Carter, first vice-president; Mrs. T. W. House, second vice-
president; Mrs. Wharton Bates, third vice-president; Mrs. W.
B. King, fourth vice-president ; Miss Jennie Criswell, recording
secretary; Mrs. Jonathan Lane, corresponding secretary; Mrs.
B. M. Stephens, treasurer.
During the first year of the Chapter's life its membership
increased to 314. The chapter has made donations towards mon
uments but its main efforts have been in behalf of indigent and
needy Confederate soldiers.
The officers of this chapter, October, 1911, are: President,
Mrs. Will Hansen ; first vice-president, Mrs. J. M. Gibson ; second
vice-president, Mrs. Hattie S. Hatch; third vice-president, Mrs.

304 History of Houston, Texas
Uvalde Burns; fourth vice-president, Mrs. Sidney Huston;
recording secretary, Mrs. E. C. Reichardt; corresponding secre
tary, Mrs. B. B. Knolle ; treasurer, Mrs. W. Worsham ; historian,
Mrs. S. T. Steele; librarian, Miss Williams; registrar, Mrs. J.
Hyndman ; custodian, Mrs. Kaufhold.
In all matters relating to culture, patriotism, and civic and
municipal improvement, the women of Houston have played a
leading role and the story of their efforts and the list of their
accomplishments has not been and is not now told. A book of
this scope can only indicate the organizations or the principal
ones of them and the directions in which their activities tend.
There has been no great religious, literary, patriotic, char
itable or civic movement in which the noble women of Houston
have not led and in many of these movements they have borne
almost the entire burden and are entitled to the largest measure
of praise for the successes, many times brilliant ones, that have
been achieved along the chosen lines of effort.

CHAPTER XVII
Organized Labor

Organized Labor is Prosperous in Houston. Houston Labor
Council's Full Report Showing Numbers and Conditions
in all the Organized Crafts. Good Wages are Paid and
Sweating System is not in Vogue.

The labor associations of Houston are very numerous and
very well organized. Each branch of labor has its own organiza
tion, and the entire membership of all of them foots up in the
thousands. The Stowers Building, corner of Congress Avenue and
Caroline Street, was formally dedicated- to the use and occupancy
of the various labor organizations of Houston on Jan. 14, 1905.
This huge building was transformed into a home for the Houston
Labor Council with imposing ceremonies. Among the prom
inent labor organizations taking part were the following:
Amalgamated Sheet Metal Workers' Local No. 54; Bakers'
and Conf eetioners ' Union No. 28; Bed Spring and Mattress
Makers' Union No. 844; Blacksmiths' Union No. 32; Boiler
Makers' Union No. 74; Bookbinders' Union, Local No. 110;
Brewery Workers' Union, Local No. Ill; Bricklayers' and
Masons' International Union No. 7; Carpenters' and Joiners'
Union No. — ; Carriage and Wagon workers' International Union
No. 109; Houston Typographical Union No. 87; Icemen's Pro
tective Union No. 9254; International Alliance Theatrical Stage
Employees', No. 65; International Association of Machinist,
No. 12; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, No.
66; Iron Moulders' Union of North America, No. 259; Journey
men Barbers' Union No. 74; Journeyman Tailors' Union No. 247;
Musicians' Protective Union No. 65; Painters' and Decorators'
Union No. 130; Patternmakers' League of America; Plasterers'

306 History of Houston, Texas
International Protective Union No. 140; Plumbers' and Gas-
fitters' Union No. 68 ; Bridge and Structual Iron Workers ; Build
ing Laborers International Protective Union; Carriage, Cab and
Delivery Wagon Drivers' Union; Cooks and Waiters' Union;
Theatrical Mechanical Association; Tile Pipe Layers' Protective
Union; Woman's Union Label League; Printing Pressmen's
Union No. 71; Retail Clerks' Protective Association No. 165;
Shirt Waist and Laundry Workers International Union, Local,
No. 38; Soda Water Workers' Union No. 11, 300; Team Drivers
No. 489 ; Texas Association of Steam Engineers, Houston, No. 1 ;
Stenographers' and Typewriters' Association; Railroad Employ
ees' Association. Since then the unions have maintained a com
mon headquarters and parade in strength each labor day.
The following figures, furnished, by Mr. Max Andrews, clerk
of the Harris County Criminal Court and editor of the Labor
Journal, were especially prepared by a committee from the
Houston Labor council. They represent the situation as it
existed in July, 1911.
The total number of industrial workers in Houston is 25,000,
graded as follows: Men, 15,000; women, 6,000; children, 15
years and under, 4,000.
Organized: Men, 55 per cent; women, 2 per cent.
Of the skilled trades, 85 per cent are organized and 15 per
cent unorganized.
During the last ten years the hours of labor have been
decreased all along the line from ten to eight.
During the past ten years there has been an average increase
in wages among the crafts of 25 per cent.
However, during this same period the increased cost of liv
ing, ascertained through government authorities, has increased
40 per cent. Thus it will be seen that the increased cost of living
far exceeds the increase in pay secured.
The total number of organized men and women in Houston
is 8,250. The best organized crafts are the plumbers, printers, brick-
masons, plasterers, stone cutters and marble cutters, about 100
per cent strong.

Organized Labor 307
All trades limit the number of apprentices. This has not
worked a hardship on the boys and has had much to do with
maintaining a living wage for the journeymen.
The sentiment and general feeling toward union labor in
this city and community is good. All important work is per
formed by union men.
The central labor body (the Houston labor council) consists
of delegates from all locals in this jurisdiction that are affiliated
with the American Federation of Labor. Thirty-three are affili
ated at this time. The meetings are not open to the general
public. The labor council meets over the Hammersmith shoe estab
lishment, 305J/2 Main Street.
Unions care for their sick and dependent and bury their
dead. This is due them through membership.
The federated shop men have a committee on conciliation
and arbitration, which has been recognized by the Harriman sys
tem. The central council has an arbitration committee.
There is no open conflict between the unions of Houston and
the Manufacturers Association, Citizens Alliance or Employes
Association locally.
The Ministerial Association has no fraternal delegate in the
labor council at present.
Some of the working conditions are thus indicated : Packing
House: Number employed (men, women and children), 500.
Wages, for men, $1.50 to $2.00 per day; for women, 75 cents to
$2.00 per day; for children, 50 cents to $1.00 per day. Labor
is seasonal. Approximately 12y2 per cent unemployed. Married
men get living wages. Work ten hours per day. No Sunday
work. Wages do not cause dependency. Little opportunity for
training or educational advancement. Conditions sanitary and
healthful. Employes subject to -danger from machinery and
occupational diseases. No sweating system exists. Employes are
not organized. In the railroad shops and yards, there are, approximately,
4,000 employed. Working conditions, fair. Labor seasonal.
Married men receive living wages; however, not commensurate

308 History of Houston, Texas
with the advances in necessities of life. Hours of labor, nine
hours per day. About 25 per cent of laborers work Sundays.
Conditions are very good for training and educational advance
ment. Sanitation and health, good. No sweating system exists.
Subject to danger from machinery. Ninety per cent of workers
organized. Average wage for all employees about $2.50 per
day. In the cotton oil mills and cotton compresses, the number
employed will approximate 1,500. Working conditions, fair.
Wages, for men, $1.50 to $2.50 per day; for women, $1.00 to
$1.25 per day ; for children, 50 cents to 75 cents per day. Labor
is casual, a majority of the workers being steadily employed dur
ing the months of September, October, November, December,
January and February, but during the remainder of the year
must seek other means of support. Married men receive living
wages. Hours of labor from 10 to 12. Employes work every
Sunday during operating season. Wages and general conditions
are scarcely removed from dependency. No opportunity for
training or educational advancement; however, conditions are
far in advance of many cities in the Southern States. Sanitary
conditions, fairly good. Workers subject to danger from machin
ery and occupational diseases.
In the saw mills and factories, the number of employes is
500. Working conditions, reasonably fair. Wages for skilled
men, $2.50 to $3.00 per day ; unskilled men, 75 cents to $1.75 per
day; women, 50 cents to $1.00 per day; children, 25 cents to 75
cents per day. Labor is steady; about 10 per cent are unem
ployed. Majority of men make scant living. Hours of labor,
10 per day. Do not work Sundays. Wages paid barely keep
employes above dependency. Little opportunity is afforded for
training or educational advancement. Conditions generally are
sanitary and healthful. Workers subject to danger from machin
ery and occupational diseases. No sweating system exists. About
10 per cent are organized.
In the general stores there are approximately 3,000 employed.
Working conditions are not good. Wages for men, $5 to $18
per week; women, $3.50 to $10; children, $1.50 to $5. Labor

Organized Labor 309
seasonal. About 12y2 per cent unemployed. Married men do
not receive wage consistent with average living conditions. Hours
of labor from 10 to 15 per day. Do not work Sundays. Most
employes do not receive wage sufficient to relieve them of depend
ency; especially is this true of the women, girls and children.
Not one out of 1,000 has opportunity of advancement along
training and educational lines. Unless the general public inter
cedes conditions in Houston will soon parallel the larger cities
of the country and young womanhood will be sacrificed at the
altar of greed and avarice. Conditions are now deplorable. In
most instances stores and shops are arranged in sanitary condi
tion. Labor is unorganized.
At the Breweries there are approximately 500 employed.
Working conditions are exceptionally good. General scale of
wages from $2 to $5 per day. Labor seasonal. About 3 per cent
unemployed. Married men receive a living wage. Hours of
labor, eight per day. Operate 24 hours per day, with three
shifts of eight hours. Most of the employes work Sundays. Em
ployes are independent and most of them are home owners.
Conditions sanitary and healthful. Employes are subject to dan
ger from machinery and occupational diseases. All are organ
ized. All workmen in breweries, where steadily employed, must
join the Brewery Workers' Union; most compact and thoroughly
organized of any craft. It pays large sick and death benefits.
As to common labor, there are approximately 5,000 laborers
employed. Wages, for men, $1.25 to $2 per day; women, 50
cents to $1.25 per day; children, '25 cents to $1 per day. Labor
is casual. About 25 per cent are unemployed. About 10 per
cent of the workers are organized. Married men do not receive
a living wage. Hours of labor from eight to ten per day. Only
those employed for elevator service, street cars and emergency
men are required to work Sundays. Wages and general condi
tions increase dependency. No opportunity for training or edu
cational advancement. Conditions generally are sanitary. No
sweating system in vogue.
The industrial crafts include carpenters, plumbers, painters,
plasterers, sheetmetal workers, brickmasons, machinists, black-

310 History of Houston, Texas
smiths, lathers, typographers, printing pressmen, bookbinders,
musicians, electrical workers, bartenders, tailors, coopers, bridge
and structural iron workers, boilermakers, marble workers, jour
neymen barbers, elevator constructors, pattern makers, iron
molders, garment workers, horseshoers, stationary engineers.
Of the above crafts there are about 3,000 employed. This
is independent of those working in the railroad shops, mills, com
presses, etc., elsewhere compiled and accounted for.
Carpenters and Joiners — Approximately 75 per cent organ
ized; wages, union, $4 per day; non-union, $3.50 per day. Con
ditions good; all large contracts and buildings employ union
labor; union provides sick and death benefits for its members.
Death benefit grades upward, according to length of membership ;
carpenters meet in their own home and are in a most prosper
ous condition; work seasonal; union men are independent and
families enjoy training and educational advantages. No Sunday
work. Plasterers — Conditions are good; 90 per cent are organized.
Wages, union men receive $6 per day; non-union men, $3 per
day. Do not work on Sunday.
Sheetmetal Workers — Very good condition; work seasonal,
but rather steady. Wages, union men, $3.50 to $4.50 per day;
non-union labor, lower. About 90 per cent of craft organized.
Brickmasons — Splendid condition; about 95 per cent organ
ized. Wages, union men receive $6 to $7 per day; non-union
men, $3 to $4. Many home-owners among them.
Machinists — Work steady throughout the year and pretty
well employed. Wages, union men, $3.80 per day; non-union
men, $2.50 per day.
Theatrical Stage Employes — Number about 100; conditions
in large playhouses good and all employed therein are organized ;
wages range from $15 to $25 per week; all theatres give Sunday
performances. Picture shows and vaudeville houses are unsafe,
unsanitary and unorganized ; much work is needed among them ;
in most instances incompetent and child labor is employed and
the general public is subjected to danger through them.
Blacksmiths — Reasonably fair conditions; about 65 per

Organized Labor 311
cent organized and union growing. Wages, union men $3.80 per
day; non-union men, $2.50 per day.
Lathers — Steadily employed at present; work would not
be classed as casual here, but is rather steady throughout the
year. Wages, union men receive from $4 to $6 per day; non
union men, $2.50 per day.
Following are the statistics for the printing trade :
Printers — About 225 in membership ; organized 100 per cent
strong. Wages, from $3.50 to $8 per day, varying according to
men and position. Job offices and ad rooms work time scale,
¦eight hours per day. Machine men work on a piece scale, and
average from six to seven hours per day. About 75 per cent of
the printers are home owners.
Printing Pressmen — One hundred per cent organized ; work
eight hours per day; wages average $3.50 per day; many home
owners among them; sanitary conditions in shops good.
Bookbinders — One hundred per cent organized; hours of
work, eight per day ; wages, average $4 per day ; sanitary condi
tions exceptionally good.
Other crafts are as follows:
Electrical Workers — Eighty per cent organized; union men
work 8 hours ; wages from $3.50 to $4.50 per day ; all employed.
Bartenders — About 80 per cent organized; hours of labor
eight per day; scale of wages, $15 to $21 per week.
Tailors — Poorly organized at present ; hours of labor ten per
day; wages, from $2 to $3, most work is by piece.
Coopers — One hundred per cent organized ; work seasonal to
a great extent; hours of work, eight per day; average wages
from $2.85 to $4 per day ; conditions sanitary.
Bridge and Structural Iron Workers — Organized 100 per
cent strong ; hours of labor, eight per day ; wage scale from $3.50
to $4.50 per day, work exceptionally good here for the past two
years and prospects flattering ; duties are most hazardous.
Boilermakers — About 90 per cent organized ; wages $3.50 to
$5 per day for union men ; non-union wages lower ; work fair.
Marble Workers — Work eight hours per day; wages $4 to
$6 per day ; organized 100 per cent strong ; conditions good.

312 History of Houston, Texas
Journeyman Barbers — White and colored unions are organ
ized ; about 80 per cent organized ; conditions above the average ;
no Sunday work.
Elevator Constructors — Organized 100 per cent ; work good ;
all employed at present ; no Sunday work ; wages $4 per day.
Pattern Makers — Well organized; wages, fifty cents per
hour; nine hours; no labor on Sundays.
Garment Workers — Only craft of women organized; have
a union of about 200 members ; work eight hours ; wages from $9
to $18 per week; no Sunday labor; exceptionally good sanitary
conditions prevail.
Horseshoers — Good conditions; work eight hours; average
wages $2.50 to $3.50 per day ; 75 per cent organized.
Stationary Engineers — Work eight hours; conditions good;
about 80 per cent organized ; average wages $3 to $4 per day.
Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers — Work eight hours;
wages, for union men, $3.50 to $4 per day; no way to ascertain
wages of non-union men; best mechanics organized; about 80
per cent in union ; conditions fairly good and improving.
Plumbers — About 200 in number; 100 per cent organized;
work eight hours per day, half holiday on Saturday; scale of
wages, for union men, $6 per day ; sanitary conditions generally
good; union has many educational features to perfect skill of
workmen.

£,y hy£ O-W&wa &Brol&-

CHAPTER XVIII
Board of Trade and Banks

Organization of Board of Trade and Cotton Exchange. The
Cotton Exchange Building. Officers of Exchange. Cotton
as King. Cotton Compresses and Warehouses. The Hous
ton Business League. The Chamber of Commerce. Hous
ton's Early Banks. Growth Shown by Bank Clearings.
Houston's Modern Banks. City's Big Trust Companies.
The Houston Clearing House.

The Houston Board of Trade and Cotton Exchange was
organized May 16, 1874, in the parlors of the Hutchins House.
Captain C. S. Longcope was elected president ; Col. W. J.
Hutchins, vice-president ; Mr. George W. Kidd, who was really
the originator of the idea, was elected secretary. On the first
board of directors were : B. A. Botts, F. A. Rice, George Porter,
S. K. Mcllhenny, W. D. Cleveland, Fred Stanley and A. J.
Burke. Perkins Hall, later known as Pillott's Opera House, was
leased for a number of years and equipped with only one small
bulletin board the Exchange was launched on its career. That
single board did duty for a long time and was ample for all the
needs of the Exchange, for the telegraph service was meagre in
the extreme and a good sized slate would have answered quite
as well as the board. Telegraph rates were very high in those
days and the Gold and Stock Exchange, the great collecting
branch of the telegraph company for commercial news and
quotations was in its infancy, so that it cost a great deal of money
to secure even the smallest commercial service. Mr. Kidd, who
was commercial editor of one of the local newspapers, used to
supplement the exchange reports with items that came to his
paper. When the market house burned down, the opera house

314 History of Houston, Texas
that was located in the City Hall above the market house was
destroyed, and Houston was left with only Pillott's Opera House
as a theatre. The place was in ponstant demand, and the
Exchange, having a lease on it and only its one little bulletin
board to put out of the way, made a nice income by hiring the
hall to theatrical companies. This money was devoted to the
extension of the telegraph service and soon the Exchange was
receiving a fair service, and one that induced other members
to join the organization. At that time the Exchange had very
few inducements to offer outsiders to become members, but that
soon changed. There had been about twenty prominent business
men and merchants who had stood by the Exchange from the day
of its organization, but it was for the purpose of sustaining the
organization and perpetuating it, and not for any immediate
benefit they could derive from it. Now, however, the Exchange
began to receive much more valuable information and its use
fulness became apparent. Quite a number of new members came
in, and while the association was far from a safe and secure basis,
yet it was well on the way. Secretary Kidd did an immense
amount of work and was untiring in his efforts to build up the
Exchange. There was one important branch of the work that
could be carried on independently, and entirely outside of tele
graphic or other sources of information — local statistics could be
compiled, and to that important work Secretary Kidd turned
his attention. He not only compiled all the early statistics, but
laid the ground work for the more elaborate and complicated
system that prevails in the Exchange today.
When through-rail connection was made between Houston,
St. Louis and the great West, Houston sent a strong delegation of
members of the Exchange and other business men, on a mission
ary expedition to tell the people up there what we were and to
find out what they had. This delegation did good work, with the
result that a fine trade soon developed between the two sections.
One of its most marked benefits, from a local point of view, was
its effect upon the Cotton Exchange. It brought out the Board
of Trade feature of that organization, and demonstrated how val
uable it could be made. Then for the first time the directors of

Board of Trade and Banks 315
the Exchange went seriously to work. In 1877, they obtained
a charter as the Cotton Exchange and Board of Trade. They
framed new rules and regulations, increased the initiation fee
and the annual dues from members, and made provision for a
regular and permanent revenue with which to meet the expenses
of the Exchange. The institution was placed on a firm basis and
from that time until today its course has been upward.
A general meeting of members of the exchange was held
January 15, 1882, for the purpose of discussing the advisability
of the Exchange owning its own building. At that meeting it
was decided that ground should be purchased and a building
should be erected if financial arrangements could be made. Com
mittees were appointed to look into the details of the question.
Other meetings were held, and on May 29, 1883, the ground for
the building was purchased. The architect 's plans were accepted
January 4, 1884, and on March 1, of the same year the Exchange
borrowed $40,000 for ten years, with which to put up the building.
The contract was let March 15, 1884, and the corner-stone was laid
by the Masons on June 5, 1884. The building was completed and
turned over to the Exchange on November 15, 1884. Since then
the building has been completely remodeled to meet the growing
needs of the members. Additional stories have been added and
today, in addition to being one of the handsomest and best
arranged exchanges, the building is one of the most convenient
and useful office buildings in the city. It is located at the corner
of Franklin Avenue and Travis Street. No cotton exchange in
this or any other country gives more information to its members
than does the Houston Exchange. There are long distance tele
phones reaching all over this and adjoining states, where a mem
ber can talk to a customer hundreds of miles away with as much
ease and without delay, as if he were in the next room. There
are two telegraph companies that have special wires on the
floor of the exchange, while the Exchange itself is in direct and,
what may be termed instantaneous, communication with all the
great exchanges in this country and across the water as well.
To illustrate the rapidity with which business is transacted
through the exchange, it is said that an order can be sent to

316 History of Houston, Texas
Liverpool, executed and an answer received back here in Houston
in three or four minutes. This is not an extraordinary occurrence.
The Houston Cotton Exchange and Board of Trade has
been of incalculable benefit to Houston and has done an immense
amount of work looking to the upbuilding of the city. Almost
from the day of its formation it has been active in the work of
building the ship channel. It has always had a standing commit
tee on the ship channel, and the annual rqport of this committee
has always been one of the leading features of the annual meet
ings of the Exchange. It has done work in every way and in
every direction for the advancement of the material interests of
Houston. Today much of that work is in the hands of able, special
organizations, but the initial steps in all of them were taken by
the Houston Cotton Exchange and Board of Trade.
Perhaps the best way in which the importance and growth
of the Exchange may be shown is by calling attention to the
fact that when it was organized, and for some years after, a seat
on the floor could be purchased for five dollars and the annual -
dues were twelve dollars, a dollar each month. Today a mem
bership in the Exchange costs $2,000 and there are so few sellers
at that figure that it is extremely difficult to buy a certificate of
membership. The annual dues are $50, payable in advance.
There are fees and other dues, amounting to thousands of dollars
which furnish funds for the current expenses.
The following have been the officials of the Exchange :
1874-75 — C. S. Longcope, president; W. J. Hutchins, first
vice-president; B. A. Shepherd, second vice-president; Geo. W.
Kidd, secretary.
1875-76— W. D. Cleveland, president; Geo. L. Porter, first
vice-president; S. K. Mcllhenny, second vice-president; T. W.
House, Jr., third vice-president ; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1876-77— Geo. L. Porter, president; J. H. Blake, first vice-
president; T. W. House, Jr., second-vice-president; S. K. Mcll
henny, third vice-president; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1877-78 — H. R. Percy, president; Fred A. Rice, treasurer;
Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.

Board of Trade and Banks 317
1878-79— S. K. Mcllhenny, president; Wm. V. R. Watson,
vice-president ; Fred A. Rice, treasurer ; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1879-80 — Wm. V. R. Watson, president; Louis Harde, vice-
president; Fred A. Rice, treasurer; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1880-81- — A. H. Lea, president; T. W. House, vice-president;
Fred A. Rice, treasurer ; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1881-82 — S. K. Mcllhenny, president; E. L. Dennis, vice-
president; Fred A. Rice, treasurer; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1882-83 — S. A. McAshan, president; H. W. Garrow, vice-
president ; Fred A. Rice, treasurer ; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1883-84 — S. A. McAshan, president; H. W. Garrow, vice-
president; Fred A. Rice, treasurer; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1884-85 — W. D. Cleveland, president; H. W. Garrow, vice-
president ; Fred A. Rice, treasurer ; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1885-86 — W. D. Cleveland, president; H. W. Garrow, vice-
president; Fred A. Rice, treasurer; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1886-87— W. D. Cleveland, president; H. W. Garrow, vice
president ; T. W, House, treasurer ; Geo.- W. Kidd, secretary.
1887-88— W. D. Cleveland, president; Wm. M. Read, vice-
president; T. W. House, treasurer; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1888-89— W. D. Cleveland, president; Wm. M. Read, vice-
president; T. W. House, treasurer; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1889-90— W. D. Cleveland, president; Wm. M. Read, vice-
president; T. W. House, treasurer; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1890-91— W. D. Cleveland, president; Wm. M. Read, vice-
president; T. W. House, treasurer; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1891-92— Wm. M. Read, president; E. W. Sewall, vice-
president; T. W. House, treasurer; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1892-93— H. W. Garrow, president; Felix Halff, vice-
president; T. W. House, treasurer; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1893-94 — H. W. Garrow, president; Felix Halff, vice-
president; T. W. House, treasurer; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1894-95 — H. W. Garrow, president; Felix Halff, vice-
president; T. W. House, treasurer; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1895-96 — H. W. Garrow, president; Felix Halff, vice-
president; T. W. House, treasurer; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.

318 History of Houston, Texas
1896-97— H. W. Garrow, president; Felix Halff, vice-
president; T. W. House, treasurer; Geo. W. Kidd, secretary.
1897-98— H. W. Garrow, president ; Wm. V. R. Watson, vice-
president; T. W. House, treasurer; B. W. Martin, secretary.
1898-99 — H. W. Garrow, president; George W. Neville,
vice-president ; T. W. House, treasurer ; B. R. Warner, secretary.
1899-1900— H. W. Garrow, president; George W. Neville,
vice-president; T. W. House, treasurer; B. R. Warner, secretary.
1900-01 — H. W. Garrow, president; George W. Neville,
vice-president; T. W. House, treasurer; B. R. Warner, secretary,
1901-02 — H. W. Garrow, president; George W. Neville,
vice-president; T. W. House, treasurer; B. R. Warner, secretary.
1902-03— W. D. Cleveland, president; George W. Neville,
vice-president; W. B. Chew, treasurer; W. R. Warner, secretary.
1903-04 — W. D. Cleveland, president; John M. Dorrance,
vice-president; W. B. Chew, treasurer; W. J. DeTreville, sec
retary. 1904-05 — W. D. Cleveland, president; John M. Dorrance,
vice-president; W. B. Chew, treasurer; W. J. DeTreville, sec
retary. 1905-06 — M. E. Andrews, president; E. W. Taylor, vice-
president; W. B. Chew, treasurer; W. J. DeTreville, secretary.
1906-07— W. O. Ansley, president; E. W. Taylor, vice-
president; W. B. Chew, treasurer; W. J. DeTreville, secretary.
1907-08 — E. W. Taylor, president; James H. Adair, vice-
president; W. B. Chew, treasurer; W. J. DeTreville, secretary.
1908-09 — A. L. Nelms, president; James H. Adair, vice-
president; W. B. Chew, treasurer; W. J. DeTreville, secretary.
1909-10 — A. L. Nelms, president; James H. Adair, vice-
president; W. B. Chew, treasurer; W. J. DeTreville, secretary.
1910-11 — A. L. Nelms, president; Jno. W. Sanders, vice-
president; W. B. Chew, treasurer; W. J. DeTreville, secretary.*
1911-12 — A. L. Nelms, president; A. W. Pollard, vice-pres
ident; W. B. Chew, treasurer; J. F. Burwell, secretary.
*Secretary DeTreville died June 21, 1910. Mr. J. F. Bur-
well acted as secretary from June 21 to August 10, at which date
he became the regular secretary.

Board of Trade and Banks 319
Houston long ago passed that point in her growth as a com
mercial center, where her supremacy depended on the handling
of any single commodity, such as cotton, but from the early
ox-wagon days to the present time when the railways bring the
produce of Texas, and of the Southwest as well, to the point
where rail and water transportation join, cotton has been king,
and will always continue to be king. The reasons for this are
both natural and artificial. Natural from the geographical posi
tion of Houston; artificial because of the energy, fore-sight and
business acumen of the men who have had the commercial des
tiny of the city in their keeping.
During the last ten years the most wonderful and far-
reaching changes in the methods of marketing cotton have taken
place, and had not Houston adapted herself promptly to meet
these changes and the conditions brought about through them,
she would have been left high and dry, a mere way-station on
the commercial highway.
The greatest of these changes was in the method of buying
and selling cotton. Formerly the farmer or interior merchant,
who traded with the former for his cotton, shipped it to Houston,
or to some other large city, to be sold at once, if prices were
favorable, or to be held, subject to his order, for better prices.
The commission merchant, or cotton factor; as he is called, would
advance part of the value of such cotton to the shipper, so the
method was satisfactory to all concerned. However, the big
cotton consumers on the other side conceived the idea of estab
lishing their own agencies in this country, with the view to
cutting out middlemen, as far as possible. These agencies scat
tered buyers all over the state. This, at once, caused a radical
change in, the cotton business and relegated, in a great measure,
the old cotton factor with his slow but safe method, to a second
ary place. Quick transportation, the telegraph and telephone,
assisted materially in bringing about the change, for they
enabled the farmer or merchant hundreds of miles away from
Houston, to learn as much about the market as the man on the
floor of the cotton exchange could learn. Today, under the new
system, cotton is bought in every little town and hamlet in the

320 History of Houston, Texas
state, directly from first hands, and the seller gets the full
market value of the day, too, for there is always sharp compe
tition between buyers.
This had led to the development of what is called the free
on board business, which has eliminated about all the army of
middlemen of former days. Under it a firm of exporters will
contract to ship, let us say, 1,000 bales of cotton of a given
grade and weight, at a fixed price. The price covers all charges
and expenses up to the time the cotton is placed on board a ship
at the port. The seller guarantees the cotton to be according to
contract both in class and weight, so the buyer is protected
against loss in case the shipment is deficient in any way.
Realizing the probable and possible changes in the methods
of handling cotton that this new business would bring about, and
knowing that provision must be made for the proper care of the
vast number of bales that would necessarily have to be concen
trated at some point under its working, Houston began, at the
very conception of the business, to develop and care for it. Her
old warehouses and compresses were renovated and, in some
instances, enlarged, new ones were built and everything was
done for facilitating and properly caring for the trade.
A piece of forethought which has been of the greatest
advantage was placing every warehouse and compress in the city
either on the banks of the ship channel or on some railroad. The
advantage of this is that it eliminates the costly item of drayage
and this alone gives Houston an advantage of from 10c to 12y2c
per bale over all competitors. The extent of such an advantage
can be ap'preciated when it is known that frequently a cost of
5c per bale will cause a change in the routing of cotton. Today
no place in the country has greater or better facilities for hand
ling and caring for cotton than Houston. This is no idle boast
as the following brief description of those facilities show :
The Cleveland Compress is the oldest in years of continuous
service of all Houston compresses, but it is old in no other way,
for it is strictly modern in all its equipments and absolutely up-
to-date in every way. It is located on the north side of the ship
channel, and has a frontage of several hundred feet on the

Board of Trade and Banks 321
channel, where there is every ' facility for loading directly on
ships or barges for the Gulf of Mexico. The company has just
completed an addition to its yard and shed room, so that its
total capacity is now .55,000 bales. The compress has a capacity
of 100 bales per hour. Captain Wm. D. Cleveland is president
of the company and Mr. D. Mullaine is superintendent of the
press. The Magnolia Warehouse and Storage Company, formerly
known as the Weld-Neville Company, has doubtless the most
magnificent and thoroughly equipped warehouse and compress
in the United States. This company has recently made exten
sive additions to its plant, the cost of which was $200,000. The
plant has always been considered one of the largest and best
equipped institutions of its kind in the South, and this expen
diture of so large a- sum in the way of additions, shows that its
owners have confidence in the growth of Houston's already
immense cotton business, and its permanency as a commercial
and industrial center. It really goes beyond local faitli in such
matters, for, in a measure it reflects the sentiment of outsiders,
one of the leading members of the firm being a member of the
New York Cotton Exchange. The immensity of the plant is
shown by the statement that the new brick warehouse has a
storage capacity of 75,000 bales and covers an area of 264,000
square feet. The warehouse is as perfect as experience and science
can make it, and is as perfectly protected against fire as the
ingenuity of man can devise. It is divided into compartments
separated from each other by thick brick walls, and each com
partment is fitted with Grinnel automatic sprinklers These are
ingenious. Should a slight fire occur, so soon as the heal; from the
burning bale reaches a certain temperature, it melts a wire which
forms an electric circuit which opens the sprinklers thus-' flooding
the compartment and at the same time rings a bell in the office
showing exactly where the fire is located. The mechanism of these
sprinklers is so delicately adjusted that on one occasion the heat
caused by the sun set one of the sprinklers going and flooded a
compartment. This perfect fire protection and the protection
against weather, entitles the warehouse to a very low insurance

322 History of Houston, Texas
rate. This alone is a great thing for it will attract large quantities
of cotton to Houston where it can be stowed safely and have at the
same time the advantage of the lowest insurance rate obtainable.
In the storing of cotton the insurance rate is a big factor.
The company's property is located at the juncture of Bray's
Bayou and the ship channel and has a frontage of 1,500 feet
on the channel and 700 feet on the bayou. A reinforced concrete
retaining wall is now being constructed along the whole water
front, which will be so constructed as to afford modern shipping
piers and ships where vessels may be easily loaded. This wall
is now well under way towards completion and will cost $100,000.
The tedious and expensive method of trucking cotton from one
part of the yard to another is avoided by the construction of
overhead trolleys or tramways, whereby half a dozen bales of
cotton can be transferred at one time, with as much ease as the
packages purchased in a drygoods store are handled. The press
is of the very latest and most perfect type and has a capacity
of 120 bales per hour. Mr. A. C. Cairns is the company's man
ager in Houston.
The Merchants Compress Company is another of Houston's
big cotton handling concerns. It is located directly on the bank
of the ship channel, north side, and has its own wharves, chutes
and everything for the rapid loading of cotton directly on ships
or barges. It also has rail connection with the Southern Pacific
and Terminal system. It has an under-cover storing capacity of
35,000 bales and a total holding capacity of 60,000 bales. Its
press is very powerful and has a capacity of 150 bales an hour.
Mr. John K. Sanders, who for many years has been prominent in
Houston's cotton business, is president of the company.
The Union Compress and Warehouse Company has a stor
ing capacity of about 25,000 bales nearly all under cover, and a
compress capacity of between 1,200 and 1,500 bales per day.
It has trackage connection with the International and Great
Northern Railway, the Southern Pacific and Belt Terminal Com
pany and it also has facilities for loading on ships and barges.
Mr. A. Breyer is president of this company.
The Southern Compress and Warehouse Company is a new

Board of Trade and Banks 323
organization. Its yards and compress have just been completed.
It is an expansion of McFadden Bros.' business. It is located
on the north side of the ship channel, on the International and
Great Northern Road. Its compressing capacity is between
1,200 and 1,500 bales and its storing capacity is 20,000 bales.
It has wharves and platforms for loading directly on boats in
the channel and expects to handle 150,000 bales this coming
season of 1911-12.
The Standard Compress Company is a very active concern.
It has a brick warehouse and three large sheds located on twenty
acres fronting the ship channel. It also has in addition to its
water facilities, rail connections with the International and Great
Northern and San Antonio and Aransas Pass roads. It has a
press capacity of about 1,000 bales per day and a storing capac
ity of 26,000 bales, nearly all under cover. Mr. M. E. Andrews
is general manager, secretary and treasurer.
There are several warehouses and storing yards, without
compresses, which increase Houston's facilities for caring for
cotton shipped here. The International and Great Northern
platform, which is under shed, has a storing capacity for
50,000 bales.
The Direct Navigation company has platform space for the
storage of 26,500 bales; the Mcllhenny yards, for 2,000 bales;
Henke and Pillot, for 1,200 bales and S. Samuels' warehouse for
1,500 bales. These bring the total storage capacity of Houston's
compresses and warehouses up to 325,700 bales, and its com
press capacity to 8,700 bales per day of ten hours.
As an indication of the value of water transportation, it
may be said here that for the commercial year that ended
August 31, 1911, there were shipped down the. ship channel
from presses and warehouses located on its banks, 392, 684 bales
of cotton. There is an object lesson in these figures, for each
bale enumerated represents a saving from ten to twelve and one-
half cents, in the way of drayage.
The Houston Business League was organized as the result
of a meeting held February 26, 1895. Forty citizens were
assembled. Col. R. M. Johnson called the meeting to order and

324 History of Houston, Texas
explained the object of the call to be the organization of a per
manent commercial association, to be composed of citizens of
Houston who had at heart the interests of the city of Houston.
Temporary organization was effected by the election of Colonel
Johnson as chairman and W. W. Dexter as secretary.
At this original meeting, committees were appointed to out
line purposes and plans and to solicit members. Among those
who took part in the first organization were R. M. Johnson, D.
D. Bryan, W. W. Dexter, E. T. Heiner, J. M. Cotton, R. B.
Morris, C. E. Jones, H. G. Lidston, Richard Cocke, Gus Schulte,
J. H. Bright, Hamp. Cook, D. M. Angel, G. W. Steiff, and D. H.
McCullough. Following this meeting much active work was
done. The second business meeting was held Mareh 5, 1895. At
that meeting several names were suggested for the association,
and at first the name Chamber of Commerce was adopted, but
afterwards it was changed to the Houston Business League. The
purposes of the association were declared in the constitution,
which said:
"The object of the Houston Business League is to promote
immigration, to create and extend and foster the trade, com
merce and manufacturing interests of the city of Houston; to
secure and build up transportation lines ; to secure reasonable
and equitable transportation rates; to build up and maintain
the value of our real estate, progressive, efficient and economical
administration of our municipal government, to collect, preserve
and disseminate information in relation to our commercial, finan
cial and industrial affairs, and to unite as far as possible our
people in one representative body."
The following were the first officers of the Business League
after it was thoroughly organized:' President, J. M. Cotton;
first vice-president, Ed. Kiam; second vice-president, J. C. Ber
ing; third vice-president, E. T. Heiner; secretary, W. W. Dexter,
and treasurer, Guy H. Harcourt.
After a short time Mr. Dexter resigned as secretary and
Mr. George P. Brown was chosen as his successor. No better
man could have been found for the important work, and Mr.

Board of Trade and Banks 325
Brown, by his enthusiastic energy and executive ability soon
placed the Houston Business League in the front rank. During
his administration a number of large manufacturing plants and
other industries were secured for Houston. The Business League
also inspired and aided in organizing the Floral Festival and the
No-Tsu-Oh association and in other ways brought the name of
Houston prominently before the country. In 1910, the league
was reorganized, and the name given to its new organization was
the Houston Chamber of Commerce.
Secretary Adolph Boldt of the Chamber of Commerce
explains very lucidly, in his annual report for 1910, that the
Houston Chamber of Commerec is not here by accident, but is
the result of growth, development and expansion of the original
idea which led to the primary organizations, whose object was
to care for the purely business matters, without reference to their
surroundings and relations. The secretary's idea is that the body
he has the honor and pleasure of serving so well, is the result
of business evolution, and that it represents the very latent and
most effective methods of building up and maintaining the city's
commercial, financial, and social surpremacy. When one glances
at what has been accomplished in the past and what is planned
for the future, by the Chamber of Commerce, and studies its
means and methods, one feels ready to admit the truth of all
that is claimed by and for it. The keynote of the success of this
organization is its denial of the proverbial myth that business
is business and cold blooded, and its recognition that business
has a social side that may be cultivated, often, with groat profit
to the cultivator.
A Chamber of Commerce was organized in Houston in
1840, but the present body has no historical connection with
that old one. The Houston Chamber of Commerce is of today and
for today. It is of the present and its efforts are directed to the
future and not to the past. It is most thoroughly organized and
in consequence a vast amount of work is accomplished without
friction or unnecessary delay. There is a general association,
which has a responsible head, but all the work of the association
is accomplished through special committees while routine mat-

326 History of Houston. Texas
ters are handled by bureaus. Thus, there is the Traffic Bureau,
to which is referred all matters relating to freights and kindred
subjects. This is perhaps the hardest worked bureau in the
association, and one, too, that is never through with its labors.
Then there is the Convention Bureau, whose duty it is to look
after all conventions, wherever held, and to make efforts to
secure them for Houston and, if they come, to see that they are '
properly entertained after they get here, for the Chamber of
Commerce believes that a favorable impression made on a visitor
is a great asset for the city that entertains. The Bureau of
Publicity has assigned to it the arduous duty of keeping Hous
ton constantly in the public eye. The methods employed by this
Bureau are so many and so divergent that1 it is difficult to enu
merate them with any degree of accuracy. The newspapers, mag
azines, circulars, in fact, every known method of advertising is
used. The Chamber established what is known as "post card
day," and the extent of activity in that direction can be seen,
when it stated that on one occasion the public purchased and
sent through the mails in every direction, more than 100,000 post
cards, each showing a view of some part of the city.
The Industrial Bureau has in charge all matters relating to
new manufacturing and commercial enterprises. This bureau
has accomplished wonders and during the business year of 1910-
11 alone, it secured for Houston nineteen manufacturing con
cerns and twelve wholesale and distributing houses. In addition
to this the bureau is now making arrangements looking to secur
ing both factories and commercial bodies.
The accomplishments of the Chamber of Commerce have
been so great and so varied that their simple enumeration would
fill pages. Nothing that has about it even the most indirect
promise of benefitting the city has been neglected by it and it
works hand in hand, and unselfishly, with the city admmistration
and other organizations to accomplish the greatest good for the
city. Its present officers are: President, E. A. Peden; first vice-
president, W. C. Munn; second vice-president, Edgar O. Lovett;
third vice-president, R. C. Duff; treasurer, Guy M. Bryan; sec-

Board of Trade and Banks 327
retary, Adolph Boldt; assistant secretary, G. C. Roussel; traffic
manager, C. C. Oden; director of publicity, Jerome H. Farbar.
Directors: Jas. L. Autry, A. S. Cleveland, David Daly, F. A.
Heitman, E. A. Hudson, Abe M. Levy, J. W. Link, J. W. Neal,
J. M. Rockwell, John T. Scott, Thomas H. Stone. Secretary
Boldt, by speeches and visits, and publicity director, Jerome
Farbar, by widely read articles in periodicals, have given the
work of the body wide and favorable publicity.
The Organization of the Cotton Exchange , and Board of
Trade was for the purpose of bringing cotton, grain and other
produce here and the object of the Chamber of Commerce was to
upbuild the wholesale trade and to build up the manufacturing
interests of the city. Each worked for the prosperity of Hous
ton but on different lines and used different methods. In the
earlier stages, in order to handle the immense amount of cotton
and produce, and in the second stages in order to care for the
large commercial and manufacturing interests that were attracted
here, vast sums of money were necessary, and this need gave
birth to the large banks and trust companies that Houston boasts
of today. Houston has always had banks, but the really great institu
tions are of comparatively modern date. As a matter of fact
Houston can boast of having had the first bank ever organized in
Texas, as she can boast of having had so many other first things.
The Commercial and Agricultural Bank of Texas was char
tered by the Congress of Coahuila and Texas to S. M. Williams
and associates in 1835. In 1836 the same Congress passed an act
for the relief of the incorporators. The bank was not organized
until after the convention of 1835. That convention denounced
and prohibited banks, but had to recognize vested rights acquired
before the independence of Texas. The bank was an ambitious
one and had nothing small about it. Its authorized capital was
$1,000,000 and $100,000 was paid up. It was a bank of issue.
The first president of the bank was S. M. Williams and its first
cashier was J. W. McMillan.
For many years this was the only chartered bank operating
in the state, for Texas chartered no banks until after the

328 History of Houston, Texas
adoption of the constitution in 1870. It was by no means popu
lar and obstacles were placed in its way and efforts made to
break it down. It was finally destroyed for good when a decision
rendered in the supreme court, in 1859, annulled its charter.
Soon after that Mr. Williams died and the affairs of the bank
were wound up by Mr. B. A. Shepherd, who had become one of
its principal owners. As early as 1850, or about that time,
Mr. T. W. House, who had begun business in Houston in 1838,
was well established and opened a private bank in connection
with his cotton factorage business, and in 1854 Mr. B. A. Shep
herd engaged exclusively in the banking business and he was
the first man in Texas to do so. Mr. W. J. Hutchins was another
early Houstonian who did a mixed factorage and banking busi
ness. Until after the war practically all the banking business of
the state was done in Houston and Galveston.
The First National Bank of Texas, now known as the First
National Bank of Galveston, was the first national bank in the
state. It was soon followed by others in the order given here:
The First National Bank of Houston, the First National Bank
of San Antonio and the First National Bank of Jefferson. The
first cashier of a national bank in the state was J. B. Root, father
of A. P. Root, who was later cashier and then president of the
First National Bank of Houston.
During the early seventies Mr. W. J. Hutchins closed out his
banking interests and gave his whole attention to his large whole
sale business, but Mr. T. W. House, while not abandoning his
factorage business completely, gave it less and less attention and
devoted himself to banking. After the death of Mr. T. W.
House, about 1881, his oldest son, T. W. House, Jr., bought the
interest of his brothers in the bank and devoted his time and
attention exclusively to its affairs. For many years this bank
stood in the front ranks of responsible financial institutions in
the state, but in the panic of 1907, owing to many causes, it
made a sensational failure, and its affairs are still undergoing
adjustment. The City Bank of Houston began business under the most
favorable auspices on November 1, 1870. Its capital stock was

Board of Trade and Banks 329
$250,000. Col. B. A. Botts was its president until his death in
September, 1885. Mr. W. R. Baker was chosen to succeed him.
Over-indulgence to customers of the bank, led to its undoing,
and on December 19, 1885, it suspended payment and went into
the hands of a receiver. Major B. F. Weems was the receiver.
Mr. Baker was the principal loser by the failure, which had
little or no effect on the credit of the town.
The Houston Savings Bank, whose officers were F. A. Rice,
W. D. Cleveland, J. Waldo, M. G. Howe, W. B. Botts and E.
Raphael, after doing business for about twelve years, closed its
doors February 26, 1886, and Dr. D. F. Stuart was appointed
receiver to wind up its affairs. There was not a great amount
of money involved, hence the losses were very small.
The foregoing may be classed as pioneer banks of Houston.
They seem very insignificant compared with the gigantic institu
tions of the present time.
If the true test of a city's growth may be determined by the
growth of its banks and financial institutions, then Houston can
stand the test in a way that few other cities can. Comparing the
figures of today with those of ten years ago would be manifestly
unjust for there should be and would be a natural increase shown.
But taking the figures for one year and comparing them with
those for the preceding year and the year preceding that, gives
us a true statement of actual conditions. This is the better test
and it is this comparison that Houston stands so well.
The total bank clearings for the twelve months, ending De
cember 31, were, for 1908, $1,063,835,612; for 1909, they were
$1,279,764,128 ; for 1910, they were $1,349,403,095. This state
ment shows that the clearings for 1909 were $215,928,506 greater
than those for the preceding year and that the figures for 1910
showed an increase of $69,639,967 over the remarkable increase
of the year before. This is strong evidence of Houston 's financial
growth. There are twelve financial institutions in Houston, three of
them having a capital stock of $1,000,000 each. The First
National Bank, capital $1,000,000. The Union National Bank,
capital $1,000,000. The Bankers Trust Company, capital

330 History of Houston, Texas
$1,000,000. The Southern Trust Company, capital $800,000.
The American Trust Company, capital $500,000. The Com
mercial National Bank, capital $500,000. The South Texas
National Bank, capital $500,000. The Texas Trust Company,
capital $500,000. Lumbermens National Bank, capital $400,000.
Houston Land and Trust Company, capital $250,000. The Hous
ton National Exchange Bank, capital $200,000. The Guaranty
State Bank, capital $20,000. Eight of these do a banking busi
ness only and four are exclusively trust companies.
From the little two-story brick building on the corner of
Main Street and Congress Avenue, formerly the home of Mr.
Shepherd's bank, to the immense skyscraper, the home of the
Union National Bank, just across the street from Mr. Shepherd's
old bank, is a long step, and yet it is only one of the steps that
have been taken by all the banks. The banking institutions have
grown so rapidly in the last ten years that nearly all of them
have had to enlarge their quarters. Some years ago the First
National, the Commercial and the Houston Land and Trust Com
pany erected buildings of their own on the three corners of
Main and Franklin. The building of the First National is an
imposing structure, being eight stories high and built of stone
and marble. Two years ago the bank added to its building,
practically doubling its capacity, and reserving all the ground
floor for bank purposes. The South Texas National Bank
erected a beautiful building on the east side of Main Street,
between Congress and Franklin Avenues. This is an extremely
handsome building. It is of Greek architecture and built entire
ly of marble. The massive columns in front are said to be the
largest single pieces of marble in any building in Texas. The
Union National Bank, formerly the Union Bank and Trust Com
pany, will soon be in its own building. The building is on the
northwest corner of Congress and Main. It is twelve stories
high, is of steel frame structure and is modern in every respect.
It is practically completed and will be one of the handsomest
bank and office buildings in America.
The First National Bank aside from being the oldest is one
of the largest and most responsible institutions of the kind in

Board of Trade and Banks 331
Houston. This bank began business with a capital stock of
$100,000, but this was increased from time to time, and in 1909
it was increased to $1,000,000. Its present deposits, June 30.
1911, amount to over $7,600,000 and its capital, surplus and undi
vided profits are $1,378,473.85, every cent of which, with the
exception of $300,000 was earned by the bank. During the last
ten years the increase in deposits had been over five and one-
quarter million dollars. The officers of this bank are: O. L.
Cochran, president; J. T. Scott, first vice-president; H. R. Eld
ridge, second vice-president; W. S. Cochran, cashier; W. E.
Hertford and F. E. Russell, assistant cashiers.
The First National Bank was organized in 1866 by Mr. B.
A. Shepherd and Mr. T. M. Bagby. Mr. Bagby was its first presi
dent and on his death, Mr. Shepherd succeeded him. When Mr.
Shepherd died, Mr. A. S. Root, his son-in-law, became president.
A year or two ago Mr. Root died and Mr. O. L. Cochran, another
of Mr. Shepherd's sons-in-law became, and still is, president.
None of the stock of this bank can be bought, as there is none
for sale. It is said, that with the exception of one or two shares,
all the stock is held by the Shepherd family, or its connections.
The Commercial National Bank was the second national bank
organized in Houston. It received its charter in 1886. The
capital stock is $500,000. It does an immense business and on
June 30, 1911, its deposits were very nearly four and one-half
milhon dollars. It owns its own building, a modern six-story
steel frame structure, on Main and Franklin. The officers of
the bank are: W. B. Chew, president; James A. Baker, vice-
president; Thornwell Fay, vice-president; Oscar Wells, cashier;
P. J. Evershade, assistant cashier. The Houston National
Exchange Bank received its original charter, in 1889, as the
Houston National Bank, but changed its name in 1909. The
name was all that was changed for the original aims and policies
of the institution have been adhered to. The growth of this
bank during the' past three years has been so phenomenal as to
excite admiration in commercial circles. In July, 1909, it had
deposits amounting to $1,705,298.83, and at the June call in 1910,
it had in deposits $2,763,829.28, an increase of $1,058,530.45 in

332 History of Houston, Texas
twelve months. Again at the June call in 1911, its deposits were
$3,308,078.25, a gain of $534,248.97. This bank has only $200,-
000 capital and the surplus and undevided profits are this year,
$132,997.02. The officers of the bank are : Henry S. Fox, pres
ident; Joseph F. Meyer, M. M. Graves and H. S. Fox, Jr.,
vice-presidents; J. W. Hertford, cashier; F. F. Dearing and W.
B. Hilliard, assistant cashiers.
The South Texas National Bank was chartered in 1890, and
is a very strong financial institution. Its capital stock is $500,000,
and its deposits are very large. On June 30,1911, when the call was
made it had in individual and bank deposits $5,172,376.33. The.
officers of this bank are : Charles Dillingham, president ; B. D.
Harris, active vice-president and cashier; J. E. McAshan and
O. T. Holt, vice-presidents; August DeZavala, Paul G. Taylor
and R. H. Hanna, Jr., assistant cashiers.
The Union National Bank is one of the strongest institutions
in the South. It really represents three original banks. The
Union Bank and Trust Company was chartered in 1905 under
the new banking laws of Texas receiving charter No. 1. In 1908,
it effected a consolidation with the Planters and Mechanics Bank
and, in 1910, it absorbed the Merchants National Bank. When
this was done the institution became a national bank, with a cap
ital stock of $1,000,000. At the same time it took its present
name. Its officers are : J. S. Rice*, president ; T. C. Dunn, George
Hamman, W. T. Carter, Abe M. Levy, J. M. Rockwell, Jesse H.
Jones and C. G. Pillot, vice-presidents; DeWitt C. Dunn, cashier;
D. W. Cooley and H. B. Finch, assistant cashiers.
*Jonas Shearn Rice, president of the Union National Bank of
Houston, and of the Great Southern Life Insurance Company, and
an official in many other banking and financial concerns, has long
been the most prominent banker of the city and by virtue of
business and social prominence and connection with the pioneer
family that has done so much for Houston, would perhaps be almost
universally regarded as the first citizen of the city. Mr. Rice was
born in Houston on November 25, 1855. His mother was Charlotte
M. Baldwin, a daughter of Horace Baldwin, whp was Mayor of
Houston during the days of the Republic and who was a brother-in-
law of A. C. Allen, one of the city's founders. His family is of old
revolutionary stock, sprung from the sturdy Scotch-Irish and English
pioneers of Colonial days in America. His great grandfather Hall
was one of those wounded at the battle of Lexington in 1775, but
despite that fact lived in Massachusetts to the age of 102 years.

Board of Trade and Banks 333
The Lumbermens National Bank is also a combination of
other banks. It is the youngest of Houston's banks, but is a
very strong and healthy youngster. It was organized in 1907,
and, in 1909, it absorbed the National City Bank. Next year the
American National Bank and the Central Bank and Trust Com
pany liquidated and turned over their business to the Lumber
mens National Bank. The capital stock of the bank is $400,000.
S. F. Carter is president; Guy M. Bryan, active vice-president,
and Lynn P. Talley is cashier. Messrs. Carter and Bryan are
the largest shareholders.
The Guaranty State Bank was organized under the state
laws of Texas governing banks, and began business in January,
1910. Its capital stock is $20,000 and its field of operation is
Houston, Brunner, Chaneyville and Houston Heights. A. C.
Bell is president; H. E. Detering, vice-president, and R. F.
Butts, cashier.
The Harris County Bank and Trust Company, which was
organized in 1907, had one-half of its capital stock,
$25,000, in the House Bank, which failed. The bank survived
until July, 1911, when it failed and its president, F. W. Vaughn,
disappeared. Under ordinary circumstances and conditions banks may be
found to meet the financial needs of a community, but when the
interests are large, varied, and, in consequence, complex, a third
medium is needed, and it is to supply this need that trust com-
The father of Jonas Shearn Rice was Frederick A. Rice of
Massachusetts, who settled, in Houston in 1850. He was one of the
builders of the first railroad, the H. & T. C, and died here in 1901
at the age of 71. >
J. S. Rice is the oldest of a family of 7 sons and 3 daughters.
A younger brother, H. B. Rice, is now and has been for many years
Mayor of Houston. Two other brothers, W. M. and B. B. Rice are
prominent business men of Houston. In 1887, J. S. Rice was married
at Waco, to Mary J. Ross, daughter of Colonel Pete F. Ross, the
"hero of Corinth," the niece of former Governor L. S. Ross and the
grand-daughter of General James E. Harrison. Three children were
born of this union, Laura F. Rice, who was Queen of the No-Tsu-Oh
Carnival in 1910, Kate, married in 1911 to Victor Hugo Neuhaus, and
Lottie, at school.
The title of Colonel, always used as a prefix to the name of J.
S. Rice was honorably earned. In 1874 he became a member of the
Houston Light Guard and was prominent as adjutant in the first
regiment of Texas Militia organized after the war. He was Captain

334 History of Houston, Texas
panies are formed. No bank, however large, can afford to do
the work done by a trust company, simply because it is entirely
beyond its sphere. No bank can act as a guardian, conserve and
invest to the best advantage funds left in trust to it, and then
at a specified time, pay over the money to its legal owners. No
bank is willing to act as escrow agent, trustee under contract,
and a dozen and one things that modern business developments
require shall be done. It is for such things as these that the
modern trust companies are formed. The trust company sup
plies a double need. It not only cares for and conserves estates
placed in its charge, but it affords a source from which may
be obtained long time loans. Usually these loans are made for
the purpose of developing and improving, intrinsically valuable,
property, the property itself being taken as security for the
payment of the debt. The length of the loan, the rate of inter
est paid by the borrower and the absolute security afforded by
the property held as collateral, make such a transaction a safe
investment on the part of the trust company, while the com
paratively low rate of interest paid by the borrower and the long
time given in which to pay back the loan are very advantageous
for the borrower. A bank makes its money by lending money for
a short time, thus turning it over and over several times a year,
while the trust company makes it by lending its money on long
time on gilt-edge real estate and other security. Neither infringes
on the domain of the other and each is benefitted, directly and
of the Light Guard when that company was the crack military company
of Texas. He was Adjutant General of the First Brigade on the staff
of General F. W. James, and was chief of staff for Governor Lawrence
Sullivan Ross.
As a Mason Mr. Rice is a member of the local lodge, Chapter
and Comman-lery and is a Shriner of El Mina Temple of Galveston.
He also belongs to the B. P. O. E. and Hoo-Hoo orders. He is an
ex-president of the Thalian Club, a member of the Country Club and
was appointed by Governor Campbell as one of the San Jacinto
Battle Ground Commissioners and has done much toward the
beautifying of that historic battlefield. In 1905 he was King of the
No-Tsu-Oh carnival.
The business career of J. S. Rice has' been uniformly brilliant
and successful. Following his graduation at the Texas Military
Institute at Austin he became a railroad clerk in the office of the
general passenger agent of the H. & T. C. road. In 1879, he became
bookkeeper and teller of the National Exchange Bank of Houston.
In 1881 he and a brother, William M. Rice who is now a resident of

Board of Trade and Banks 335
indirectly, by the existence of the other. It may be said that
the presence of strong banks in a community is an evidence of
its financial and commercial importance, while the presence of
trust companies is an evidence of the material growth, expansion
and development of that community. The banks make and
attract money while the trust companies invest the money direct
ly in permanent improvements or in such things that lead to
permanent improvements. The phenomenal growth of Houston
during the last ten years, has created a demand for and has
led to the formation of trust companies here, and today the city
has some of the strongest institutions of the kind in the South.
The Houston Land and Trust Company is the parent organization
of the kind here, and, unlike its successors, it was organized dur
ing the blackest and apparently the most hopeless period of
Houston's history — the reconstruction days of 1875. It was
originally chartered as a land and trust company without bank
ing privileges. It did only a small and unimportant business for
many years, but in 1889, it was reorganized for the purpose of
doing a regular trust and mortgage business. Since then it
has been an active and potent factor in the growth and develop
ment of Houston and the surrounding territory. It receives
deposits on time certificates of deposit, lends money on city real
estate, bonds and stocks and acts in the capacity of executor,
administrator, guardian and trustee in the management of estates.
It does a strictly trust business and in no way encroaches on
the busmess done by the banks.
Houston and one of the trustees of the William M. Rice Institute,
entered into the saw mill business in Tyler County. In 1895 he was
made financial agent of the Texas State Penitentiary which post he
held, until he was, in 1899, appointed by Governor Sayers as
superintendent of the Texas State Penal System. He resigned in
1902 to devote his attention to the banking business in Houston.
From 1904 fo 1909 he was one of the receivers of the Kirby Lumber
Company and was elected vice-president of that company on its
reorganization. In August, 1905, he became president of the Union
Bank and Trust Company, now the Union National Bank with a
capital stock of $1,000,000. He is chairman of the Board of Directors
of the Bankers Trust Company, vice-president of the J. S. and W. M.
Rice Lumber Company, director of the Guarantee Life Insurance
Company, and director of the T. & B. V. Railroad and many other
concerns. With all this Mr. Rice is genial, accessible, democratic
and popular.

336 History of Houston, Texas
The capital stock of the- company is $250,000 and the surplus
and undivided profits amounted to $318,614.63 on June 30, 1911,
which was an increase of $68,614.63 over the previous twelve
months. The company owns a five-story building, occupying the
whole lower floor, and devoting the other floors to offices. Its
officers are: O. L. Cochran, president; R. E. Paine and P. B.
Timpson, vice-presidents ; W. S. Patton, secretary and treasurer ;
O. R. Weyrich, assistant secretary.
The Texas Trust Company was organized under the state
banking laws, on July 12, 1909, with a capital stock of $500,000.
During the two years of its existence it has been remarkably suc
cessful. It has endeavored to establish for itself the reputation
of being conservative and has accepted only the most promising
propositions to finance. This course has been beneficial both to
the company and to those concerns approved by it, for its indorse
ment of a concern, through its services as trustee or registrar,
is a stamp of approval that has weight ¦with the public. The
company has made money from the day it opened its doors, and
while a 10 per cent dividend has been maintained, the profits
now foot up nearly a quarter of a million dollars. The officers
of the company are : Jesse H. Jones,* president ; James A. Baker,
J. S. Rice, C. G. Pillot, S. F. Carter, J. M._ Rockwell, N. E.
Meador, John L. Wortham, vice-presidents; Fred J. Heyne,
cashier and secretary; Burke Baker, assistant cashier and bond
officer. This trust company is to consolidate with the Bankers
Trust Company in September, 1911.
*The name of Jesse H. Jones, multi-millionaire, lumberman,
banker and capitalist, stands for progress in Houston and Texas, so
successful are the many projects of this young financier, and so wide
spread his efforts in behalf of the commonwealth, that he occupies
a unique position in public esteem in Houston.
The executive offices held by Mr. Jones indicate to some extent
his prominence and activity in the business world. He is president
of, and controls many successful corporations, most of them organized
and established by him in his short score of business years-
He is president of the Jesse H. Jones Lumber Company, the
South Texas Lumber Company and the Southern Loan & Investment
Company; is chairman of the board of directors of the Bankers
Trust Company, the largest Banking institution' in Texas; is vice-
president and a member of the executive committee of The Union
National Bank; is a director of the Houston & Texas Central Railroad,

Board of Trade and Banks 337
The Southern Trust Company was also organized in 1909,
and began business in January, 1910. Its capital stock is $500,-
000. The success of this company is most remarkable, and it is
doubtful if its record has ever been equalled by any similar insti
tution. It is not two years old, but it has paid 10 per cent divi
dends since its organization. On July, last year, it increased its
capital stock to $800,000. The company has a surplus of $580,-
274.01, every cent of which it has earned. Of this surplus
$205,274 was earned from June 30,. 1910 to July 1, 1911. The
officers are : R. E. Brooks, president ; Travis Holland, vice-presi
dent; Earnest Carroll, secretary and treasurer; J. M. Powers,
Jr., assistant secretary and treasurer.
The Bankers Trust Company was organized in September,
1909, with a capital stock of $500,000 and a paid in surplus
of $25,000. This capital stock has recently been increased to
$1,000,000 and the company is one cf the strongest in the
Southwest. It has a surplus and undivided profits of $416,597.41,
and loans and discounts of $1,985,693.71. The time deposits and
trust funds amount to $798,070.80, and cash on hand and with
banks, $226,246.71. The company occupies offices on the second
floor of the Scanlan Building. R. E. Brooks is chairman of the
board. J. S. Rice is president, and Tom M. Taylor is the active
vice-president; James M. Baker, W. T. Carter, S. F. Carter,
C. L. Neuhaus, Abe M. Levy, J. O. Ross, and George A. Rick
are vice-presidents; C. M. Malone is secretary and treasurer; P.
and the International & Great Northern Railroad, recently reor
ganized, and has otherwise much to do in the business world.
Mr. Jones is essentially a builder and an organizer; he finances
and operates large enterprises; his building activities have been
unprecedented, and the sky-line of Houston has been literally
changed more by him than any other score of men combined. The
Chronicle Building, which is recognized as the finest newspaper and
office building in the South, was the first of his undertakings after
the 1907 panic; the Texas Company Building and the Bristol Hotel
Annex were built the same year; the New Majestic, which is the
most beautiful theatre south of New York, and the Gas Company
Building followed closely thereafter; the new City Auditorium, the
finest building of its kind in the United States, was built under his
general direction as chairman of the Citizens Building Committee.
The Union National Bank Building, just completed, was also erected
under his general charge as chairman of the Building Committee for
the bank, and he is now building the new eighteen-story Rice Hotel
which will be the finest building of its kind south of Chicago, and

338 History of Houston, Texas
S. Durham is assistant secretary and treasurer ; William Malone
is manager of the real estate department ; E. L. Crain is assistant
manager of the real estate department and W. S. Bailey is
counsel. The American Trust Company is the baby of Houston
trusts, being born in 1911. Its capital stock is $500,000. The
company is located in quarters formerly occupied by the Tinker
Bank and Trust Company, which were originally fitted up for
the American National Bank. It is chartered under the banking
laws of the state to do a regular trust company business. Monta
J. Moore is president, and N. B. Sligh is treasurer.
The- foregoing gives, briefly, the history of each of the banks
and trust companies of Houston, but a better idea of Houston's
importance as a financial -center, and what is of the greatest
importance and interest, the phenomenal growth of these insti
tutions as a whole, may be formed by studying the following
condensation of the statement of the Houston banks and trust
companies issued June 30, 1911 : Total capital stock, $6,670,000.
This was an increase over the stock of the previous year of
$950,000. Surplus and undivided profits, $3,772,440.36 which was
an increase over the previous year of $969,302.56. Deposits
subject to check, $31,613,594.16, which was an increase over the
year before of $969,668.19. Cash on hand and with other banks,
will represent an investment, when completed, of two and one-half
million dollars.
Jesse H. Jones was born April 5th, 1874, in Robertson County,
Tennessee. His father, William H. Jones, was an honored and
successful farmer and tobacco exporter, and his mother before her
marriage was Miss Ann Holman, of one of the old Tennessee
families. In appearance, Mr. Jones has -the unmistakable stamp of one
well born and bred, possessing dignity ^nd reserve; his clear grey
eyes bespeak the born financier; his personality -Gombines a masterful
foresight and business shrewdness, with a kindly -consideration
for his fellow man. He is also endowed with a generous tlund of
good nature, and that greatest of blessings — a contented spirit.
At the age of twenty years, Jesse Jones left his father's farm
where his boyhood days were spent, and started out to see what
was in store for him in the walks of life. He came to Texas, stopping
four years in Dallas, where he worked in his uncle's lumber yard.
Upon the death of his uncle, M. T. Jones, he came to Houston and
assumed the management of the M. T. Jones Lumber Company,
which business he managed very successively, and closed up in 1906,
agreeable to the will of his deceased uncle.

Board of Trade and Banks 339
$13,859,279.64. Showing an increase over the year before of
$771,008.46. Loans and discounts, $27,297,166.64, which also
was an increase of $2,790,607.47 over the previous year.
The business of the banks is facilitated by the Houston Clear
ing House. Its methods are identical with clearing houses else
where. Its manager for the past twenty-one years has been
Mr. E. Raphael, the only male survivor of the Raphael family
that eame to Houston in 1860. At 13 years of age Mr. Raphael
began business life as a telegraph operator at a salary of $10 a
month. When he was 14 years old he was the operator at Liberty,
Texas, from which point he telegraphed to Houston the news of
the celebrated battle of Sabine Pass. It was to Mr. Raphael who
has always been interested in school work that William M. Rice
first confided his intention to endow an institute for the benefit
of Houston and he was the first man named as a life trustee of
that school.
Since then he has been operating — and very successfully so —
on his own account, in real estate, lumber and banking — three very
substantial lines of business, any one of which is big enough to
occupy the undivided attention of most men, yet Mr. Jones succeeds
in all of them.
His friends say he works too hard, but he seems to have time
for church and school building, and for all kinds of charity and
benevolent work. He goes abroad occasionally, spends much time
in New York, and wins a golf trophy once in a while.
. He inherited four thousand dollars from his father's estate in
1895, the year he attained his majority, and is worth as many
millions now — just sixteen years later.
Mr. Jones is a member of all of the clubs in Houston, and of the
Sleepy Hollow Country Club, at Scarboro-on-the-Hudson, just out of
New York, said to be the richest and finest country club in America.
The church membership of Mr. Jones is in St. Paul's Methodist
Church, Houston, and he contributed liberally to the Southwestern
University at Georgetown, in commemoration of the memory of his
deceased friend, Bishop Seth Ward.

CHAPTER XIX
Houston's Manufacturers

Primitive Beginnings. Natural Advantages Offered. The
First Mills. Advent of Co1 ton Compress. Coming of Iron
Foundries. Revival of Manufacturing Following the Civil
War. First lee Plants. Packing Plants. Conditions from
1880 to 1890. Car Wheel Shops. Electric Lights. "Cotton
Seed Products. Textile Mills. Furniture and Other Wood
working Plants. Manufacturing in 1905. Coffee Roasting-
Launch Building. Manufacturing Statistics. Fuel and
Water. Home Products Banquet.

So fundamental a process is manufacturing that it is hard
to say just where it begins. The housewife who sets yeast, raises
dough and bakes bread, is a manufacturer. The dairy maid who
operates a churn dasher in a cylinder of sweet milk, is also one,
and the farmer who swings an axe to cut down a sapling in a
forest to make a rail fence is a manufacturer. Manufactured
means handmade although by a curious reversal of language it
is generally used in the sense of machine made. Even in the
latter sense who shall say that a pocket knife, a wheelbarrow or
a churn is not machinery.
Manufacturing perhaps began in Houston with the dug
out canoe that some Indian made and put in the bayou at the
site of the city. The first advertisement of that city, which was
the one announcing its existence, promised a water saw mill and
manufacturing in the stricter sense began with such a saw mill.
It followed the usual course of development.
A saw mill, a corn mill, a blacksmith shop, a butcher's shop,
a beef factory, bakers' shops, molasses mills — those enterprises
in short that are necessary to turn raw products into food and
shelter and clothes — for the old-fashioned spinning wheel in

Houston's Manufacturers 341
many a home was one of the earliest- machines for manufacture- —
with these manufacturing began.
From such simple beginnings, the city's manufacturing
interests have grown until it is possible to supply almost any
want from things "made in Houston."
Car wheels or locomotives, automobiles or pianos, wooden legs
or bust developers, and hundreds of other things are now made
here. According to the United States census report of 1911,
Houston has 249 manufactures, employing 5,338 persons, to
whom are paid yearly $3,424,000. These figures are gratifying,
in a way, but when one looks over the situation as it exists in
and immediately around Houston, one cannot refrain from aston
ishment on finding that there are comparatively so few manu
facturing concerns in such an inviting field. It is no exaggera
tion to say that few points anywhere have so many inducements
to offer the would-be manufacturer as Houston.
Aside from its advantages as a distributing and concentrat
ing point, Houston has at its very door everything that a man
ufacturer needs except, perhaps, some kinds of raw material.
There is an abundance of artesian water and an inexhaustable
supply of cheap fuel, Houston being on the border of the great
oil fields of Texas. It has both rail and water transportation
to and from the outside world. It is already the great railway
center of the Southwest and it will unquestionably become in
the very near future the great manufacturing center as well. So
rich and inviting a field cannot be overlooked. It must not be
supposed that the Houstonians are not proud of what they are
able to show today in the way of factories and machine shops.
Such is not the case by any means. Two hundred and forty -nine
manufacturing plants for a city of only 100,000 inhabitants is a
fair showing and would be such for a city twice its size. There
is, however, a feeling of healthy unrest created when one sees
what can and should be done in so great a field. As a matter of
fact the figures given in the foregoing statement are, in a way,
misleading, for, were the railroad and repair shops of the rail
roads included in them, they would be increased by over 3,000

342 History of Houston, Texas
employees and wages by the addition of over one and a quarter
million dollars.
Unquestionably the earliest large manufactory in Harris
County was that of Robert Wilson, father of the late Mayor
James T. D. Wilson. Mr. Wilson came to Texas in 1828, and soon
after his arrival, he erected at Harrisburg, on Buffalo Bayou,
an extensive steam sawmill, gristmill, blacksmith, carpenter,
turning and other workshops, and houses for the workmen. When
Harrisburg was burned by the Mexicans these were all destroyed.
Soon after independence was secured and Texas had become a
Republic someone built a sawmill at the junction of Bray's and
Buffalo Bayous, and for many years this mill did a large business,
turning out much of the timber with which early Houston was
built. Some time in the middle forties, a large sawmill was built
on the bayou in Houston at a point near where the Milam Street
bridge now stands. Its location was admirable, for it was easy
to float the logs to the mill, either from up or down the stream.
The first cornmill was built in 1844 by Mr. Elim Stockbridge, on
the north side of the bayou not far from the ford of that day at
the foot of Texas Avenue. The motive power was three oxen
that walked on a tread mill. It was considered a wonder and the
Morning Star boasted that in a steady days work it could grind
fifty bushels of corn. The whole cost of the mill, not counting
the motive power, was $400.
The advent of the cotton compress in Houston is thus chroni
cled by the Morning Star in its issue of March 11, 1844 : "A few
days ago we visited the cotton press lately erected in this city by
Mr. N. T. Davis, and were agreeably surprised to find that the
machine used for compressing cotton bales admirably answers the
purposes for which it was constructed. With the aid of only two
hands, Mr. Davis can compress a bale of 500 pounds into a space
only 22 inches square (sic) in 15 minutes. The facility with
which this work is done is truly surprising."
Since the best modern compresses turn out a 500 pound bale
of cotton containing 22 cubic feet, it is evident that the editor
of the Star got his notes mixed and that the size of the early bale
was somewhat greater than 22 inches square. It is interesting

Houston's Manufacturers 343
to note the advance that has been made in the compress since that
first one was erected. Mr. Davis could turn out four bales to the
hour, or working steadily for ten hours, he could turn out forty
bales in a day. Those were what are called today "flat," or
uncompressed bales of about three times the size of the modern
compressed bales. Houston now has six compresses, each one
capable of compressing from 100 to 120 bales per hour, or from
1,000 to 1,200 bales per day and their combined capacity is 8,700
bales per day, and in the height of the busy season, when they
are worked night and day, they turn out over 17,000 compressed
bales every twenty-four hours.
These are the following named, a more detailed description
of each being given elsewhere in these pages :
The Cleveland Compress Company, W. D. Cleveland, Sr.,
president. This is practically a successor to the Buffalo Bayou
Compress Company, organized in 1895, with A. J. Burke, presi
dent; W. D. Cleveland, vice-president and F. A. Rice, secretary.
Magnolia Warehouse and- Storage Company, A. C. Cairns, mana
ger. The Merchants Compress Company, John K. Sanfers, presi
dent. Union Compress and Warehouse Company, A. Breyer,
president. The Southern Compress and Warehouse Company,
W. W. Sellers, manager. The Standard Compress Company, M.
E. Andrews, general manager.
Mr. Alexander McGowan established an iron foundry and
machine shop on the north side of Buffalo Bayou and on the
banks of White Oak Bayou about 1851. These shops were at &
point about opposite the foot of Louisiana Street, though two or
three blocks on the other side of the bayou. The principal work
done here at first was in making boilers and casting kettles for
the sugar planters and others who were opening up plantations.
In 1854, after the Houston and Texas Central Railroad began
operation, McGowan 's foundry and machine shop became quite
an important concern, and did a great deal of repair work for
that road.
Four or five years afterwards, Mr. Cushman established the
Cushman Foundry and Machine Shops on the north side of
Buffalo Bayou near the Preston Avenue bridge, called in that

344 History of Houston, Texas
day the "long bridge." Cushman 's foundry and machine shops
were quite extensive affairs and covered an acre or. two of
ground. There was a foundry where castings were made, a
pattern shop, a machine shop and everything that went to make
a complete establishment of its kind. Mr. Cushman had quite
a number of skilled mechanics for each of the departments, and
was doing a good business when the war broke out. nearly
every man in his employ enlisted in the Confederate Army.
This was a terrible blow to him for it left him with a large and
expensive plant on his hands and no men to work it. He was
a man of fine courage and was not easily discouraged. He made
the necessary changes and modifications in his machinery, and
changed his plant into one for the manufacture of war materials,
which the Confederacy soon began to need badly. He cast
bombshells, cannon, grapeshot, and everything of that kind and
added to his plant a machine for the manufacture of percussion
caps. The commanding general of this military department
detailed all the mechanics Mr. Cushman needed and Cushman 's
Foundry soon became one of the busiest and most important
places in the state. After the war, Mr. Cushman converted his
plant back to its original purposes. A few years later the firm
name was changed to Wiggins, Smith & , Simpson, though Mr.
Cushman retained and his son still owns and operates a pattern
shop and necessary adjuncts on part of the ground occupied
by the old plant.
The Hartwell Iron Works, another large concern was organ
ized about 1878-9 and has been in active operation ever since.
It is one of the oldest and most efficient concerns of its kind in
the city and does a large foundry and machine shop business.
It manufactures boilers, makes heavy castings and does a large
business in iron work of all kinds.
In 1873, the Bagby Brass Works were established by Mr.
William Bagby. These were the first brass works established
here. They were owned and operated by Mr. Bagby and did
a large business. He was a young man of great energy and had
he lived the brass works would unquestionably have been made
a big concern. Unfortunately he died while in the prime of life,

Houston's Manufacturers 345
and for some reason, his family closed the works and they were
never reopened. There are two brass works here now, each
doing a good business. These are : the Kettler Brass Works, M.
F. Kettler, president and manager, and the Southern Brass and
Manufacturing and Plating Company, T. C. White, vice-presi
dent and general manager.
In addition to the foundries and iron works named in the
foregoing there are the following, all established within recent
years, but all now on a firm and safe footing : The Grant Loco
motive and Car Works, The Houston Structural Steel Works,
The Union Iron Works, Bayou City Iron Works, Hewitt Man
ufacturing Company, Houston Iron Works, Layne and Bolder,
Lloyd Metal Company, F. H. Ries. These are engaged in the
manufacture of all kinds of iron work, from the delicate wire
screen to the most ponderous castings and heaviest machinery.
As a matter of fact, no industry in the city is more
thoroughly developed than that of the machine shops and foun
dries. One large line developed by them is the manufacture of
engines and boilers. The development that has taken place in
so many industries has created a demand for engines of many
and varied types, which demand has been met by local manu
facturers. There are ample facilities for all kinds of work, and
engines are turned out, from the small gasoline engine to the
huge locomotive for railroad use. Recently one piece of machin
ery, weighing 75,000 pounds, was cast and shipped to Honolulu
by one of the Houston foundries. As noted elsewhere in these
pages, the two Houston railroad shops, each have facilities for
making one complete locomotive each day.
The first artificial ice manufactured in Houston was at an
ice plant estabhshed by Doctor Pearl, who had as his associates
two young Englishmen, both former captains in the English
army, but who had sold their commissions and had come to Texas
to make their fortunes. One was Captain Kentish, and the
other, Captain Spencer, a nephew of Earl Spencer who was
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. The ice plant was not a great suc
cess from a financial point of view and in 1871, two years after
its establishment it closed down for good. When the plant was

346 History of Houston, Texas
first established it was Doctor Pearl's intention to have a meat
packery attachment, but that part of the plan was never carried
out. For nine years after the establishment of the Pearl plant no
effort was made to establish another factory. Then, in 1880,
the Central Ice Company was organized. This company took out
a charter under the name of the Houston Ice Company. Mr.
Hugh Hamilton was its chief owner and the machinery was an
abandoned ice machine. For a number of years it confined its
operation to making ice alone but in 1888 it took out a new
charter under the name of the Magnolia Ice and' Brewing Asso
ciation, which charter was again changed to the Houston Ice
and Brewing Company in 1901, under which name it is now
known. Its business is very large, for it manufactures large
quantities of beer and ice whieh are distributed to all parts of
the state. The American Brewing Company, another large concern,
manufacturing both beer and ice, was chartered in 1894. Its
president and principal owner is A. Busch of St. Louis. It, too,
does an immense ice and beer business, shipping its products
to all parts of the state.
There are several other ice manufacturers in Houston, the
leading ones being the Houston Packing Company, Mr. H. Kirk
land, president; the Henry Henke Artesian Ice and Refriger
ating Company, Mr. H. Henke, president; the Crystal Ice and
Fuel Company, Mr. Charles A. Zilker, president; the Irvin Ice
Factory, W. IT. Irvin, proprietor.
As noted, an effort was made to establish a packery by the
Pearl Ice Manufacturing Company, but without success. After
the failure of the ice plant, Mr. E. W. Taylor and associates
bought some of the machinery and, in 1875, established a pack
ery here which was soon followed by another conducted by Mr.
Geiselman. Both of these establishments did a fairly good
business for a year or two and then ceased operation. The fail
ure was due largely to their being somewhat in advance of the
times and to lack of transportation facilities and a broad market.
In 1894, the first really great step was taken in that direc-

Houston's Manufacturers ,. 347
tion by the establishment of the Houston Packing Company's
plant in this city. This is the largest independent packing
house in the United States, and its plant is an immense one,
covering many acres. It is absolutely modern and up-to-date
in its every detail. Its output is of the highest standard and
its business is approximately $4,000,000 annually. In addition
to its regular packing house products, those known as staple, it
manufactures numerous by-products, for the disposition of which
branch offices are maintained at numerous trade centers through
out the South and West. Mr. W. H. Kirkland is president of this
company and Mr. E. W. Grundler is its secretary.
Both the Swift and Armour companies maintained agencies
in Houston for a number of years, but the field was so inviting
that in 1904 the Swift Company established its own branch
here, buying property and putting up a building of its Own,
where it is doing a large and very satisfactory business under
the management of Mr. Thomas W. Johnson.
The Armour Company has just completed the erection of
its plant here and is also doing an immense business under the
management of Mr. Felix Tachior. Neither the Swift, nor the
Armour Company does any slaughtering here, but each does a
large business in packing meats, manufacturing lard, refining oil,
making soap and other packing house by-products.
There are agencies here for all the great packing houses
in the United States, this giving evidence of Houston's impor
tance as a distributing center.
In the early seventies, one of the most useful establishments
in the city was the Henry House Sash Factory and Planing Mill.
There were several iron foundries and machine shops, those of
McGowan, Lord & Richardson, Wiggins, Smith & Simpson and
other smaller concerns. There were two or three sheetiron
and tinners establishments, two wagon factories, a soda water
manufactory, a cigar factory, a furniture factory and other
small industrial plants, which have all served as foundations
for the greater ones that have been built on them.
By 1885 the manufacturing interests of Houston had grown
to rather large proportions, and the business done was of con-

348 History of Houston, Texas •
siderable magnitude. There were two extensive brick yards that
were turning out millions of bricks arinually and the demand
was in excess of the supply. There were two iron and brass
foundries. These foundries turned out steam engines, boilers,
compresses, gins, mill supplies, machinery and all kinds of cast
ings and shipped them to all parts of the state. There were
five cotton compresses and a large flour mill with a capacity of
400 barrels of flour per day. This mill failed in 1894 and has
never been resumed.
Another large industry was the Howard Oil Company that
operated mills at Houston, Palestine and Dallas, with the princi
pal works located at Houston, just beyond the city limits at the
crossing of the Central and Southern Pacific lines. At this mill
about 100 tons of cotton seed were converted into oil daily.
Houston developed a sweet tooth about that time, for the three
candy manufacturers turned out 8,000 pounds of candy daily.
This was shipped to all parts of the state. The Lone Star Barbed
Wire Factory had a large shop in the Fifth ward and its pro
duct was shipped ,to all parts of Texas and of the Southwest.
There were seven planing mills, two ice factories, five carri
age and wagon factories, a manufacturing drug house, two soap
factories, two artificial stone factories, two soda and mineral
water factories, one mattress factory, three tank and barrel
factories, cigar factories, broom factories, lathing works, and a
large number of smaller industries, representing an investment
in factories of $2,000,000.
The year 1887 was a bit of a boom year for Houston manu
factories for the contemplated establishment of many new indus
tries was announced early in the year. The following became
realities in the course of that and the following year :
Howard Oil Mill plant, addition, $200,000; a large refrig
erating plant; a brewery costing $124,000; Southern Pacific
Shops, completed at a cost of $250,000; Union Depot to cost
$80,000 ; car wheel factory at a cost of $40,000 ; a bottling works
and a cracker factory.
With the exception of the Southern Pacific Shops, the car
wheel shop mentioned in the foregoing, was the most important

Houston's Manufacturers 349
of the contemplated industries. These works, better known as
the Dickson Car Wheel Works, had a most humble start. When
Mr. Dickson announced that he intended to establish such an
enterprise in Houston he was laughed at and the idea of his
seriously contemplating entering into competition with the large
and old established concerns of the East was ridiculed even by
his friends and best wishers. It was said to him that he could
not make wheels equal to those turned out by the old and experi
enced manufacturers, and admitting that he could do so, then he
could never get the railroads to use his wheels. However, Mr.
Dickson was not easily discouraged. He had faith in his ability
to turn out good wheels and to get the railroads to use them.
He started with very little capital, and with a small plant. He
made wheels and he made such good wheels that instead of the
Eastern concerns running him out of the business, he has some
times run them out. He got the railroads to try his wheels. They
did so and found them so superior to all others that they ordered
more and more of them, until today the Dickson car wheel is
known all over the country as equal to the best manufactured
anywhere and Mr. Dickson has had to add several times to his
plant to keep abreast of the demand for his wheels. The plant
is a large one and is an honor to its founder and to Houston as
well. The Houston Car Wheel and Machine Company though
comparatively a young company, having been established in the
fall of 1906, is doing a large business in making car wheels, and
various kinds of castings and machinery. The officers and
founders of this company are : Jules J. Settegast, Jr., president ;
George H. Hermann, vice-president; A. J. Binz, secretary -treas
urer. The Houston Electric Light Company was organized in
August, 1882, and its first officers were : E. Raphael, president
and D. F. Stuart, secretary. The board of trustees were: A.
Grosebeck, B. A. Botts, F. A. Rice,' E. P. Hill, D. F. Stuart,
J. C. Hutcherson, G. L. Porter and E. Raphael. Only the old
Brush Carbon lights were used. Mr. Raphael exhibited the first
incandescent lamp ever seen in Houston in August, 1883. Incan-

350 History of Houston, Texas
descent lamps were rare at that time, for the carbon lamps only,
were in general use. As soon as the incandescent lamp was
seen, its great merits were recognized, and Mr. Raphael secured
a contract to put the lights in the Howard Oil Mills. He fitted
that plant with incandescent lamps, and it was the first incan
descent light plant installed in Texas. After a few
years* experience Mr. Raphael and his associates sold
their electric plant to the Houston Gas Works. That com
pany, in 1894, organized the present Electric company, which
is changed only in name, being the same organization, under
a different management, as the Raphael Company.
While Texas is the greatest cotton producing state in the
world and, in consequence, the greatest producer of cotton seed
and its derivatives also, Houston has the distinction of being the
greatest producer of cotton seed products in Texas. The business
is very large and is constantly growing, for Houston's position
as a receiving and distributing point give her advantages that
cannot be overcome, or even approached by rival cities. With
seventeen railroads to bring the raw material here and with the
same number of roads, supplemented by the ship channel, to dis
tribute the finished products, her position is an enviable one.
The manufacturing of cotton seed products is carried on by
six large oil mills. The capital invested in these mills is $2,500,-
000, and it requires over 700 men to operate them. These mills
constitute a very important part of Houston's manufacturing
interests. The crushing capacity of the mills is 1,200 tons daily
and last season they used more than 82,000 tons of cotton seed
for which they paid the farmers of the state about $2,275,000.
The finished products of the mill sold for $5,000,000. The Hous
ton mills use Texas cotton seed, which is the best and richest
in the world, the cotton seed meal of other states having only
49 per cent of protein and fat combined, while that of Texas has
a minimum of 55 per cent. Hence their products are always in
demand and command a premium in the markets of the world.
The mills in Houston are the Fidelity Cotton Oil and Fer
tilizer Company, the Merchants and Planters Oil Company, the
Magnolia Cotton Oil Company, the Houston Cotton Oil Com-

Houston's Manufacturers 351
pany, the South Texas Cotton Oil Company and the Industrial
Cotton Oil Company. Three of these mills have each a refinery
of from 1,500 to 2,000 barrels per day capacity.
These refineries do a large business, because, in addition
to the mills in Houston, there are numerous small mills in the
interior of the state that ship crude oil here to have it refined.
About 75,000 barrels of crude oil were brought to Houston in
1910 for that purpose. Besides the various departments for
manufacturing refined products the Fidelity Cotton Oil and
Fertilizer Company operates a fertilizer factory, which, while
in competition with twenty other concerns in the state engaged
in the same business, did the largest business of them all last
season. This company maintains an experimental farm near
its plant where its fertilizers are being constantly tested. A
scientific study of soils is made and the company makes fertilizers
to suit various kinds of soil, and also for various kinds of crops.
Their work in this way is practical, scientific and valuable. The
company turns out about 60,000 tons of fertilizers each year,
which is distributed generally over the state.
The refined products of the cotton seed oil are lubricants,
oleomargarine, and lard. These are extensively used throughout
the country. Besides these, a food is being made to take the
place of meat, while cotton seed flour is expected to become a
serious rival of wheat flour. The various uses to which cotton
seed products may be put are already great and the number is
increasing so rapidly that it is no exaggeration to say that before
long they will rival those of the wonderful coal tar products.
Only a few years ago cotton seed was a source of annoyance to
every cotton raiser who owned a gin, for they were considered
as absolutely valueless and their accumulation near the gins
was a serious embarrassment. They were burned, carted away,
and everything possible was done to get rid of them.
Then some genius discovered that oil could be extracted
from them and they became valuable. Then it was discovered
that the shells of the seed could be ground into meal and con
verted into a fine feed for cattle, and they became still more

352 History of Houston, Texas
valuable. Other uses for them were found, until today the value
of the seed is almost as great as that of the cotton itself.
In order to clean the seed, more refined processes of ginning
were devised and by this means a fluffy, no-staple cotton is pro
duced. This is known in the commercial world as "linters" and
is used largely to fill car cushions and such rough objects. Its
main use, however, is in the manufacture of gun cotton and some
other high explosives. Its importance in that direction is shown
by the fact that the price of linters is largely regulated by the
world's political aspect, — peace prospects depressing and a war
cloud sending the market upward.
The City Cotton Mills erected in the Second ward, in 1872,
were destroyed by fire August 12, 1875, entailing a loss of
$200,000, which was complete as there was no insurance. An
effort was made to rebuild the mills, but failed. Afterwards
Mr. E. H. Cushing, Mr. James F. Dumble and others started
another cotton mill at Eureka on the Central Railway, five miles
west of Houston, but abandoned the enterprise after a year or
two. An important factory is that of the Oriental Textile Mills,
located here in 1903. These mills do a wonderful business, and,
in competition with the Eastern mills, have extended their ter
ritory both to the East and West until now they cover points as
far east as the Carolinas and as far west as California. They
have secured a firm foothold in Mexico and are constantly
extending their field of action. Their success has been phenom
enal and today they occupy a strong position in the manufactur
ing world. This success is largely due to the wise and conserva
tive management, for the mills were started with only limited
capital and had much to contend with. There were two prob
lems to be solved. First, how to produce goods in the best and
cheapest way, yet of only the highest order of excellence, and
next to find a market sufficiently large to warrant the making
of them. The first was difficult, owing to limited means, and the
second, for a time, seemed almost hopeless. The goods were made
but no market could be found for them of sufficient magnitude to
warrent a continuance of the business. Finally, finding that the

Houston's Manufacturers 353
market would not come to them, they determined to go to the
market. They sent one man out seeking orders. Their product
was so good and their terms of sale so fair, that this firsl salesman
had small difficulty in selling them. His success showed them
that they were on the right track and they sent out other sales
men. Soon they had orders for all the goods they could pro
duce and their plant was enlarged to meet the growing demand.
Today the plant is one of the best equipped and most thorough
to be found anywhere. The Oriental Textile Works is a verita
ble village in itself. Its houses for workmen are models. It has
a school for the children of its employes, and a church. Many
comforts and conveniences for those working at the mills are
supplied and the factory seems to enjoy the loyal support and
friendship of every man and woman working for it. It is, in
many respects, a model plant. These mills manufacture burlap,
burlap bags, press cloth, textiles and worsteds.
The manufacture of wagons had never been carried on
extensively until the incorporation of the Eller Wagon Works
in January, 1910. Mr. Frank Eller, the president, had founded
the business about six years ago, before the incorporation of the
company. They employ regularly about twenty-five men and
turn out about six hundred wagons annually, mostly heavy
trucks and oiltank wagons. The officers besides the president
are : J. W. Trimble, vice-president ; R. E. Brooks, treasurer,
and J. M. Powers, Jr., secretary. The office and factory are at
101-7 Crawford Street.
Not until June, 1904, was the first pronounced step taken
towards making Houston a great manufacturing center for furni
ture and woodwork of every kind. In that year the Myers-Spalti
Company established their first plant here. From a modest
beginning they have added to their facilities, until now, in place
of the small building they occupied at first, they have four or
five large three and four-story buildings covering several acres
of ground, and their plant is one of the largest and best equipped
in the South. The number and variety of their products is won
derful, for they manufacture everything wooden, from a tooth
pick, to the finest and heaviest furniture and office fixings. Their

354 History of Houston, Texas
work is all of the highest order, too, for they employ only the
best expert workmen. The business done by this firm is immense,
they having branch offices at the leading markets, and shipping
their products all over the South and West.
The Houston Show-Case and Manufacturing Company, of
whieh John Guinan is president and R. A. Burge is vice-president
and general manager, has built up a large business and a fine
reputation in the manufacturing of show cases, bank, bar, drug
store and office fixtures and furniture. Its plant is on Wash
ington Avenue, Nos. 3600 to 3618.
Houston has the distinction of possessing the only piano
and organ manufactory in the South. This is a new industry,
having been established only in 1909, but it is already doing a
good business. It is a genuine factory and not merely a shop
where the various parts of an organ or piano are assembled and
put together in a case made elsewhere. The piano or organ is
actually manufactured here, from the pedals to the cases, of
walnut, oak or whatever other wood is used, in which they are
finished. The instruments turned out by this factory are pro
nounced to be of the highest order by experts.
By 1905, Houston had taken its place as the chief manufac
turing city in Texas, and from the great variety of its manu
factured products it held a prominent place in the list of man
ufacturing cities in the Southwest. It had, as already noted, the
finest and best car wheel works in the South, and it had also
four of the largest cotton seed oil mills in the South. These
mills manufacture thousands of tons of oil cake and cotton seed
meal and make both crude and refined oil in large quantities,
each year. Their products are shipped to all parts of the world.
It had brass and iron foundries whose products were in demand
all over the state all the year round. It had two immense brew
eries. It had fine creosoting works, six cotton compresses, big
railroad shops, several sash and blind factories, a big packing
house, a large flour mill, two soap factories, several candy fac
tories that supplied not only Texas, but a large part of Mexico
with their delicious product, several broom factories, brick and
tile works that were constantly increasing their facilities to keep

Houston's Manufacturers 355
abreast with the demands made on them by the building indus
tries. Wagons and buggies were being made and shipped in large
quantities, while Houston made tents and awnings that were in
demand over Texas and Mexico.
Houston is a great coffee center, there being five large dealers
and roasters here. The Check-Neal Company, J. W. Neal, first
vice-president and general manager, and the International Coffee
Company, Wm. D. Cleveland and Sons, managers, each estab
lished in 1896, have their large plants here and maintain branch
houses over the Southwestern and Southern States. They are
the largest concerns of the kind in the Southwest. The others
are: the Guatemala Coffee Company, Magnolia Coffee Company,
Schumacher Company, and the Southern Tea and Coffee
Company. Facts and statistics in regard to the great lumber, rice,
cotton, and mineral oil industries are given in another chapter
of this volume.
The development of the Ship Channel gave rise to a rather
large industry, in Houston. The formation of the Houston
Launch Club, organized for the purpose of taking advantage of
the "superb facilities offered by the channel for aquatic sports
of all kinds, created a great demand for boats, and that demand
was speedily supplied. There are three regular ship yards and
a number of individuals engaged in boat building here. Houston
has one of the largest and most flourishing launch clubs in' the
country. The club has a beautiful club house on the bank of
the channel, near Harrisburg, at the terminus of one of the street
car lines. There are several large and well equipped launches
and a number of smaller pleasure bOats owned by the members.
There are already over 200 boats belonging to the fleet and in
1911 there were contracts made for others to cost very nearly
$50,000. The channel is an ideal place for such sport. In
front of the clubhouse there is a width of 200 feet and a depth of
25 feet. The channel widens below the clubhouse to 250 feet,
within five miles; then to 300 feet; then to 400 feet, where it
merges with San Jacinto River, which in turn enters San Jacinto
Bay and then Trinity or Galveston Bay. The banks are high

356 History of Houston, Texas
and covered with forest trees and flowers which will stand
much closer inspection than the famous banks of the Hudson
River. According to statistics collected by Houston's Chamber of
Commerce, the city's manufacturing plants turn out 280 dis
tinct articles. Some of these manufacturing plants are small
concerns, it is true, but even the smallest is engaged in the man
ufacture of useful articles here at home that were formerly
bought from outside markets and thus all the money employed
in their making and all that is paid to their makers is kept at
home, thus adding to the general prosperity of the city.
The United States census figures, made public July 22, 1911,
shows percentages of increase for Houston manufactures com
pared with 1904 as follows :
Increase in cost of material used, 88 per cent; increase in
capital invested, 87 per cent ; increase in number of salaried
officers and clerks, 75 per cent ; increase in miscellaneous expenses,
72 per cent ; increase in value of products, 70 per cent ; increase
in value added by manufacture, 46 per cent ; increase in salaries
and wages, 24 per cent ; increase in the number of establishments,
19 per cent; increase in average number of wage earners
employed during the year, 6 per cent.
Following are the figures for 1909, when the census was
taken: Number of establishments, 249; capital invested, $16,-
594,000; cost of material used, $14,321,000; salaries and wages,
$4,254,000; miscellaneous expenses, $1,942,000; value of pro
ducts, $23,016,000; value added by manufacture, $8,695,000;
number of salaried officers and clerks, 725; average number of
wage earners, 5,338 ; total number of steam laundries, 9 ; capital
invested in laundries, $270,000; cost of material used, $74,000;
salaries and wages, $256,000; miscellaneous expenses, $129,000;
value of products, $500,000; number of salaried officers and
clerks, 34 ; average number of wage earners, 422.
The question of fuel and water for manufacturing purposes,
is of the greatest importance, and it is in that direction that Hous
ton 's advantages are so great. Water of the purest kind and in
inexhaustible quantities, is obtained everywhere by sinking

Houston's Manufacturers 357
artesian wells. All the manufacturing plants in Houston have
their own artesian wells and are, thus, independent of all other
sources of supply. The chief fuel used is oil, and being located
on the very border of the great oil fields, Houston occupies a
most advantageous position. The supply of oil is great, the pro
duction of the Texas fields in 1910 having been 13,000,000 barrels,
all admirably suited for steam making purposes. In addition
to oil, there is an unlimited supply of lignite which can be deliv
ered at Houston for $1.50 per ton. With properly constructed
grates, lignite makes a very satisfactory fuel and is valuable for
that purpose. Recent experiments have shown that lignite made
into producers gas for firing purposes, doubles its efficiency as
used under the ordinary steam boiler. The manufacture of
lignite briquettes is being considered by local capitalists.
At a home products banquet given in Houston, on the even
ing of October 27' 1911, at which 200 business men were guests,
more than 50 articles of food were served, all of which had either
been manufactured in Houston or produced on surrounding
farms and orchards. That fact in regard to the menu justifies
its reproduction here. It was as follows :
Oyster cocktail, celery, tomatoes, roast beef, sweetbread,
spaghetti and Red Cross chili, yams, wine cured Jasmine ham,
sliced corn, beef, macaroni, cornmeal, grits, veal loaf sandwich,
tongue sandwich, hot wieners, boiled rice, cervelat sandwich,
rolls, sliced bologna, boneless pickled pig's feet, crackers, Red
Cross tamales, liver sausage, string beans, head cheese, beer,
sliced ox tongue, cider, calf's head jelly, soda water, figs, stewed
pears, preserved figs, pure cane syrup, orange marmalade, ice
cream, assorted cakes, candy, pecans, satsuma oranges, coffee,
cigars.

CHAPTER XX
Wholesale Trade and Big Business

Pioneer Conditions of Trade. Steamboat Element in Houston's
Business Prosperity. Natural Advantages Built up Great
Industries. Water Competition Gives Advantageous Rail
road Tariffs. Houston's Trade Territory. How Annual
Wholesale Business of $90,000,000 is pro rated. City's 376
Incorporated Companies. Growth of Produce Business.
Importation of Fruits. Sugar Jobbing Trade. Packing
House Business. Changes in Methods of Marketing Cotton.
How Houston was Made a Cotton Buyers' Market. Houston,
the Great Selling Market for Lumber. Results of Lumber
Panic Prices of 1907, in Concentrated Selling Agencies in
Houston. Manufacturing Capacity of Big Lumber Firms.
Movement ot Curtail Manufacture. Facts and Figures on
Lumber Industry. Turpentine Trade. The J. R. Morris
Plan for Rice Culture. Houston's Rice Mills. Rice Pro
duction and Food Value. Houston's Retail Trade and Wage
Earners. Capital Invested in Retail Trade.

Trade in any primitive community always begins with
barter. An exchange of commodities between neighbors, each
supplying the lacks of the other, oftentimes without any other
consideration than friendship and good fellowship is the whole
some and beautiful beginning of trade in any pioneer commun
ity. Along with this barter and exchange there is often a
community use of many articles.
In most towns that grew up in America as the skirmish lines
of civilization were flung out westward it was possibly the black
smith shop that was the pioneer business establishment. The
wagon that had lost a tire and the horse that had flung a shoe
as the white topped wagons followed the faint new trail into
the wilderness furnished the trade for the shop. The first store

Wholesale Trade 359
' was a general merchandise store where everything was sold from
ploughshares to shoe strings. Hardware, cutlery, groceries, dry
goods, boots and shoes, molasses, oil, candles and rifles and all
the articles needed to wage the fight with nature for the reclama
tion of a virgin forest or an unploughed prairie. Eggs, butter,
produce, deer hides and coon skins, oats, corn, hay and cotton or
any product of farm or field was taken in exchange by the oblig
ing storekeeper who cheerfully reaped the double profit. In the
front end of the store was the postoffice and at the rear end a
primitive bar where straight "licker" and Jamaica rum was
served from the barrel. This part of the store was called by
the more pious element of the community the "doggery."
Business in Houston began in much the same way save that
from the beginning it was modified by the fact that here was the
junction of the land trail and the water route and the steamboat
element of society and prosperity entered into the life of the
town from the beginning.
Nevertheless, so dependent was the community upon its own
resources that early shipments of flour brought $13 a barrel and
other, goods were in proportion.
The lapse of time and the increase of prosperity slowly
differentiated business, and stores were established for the sale of
separate commodities. The dry goods store in time, ceased to
sell brogans and molasses and rum and sold dry goods. But
as prosperity advanced yet farther, there was a reversal to type
and the modern huge department store where everything is
again sold has justified the pioneer conception as to "store
keepin'." The saloon was an institution from the beginning
and flourished in tents until it could build houses. The character
of trade has remained distinct to a great extent.
Houston's greatest industries have developed as the result
of natural advantages. Located on the rim of the great pine
forests of Texas and Louisiana it became the metropolis of the
lumber industry. Situated in the heart of the alluvial coast
plains it became the center of the rice and fruit culture, and
being the natural seaport for a great basin that extends thou
sands of miles north and west and east to the Rocky Mountains

360 History of Houston, Texas
and the tributaries of the Mississippi the commerce of that section.
will more and more sweep down upon it. Good business judg
ment and fair dealing have combined with advantage of location
to make Houston the greatest cotton concentration point in the
world, with the sometime exception of New Orleans.
The existence of the ship channel makes Houston the natural
and logical basing point for freight rates, for it is here that the
water and rail transportation meet. Formerly all, or practically
all, the traffic of the state was done through Houston, over the
bayou. Then the railroads formed connections with the Northern
and Eastern markets, and complications arose. Every line of
railroad attempted to make a tariff of its own, and where there
was no competition and a road had a territory to itself, it made
such a tariff as it chose.
When these lines of railroad reached Houston, the situa
tion changed, for here they found a most formidable obstacle
in the form of water competition and they were all forced to
reduce their rates to meet this competition. Through its ship
channel, Houston has all the advantages of an actual seaport,
even if the channel were not actually utilized.
This possible water competition forms the basis upon which
Houston rates are fixed and they enable Houston manufacturers
and wholesale merchants to compete for trade in a large territory
that would be closed to them but for the existence of the low
rates secured through water competition. It also permits the
concentration and reshipment of materials by the jobbers and
permits Houston wholesalers to compete with north Texas job
bers, although the latter are much nearer the source of supply.
As a result of her admirable position, Houston has become
the great concentrating and distributing point for nearly the
whole state, and for some commodities Houston is the concen
trating point for the whole state. This, of course, has made
Houston very prominent as a wholesale market and the volume
of business done is immense. The greater part of the state and
some parts of bordering states look to Houston for their supplies.
Among the remarkable effects of Houston's concentrating
and distributing facilities, is the fact that this city has been

Wholesale Trade 361
made a wholesale market for commodities not usually classed
among those dealt in as wholesale, notably machinery and heavy
engines. As a rule all such things as monster traction engines,
well-boring machinery, great pumps and similar articles, are
ordered direct from the large factories in the East and sales
are made direct to the consumer by the factories. However,
Houston's splendid warehouse facilities, her cheap freight rates
and her position as a distributing point, all combine to enable
her to carry large stocks of such commodities and as a result
she has become a great wholesale market for machinery. The
machinery dealers of Houston handle all kinds of heavy material,
from huge traction engines, threshers, reapers and everything of
that kind, to plows, scrapers and small plantation supplies.
The business is large and is growing, for each year shows an
increase over the preceding one. The business done in machin
ery by Houston wholesalers in 1910 totalled over $3,000,000,
which was an increase of about $250,000 over the year before.
It must not be supposed that special privileges or undue
advantages are given the merchants of Houston by the rate mak
ing powers, for such is not true. Houston's advantages lie in
the fact that having the water rate as a right, she has increased
and perfected her local facilities by providing large and suitable
warehouses and storerooms and has done everything possible to
reduce local charges, thus enabling the largest amount of business
to be done on the cheapest basis. These low local charges enable
Houston merchants to compete in territory that otherwise would
be given over to their rivals who have a slightly lower rail rate,
but who are less wide-awake or who have t)ther drawbacks. One
fact will illustrate this. Houston has few drays or heavy- floats
for transporting goods from one point to another. They are not
necessary because every warehouse, every compress, every man
ufacturing plant and every cotton yard in the city is located on
the line of one or more of the railroads entering the city or on
both the railroad and ship channel. This saving in drayage
amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. On
the receipts of cotton alone there is saved $100,000 each year,

362 History of Houston, Texas
while on other commodities there is a saving of a much larger
amount. Dallas, Fort Worth and other large trade centers have tribu
tary territories covered by special rates made for the purpose
of placing them on a fair and equitable footing with Houston
or other competitors. In such territory Houston can enter only
through using the advantages she has created at home to
their fullest extent. As a matter of fact Houston cannot enter
the territory having a radius of about 100 miles around Dallas
and Fort Worth, even with her local advantages, but in all
the other portions of the state Houston is either on an equal
footing with those markets or has a slight advantage over them.
It is estimated that Houston's wholesale business amounts
to $90,000,000 annually. The leading articles and the amount
of business done in each are estimated as follows : Machinery,
$3,000,000; hardware, $4,000,000; lumber, $35,000,000; petrole
um products, $1,000,000 ; drugs and chemicals, $4,000,000 ; paints
and glass, $1,000,000; furniture, $1,400,000; dry goods, $1,750,-
000; liquors, $1,250,000; beer and ice, $2,500,000; groceries,
$8,000,000 ; produce, $4,600,000 ; sugar and molasses, $2,000,000 ;
tobacco, $1,250,000 ; packinghouse products, $3,750,000.
When to these is added the business done in electrical sup
plies, building materials of various kinds, paving materials and
a number of other things on which no figures approaching exact
ness are obtainable, it will be found that the estimated total of
$90,000,000 is rather below than above the actual figures.
In addition to the thousands of individuals and unincorpor
ated firms, there are 376 incorporated companies, excluding rail
roads, trust companies and banks, doing business in Houston.
These have a combined capital of $146,943,900. These companies
represent all lines of trade and their number is being increased
each year.
In 1902, there were but five wholesale dealers in fruits,
produce, butter and eggs in Houston. Of these only one was a
large dealer. In 1911, there were seven large establishments and
perhaps as many as twenty-five small ones, whose aggregate
business amounted to about $5,000,000 annually.

Wholesale Trade 363
In 1902, the Houston jobbers had but little competition, but
today some of the markets that at that time were their best cus
tomers, notably Beaumont, Bryan, Eagle Lake and Hempstead,
are now competitors.
The opening of the Rio Grande country has added greatly
to Houston's business, since practically all of the vegetables,
fruits and farm products of that territory are sold in Houston.
Then, too, Houston's merchants have become large importers of
grapes, bananas, prunes, lemons and other tropical and sub
tropical fruits which are imported direct.
Houston's proximity to the sugar cane fields and its close
connection by rail with the sugar producing territory along the
Rio Grande have made the city the sugar center of the state,
and over $2,000,000 in sugar alone was the record of the Houston
jobbers during the season of 1910, while the season of 1911 will
undoubtedly show a large increase over the preceding year, since
the 1911 crop is a large one. Since the opening of the Rio Grande
territory, Houston's sugar business has doubled. Houston's
selling territory is Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Tennessee,
Missouri and Mississippi. A great wholesale coffee trade has also
been built up here.
Packing house products cut no mean figure in Houston's
jobbing trade. The Houston Packing Company owns a large
and highly equipped plant and does a large business, while
Armour, Swift and other outside companies, maintain branches
or agencies here and add considerably to the volume of business.
A most conservative estimate places the amount of the local
business for the season that closed August 31, 1911, at $4,000,000.
Outside capitalists are planning to spend $500,000 in building
stock yards on the ship channel.
Some years ago it was the custom of the cotton planter to
ship his cotton to a commission merchant, to be sold or held for
higher prices as the situation might warrant. The system was
an excellent one and was highly satisfactory to both parties- lo
the transaction; to the planter, who received part of the value
of his cotton in advance for his immediate needs, and to the
merchant, who received interest, storage charges and finally a

364 History of Houston, Texas
commission for selling the cotton. The system was safe but it
was slow and tedious. It was the best that could be devised
when the planter had to seek a market for what he produced.
It was a cumbersome system as well, because it required the ser
vices of so many middlemen.
Then a change took place. Instead of the planter seeking a
market the markets of the world sought him. All the great
foreign and domestic houses sent their buyers into the interior
to buy cotton, and the commission merchant was largely, though
not entirely relegated to the past. Former cotton centers, places
that had done an immense business under the old system, were
forced to change all their time-honored methods or accept the
inevitable. There was a new and very important feature intro
duced into the cotton trade. It became imperative to have
some point at which all the cotton purchased by agents in all
parts of the state could be concentrated for inspection and
arranging before being finally exported. The cotton men of
Houston recognized this necessity almost as soon as it arose and
took steps to provide such necessary facilities. Houston had
large compresses and large cotton warehouses. Had her mer
chants been less farsighted they might have attempted to take
advantage of the city's natural advantages and gone in to make
large, but temporary profit out of these. A wiser plan was fol
lowed. Instead of taking that advantage, as they could have
done easily, they used their compresses and warehouses just as
so much capital and used them to attract cotton to Houston,
not as an ultimate market altogether, but as a concentrating
point for cotton, where it could be stored and handled. Local
charges were cut and made as low as possible, with the result
that all the great cotton firms of the world have been attracted
to Houston, and most of them have either branch offices or local
representatives here.
In interested quarters it has been asserted that the railroads
unfairly favor this city and that every facility is given the
Houston cotton men to do business. The fact that Houston's
local or net receipts of cotton amount to between 700,000 and
800,000 bales each season, has been advanced as an argument that

Wholesale Trade 365
Houston is so favored. Houston has advantages as a cotton
market, it is true, but they have been created by her own people
and have not been given to her by the railroads or anyone else.
The market has been made strictly a buyers market; that is, all
the rules of the local cotton exchange favor the buyer and the
customs of the cotton factors do the same thing. To illustrate
this point the following statement of local charges on a bale
of cotton bought from a local merchant, is given :
Compressing  _  $0.50
Loading  _  05

.55
From this total charge of 55 cents per bale, the following
items are deducted:
Returned to buyer, account reclamation  $0.10
Returned to buyer, account inspection  _  03
Returned to buyer, account y2 samples  03

.16
This leaves Houston's net charges on a bale of cotton, 39c,
or only 9c more than it costs to ship the same bale to Galveston.
The result is that Houston has about thirty firms and individuals
buying cotton, which makes a very broad market.
While the compress charge, 50e, is the same at New Orleans
and Galveston as at Houston, there are in those places other
local charges, such as drayage, and as nothing is returned to the
buyer in those markets, it makes their charges from 35c to 45c
higher than those of Houston. On drayage alone Houston saves
the buyer and seller of cotton $100,000 annually. Under these
conditions it is not surprising that Houston has become the
greatest spot cotton market in America.
Additional facts in regard to the relation of Houston to the
cotton trade are found in other chapters. The chapter on the
cotton exchange gives many of them and the manufacturing
chapter deals with both cotton and cottonseed products.
Houston is the greatest lumber center in the country. This
does not mean that Houston takes first rank as a manufacturing

366 History of Houston, Texas
or producing center, but it does mean that more large lumber
companies and organizations have their headquarters here and
that more mills and more lumber are controlled and sold through
offices in Houston than through those of any two or three cities
anywhere in the Southwest. Houston has only one or two mills
located within its limits, but it is the home of large companies
that operate nearly all the great lumber mills in Texas. Some
250 sawmills in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, are represented
by offices in Houston.
The proverb : "It is an ill wind that blows no one any good"
has proven to be literally true so far as Houston is concerned,
for it is said that the great financial panic of 1907 was directly
responsible for Houston becoming the leading lumber center that
it is today. The methods of conducting and managing the lum
ber business then were very different from those followed now.
Before the panic there was a brisk demand for lumber and the
mills sold all they could produce. There was a market right
at their doors and their sales-offices and mills were practically
one thing. The panic came and found them with large stocks
on hand and no market of any kind. There was no demand and
the problem that confronted them was to find buyers. They
solved it by sending agents over the country, who sought to
create a demand and who were successful in their efforts. But
another difficulty arose. It became necessary to keep in close
touch with both the market and the selling agents scattered
over the country, and, as this could not be done from the mill,
it became necessary to establish headquarters at some central
point, and Houston, having so many advantages as a distributing
point, was naturally chosen. A large number of the great
firms opened offices and established headquarters here while a
number of others established agencies, so that practically every
large manufacturing and wholesale firm in Texas and the greater
part of Louisiana, is represented in Houston. During the last
three years the growth of the business has been phenomenal.
The Kirby Lumber Company has expanded wonderfully and is
now operating eleven mills, manufacturing annually 400,000,000

Wholesale Trade 367
feet of lumber. This company, which successfully weathered a
federal receivership, ranks among the greatest in the world.
J. M. West and associates have increased their holdings in a
remarkable way during the past two years, and before that the
expansion was also almost equally as great. They now control
the Orange Lumber Company of Orange, the C. L. Smith Lum
ber Company of Merryville, the Hawthorn Lumber Company
of Hawthorn, the W. W. West Lumber Company of Lovelady,
the firm of William Carlisle & Company of Oklahoma and have
built a new mill at Barham, Texas. The combined output of these
mills is 175,000,000 feet.
The big firms of Houston, with the total annual capacity of
their plants are : Kirby Lumber Co., manufacturers, 400,000,000
feet; Long-Bell Lumber Company, manufacturers, 500,000,000;
West Lumber Company, manufacturers, 175,000,000; W. H.
Norris Lumber Company, wholesalers, 100,000,000; Vaughan
Lumber Company, wholesalers, 100,000,000; Continental Lum
ber and Tie Company, wholesalers, 100,000,000; Trinity River
Lumber Company, manufacturers, 60,000,000; Central Coal and
Coke Company, manufacturers, 50,000,000; W. T. Carter &
Brother, manufacturers, 50,000,000; Carter Lumber Company,
40,000,000; W. R. Pickering Lumber Company, manufacturers,
50,000,000 ; Sabine Lumber Company, manufacturers, 40,000,000 ;
Ray & Mihills, wholesalers, 40,000,000; Carter-Kelley Lumber
Company, 30,000,000; Big Tree Lumber Company, manufactur
ers and wholesalers, 30,000,000; C. R. Cummings & Co., manu
facturers, 25,000,000 ; J. S. and W. M. Rice, manufacturers, 25,-
000,000; Gebhart-Williams-Fenet, manufacturers, 25,000,000;
Bland & Fisher, manufacturers, 25,000,000; J. C. Hill
Lumber Company, manufacturers, 20,000,000; L. B. Manefee
Lumber Company, manufacturers, 20,000,000 ; R. W. Wier Lum
ber Company, manufacturers, 20,000,000 ; Alf . Bennett Lumber.
Company, manufacturers and wholesalers, 20,000,000; R. C.
Miller Lumber Company, manufacturers, 20,000,000; Bush Bros.,
manufacturers, 15,000,000; Southern Pinery Tie and Lumber
Company, manufacturers and wholesalers, 10,000,000.
The total of the foregoing is 1,990,000,000 feet. There is no

368 History of Houston, Texas
way to get the exact figures of actual business done by the Hous
ton firms, but if there were it would lie shown that Houston
occupies a position very near the head of the list of leading
lumber centers of the world.
Some few years ago the yellow pine output was figured at
around three billion feet a year. Most of this enormous amount
of lumber is handled through firms having headquarters in
Houston. In 1901 there were only seventeen persons and firms in
Houston handling lumber. In 1911 there are 90 such concerns.
Houston, a decade ago, while laying claim to being a large whole
sale distributing point for lumber was still in its infancy as a
lumber mart. This city is now recognized as being one of the
world's greatest lumber emporiums; in fact, Houston is the
greatest clearing house of the Southwest, particularly for yellow
pine. As the lumber business of the Southwest continued to
expand it became necessary to create a central market, a kind
of clearing house. Transportation and banking facilities had
to be taken into consideration. Houston could' supply both these
requisites, hence this city was selected as the proper location and
today Houston contains more great lumber concerns than any
section except the Pacific Northwest. In the enormous bank
clearings of Houston the lumber business figures largely.
Of late several of the smaller mills have been dropping out
of business, unable to meet the competition of the larger man
ufacturers. Rarely ever do lumbermen meet without discussing the
necessity of curtailing output. They invariably contend that in
order to maintain a fair market manufacturers must reduce their
output. In 1911 more mills than ever have been closed down. In
order to erush out the newly organized Timber Workers' Union,
nearly 100 mills in the Southwest have closed down and surplus
stocks are being gradually depleted. In the summer of 1911,
however, there has also been a slacking off in demand throughout
the whole country. Because of this dullness in trade some 200
mills have been forced to suspend work. The mills which have

Eny bif£- £ Mt&vns 3 Bra NY~

Wholesale Trade 369
closed down have an average daily capacity of 10,000 to 80,000
feet. These mills, however, are not included in the list of mills
which have shut down because of the desire to wipe out unionism
in the mills. Somewhere around 10,000 mill hands have been
rendered idle by the shutdown and this means a tremendous
reduction in the daily output.
The largest saw mill in Texas is the Kirby Mill at Bessmay.
It has an hourly capacity of 20,000 feet.
The largest double mill is that at Onalaska. It has a capac
ity of 300,000 feet in ten hours.
There are about 250 mills in Texas that manufacture yellow
pine exclusively.
There are about twenty saw mills in Texas that manufacture
hardwoods exclusively.
The original forest area of Texas covered 41,980,000 acres.
The present forest area covers about 30,000,000 acres.
The original stumpage of Texas was about 80,000,000,000
feet. The present stumpage of Texas is about 27,000,000,000 feet.
The present hardwood stumpage of Texas is about 12,000,-
000,000 feet.
The man who owns the greatest amount of pine stumpage in
Texas is doubtless Mr. W. T. Carter* of Houston, whose largest
holdings lie near Camden, Texas, a town built up around his
saw mill.
?Houston has no more representative citizen nor one more
honored than W. T. Carter, although his personal modesty and his
vast business interests have caused him to constantly refuse every
offer of official position of any kind.
W. T. Carter is a native son of east Texas and of the land where
the yellow pine grows. He loves the pine trees and has massed a
great fortune out of the lumber industry. It is a common saying
among lumbermen that W. T. Carter could build a saw mill with a
pocket knife if necessary, but he and his brother, E. A. Carter,
recently startled even the lumbermen by erecting, entirely under their
supervision and with their own employed labor, the first steel saw
mill ever built in Texas. It was built in record time at a saving
of nearly $50,000 of the price quoted by contractors and is as perfectly
equipped as any saw mill anywhere. The first logs were cut in the
new mill on July 4, 1911.
When, as a boy of seventeen, without, funds and without financial
assistance, W. T. Carter entered into the saw mill business, he had
to trade raw lumber to pay the men and teams that helped him to

370 History of Houston, Texas
Mr. Carter has the distinction of being the man who first
introduced the use of the mill pond in the saw mill industry in
Texas. A mill pond is now part of the plant of every big saw
mill. Conservation of the state's timber resources is constantly
being agitated. The beginning of this agitation in Texas is
due to Mr. J. Lewis Thompson of Houston, President of the
Yellow Pine Manufacturers Association. Mr. Thompson and
the editor of this volume first gave the matter publicity. The
Yale Forestry Class has twice spent the spring term in the woods
in pine forests on Mr. Thompson's holdings. At one of these
camps, in 1908, a conservation meeting was held, attended by
Gifford Pinchot and many lumber manufacturers. It is
estimated that Texas has 25,000,000 acres of pine and a hard
wood stumpage of 12,000,000,000 feet. This standing timber
is estimated to be worth as it stands $108,000,000. This, of
course, does not include between $60,000,000 and $75,000,000
invested in mills and trams operated by large concerns.
Contiguous to Houston are half a dozen turpentine con
cerns, which report an annual output of 375,000 barrels of tur
pentine and 65,000 barrels of resin. The value of the output is
estimated at $600,000, with a capital invested of $500,000.
Employment is given to 550 persons.
To the late Mr. J. R. Morris must be awarded the credit of
being the first to recognize the possibility of rice culture near
build his first mill, which was located two miles west of Trinity, and
which was operated in 1873 and 1874. The plant was moved several
times following the forest. The railroad built from Trinity to
Colmesneil in 1881, opened up a vast virgin pine forest and the Carter
mill was moved to Barnum in 1882 and remained there until 1897 when
the plant was destroyed by fire. The mill was then moved and in the
midst of his timber holdings the saw mill town of Camden was built
up. This mill was destroyed by fire in 1910 and is the one replaced
with the huge steel structure. Near it Mr. Carter has large holdings
of pine lands. By the steady purchase of timber lands, even in the
years following 1892 when great depression ruled and lumber was
at its lowest ebb, Mr. Carter has demonstrated his business judgment
and sagacity.
W. T. Carter was born in Tyler, Smith County, Texas, February
4, 1856. He is the third son of J. J. Carter and Jane Carter of
Georgia, who came to Texas and settled in Cherokee County in 1849.
The family was of the old South and well to do, but the war left them
in straightened financial circumstances. Mr. Carter's father was

Wholesale Trade 371
Houston. In 1869 or 1870 he organized a company and obtained
a charter for the construction of a broad canal from a point on
the San Jacinto River to the mouth of White Oak Bayou at the
foot of Main Street. He had a survey made and found that the
San Jacinto River, was between twenty-five and twenty-eight
feet higher than the banks of the bayou at Houston. His idea
was, primarily to use the water for irrigating the intermediate
prairie, and then, after it reached Houston, to utilize the twenty-
odd feet fall for motive power. He argued that all the land
between the river and the bayou was natural rice land and that it
could be used as such with great profit. Unfortunately there
were difficulties in the way of accomplishing his purpose, the
greatest being to get permission from the land owners along the
river to divert the stream from its natural bed. There were
state, and perhaps, national laws against doing such things, and
the scheme never amounted to anything beyond drawing atten
tion to the fact that there were splendid rice lands near Houston.
Mr. Morris did not' live to see the correctness of his
views relating to rice lands, verified, but they have
been in every way. It is now an established fact
that Texas has some of the finest rice lands to be
found anywhere, and that the coast country is admirably
adapted to the raising of rice. In Mr. Morris' day it is doubtful
if there were as much as one full acre of land in Harris County.
planted with rice, but now all that is changed and Harris County
Senior Captain of Hubbard's regiment and made a record for valor
during the Civil War. After that struggle he became a school teacher
and utilized his classical education in country schools. The subject
of this sketch studied under him and later under Professor Steele at
Pennington, Texas. One of the boy's heroes was an uncle, George
T. Anderson, known as "Old Tige," who served in the war with
Mexico, in one campaign against the Indians and in the Confederacy,
rising under Lee to the rank of Brigadier. Old Tige's example and
grit nerved his nephew to heroic struggles in his youth. Governor
Hubbard, of Texas, was also a close relative of the Carter family.
In 1879, at Pennington, W. T. Carter married Miss Maude Holley,
which he considers the finest investment he ever made, and out of
this happy union five children survive: Lena Lister, wife of J. J.
Carroll of Houston; Jessie Gertrude, wife of Dr. Judson L. Taylor of
the United States Navy; W. T. Carter, Jr., married to Miss Lillian
Neuhaus; Agnese Jayne, Aubrey Leon, and Frankie, the two latter
at school. Earnest A. Carter, a brother, is a member of the firm of W. T.

372 History of Houston, Texas
has over 30,000 acres in rice, while the country tributary to
Houston claims 190,000 of the 253,560 acres devoted to rice cul
ture. The rice crop is the third in point of importance of Texas
crops. Of the twenty rice mills in Texas, Houston has five and
these five mills are of such size that they represent almost one-
third of the milling capacity of the state. The Houston mills are
the following : Pritchard Rice Mills, capacity 2,400 bags daily ;
Standard Milling Company, capacity 2,400 bags daily; Texas
Rice Mills, capacity 1,200 bags daily; Industrial Rice Mill
ing Company, capacity 1,000 bags daily, and Southwestern Rice
Mills, capacity 600 bags daily.
These mills have a combined capacity of 7,600 bags daily,
while the total capacity of all the mills in the state is only
25,200 bags daily.
Owing to its great transportation facilities, Houston became,
at once, the natural concentrating and distributing point and has
remained such ever since the establishment of the industry.
The production in 1910 was about two and one-quarter mil
lion bags, which was valued at $5,789,320, but even this small
crop had on its face many features of overproduction. As a mat
ter of fact there was no overproduction, for other elements than
quantity entered in the problem, the chief being a lack of appre
ciation of the great food value of rice by the public, which caused,
what some one has described, as underconsumption. The people
have not yet learned to eat rice, and as the railroad rates have
Carter & Brother, and has contributed much to the success of Mr.
Carter. Other brothers are Lucian C, and Hon. Clarence L., the last
named a prominent member of the Houston bar. A sister, Claudia
G., lives with Mr. W. T. Carter at the beautiful Main Street home of
the family in Houston.
In 1910, Mr. W. T. Carter was King Nottoc XII at the No-Tsu-Oh
Carnival. He is a stockholder and director in the Carter-Kelley
Lumber Company of Manning, Angelina County, is vice-presidert of
the Union National Bank of Houston and of the First National Bank
of Livingston, is president of the Moscow, Camden and San Augustine
railroad, which he tuilt, and director of the H. E. & W. T. railroad.
He is a member of the Thalian, B. P. O. E., Country, and Houston
Clubs, and of the Chamber of Commerce. The family attends the
First Baptist Church.
Mr. Carter is a thoughtful student of economic subjects, has
traveled much and possesses a broad culture, and is modest, kind
and hospitable.

Wholesale Trade 373
been most unsatisfactory, the producers have had to look to the
home market almost entirely. The home people, who eat rice,
demand only fancy grades, and as there are only fifty pounds of
fancy in every 162 pound bag of rice, it is readily seen that the
producer is left with an undesirably large surplus of lower grade
rice on his hands at the end of each season. These lower grades are
of just as great food value as the higher grade, and the producers
hope to convince the public of that fact. Efforts are now being
made to adjust railroad rates, so as to admit of an extension of
the market. When that is done and the public, in general realizes
the great value of rice, the industry will take on new life arid
activity. It is said that there is enough land along the coast
country to produce the world's supply of rice. The industry is
still in its infancy, but before many years it will have become a
giant. Whenever there are periods of financial depression over the
country it is a noticeable fact that Houston is rarely affected
to any great degree, and that real "hard times" are almost
unknown here.
The effect is felt in a general way, of course, but it is
not deep seated nor lasting and outside the large financial
concerns, where large sums of ready cash are constantly needed,
a panic, in the least far-reaching, is unknown in Houston.
This seems to be a rather broad and sweeping assertion and
yet it is a true one, for Houston's business is based ori the
most substantial grounds which enables it to meet difficulties
and overcome them when other places, less favored, would
have to succumb. In the first place those engaged in commercial
pursuits here are not dependent on the success or failure of
any one line of trade, such as oil, lumber, cotton or anything
else, but their interests are diversified and when one of these
is depressed or even fails there are others to sustain the general
situation. The cause for Houston's stability is found in the fact that
there is the basis for a large retail trade here that can be found
nowhere else in the Southwest. Vast sums are paid out weekly,
biweekly and monthly, in the form of wages with the result that

374 History of Houston, Texas
there is always a great deal of money in circulation. Roughly
speaking there is paid wage-earners in Houston, about $8,500,000
annually. With such large sums of money kept constantly in
circulation, it is not wonderful that Houston should show life
and activity, even during periods when her less favored
competitors are plunged into the depths of despondency.
Houston 's retail trade is very large and is constantly increas
ing. The local situation, as just pointed out, is very inviting, but
to that must be added the constantly increasing demand from
nearby territory, opened up by the railroads and the extension
of the electric roads.
Houston has 1200 retail establishments which do a busi
ness of nearly forty-one and one-half million dollars annually.
The following list shows some of the details of the trade, but is
not complete, because of the difficulty of getting anything
approaching accurate information about the smaller concerns.
It shows the class of trade and the amounts invested : Wagons,
carriages, etc., $900,000; groceries, teas, coffee, etc., $5,000,000;
paints, oils, etc., $750,000; petroleum and its products, $2,125,-
000 ; furniture and upholstering, $1,600,000 ; sash, doors, blinds,
etc., $4,000,000; clothing and men's furnishings, $3,000,000;
jewelry and optical goods, $1,100,000; drygoods and millinery,
$3,000,000; books, stationery, etc., $700,000; drugs and chemi
cals, $750,000; hardware, crockery, tinware, etc., $3,600,000;
engines, machinists and electrical supplies, $2,200,000; boots and
shoes, $750,000; grain, feed and bakery supplies, $1,800,000;
cigars and tobacco, $300,000 ; pianos and musical supplies, $400,-
000 ; fuel and ice, $2^005,000 ; toys and novelties, $100,000 ; flor
ist's goods and seeds, $140,000; saddlery, harness and trunks,
$420,000; automobiles and motor boats, $2,000,000; typewriters,
adding machines, etc., $1,800,000; brick, tiling, etc., $1,000,000;
unclassified, $2,000,000; total amount invested, $41,440,000.
The building of the many suburbs has extended the retail
trade and' may account in some measure for its rapid increase.
The completion of the belt railroad is already beginning to show
its effects in the same direction. The figures given in the fore
going are those for the fiscal year closing June 31, 1911.

Wholesale Trade 375
The estimate of the Chamber of Commerce in November,
1911, is that the annual aggregate of business is $55,000,000.
In the roar and din that accompained the rush of oil out
of the great well brought in by Lucas at Spindle Top in 1900,
was sounded the first note of Houston's greatness as a manu
facturing and commercial center. That discovery meant much
for Texas and it meant much for Houston also, because this city
was just at that stage in its development where it was in
position to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the
creation o"f this great and new industry.
There are so many points involved in the history of the
development of the Texas oil fields, that it is impossible to discuss
them here; suffice it to say that their possibilities were great;
that Houston was in position to take advantage of the opportunity
presented, and that to day, in consequence of its having done
so, it is the recognized leader and center of all that involves
the handling, financing and exporting of the product of the
Texas oil fields; that it is rapidly assuming control of the
Oklahoma and other outside fields and that before the close
of 1912, all the output of those fields will probably be handled
by Houston companies, either directly or indirectly.
As the center of the oil industry, Houston has been
prominent since the first oil well was discovered, and each
fresh development since then has added to its importance.
The Beaumont, Batson, Sour Lake and Humble fields are so
near that it was natural that they should have at once, become
tributary to Houston. They formed the nucleus, a great one
too, for a business whieh has steadily increased and yet gives
promise of greater things in the future, since now all oil
industries logically tend to concentrate here.
But a better idea of Houston's importance can be formed
from the statement that there are five large oil refineries here,
thirteen oil dealers and thirty-nine producers and exporters,
twenty-three of the latter being large- corporations. Among
the producers and exporters is the Texas Company the largest
independent oil company in the United States, having a capital
of $36,000,000.

376 History of Houston, Texas
Pipe-lines from all the oil fields, including those of
Oklahoma, converge at Houston. The production of oil within
the territory near Houston is 13,000,000 barrels annually, an
output increased greatly by that of outside fields, all tributary
to or controlled by Houston.
The various oil companies have now under construction
several hundred miles of additional pipe-lines covering north
and east Texas, which are estimated to cost something Uke
$7,000,000.

CHAPTER XXI
Music and Art

Houston 's Early Development as Musical Center Due to Cultured
German Citizens. . High Capacity Demanded by Thursday
Morning Club. City's Record on Symphony Concerts. The
Treble Clef Club. The Womans Choral Club. The Hous
ton Quartette Society. Federation of English Singing Soci
eties of Texas. The Houston Saengerbund. The Houston
Music Festival Association. Symphony Orchestras and
Grand Operas. The Japanese Maid. Bands and Orchestras.
Co-operative Work. Musical Critics. The Future in Music.
But Few Local Artists. Hugo Schoppman. Work of Thuse-
tan Donnellen and Edgar Mitchell. Boris Gordon's Famous
Portrait. The Art League.

Houston has always enjoyed fame as a musical center, due
in large measure to the fact that among the early settlers were
so many intelligent, music-loving Germans. As early as 1847
there was an organized German quartette society here, and it is
safe to say that at no time since then has Houston been without
a musical society, composed entirely or in part of Germans or of
native born German citizens. The early German settlers in
Houston were, as a rule, men of refinement, education and
culture who brought from the old country that great love for
music, and for music of high class, for which they are justly
famed. Thus the early Houstonians were brought in contact
with and influenced by high-class musicians and music-lovers,
and that they availed themselves of this blessing is attested by
the record they have made and sustained.
The Houston Saengerbund is the oldest German musical
association and also the oldest musical association of any kind in
the.city. It was organized in 1884, and has been in active exist
ence ever since. This organization was largely interested and

378 History of Houston, Texas
instrumental in organizing the State Saengerfest and has con
tributed in many ways toward creating interest in musical mat
ters. It has a very large membership numbering 340 and holds
weekly meetings. During the winter months it gives numerous
instrumental and vocal concerts, complimentary to its members
and friends. It is one of the most influential bodies in musical
circles and has done much for the advancement of the highest
order of music in Houston. The present officers are : Albrecht
Hellbergi, president; W. J. Kohlhauff, vice-president; Anton
Brunner, treasurer, and V. Juenger, secretary. C. C. Leib is
the capable director.
The German-American citizens have sustained the high
standard which their fathers set, but they no longer have a
monopoly in that delightful field, for the native Americans have
become dangerous competitors and rivals.
Though the early musicians of Houston had in view no other
object than to bring music-loving people together for mutual
pleasure and enjoyment, and had no intention or desire to pose as
teachers or to do aught that might increase or develop, except inci
dentally, musical talent as it existed, their successors went a bit
further and while they did everything to educate and improve the
public taste by giving the best music only, they also organized a
society which created a higher and broader appreciation of music
among the musicians themselves. This association was called the
Thursday Morning Musical Club.
This club was organized by the leading professionals and
best amateurs, on May 25, 1908. The objects were the study
and practice of music and the promotion of a higher standard of
musical taste and culture in Houston. Mrs. Robert L. Cox was
elected president; Miss Blanche O'Donnell, vice-president; Mr.
Fred Dexter, secretary and treasurer; Miss Mary Elizabeth
Rouse, chairman of the program committee; Mrs. E. B. Parker,
chairman of the board of examiners.
The course of study selected for the first season will give
a fair idea of the high aims of this club and will at the same
time indicate in a measure its radical departure from the methods
of most musical clubs. It included the study of Early and

Music and Art 379
Modern Italian Composers, Early and Modern French Composers,
Celebration of the Birth of Beethoven, December 17, Classic
German Period, Slavonic Composers, Grieg, MacDowall, and
Famous Women Composers.
A membership in this organization was evidence of high
ability as a musician, since each candidate was required to pass
an examination, which consists in rendering the following:
Pianists, Beethoven Sonata (two movements) ; four higher
compositions of Chopin and Schumann; four modern classics;
Vocalists, two arias from opera (singing in original language) ;
two oratorio; four songs, selected from following composers:
Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Grieg, Strauss, Gounod, Chamin-
ade; four songs by American composers (MacDowell, Chadwick,
Mrs. Beach, Buck, Foote, Hawley) ; Violinists, Sonata (two
movements) ; four classical compositions; four modern classics;
Organ, Fugue (Bach preferred) ; four selections from Guilmant,
Lemare, Widor, etc.
The following were the charter members- of the Thursday
Morning Musical Club: Pianists, Miss Mary Elizabeth Rouse,
Miss Mary Pauline Bellinger, Miss Blanche O'Donnell, Mrs.
Herbert Roberts, Mrs. E. B. Parker, Mrs. Katherine A. Lively,
Mrs. I. S. Meyer, Mr. Horace Clark, Mrs. Edgar Gerhard t;
Violinists, Miss Stella Root, Mrs. C. E. Oliver, Miss Grace Linden-
berg; Vocalists, Mrs. B. H. Wenzel, Mrs. Baltis Allen, Mrs.
Henry Balfour, Mrs. Edna McDonald, Mrs. Turner Williamson,
Mrs. Robert L. Cox, Mr. Henry Balfour, Mr. Fred Dexter;
Organists, Mrs. George Heinzelman, Mr. Horton Corbett.
Mi's. Robert L. Cox who was one of the originators of this
club, laid a foundation for a great musical institution and had
the organization been continued it would doubtless have devel
oped into a conservatory such as will one day be established here
on similar lines. After some time the organization became
dormant, but may yet be revived.
The culture value of music is recognized even by those whose
souls are not moved, by "a concord of sweet sounds." Houston
easily ranks as the musical center of Texas, for no sister city
can show an equal number of flourishing musical organizations

380 History of Houston, Texas
or a record of an equal number of fine concerts, presenting cele
brated artists.
Sixteen Symphony concerts were. given in Houston in the
month of April, 1911. This record has not been equaled in the
United States.
The absence of factions, the generous spirit and the cordial
cooperation of the city's professional musicians have contributed
largely to the phenomenal musical growth. The daily papers
have given all possible encouragement to musical endeavor. The
Sunday issues devoting an entire page to music here and else
where. Mrs. Wilie Hutcheson, a musical critic of discrimination,
has made the upbuilding of music in Houston her life work. To
her, belongs unstinted praise for her loyalty to local musicians,
who have found her ever ready to commend worthy effort and
"to faults a little blind."
Houston is the possessor of many fine instructors in the var
ious branches of music. The foundation for a solid substantial
musical education may be laid here. The students of music,
guided by their wisdom have come to know and understand the
serious study of music, as an art, and not a shallow accomplish
ment. The churches pay marked attention to the music whereby
their services are enriched and rendered more inspiring. "Musi-
cales" have been a favorite method of entertaining during the
social seasons.
Of the many fine music clubs and organizations to promote
music, the Treble Clef Club, as the oldest local American Society
surviving, points to sixteen years of honest effort, with
many discouragements in its pioneer work, and to its
growth up to the present time, when the sweet and
luscious fruit of success is enjoyed. The following is a sketch of
this organization, which is interesting and illuminating as to the
musical conditions that have prevailed at various stages of Hous-
tons musical development:
On April 18, 1896, a number of Houston ladies met to
discuss the formation of a singing society, to be composed of
women's voices, resulting in organization, with the following

Music and Art 381
Officers, who promoted the growth of the same : Mrs.
J. 0. Carr, president; Mrs. Giraud, treasurer; Miss Campbell,
secretary; Mr. W. S. Mason, musical director.
The organization was first known as the Ladies' Singing
Club, which it was found expedient to change to Treble Clef
Club, as complications arose through another club having a simi
lar name. Under the inspiring direction of Mr. W. S. Mason, the club
prospered and concerts of a high artistic standard were given,
notwithstanding the difficult environment incident to pioneer
musical work.
Mr. Mason's removal from Houston in 1898 called Mr. R. B.
Savage to the post of director. After two successful seasons,
when the Treble Clef concerts had become the musical events of
the city, upon Mr. Savage's departure, Mr. Fred Dexter became
director for one season. At the close of his term the club was
without a leader for several seasons, suspending active work.
Mrs. W. C. Munger became president in 1898, which office
she still fills. Through her indomitable will and energy, the club
resumed work th§ season of 1904, with Mrs. Vina Avery-Beck-
with as director, rapidly attaining its former prestige as a
choral body. After two seasons of excellent work, Mrs. Beckwith
left Houston, succeeded by Mr. Horton Corbett, who resigned
the post in January, 1908. Mrs. Robert L. Cox was immediately
elected to the vacant office, carrying the club through the inter
rupted season to a brilliant close at the final concert in April.
In Mrs. Cox the Treble Clef Club has a musical director,
whose musicianship and business sagacity seem equally matched.
The singing of the club members, whose number has grown
under her leadership from 23 voices to 75, is a popular feature
of their concerts. Financially they have attained the enviable
position of ending their season with a handsome balance in the
treasury. , The following artists have appeared as soloists with
the Treble Clef Club since Mrs. Cox assumed the directorship:
Madame Schumann-Heink, Mme. Jeanne Jomelli, Mme. Mariska
Aldrich, Mme. Hissem de Moss, Alexander Petschnikoff, Mme.
Charlotte Maconda, Miss Alice Sovereign, Miss Myrtle Elvyn,

382 History of Houston, Texas
Mr. Frank La Forge, Mme. Bernice de Pasquali, Mr. Rudolph
Ganz, Mr. Oscar Seagle, Mr. Francis MacMillen.
The associate membership numbered six hundred and sev
enty-two in the«season of 1910-11. The closing concert called out
an audience of over four thousand people. To the glory of
the Treble Clef Club let it be said, no pledge has been unredeemed,
no contract broken, during the sixteen years since its organi
zation. The following are the officers chosen for the season of
1911-12: Mrs. Robert L. Cox, musical director; Mrs. N. C. Munger,
honorary president; Mrs. George W. Heinzelman, president;
Mrs. C. H. Dorman, first vice-president ; , Mrs. W. D. Hume,
second vice-president ; Mrs. Charles D. Crawford, secretary ; Miss
Gertrude Rolle, treasurer; Mrs. T. C. Rowe, librarian; Mr. Sam
T. Swinford, club accompanist.
The Womans' Choral Club was organized in November, 1901.
Mrs. Wilie Hutcheson, who is intimately connected with all
that is musical in Houston, was its first president, but after
organizing and getting the club well on its fe*et, she was forced
to resign because of the demands made on her as a newspaper
worker. Miss Mary Carson Kidd was the first musical director,
but went abroad for study and was succeeded by Mrs. E. B.
Parker. The club has brought many artists here and has given three
concerts' each year, the mid-winter concert being the grand
affair and the only one, for admission to whieh tickets are. sold,
the other two being complimentary to the associate members.
The club has an active membership of fifty. Its present
officers are: Mrs. Turner Williamson, president; Mrs. W. M.
Abbey, vice-president; Mrs. Horace Booth, secretary, and Mr.
Hu T. Huffmaster, director.
The Houston Quartette Society is the oldest surviving Eng
lish singing society of men in Houston, having been organized by
the late D. D. Bryan, Joseph Taylor and James Giraud, in
August, 1900. It was the intention of these gentlemen to build
up a permanent organization from the remnants of the Houston

Music and Art 383
Glee Club, the Houston Quartette Club and the half dozen or
more musical associations and organizations that had been formed
from time to time and then had been allowed to die.
Mr. Fred Dexter was chosen as musical director. He entered
on the discharge of his onerous duties with energy and zeal and
it is largely to his splendid efforts that the great success of the
society is due.
It was decided at the first meeting that the organization
should use its utmost influence and endeavor to bring the best
musical talent to the city, and to that end an associate member
ship was formed. Many artists of reputation have appeared
under the auspices of the society.
To the Society belongs the honor of having created the Fed
eration of English Singing Societies of Texas. This federation
was formed in the fall of 1903, by Mr. D. D. Bryan, the president,
and Mr. Fred F. Dexter, the musical director of the Quartette
Society. In order to gather the presidents and musical .directors
of the various singing societies of the state, they were invited to
attend as guests of the Houston society, a concert of the Houston
Quartette Society, at which Mme. Schurnann-Heinek was the
attraction, and to attend a meeting at the Rice Hotel the next
morning to discuss the question of federation. There was a large
attendance of English singing societies and the state federation
was formed. The two first state festivals were held in Houston,
those of 1904 and 1905, the attractions being a grand chorus of
400 voices from over the state, and the Damrosch and Pittsburgh
orchestras. The Quartette Society has done a work of untold value for
moral and social life in Houston, and it is principally through its
accomplishments that Houston now occupies such a prominent
position in the musical world. It has about fifty singers, includ
ing the best male voices in Houston.
The first president was Dudley Bryan, and the first musical
director was R. B. Savage. Mr. Bryan was the president con
tinuously for several years until his death, when Mr. W. H.
Hurley was elected, and he was succeeded by Mr. B. A. Ran
dolph, who, in turn, was followed by Mr. Ward D. Hume, De

384 History of Houston, Texas
E. Clinton Murray, Mr. Hohn Charles Harris, Mr. Nelson C-
Munger, and Mr. George W. Hurd, who is the present incumbent.
Mr. Fred T. Dexter succeeded Mr. R. B. Savage as Musical
director and held that position for several years. Mr. Hu. T.
Huffmaster took up the musical directorship three years ago
and is the present conductor.
The Quartette Society was the first local club to establish
an associate membership for the purpose of bringing outside
artists to Houston, giving a fixed number of concerts during the
season. The following world-renowned artists have appeared with
the Houston Quartette Society: Nordica, Gadski, Schumann-
Heinck, Ellen Beach Yaw, Companari, Suzanne Adams, Eugene
Cowles, Leonora Jackson, Beresford, David Bispham, Charles
Clark and Evan Williams. Many other noted artists have
also appeared under the club auspices.
The- active members are as follows : First Tenors — Joe
Brukmuller, E. J. Daly, Lee Dawson, J. C. Dionne, Geo. E.
Doscher, James Girand, A. H. Hensch, C. C. Henry, Adair Lock-
man, D. E. Simmons; Second Tenors — James H. Adair, Jr.,
A. Alban, H. A. Arnold, Jr., R. T. Giraud, A. W. Hart, H. A.
Story, Dr. C. W. Hoeflich, N. C. Munger, Jr., L. E. Norton, E.
E. Reed, N. R. Rushmore, Fred L. Toombs, H. J. L. Toombs;
First Bassos — L. A. Blanchard, F. S. K. Clemens, R. G.
Dawson, John W. Graham, D. R. Hodges, W. H. Hogue, George
W. Hurd, John McCleary, C. R. Munger, George B. Meyer,
Charles W. Soby, Ira J. Weigle; Second Bassos — C. W.
Bocock, H. F. Bohmfolk, A. P. Burr, C. H. Dorman, C. E. Gir-
ton, C. Grunewald, J. Kennedy, N. C. Munger, Sr., S. R. Pickens,
George M. Woodward, Edwin S. Woodhead, G. B. Hopper, T.
Howen and Hohn Bridge.
The officers and directors of the Houston Quartette Society
for the season of 1911-12 are as follows : C. W. Hurd, president ;
Jno. W. Graham, vice-president; H. F. Bohmfalk, treasurer;
S. R. Pickens, financial secretary; F. L. Toombs, corresponding
secretary ; F. S. K. Clemens, librarian ; Nelson C. Munger, Ward
D. Hume, and H. F. MacGregor.

Music and Art 385
The Houston Quartette Society and the Womans' Choral
Club amalgamated in 1911.
The formation of the Houston Music Festival Association
was due to a conference between a few music loving citizens and
Mr. Beach, manager of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the
parlors of the Rice Hotel early in March, 1907. Nothing was
done at that meeting, but a few days after, another meeting
was held and a permanent organization was effected. The
officers chosen were: A. S. Cleveland, president; Dr. Henry
Barnstein, first vice-president; W. D. Hume, second vice-presi
dent ; and S. A. Kincaid, secretary and treasurer. At that meet
ing the Chicago Orchestra was engaged to come to Houston,
April 27, and 28.
Mr. Douglass Powell agreed to act as musical director and
undertook to train a chorus of several hundred voices for the
occasion, though the time was very short for such an undertaking.
Miss Bessie Hughes promised a chorus of five hundred children's
voices. Mrs. R. L. Cox personally interviewed representatives
of the different singing clubs and, of course, aroused their
interest. Mrs. Wilie Hutcheson and Miss Arlette Cranford did
much to interest the public.
The orchestra was the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Adolph
Rosenbecker, conductor. This orchestra returned for the 1909
festival, when Mr. Jules Albert Jahn conducted the chorus. In
1910 there were orchestral concerts only, furnished by the
Damrosch Orchestra. In May, 1911, the Damrosch Orchestra
returned, and there was a massed chorus conducted by Hu T.
Huffmaster. All of these festival choruses were conducted in a
masterful way, and too much can not be said of the faithful,
hard, effective work of the members of the choruses.
The association now has a membership of five hundred. Its
officers are: W. D. Hume, president; Dr. H. Barnstein, first
vice-president; Dr. E. 0. Lovett, second vice-president; J. C.
Bering, third vice-president ; Guy MacLaughlen, secretary-treas
urer ; Wm. M. Rice, P. W. Horn, Abe M. Levy, John McClellan,
J. C. Harris, David Daly and George Torrey, directors. The

386 History of Houston, Texas
able business methods of the secretary, Guy MacLaughlen have
done much to give the association an assured place.
In April, 1911, Dr. W. S. Jacobs brought the Russian Sym
phony Orchestra here for a series of ten concerts, affording the
music lovers of Houston the greatest feast of music they have
ever had in this city. A repetition is earnestly hoped for.
Other organizations that have helped Houston musically
during the past ten years are the Houston Symphony Club, E.
Lindenberg, director, which helped to create a demand for
orchestral music, and the Girls.' Musical Club, which has its
strongest life yet to come.
On the night of November 1, 1901, the Metropolitan Grand
Opera Company of New York gave a grand performance of
"Lohengrin" at the old auditorium. This organization was
brought here by D. D. Bryan, James A. Giraud and H. D. Lea.
These gentlemen achieved a great success with a large under
taking. During the succeeding ten years there have been other
wonderful operatic performances. The Metropolitan Opera Com
pany has produced "Parcifal," "La Boheme" and others; the
Savage Opera Company has given "Madame Butterfly," Wagner
and Verdi operas, and others. Musical attractions have appeared
under the auspices of the Prince Theatre, and artists have been
brought here by individuals. Mr. C. E. Oliver has brought
Gabrilowitsch, Sembrich and Bonci. Miss Alice MacFarland
has brought Liza Lehmann and her company ; also John Barnes
Wells, Alexander Russell, Paulo Gruppe, and she has managed
other concerts.
One of the most brilliant musical events in Houston was
the opera, "The Japanese Maid," that was produced in Houston
in October, 1911, by some fifty girls, the pupils of Mrs. Edna
McDonald, under the supervision and stage management of Mrs.
McDonald, who had constructed the opera out of fragmentary
materials, planned the stage setting and pictures, and drilled the
girls. Mrs. McDonald has rank as one of the most gifted musi
cians of Houston and was a pupil of Madame Gadski in Berlin

Music and Art 387
and was at one time under engagement with Henry W. Savage
to sing a leading role in one of his operas.
It would be a hopeless task to attempt to recount all that
individuals have done for Houston's musical culture as so many
club presidents, officials, directors, and business men and women
have borne so large a part. Houston has many capable teachers
in every branch of music. Mrs. Robert L. Cox, Mrs. Edna
McDonald and Mr. Anton Diehl conduct what are in fact conser
vatories. There are several first-class bands and orchestras
prominent among them being the Herb and Lewis band and the
Thayers and Beckers Orchestras and the Majestic Orchestra.
Many of the churches have fine pipe organs and paid musical
directors of choirs.
The Houston Choral Club and the Houston Quartette Soci
ety having amalgamated in 1911, make a strong composite organ
ization for the winter season of 1911-12.
The theatrical managers 'often present musical attractions
of note, usually light opera but occasionally grand opera such
as Bessie Abbots engagement in 1911, when La Boheme and
Madame Butterfly were sung.
Among those who have accomplished great good by musical
criticism are, Mrs. Wilie Hutcheson, Miss Arlette Cranford, Mr.
Sam T. Swinford, Jr., Mr. James Dow, and Miss Alice McFar
lane the last three named being themselves musicians of distinc
tion. There would be an imposing list of those who have once
lived in Houston and have gone out from this city to attain dis
tinction in the world of music but these have not done so much
for the musical development of the city, which is the real theme
of this chapter as have the men and women who have labored
at home. Judged by the appreciation of symphony concerts, by the
work of musical directors and massed choruses, by home soloists,
concert artists, orchestras and bands, by church singers, by capa
ble teachers, and by the growing demand for the highest order
of musical attractions there is every reason to predict a brilliant
musical future for Houston.
Houston has produced great physicians, great lawyers, great

388 History of Houston, Texas
financiers and great statesmen, but never great artists. There
have been one or two rather good painters, but never one who
attracted attention beyond the circle of his immediate friends
and acquaintances. There might have been an exception to this
and Houston might have possessed a great painter, had not fate
determined otherwise. There was a young artist who came to
Houston in 1856, who, had he lived, would have unquestionably
impressed his genius on this community. This was Hugo Schop-
mann, a young German, who had been graduated at one of the
great art schools of Germany. He had artistic talent of the
highest order, was a man of independent means and followed art
for arts sake alone. He devoted himself to landscape painting,
though, simply for the pleasure he took in doing so, he painted
one or two portraits of his friends which were justly admired by
all who saw them. He was highly educated and a man of great
refinement and had he lived, his influence on this community
would have certainly been great. Unfortunately he was among
the first victims of the yellow fever epidemic of 1858.
The only native Houstonian who ever achieved fame as an
artist was Thusetan Donellan. His was a peculiar case. It seems
unjust to him to exclude him from the roster of artists and at
the same time unjust to art to include him. He was almost with
out education of any kind ; had never seen a picture greater than
those produced by scene painters; knew nothing of paints and
pigments ; in brief, he was as ignorant of art as an Indian. And
yet he had moments of inspiration when he would produce won
derful pictures. He would paint picture after picture all so
badly drawn, illy proportioned and so badly done that to call
them daubs would be flattery, and would then begin and finish
a portrait or landscape that would be something of a masterpiece.
In his moments of inspiration he would work like a fiend, taking
time, neither for food, sleep nor rest until his task was accom
plished. He was a musical genius also and could play on all
instruments, although he knew no more of the science of music
than he did of art. He was justly famous for his violin playing,
having a wonderful sweet touch. When he was young, the citi
zens raised a purse and wanted to send him away to be educated,

Music and Art 389
but he had too much vanity to permit him to think that he could
be taught anything and he refused the offer. When he was about
twenty-three years old he painted one of the finest portraits of
Sam Houston that has ever been produced. It was really a work
of art and was purchased by the state or one of the departments
and is now in Austin. With only a small miniature to guide him,
he painted a life-size portrait of the wife of a Houston banker,
that was marvelously good and which would have reflected credit
on any artist. And yet, with all this, the vast bulk of his work
would have been unworthy of a second-class sign painter. He
died several years ago.
Another young artist of an entirely different type, was
Edgar Mitchell, a young man who came to Houston from Vir
ginia in 1880. He was not a professional artist, but was a very
talented amateur. He was about twenty-two years old, but even
at that age the grim reaper had marked him for its own and he
died of lung trouble a year or two after his arrival here. Had
he lived he would have accomplished something in the field of
art for he had talent of high order. One or two of his produc
tions are still preserved by his friends. One of his best paintings
is owned by the Houston Light Guard and adorns their armory-
Houston is the domicile of a portrait painter of note whose
work sometimes reaches up to the standard of genius and always
proclaims him a clever and talented artist. He is a Russian by
nativity, a pupil of Verestchagin and other world-famed painters,
and has made Houston his headquarters since 1906.
This artist is Boris Bernhardt Gordon. His most notable portrait
is that of Dr. B. H. Carroll, Sr., president of the Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary, but he has also painted greatly
admired portraits of William M. Rice, the donor of the Rice
Institute and of Mrs. Rice, both of which will hang in the admin
istration building of the William M. Rice Institute, of Governors
Lanham, Campbell and several other chief executives of Texas
and a famous portrait of Sam Houston. More than two score
of the notable men and women of Texas have been painted by
Mr. Gordon, whose work is both artistically praiseworthy in
high degree and commercially successful.

390 History of Houston, Texas
The greatest and most promising work, having for its object
the creation and development of artistic taste and talent, is that
being done by the Art League. This is an association of ladies
who have undertaken to instil into the minds of the children of
Houston a love and discriminating taste for the artistic and
beautiful. Those children who have talent are given facility and
encouragement to develop it. At stated periods there are lectures
on painting and sculpture ; great works of art are described and
their beauty pointed out. When possible, good pictures and
statuary are shown and described in detail so that the children
may learn something of the rudiments of art. Drawing and
painting, both in oil and water colors are taught in the school
and encouragement is held out to the pupils by assuring them
that their best productions will have place in the art exhibit, at
which time the best works of the school -are shown to the pubhc.
The work being done by the Art League is destined to pro
duce happy results for even though it produce no great artist
in the future, it will have instilled into the minds of the rising
generation a love for the beautiful and artistic that cannot fail
to have a beneficial effect on the community at lar.ge.
Houston has two good engraving companies, the Texas
Engraving Company and the Star Engraving Company, each
of which turns out a high grade of commercial art in designing
and engraving. Sam B. Kaiser has achieved success along
similar lines and as a cartoonist and Bert Blessington, the Post's
cartoonist and artist has made the public fully familiar with
his work. H. C. Norfleet does good work on similar lines, and
Will Allen, once of Houston, has attained success in New York
as a pen and ink artist.

CHAPTER XXII
Houston's Public Buildings

City's Early Court-Houses and Jails. The New County Court
House. Present County and City Jails. A Peripatetic Post
Office. The New Federal Building. The Viaduct. The City
Market House. The New Auditorium. The City Fire
Stations.

A small log cabin for a court house, a couple of tables under
an awning for a market, a back room in a small country store
for a postoffice. These were the places where the first affairs of
Houston and Harris County were looked after in the early days.
The first grand jury met behind a screen of bushes under a big
tree. At the same time the Congress of the Republic of Texas
was in session in a rough wooden structure on the site of the
present Rice Hotel.
It was in 1838, while Harris County was still called Harris
burg County, that the first court house was erected.
This court house was located on the corner of Con
gress Avenue and San Jacinto Street and faced Congress
Avenue. It was constructed of pine logs and was in two parts,
under one roof, separated by a gallery. Each of the two rooms
was about sixteen feet square, and the gallery was ten feet wide
In the rear were two small rooms, about ten feet square, which
were used by the county and district clerks.
The first jail as already narrated, was equally as primitive.
being constructed of heavy logs, hewn and mortised and was
practically a big box, having neither doors nor windows. There
was a hole in the roof and a prisoner passed into the jail through
the hole, down a ladder and then' the ladder was withdrawn.
There was no way to escape except by cutting through the thick
log walls. The jail was located at the corner of Congress Avenue

392 History of Houston, Texas
and Fannin Street and was surrounded by a high board fence.
Near the jail was a curfew bell which warned all negroes oil the
streets at 9 p. m. This bell was also used to sound fire alarms.
The first brick court house was built in 1850, and was located
about the middle of the block. It was two stories high and had
a cupalo. It had four entrances and was a small and cheap
concern, costing only $15,000, but was considered a grand struc
ture in those days.
The second brick court house was erected in 1859 and was
built near and fronting Congress Avenue. This building was
practically a three-story structure, having a large basement, used
to store records and such documents. This house, becoming
unsafe, was torn down and a larger one of similar design was
built nearly on the same site in 1869. An item of interest con
nected with the building that was torn down is the fact that
much of the brick and other suitable material was purchased
by Rev. Father Querat and used in the construction of the
Church of the Annunciation on Texas Avenue.
A third brick court house was erected in 1882, and was
placed farther back nearer the center of the block than its two
predecessors. It was quite an imposing structure, superior in
every way to the two that had preceded it. It stood longer, too,
but was torn down in 1908 to give place to the present magnifi
cent building.
An election was held April 22, 1907, and the county was
authorized to issue $1,000,000 in bonds for the purpose of
building a, new court house and building county roads. The
money was to be divided equally between the roads and court
house. So soon as the necessary legal preliminaries could be taken,
the contract for the new court house was let and work was begun.
The contract was a large one, and a large sum of money was
involved, but at no stage of the movement, from the moment that
it was decided to erect the building until it was completed and
thrown open to the public, was there a hint of "graft" or other
dishonesty, connected with it. The building cost, in round
figures, $450,000 unfurnished, and a glance over it will convince

Houston's Public Buildings 393
anyone that the people got full value for every dollar they paid
for it. It is no exaggeration to say that the Harris County
court house is a superb building. It is built of Texas granite,
St. Louis hydraulic pressed brick, marble, structural steel, bronze
and terra cotta, and it is one of the handsomest buildings to be
found anywhere. It is almost square, and is two hundred feet
high from the base to the dome. It is of beautiful architecture.
The large columns are of solid granite and have Corinthian
capitals. There are four broad flights of granite stairs, one on
each of the sides of the building, leading to the second story,
where are located the various county offices. The basement
is used as offices for the justices of peace and for other purposes.
The higher courts are located on the third floor. Everything
is admirably arranged for the comfort and convenience of the
occupants. The interior finish is in every way in keeping with
the beautiful exterior, and on the whole Harris County has
reason to be proud of its court house.
At the unoccupied corners of the block are neatly kept grass
plots, and surrounding the whole block is a low granite wall.
Rows of beautiful oak trees border all four sides of the block
within the granite wall. Those at the four corners are much
larger -than the others. The reason for this is that they were
planted by Mr. J. R. Morris, over a quarter of a century ago.
He planted them with his own hands, saying that he put them
there to serve as his monument and cause people to think of him
some time when they rested under their shade. The entrance
which is most used is that on Fannin Street.
The Harris County court house will meet all demands that
are likely to be' made on it for many years to come.
The court house was formally dedicated on Texas Independ
ence Day, March 2, 1911. The ceremonies were very elaborate
and impressive. Judge Wm. P. Hamblen, dean of the Harris
County bar, was unable to be present on account of his illness,
which terminated in his death three months later. In a letter
to the committee on arrangement, he said:
"Allow me to say that it would please me to be able to con
gratulate our people personally upon the completion of such a

394 History of Houston, Texas
handsome structure as we have reared for the accommodation
of our courts. At the time of the founding of Houston, 1836, I
doubt if there was in the United States a building that would
compare in architectural beauty and mechanical embellishments
with our court house. So far as I am concerned, having lived in
that day, I know of none ; and such a building now, in this day,
for a community like Houston, is an embellishment of which all
citizens should be proud. Moreover and especially have our
people a right to congratulate themselves upon the uniform integ
rity of those who have occupied judicial positions in Harris
County since the beginning of our history. There has not been
in all this time one suspicion of wrong doing by any of the
judicial officers of this county."
When the city built its first market house it erected a two-
story building on the Congress Avenue side of the building which
was a combination city hall and city jail. This was used by the
county for a number of years as a jail. Finally, in the late
fifties, the county erected a jail of its own, using for that purpose
a lot on the northeast corner of Preston Avenue and Caroline
Street opposite where the present police station now stands.
This old jail was a small affair. It was built of brick and was
two stories high, though the stories were so low that the building
had the appearance of being scarcely more than one story high.
The small windows and doors were grated but in no other way
was it a stronghold. For a time it did very well for the purpose
for which it was designed, but crime in Houston soon outgrew it
and it became something of an outrage on humanity and decency.
It had only six cells, each 10 by 12 feet and a ceiling only 9y2
feet high. In 1876 the Telegram denounced this Calcutta black
hole and stated that there were thirty-nine prisoners confined in
those six little cells. At the same time the Telegram stated
that the Harris County Commissioner's Court was trying to get
permission from the legislature to build a jail, as it was necessary
at that time, for counties to secure authority from the legislature,
there being no general law authorizing counties to construct jails,
or make similar improvements.
The editorial in the Telegram evidently stirred the com-

Houston's Public Buildings 395
missioners into action, for the construction of a new jail was
begun early in 1879, and the building was completed and turned
over to the county authorities in March, 1880. It was located
just across the street from the old jail on the southeast corner
of Preston Avenue and Caroline Street. The architect and super
intendent of construction, Eugine T. Heiner, stated in his final
report that the construction had cost $33,993. It was two
stories high and was more modern and up-to-date than any
similar structure in the state at that time. The exterior was of
Philadelphia pressed brick. The interior was divided into two
sections, the jail proper, containing fourteen iron cells or cages,
each 7 by 10 feet, and the annex portion containing
departments for women, invalid prisoners and juvenile offenders,
jailor's room, sheriff's office, reception chamber and cloak
room. These were all in the front part of the building occupy
ing all the ground floor, and also part of the second story. Each
room was supplied with gas, water and up-to-that-date conven
iences. While the interior of the structure was ornamented with
tile flooring and marble mantles, handsome chandeliers, etc., its
security of structure with supplementary doors to its massive
iron cages, was in striking contrast with the delicacy of its finish.
The jail proper was all iron cage work, the floors between the first
and second stories around the cages being of perforated iron. The
cells could be locked or unlocked singly or simultaneously by a
lever device. Besides, each cell door had an independent lock.
Water could be thrown through the entire system of cells.
On a frontal tablet was' the following inscription : C. Anson
Jones, county judge ; 0. C. Mulligan and James Harrington, com
missioners and building committee ; Eugine T. Heiner, architect ;
Campbell & Grainger, builders.
That jail, as large and modern as it was, soon became too
small. Then, too, that part of the city where it was located had
several residents who objected strenuously to having a jail, where
executions took place occasionally, so near them. It may be stated
here that the attic of the jail was so arranged that it could be used
as a place of execution and that it was actually used for that
purpose two or three times. Public opinion was aroused against

396 History of Houston, Texas
having the jail in that location and finally, in 1891, the commis
sioners court determined to purchase a new site and erect a new
and yet more modern jail. The block of ground at the foot of
Capitol Avenue was purchased and a large jail was con
structed on it. The building is nearly twenty years old. For
some years the Criminal District Court held its sessions there, a
large court room being one of the features of the building. When
the new court house was completed the Criminal Court was
moved to it and since then the building has been used for jail
purposes only. The cost of the ground and building was $150,-
000. Efforts were begun in 1911 to secure a larger and more
adequate building.
Soon after the completion of the present jail, the city pur
chased the old jail and converted it into police headquarters, and
city lock-up. On the second floor is located the city court which
holds two sessions each day.
Prior to 1890, the Houston postoffice was something of a
peripatetic affair being moved here and there to suit the con
venience of the postmaster. During the days of the Texas
Republic, a man by the name of Snell was postmaster, and he
located the postoffice on the west side of Main Street, between
Preston and Congress Avenues, in a small frame building that
was about the middle of the block. After Texas became a state,
a new postmaster was appointed and he removed the office down
to what was called the Mansion House, on the northeast corner
of Travis and Franklin, where the Southern Pacific Building is
now located. The next postmaster moved the office to the corner
of Main and Preston, where the Fox Building now stands. The
next move was to the northeast corner of Fannin and Congress.
The postoffice remained there for several years and was finally
moved across the street to the northwest corner. From here it
was moved to the rear of the Fox Building on Preston Avenue,
near the little alley on that block. Its next move was to the
Miller Building on the southeast corner of the same block. It
remained there only a short time, being removed to the Taylor
Building on the southwest corner of Preston and San Jacinto,
where it remained until 1890, when it was removed into its own

Houston's Public Buildings 397
building on the southeast corner of Fannin and Franklin. In
1888, Congress had appropriated $75,000 for the purpose of
building a postoffice at Houston and later added $15,000. With
this a site was purchased and a building erected which was com
pleted and occupied in 1890. In a short time the building was
found to be totally inadequate for the needs of the city and
substations had to be established. Ten years later Postmaster
Strong declared that he needed five times as much space as was
at his command. He made strong representation of his pressing
need for more facilities, with the result that a commission was
sent here from Washington, and, in 1903, a Hock of ground
between Rusk and Capitol Avenues and Caroline and San Jacinto
Streets, was purchased for $120,000 for the purpose of erecting a
postoffice and Federal Court building on it. There were several
appropriations made and there were also many changes in plans
until finally, in 1908, the appropriation was definitely fixed at
$400,000. Advertisements calling for bids for the work were
published in May, 1908. The building was to be erected on
Federal Square and was to be three stories high, and 170 by 121
feet in area, with quarters not only for the postoffice but for
the Federal Court and all Federal officials as well. The building
was not yet completed in September, 1911, and in the meantime
the business of Houston had increased so wonderfully and rapidly
that, it is said, when the building is completed, which will be
by January, 1912, it will be necessary to retain the substations,
there not being room enough in the new building to handle all
the mail. The new building, while not completed, is practically so,
needing only the finishing touches. It fronts 167 feet on San
Jacinto Street and has a depth of 120 feet. Its architecture is
massive, being a compromise of the Doric with more modern
forms. It is ornamented with marble balustrades and handsome
entrances and at various points are ornaments in harmony with
the general construction and design of the structure.
The approaches to the building have been made part of the
general design. There are walks and grass-plots in front and a
broad driveway in the rear. All of this has been worked out in

398 History of Houston, Texas
concrete, the entire block being covered with the same material
with the exception of the spaces left for grass plots.
To show the wonderful increase in the postoffice business at
Houston during the last ten years, the following statement is
given :

YEAR

BECEIPTS

INCREASE

PER CENT

1901

$118,180.93

1902

143,730.92

$25,549.99

22

1903

168,514.78

24,783.86

17

1904

194,102.44

25,587.66

15

1905

210,456.34

16,353.90

08

1906

230,410.13

19,953.79

10

1907

279,513.11

49,102.98

21

1908

302,721.95

23,208.84

08

1909

340,090.54

37,368.59

12

1910

400,880.21

60,789.67

18

1911

454,316.44

53,536.23

13

The building is exclusively for the use of Federal officials,
the lower floor being devoted entirely to the use of the postoffice
department. There is a main corridor on this floor running the
entire length of the building, with an electric elevator at each end.
This corridor is beautifully finished in oak and marble. The
postmaster and his assistants have offices on this floor, where
also are located the working departments of the postoffice. The
judicial departments are located on the second floor. There are
several court rooms, and offices, clerks' rooms and a law library.
There are also the offices of the several court officials such as
attorney and marshal, and the jury rooms.
On the third floor are the railroad mail department, internal
revenue, civil service, army and navy recruiting offices and the
offices of the attaches of the agricultural department.
From the beginning of construction the government has had
a supervising architect here and every detail of work has been
carefully inspected.
Another great public work that has just been started, is the
viaduct, connecting the south side of the city with the Fifth ward.
This is a magnificent piece of engineering work, and when com-

Houston's Public Buildings 399
pleted its benefits to the whole city, and the Fifth ward, particu
larly, will be very great. Work has commenced at the south
end of the viaduct, at the junction of Main Street and Commerce
Avenue. The structure will extend over Buffalo Bayou, and to
the west of the mouth of White Oak Bayou and will cross that
stream further on and extend far into the Fifth ward to a point
on Montgomery Avenue. The length of the viaduct is to be
1,500 feet and its width sixty feet. It is of steel and concrete
and when completed it will be one of the finest structures of its
kind in the country. Its estimated cost is $600,000. It is the
intention of the city to prosecute work rapidly so as to complete
the viaduct as quickly as possible, for the need for it is very
great. When completed all that part of the city lying north of
White Oak Bayou will be brought into rapid and easy commu
nication with the south side.
The story of Houston's market houses has been told else
where in these pages. There have been three or four, the two
last, preceding the present one, having been destroyed by fire.
The present market house is a combination of market house and
city hall. It is on the same location as its immediate predeces
sors but is, in every way, superior to them. The building is an
imposing structure and with its two lofty towers has become a
familiar landmark of Houston.
The ground floor is given over entirely to market purposes,
while the offices of the heads of the various city departments, and
the city council chamber are located on the second fioo;\ In the
center, facing Travis Street, is the entrance of concrete, below
and between the two towers. The second story walls are faced
in hydraulic brick with concrete trimmings. The large roof is
of slate. In the higher of the two towers is a clock with a dial
eight feet in diameter. The bell that strikes the hours and half
hours, was cast for the city in 1876, has passed through two fires
and consequently has sounded its own downfall on two occasions,
and is still as serviceable as when it was placed in the first tower.
The interior of the building is finished in natural pine. In the
central portion of each tower, stairways rise to halls that lead
to a broad hall running parallel with Travis Street and on either

400 History of Houston, Texas
side of the main and entrance halls are offices, while at the Pres
ton Avenue end of the building is the large council chamber,
whose walls are decorated with pictures of as many of the mayors
of Houston as it was possible to get.
The building is heated with steam and has electric lights.
it is not only a beautiful building but it is a very useful and
convenient one. Messrs. Geo. E. Dickey & Co., were the
architects and Thomas Lucas was the contractor, who built it.
Houston is proud of her public buildings and has a right to
be, for there are none finer in any Southern city and few super
ior anywhere. The present city administration has accomplished much good
in many ways, but it is doubtful if it could have done more to
advertise Houston and bring its name before the country, than
by erecting the auditorium. This is an advertising age and
cities as well as firms and individuals must do all in their power
to keep in the lime-light or be content to occupy a place behind
their more progressive competitors. The Houston auditorium
stands as the highest type of best advertising, and more than this
it is really a fine business investment on the part of the city, for
it is evident that one or two great conventions attracted here
by it, will leave in the city almost as much money as the enter
prise cost. This money is left with the people who are the real
owners of the auditorium, for it was built with the city's money.
After 1900 the growth of Houston was so rapid and the city
was so often called on to entertain large conventions that it
became evident that provision must be made for the proper care
of these. Houston's position as the great railroad center of the
state made it the natural convention center, and the demands on
its hospitality were growing. Recognizing that action must be
taken to meet this demand, the citizens determined to enlist the
city administration in a movement having in view the erection of
a large auditorium, ample enough to accommodate the largest
body that might choose to come here. The great importance
of the building was recognized by the commissioners, but they
were determined that it should be constructed out of current
funds of the city ; that no bonds or anything of that sort should

Houston's Public Buildings 401
be issued and that when completed the building should be abso
lutely free from debt. The attitude of the commission met with
public favor and indorsement, and on March 1, 1910, work was
commenced on the building and it was nearly completed when it
was dedicated to public righteousness by Rev. Dr. R. C. Buckner,
November 19, 1910, at the formal opening of the Baptist General
Convention of Texas, the first convention to hold its session in
the new building.
Mayor Rice was present and explained that the formal ded
ication would not take place until the building was absolutely
completed. The building is one of the largest and finest auditori
ums in the Southwest. It cost the city $235,000, and was a cash
transaction, not a dollar being owed on it when it was completed
and turned over to the city.
The building was planned after a committee of citizens had
visited many leading cities and inspected auditoriums and large
public halls. All the good features of these were noted, and it
was upon the recommendations of this committee that the archi
tects drew their plans. The result was the present superb build
ing whieh is more perfect and better fitted for its purposes than
any similar building in the country. It is located between Milam
and Louisiana Streets and Texas and Capitol Avenues, covering
the greater part of the block. It is constructed of pressed brick
with Bedford stone trimmings. There are entrances on Texas,
Louisiana and Capitol Avenues, with a driveway extending under
neath the building from Capitol to Texas Avenues. The building
fronts 250 feet on Louisiana Street and 150 feet on Texas and
Capitol Avenues. In addition to the main entrance there are a
number of small entrances, by means of which the building may
be emptied in a few moments. In case of a fire, the audience, even
if it were large enough to fill the hall, could get out of the build
ing before the fire department could respond to the alarm. There
is little danger of fire, however, for the building is as nearly fire
proof as it is possible to make it.
The main auditorium room will seat, comfortably, 7,000
persons, and the stage is one of the largest in the country. In

402 History of Houston, Texas
addition to the main hall, there are several smaller assembly
rooms where small conventions and committees can meet.
The Central Fire Station at the corner of San Jacinto and
Texas Avenue is said to be one of the most useful buildings of
its kind in the South. It cost only $30,000 but it is almost per
fect in detail and admirably suited for the purposes for which
it was designed. It is two stories high and, on the lower story,
has a floor space of 10,000 square feet. It extends 100 feet on
each of the streets named. Since. the building was erected for
practical use rather than for ornament, there is no particular
architectural adornment, yet it is a handsome building, con
structed of steel gray brick. There are three broad entrances on
each of the streets for the entrance and exit of the fire-fighting
machines, while at the rear there is a wagon entrance, so that
any machine returning to the building may enter that way and
be drawn forward to its usual position. The upper story is
given over to offices, a dormitory, a gymnasium and bath rooms.
The whole building is steam heated and lighted with electricity.
The chief of the fire department and his assistant have offices on
the first and second floors. The outlying fire stations are of
modern and scientific construction.

£ng by £"¦ & pt&tti'ns e£ £re J\Ty

CHAPTER XXIII
Architecture and Building

Tents and Log Huts Were First Buildings. Primitive American
Architecture. The First Brick Houses. The First Three-
Story House. The First Four-Story Hotel. The Latin
Influence. The First Six-Story Office Building. Effect of
Introducing the New Building Materials. Restrictions
Plaeed by Climate on Architecture. First Eleven-Story
Building. South Texas National Bank Building. The
Carter Building. First National Bank Building. The Union
National Bank Building. The Chronicle Building. South
western Telephone Building. New Union Station. Southern
Pacific Office Building. The Court House and the Federal
Building. Apartment Houses. The Bender Hotel. The
New Rice Hotel. Architecture of the Churches. Y. M. C.
A. Building. Suburban and Country Homes. The Wm.
M. Rice Institute. Houston Residences. Building Permits.

The early architecture of Houston was primitive in the
extreme, consisting as it did of a few tents, scarcely, if any
better than those of the Indians who made their homes in the
surrounding country. Then as the early Houstonians became
more fixed in their location they became more ambitious and a
few log cabins were erected, the first building of that kind whose
record has been preserved, being the old log jail. This was
merely a box made of hewn logs, and had neither doors nor
windows, access to it being possible only through a hole in its
top. There were other buildings before that, however, and there
were at least two board constructed, single-story buildings in
1837. One was the Indian trading post near the Preston Avenue
bridge, mention of which has been made elsewhere, and the other
was a one-story, one-room frame house, on the southeast corner
of Smith and Preston, which was purchased by Col. Nathan

404 ' History of Houston, Texas
Fuller, and formed the nucleus for the residence he built there.
It is a remarkable fact that the first hotel in Houston, des
tined to shelter presidents, ministers, senators and congressmen,
as well as scores of statesmen and great soldiers, should have been
a log cabin, while the first storehouse should have been a pre
tentious frame building, both erected in 1837. In those early
days "jack-leg" carpenters were in greater demand than skilled
architects. Renaissance, Gothic Styles, Pompeian effects, Flem
ish halls and such things were, if not unknown, uncared for. All
that was wanted was a house, so the architecture of that day
may be described as Primitive American. The tall steel-framed
building has come to be known as the distinctive American
style of architecture, but it is much truer that the distinctively
American style was the log cabin and the box-shaped frame house.
For several years after 1837 there were no other building
materials used than hewn logs and poorly dressed planks and
boards. Until 1845 there was not a brick house in the city. That
year Mr. Geo. Ennis and General Nichols built two small brick
houses, one on Main between Franklin and Commerce, and the
other alstf on Main near the corner of Congress Avenue. In 1852,
Mr. Paul Bremond erected a two-story brick building on Main
Street, and the next year Mr. B. A. Shepherd erected a two-
story brick building on the northeast corner of Main and Con
gress. These two buildings proved to be a little in advance of
the city's requirements, however, for the second story of each
was vacant for some time. These early, two-story structures
established the commercial style of architecture, and for four
or five years there were no more ambitious buildings than they.
Following a great fire in the winter of 1858-59, Mr. Wm.
Van Alstyne erected the first three-story brick building in Hous
ton, on the southeast corner of Main and Congress. At the same
time Mr. J. R. Morris erected the first four-story, iron-front
building about in the middle of the block on the east side of
Main. There were several other large buildings erected about
the same time, the principal one being a two-story brick erected
by Mr. J. T. D. Wilson, on the northwest corner of Main and
Congress. In 1859, Mr. Hutchins began the construction of

Architecture and Building 405
the Hutchins House, the large four-story brick hotel that stood
on the site of Houston's first hotel.
At this period of Houston's growth, the Latin influence,
transmitted from Spain and Southern France throughout Mexico
and the French colonies of the Mississippi Valley, began to
impress itself on commercial as well as domestic architecture in
Houston. There are still examples of this to be found here. The
old stores around Market Square have in many instances the
double gallery with cast-iron columns and balconies; the high
decorated window openings of the old French quarters and there
are a few notable examples of the low, heavy arches and under
rated walls of the Spanish type. These, with one or two ornately
carved doorways, form some of the most interesting links in
Houston's architectural development.
The first approach to the modern office building was in
1894 when the six-story Binz Building was erected on Main and
Texas Avenue. It is a connecting link between the old Houston
of the Republic of Texas and the modern great commercial and
industrial Houston of today. On January 15, 1886, one of the
landmarks of Houston was torn down and carted away, in ten
hours. This building stood near the corner of Main Street and
Texas Avenue, opposite the Rice Hotel, and was erected at the
same time that the Capitol was built and served as an adjunct
to that building, containing the offices of the Land Commissioner
and of some other of the state officials. It was, perhaps, the
third building erected in Houston, and was demolished by Mr.
Jacob Binz, the owner, to make place for the Binz Building,
which marked the first approach to fireproof construction by
the introduction of concrete, stone and steel as building materials
in Houston. Since then, wonders have been accomplished in the
construction of architecturally beautiful and commercially useful
buildings. t
But a greater and more far-reaching change was wrought
by the introduction of these new building materials. The
methods of the builders and contractors were revolutionized.
Before then, elements of chance and luck entered into every con
tract. Estimates of probable costs were based on so much material

406 History of Houston, Texas
at a roughly estimated, average cost, with an added profit for the
contractor. With the introduction of stone, concrete and steel,
all that was changed and modern scientific methods of man
agement became supreme. Building materials became staple
articles, obtainable when, and in as large quantities, as wanted.
Business stability was assured and the contractors were enabled
to employ scientific methods in their undertakings. Fluctuations
in the value of lumber, brick, cement and even of labor became
less marked and the intelligent contractor was enabled to figure
his costs on a structure involving millions of dollars, with far
more accuracy than could the old contractor have done on one
involving only a few thousands. The scientific builder became
the successful builder who left scarcely anything to chance. The
old "rule of thumb" methods were superseded by scientific
planning and the careful working out of details on paper so that
the costs could be properly and accurately estimated and the
multitude of materials accurately manufactured, some at great
distance from the site, and yet all assembled with a degree of
accuracy that is the real secret of good and rapid construction.
The changes brought about in architecture were less far-
reaching than were those in building, for aside from the greater
opportunities for decoration and ornamentation afforded by the
new material, there were other things, such as climate, whieh had
great restrictive influence. A building however beautiful and
architecturally perfect, suitable for New York or any of the other
Northern cities, would be entirely out of place and unsuitable for
Houston. The choice of designs has therefore been somewhat
limited and excepting one or two of the public buildings, one or
two apartment houses and four or five churches, small effort
has been made to secure outside architectural beauty except
along well known and oft-repeated lines.
The tall buildings belong to a class all their own, a type
common to the whole country, but they are peculiarly adapted
to a hot climate because they lift their occupants above the heat
and dust of the streets, and Houston has been quick to avail her
self of the advantages they offer. She now has twenty-five,
ranging from six to sixteen stories in .height.

Architecture and Building 407
The Scanlan Building, the first eleven-story building in
Houston was erected on the site of another historical spot. It
occupies the site of the President's Mansion when Texas was a
Republic, and the Rice Hotel is now being demolished to make
room, on the site of the Capitol of the Republic of Texas, for an
18-story hotel, mentioned elsewhere.
The South Texas National Bank Building stands as a mon •
ument to the art and skill of the architects and builders of
Houston. Hampered and embarrassed by the fact that the pro
posed building would occupy an inside lot, thus affording but a
limited field for accomplishment, it was imperative to employ the
best possible design and to use the richest and most attractive
materials. The style of architecture adopted is rather hard to
describe, being a Grecian Doric with a composite combina
tion. The front is absolutely plain, but is made very attractive
by the material used, it all being of white Georgia marble. The
cornices and other ornaments are carved out of solid marble,
which is an unusual feature.
The four columns supporting the main pediment are turned
from solid slabs of marble, the shafts of each, exclusive of base
and cap, being twenty-two feet long. Only the best mechanical
skill was employed in constructing this front and from the stand
point of masonry it is doubtful if the work has its equal in the
South. The interior of the building is in keeping with the beauty
of its exterior. Only the finest imported marble was used in
the construction of counters and columns. The ornamental bronze
work is especially attractive and blends beautifully and harmo
niously with its marble surroundings.
One of the most attractive features of the interior is the
arched ceiling over the main lobby, which affords splendid light
ing throughout the first and second stories, and at the same time
creates a beautiful decorative scheme. The most skillful artists
were employed in decorating the building and the results obtained
by them is pleasing both in detail and as a whole.
Dallas and Waco each has a taller building than the Carter
Building in Houston but neither has so complete an office building

408 History of Houston, Texas
as this is. It is one of the strongest buildings in the state and is
absolutely fireproof. It is a steel frame structure, sixteen stories
in height, and has, in addition, a basement, storage vault floor
and roof garden, making it practically a seventeen-story building.
The foundation and steel frame are so constructed that five or
six additional stories may be put on if desired.
There are four elevators having a speed of 600 feet per
minute and provision is made for more elevators should they
be needed. The building has a frontage on Main Street of 102 feet and
on Rusk Avenue of 103 feet from grade to top of parapet. The
entire base course of the building is of polished Texas granite.
Resting on this and extending to the top of the windows of the
second story are large Bedford stone columns with architraves
around the second story windows at the ends of the building of
terra cotta to match the stone. The third and fourth story
belts and piers are terra cotta to match the brick and stone. All
the window sills and belts are ornamental terra cotta up to the
fifteenth story. Kittanning brick, of uniform size and cream
color, vitreous and unglazed and strictly waterproof are used
on both street fronts of the building, thus giving it the same
appearance from either street, and the shade of the terra cotta,
stone and brick was made especially to harmonize. The sixteenth
story belt course and the drop ornaments between the fifteenth
and sixteenth stories are of highly ornamented terra cotta artis
tically modeled, the chenau to cornice being of copper and illum
inated with bull's-eye electric globes.
The main basement entrances are finished with marble and
bronze railings. The lobby entrance has ornamental bronze doors,
sidelights and transoms, executed in bronze glazed with highly
polished French plate glass, and the floor of the lobby is of
marble and laid out in elaborate patterns to correspond with the
design of the ceiling. The walls of the lobby entrance from the
floor to a point twelve feet high are wainscoted with polished
Italian and Norwegian marble, and the base, at the floor line, is
polished Timos 'marble, and the pilasters are of green Italian
marble. There are fifteen office floors each elegantly finished,

Architecture and Building 409
having highly polished, pencil-veined Italian marble wainscoting
three feet and six inches high and terrazzo and marble floors. All
the offices are well lighted and ventilated and provided with elec
tric fans, base plugs, electric lights, illuminating gas and wash
basins. There are also numerous drinking fountains supplied
with constantly circulating ice water.
There is a complete vacuum cleaning system all over the
building. The building has its own water supply whieh comes
from a large artesian well located in the basement and yields
300,000 gallons daily. In addition to its water supply, the build
ing also has its own heating and electric light plants. It is
owned by Mr. S. F. Carter, president of the Lumbermens
National Bank.
The First National Bank Building, though only eight stories
high, is unlike other tall buildings in that it has a great floor
space and covers more ground than any of the others. It has a
fine frontage on Main Street and extends back over half a
block on Franklin Avenue. In addition to that it has an ell that
extends back towards the middle of the block, thus making its
ground area very great. The building itself is one of the finest
in the Southwest. It is eight stories in height, the entire ground
floor being devoted to banking purposes, and it is said to be
the largest bank home in the South.
The building is of reinforced concrete steel frame construc
tion and is absolutely fireproof. Its exterior is handsome, being
of gray brick and terra cotta, with beautiful marble columns and
tablets suitably arranged and placed. The halls and corridors
are paved with inlaid tiling and marble.
The building has its own water supply, derived from a large
artesian well, and also has its own electric light and heating
plant. Its office equipments are complete and thorough, there
being electric fans, electric lights, gas and hot and cold water in
each office, while there are drinking fountains of running ice
water in all the halls and corridors. The building is cleaned by
the vacuum air process.
The elevator equipment is in keeping with everything in the

410 History of Houston, Texas
building and represents a late and high type of electrical machin
ery in use for elevator service.
The twelve-story, concrete, steel, granite and brick building
of the Union National Bank -just completed, on the northwest
corner of Congress Avenue and Main Street, is one of the most
attractive and ornamental structures in the city. It is a sky
scraper, but is one in name only, for it is so artistically designed
and its architecture is so perfect, that it is free from that in
describable something which attaches to all isolated and exces
sively high buildings and leaves one with a sense of the incon
gruous. The building is twelve stories high, but with the basement it
is really a thirteen-story building, while the first story is of
almost sufficient height to be counted as two instead of one.
The basement and ground floor are occupied by the bank
itself, the basement being fitted up as elegantly as are the other
floors of the building. Here are located the safety vaults, wait
ing rooms, ladies' and gentlemen's private rooms and everything
for the comfort and convenience of the patrons of the bank.
The whole of the first or ground floor is devoted to the use
of the bank. Its finish is elegant and perfect. Its decorations
are of marble, bronze, brass and ornamental iron work so artis
tically and skillfully combined as to secure a charming effect.
There is a lightness and airiness, combined with richness and
stability that is very pleasing. A striking feature is the great
amount of light — sunlight — that floods the place. There is not
a dark corner nor a single place on the whole floor where artificial
light is needed. This same thing is true of other portions of the
building, for there are two broad and two narrow windows in
each office admitting light and fresh air.
There are eleven stories above the ground floor, all devoted
to offices, arranged singly and en suite, thus making it one of
the most complete and up-to-date bank and office buildings in
the country. The building has its own artesian water supply, its own
electric plant; its own heating and ventilating apparatus and is
thus rendered independent of outside utilities for everything

Architecture and Building 411
that tends to the comfort and convenience of its tenants. It is
heated by steam in the winter and cooled with chilled air in the
summer. Including the ground the building cost almost exactly
$1,000,000. It is the cost of the ground rather than any desire to
get up in the air that is responsible for the high buildings of
today. The Houston Chronicle's skyscraper affords a splendid
illustration of the truth of this. The paper needed for its
own use a building of at least three stories in height. For its
press-room, store-room, composing room, and offices for its
various departments such a building was an absolute necessity.
A suitable three-story building would cost about $150,000, while
the ground on which it was proposed to erect it would cost
about $400,000. This was not to be considered seriously for a
moment, and to overcome the prohibitive difficulty, the Chronicle
built the three stories for itself and then added on seven more
stories of attractive offices, as revenue producers. It is true
that the building cost nearer $300,000, than the original $150,000,
but instead of a purely useful and exceedingly expensive building
producing no revenue, the Chronicle now has one of the hand
somest combination newspaper and office buildings in the South,
over two-thirds of which is revenue producing.
This building deserves more than passing notice. It is
fireproof and is ten stories high with a basement story under
ground. It has a floor space of about 100,000 square feet, or
nearly two and one-half acres. Its construction embodies a
frame of reinforced concrete with walls of brick. It is a
strikingly beautiful building, having a base of polished Texas
granite, surrounded by enameled brick of dark green, end
ing with a projecting course of glazed terra cotta. Above this to
the roof line, the building is of pure white enameled brick, orna
mented with belt courses.
The interior finish is in every way in keeping with the beauty
of the exterior. The halls and corridors have floors of pink

412 History of Houston, Texas
Tennessee marble and wainscoting of white Italian marble with
black marble base.
The entire building is steam heated, has a system of ice
water drinking fountains, electric ceiling fans, electric and gas
lights, mail chutes, telegraph and telephone facilities, hot and
cold artesian water from its own wells and a vacuum cleaning
system. Duplex geared elevators with a speed of 400 feet per
minute serve the building.
The building is located on the northwest corner of Travis
and Texas Avenue. Work on its construction was begun October
14, 1908, and it was completed and occupied in February, 1910.
The best example of structures designed for special purposes
is the seven-story fireproof building of the Southwestern Tele
phone Company. The design follows the practice recently
adopted in Houston, namely the use of light colored material for
exterior decoration of office buildings. The first two floors are
faced with limestone, while the remaining floors are of light gray
brick and terra cotta. A feature, especially noticeable, is the
ample window area which insures plenty of light and ventilation
for the operators.
The extension of the telephone service has been considered
and the building is large enough to care for double the number
of subscribers it has at present, and, in addition to this, the steel
frame has been made heavy enough to sustain five more stories.
At an expenditure of $1,250,000 the Houston Belt and
Terminal Railway Company have given to the city a public
benefit most meritorious. The Union Station is commodious.
It is bounded on the east and west by Hamilton and Crawford
Streets, and on the north and south by Prairie and Texas
Avenues. The appointments are modern. The finishings are expensive
and artistic. Thoroughly comfortable, pleasing to the sight,
and with every convenience of modern invention, there are
larger terminal stations than the Union of Houston, Texas,
but none more replete in the things that make for the ease of
the traveling public.
Construction work was begun on the building in September,

Architecture and Building 413
1909, and the completed station was opened to the public March
1, 1911. There are eight tracks and four train sheds included in the
facilities of the Union Station and 125 passenger coaches can
be accommodated at one time.
The structure is fireproof and of stone, brick and concrete
with steel supports. It is three stories high, the upper floors
being used as general offices.
The owning companies are five and the present tenants of
the station of the same number.
Probably the best railroad office building in the Southwest,
if not in the entire South, is that of the Southern Pacific
Railway Company at the corner of Franklin and Travis Streets.
This new structure rears its head nine stories above ground
and is erected on a lot that extends 145 feet along Franklin and
174 feet along Travis Street. There is a basement, a sub-
basement and still a third basement below the engine room,
making in all, 12 stories. The building cost $700,000.
Work was started September 1, 1910, and completed
October, 1911.
The building is largely of steel and reinforced construction
throughout. All the floors are of reinforced concrete. The steel
work is encased in concrete. Fireproof tilling is extensively
used. The third and fourth floors will be rented for office
purposes, and part of the first floor will be rented for store
purposes. The building is equipped with its own refrigerating
plant. The Court House, while one of the most substantially con
structed buildings to be found anyhere, still belongs to what is
known as court-house architecture. In this instance, however,
the architect had much to contend with as is shown by the follow
ing extract from the Southern Architectural Review in which the
architects explain some of them: "In the development of the
architectural scheme for the Harris County Court House, certain
requirements were laid down in the program of the competition
which led to the choosing of the style of architecture, which had
we been free, would perhaps have been developed along different

414 History of Houston, Texas
lines. But such specific demands as 'A large dome' and 'Col-
umnated facades' could hardly be disregarded. However, in
order to give structural integrity to the building we made them
of masonry bearings rather than torture classic columns with
steel structural members. ' ' The building is very beautiful and is
very useful as well. Houston's public buildings are described
in a chapter devoted to that purpose.
The new Federal Building is a typical government building,
fashioned on classic Roman lines, a style adopted very generaUy
throughout the country for such buildings.
It occupies an entire block of ground and is of white stone
with golden oak finish throughout, and cost the government
about $450,000. Federal Square is almost in the heart of the
city, being bounded by Capitol, San Jacinto, Rusk and Caroline
Streets, and only two blocks from Main Street.
The corridors are of marble, the staff work is of the finest,
an electric vacuum cleaning system with pipes extending to
every part of the building has been installed and the work rooms
are light and airy. The building is fireproof throughout and is
both impressive and beautiful.
Houston's apartment houses are somewhat in a class by
themselves, for they are, in many respects, different from those
of other cities. The architects have taken advantage of the tall
buildings and arranged the light courts so as to make the most of
the prevailing southern breeze. The Rossonian is a fine illustration
of the idea; it stands as a perfect type of the apartment house
for this climate, and is the most exclusive apartment house in the
entire South. In fact, in ranks on even terms with the best
afforded by New York, Chicago and other large cities of the East
and Middle West. Since its opening in the spring of 1911, the
Rossonian has been the scene of many functions. The building
stands seven stories and basement high, on Fannin Street, oppo
site the new Young Men's Christian Association Building, and
over $500,000 was expended in its erection. So thoroughly up-
to-date is the Rossonian that in each suite of rooms there is an
individual, up-to-date ice plant. This is but one of the many
novel features and innovations.

Architecture and Building 415
There are a total of 74 apartments, together with handsomely
appointed reception rooms and hallways. The Rossonian has a
private roof garden, which is extensively patronized by the smart
set of Texas during the warmer months.
The contractors of the Rossonian were the Fred A. Jones*
Building Company. The firm of Sanguinet & Staats did the
architectural work.
The Savoy Flats, located at Main Street and Pease Avenue,
were opened in 1909 and since that time have been exceedingly
popular among those who seek modern apartment houses. The
building is of seven stories and contains 19 housekeeping
apartments, together with four bachelor's apartments. The cost
of the land upon which the flats stand and the cost of construction
was a trifle less than $200,000, but that is the present valuation
of the property.
Throughout the apartments the steel and conduit system
of refrigeration is employed, thus affording an individual ice
making plant in each apartment.
In the Beaconfield Apartments the people of Houston were
given an apartment house par excellence and a building that
stands out prominently as one of the best in the city. It is
eight stories high and was opened October, 1911. The cost of
construction was $150,000.
These apartments stand at the corner of Main Street and
Pease Avenue. They are of reinforced concrete and steel con-
*Fred A. Jones, president of The Fred A. Jones Company and
of the Fred A. Jones Building Company, has accomplished great
things in the way of giving concrete beauty and stability to Houston's
rapid growth. As the head of the Fred A. Jones Building Company
his taste and talents and executive ability have found expression in
a group of the most beautiful and modern structures of Greater
Houston. Fred A. Jones is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Jones of
Bonham, Texas. His father was a lumberman and came to Texas
with William Cameron. His brothers are Hon. Frank C. Jones of
the firm of Gill & Jones, a former law partner of Governor Hogg, a
brilliant lawyer and a thirty-third degree Mason, and C. A. Jones,
a successful merchant of north Texas.
The subject of this sketch was born at Dallas, Texas, August 23,
1875. His childhood was spent in Bonham, Texas, where at the age
of 15 he graduated from Fannin "College, an academy. He then
attended Richmond College, Virginia, where he took the degree of
B. A., in 1894. At college he became a member of the Alpha Kappa

416 History of Houston, Texas
struction throughout and fireproof. Lines employed in the
most modern buildings of the kind were followed out.
The building contains 16 large suites. In each suite there
are six main rooms, two screened balconies, and each suite is
supplied with a private bath. The rooms are larger than is
usually the case in an up-to-date apartment house and the
scheme of ventilation could not be improved upon.
The following is a complete list of Houston's modern apart
ment houses:
Rossonian, Fannin Street and McKinney Avenue; The
Beaconsfield, Main Street and Pease Avenue; The Heisig, San
Jacinto Street and Rusk Avenue ; The Oxford, Fannin Street and
Clay Avenue; The Montrose Apartments, Clay Avenue; The
Colonial, Lamar Avenue ; The Leona, Walnut Street ; The Wilson
Apartments, Polk Avenue; The Gables, McKinney Avenue; The
Butler Flats, Rusk Avenue and Fannin Streets; The Ivanhoe,
La Branch Street and Lamar Avenue; Waverly Terrace, Milam
Street and Lamar Avenue ; The Warrington, Fannin Street and
Bell Avenue ; The Archer, Lamar Avenue and Louisiana Street ;
The McAshan Flats, Main Street; The McAshan Apartments,
Main Street and Clay Avenue; The Leeland, Leeland Avenue
and Caroline Street ; The Sternenberg, Milam Street and Walker
Avenue ; The Hirseh Flats, Crawford Street and Polk Avenue ;
The Hirseh Apartments, McGowan Avenue and Fannin Street ;
The Seigle Flats, La Branch Street, near Congress Avenue ; The
Chapter of Beta Theta Pi. Following a professional course at Cornell
he received, in 1898, the degree of Electrical and Mechanical
Engineer. Then came miscellaneous engineering and surveying in north
Texas, alter which, in January, 1900, he entered the Student's Course of
the General Electric Company at Schnectady, N. Y., because, as he says,
he found that he was unable to solve quickly enough, the problems
presented to him in his miscellaneous, civil, electrical and mechanical
engineering practice in north Texas. He remained two years with
the General Electric Company, spending about one year each in the
Testing Department, and in the Railway Engineering Department.
Before leaving this company, which is the largest electrical manu
facturing concern in the world, he was sent out on several occasions
to analyze and report on the engineering features of street railway
properties, and returned to his native state with the friendship and
endorsement of a number of the company's officials.
In January, 1902, after a study of the various cities of Texas,
Mr. Jones opened an office in Houston, with practically no capital,

Architecture and Building 417
Levy Flats, Travis Street and Rusk Avenue; The Savoy, Main
Street and Pease Avenue; The Corona, Walker Avenue, near
Main Street; The Griffin Flats, Louisiana Street, near Polk
Avenue; The Ross Flats, Walker Avenue and Louisiana Street;
The Cawthon, Main Street and Walker Avenue; The Darlington,
Lamar Avenue and Crawford Street.
The past few years have been peculiarly rich in the produc
tion of modern buildings, excellent in design, substantial in
character and useful to the last degree in their respective fields.
Houston's new ten-story hotel, known as the Hotel Bender,
is one of the most elegant and artistically finished buildings in
the South. It is ten stories in height with full basement. It is
of brick, concrete and steel construction and is fireproof in every
way. Its architecture is somewhat different from that usually
employed in skyscraper buildings, and an effort has been success
fully made to add to the exterior attractions almost as much as
to those of the interior. The style adopted for the exterior is
Grecian Doric with touches of Italian Renaissance, the whole
being commercialized to meet the requirements of local conditions
*
and modern hotel conveniences.
The exterior color scheme is very pleasing, being composed
of rich and expensive material, granite base work, columns, terra
cotta trimmings and velvet red brick, all of the best of their
respective kinds, while the workmanship is of the highest order.
But the interior shows best the skill and good taste of the
but with ambition, determination to succeed, and unlimited energy.
He operated as Consulting Engineer, building the Southern Pacific
Terminal Company's power station at Galveston; Corsicana Gas &
Electric Company's power station and a number of other plants, and
making numerous engineering reports, until January, 1907, when The
Fred A. Jones Company was formed with an authorized capital of
$250,000. This Company has built the Dallas-Sherman Interurban,
two state railroads, a number of power stations, irrigation plants, etc.,
and is just completing the White Rock Reservoir for the city of
Dallas. Mr. Jones, with characteristic foresight, anticipated the present
era of heavy building construction and called to him men of the
highest class from those parts of the country which had done the
most in the way of modern building construction. In 1909 he
incorporated these into a highly efficient working organization
entitled the Fred A. Jones Building Company, Louis Robert Barras
being vice-president and general manager. Mr. Barras is a man of

418 History of Houston, Texas
architect, and the art of the decorator. The main lobby is
carried out in the Grecian Doric order correctly. Selected marble
and solid bronze ornamental work has been used freely in the
decorative scheme, while the Mezzanine balconies overlooking the
lobby are very attractive.
The dining room is constructed strictly and correctly in
Louis XVI style supplying all the elaborate details required by
that style. It is beautifully decorated in French coloring and
the sixteen or eighteen panels above the mirror line are hand
decorated in oil from French scenes during the time of Louii
XVI. This dining room is really a work of art and is one of the
most elaborate and expensive rooms of its kind to be found any
where. The kitchen service is strictly up-to-date in every respect.
The large Dutch grill room in the basement is one of the striking
features of the building. It is thoroughly lighted, ventilated and
beautifully decorated in Dutch design. The furniture is all
Dutch. There is a very complete gas grill made entirely of
copper, nickel plate, tile and plate glass.
The parlors are located on the second floor, facing the eleva
tors and are furnished in Louis XVI style. On the tenth floor
a large banquet and ball room is located, having special reception
rooms for ladies and gentlemen. The decorations of the ball
room are very elaborate, the decorative scheme being that of
Louis XVI. Special furniture and other equipments have been
provided, all in keeping with the style of the room. There are
unusual building experience and ability, having constructed numerous
tall buildings in both the East and West.
This company has met with marked success and has constructed
among other buildings, the Bender Hotel, the Rossonian Apartments,
the Sunset Hospital, the Southwestern Telephone Building, the First
Church of Christ, Scientist, all in Houston; the new Country Club
in Dallas, which is not only the finest structure of its kind in the
South, but one of the best in the whole country.
In 1911, . a branch office was opened in Birmingham, Ala., and
the construction of the twenty-story American Trust Savings Bank
and office building was undertaken, at the same time a branch office
in southwest Texas was established to care for the construction of
the Nueces Hotel at Corpus Christi and the Southwestern Telephone
Exchange at the same place.
On September 5, 1910, M^ Jones was married to Miss Gussie
Holland, of Dallas. Miss Holland is the daughter of Hon. Frank
P. Holland, formerly Mayor of Dallas, the owner of "The Farm &
Ranch" and "Holland's Magazine."

Architecture and Building 419
two private dining rooms on the tenth floor also, each beautifully
finished. There is also dining space on the roof, where 1here is
a charming roof garden.
There are 260 rooms nearly every one having a private bath.
In addition there are twelve large sample rooms. Tlie furniture
of the rooms is solid mahogany.
Mechanical devices also are strictly up-to-date. The build
ing is equipped with automatic air-washing and coolmg and
ventilating machines which do away with the use of unsightly
electric fans. The heating for winter is equally as effective as the
cooling for summer. The elevator service is first class and in
keeping with the magnificence of the building. The cost of the
building, exclusive of the cost of the ground was $600,000.
In the construction of the new Rice Hotel the architects have
been given something of a free hand, and when completed, while
its exterior will not differ greatly from the ordinary skyscraper,
its interior will be all that the most fastidious taste could demand.
Towering eighteen stories above a two-story basement and
crowned by a handsome tile roof garden, it will be, to the very
last detail, a type of the great modern hotel. The main entrance
on Texas Avenue, and the side entrance on Main Street will open
into the splendid lobby of white Italian marble surmounted by
artistic mural decorations, with a ceiling of picturesque frescoing.
Adjoining the office will be the rooms occupied by telephone
booths, telegraph offices, a carriage office and well appointed writ
ing rooms and library, and to the rear of these will be the grill
and bar. There are to be four cafes, beautifully decorated and
Mr. Jones, while a successful business and professional man,
has never subordinated his life to mere success in business. He has
taken an active and prominent part in social and club affairs wherever
he has been. He is an excellent golf player, a fine host and a
charming after-dinner speaker, and withal is fond of home and devoted
to his family interests. He has a well selected and well read library.
Mr. Jones is a fine type of the new Southern Gentleman, combining
the high sense of honor and the personal charm of manner of the
old-time Southerner with exceptional business ability and energy.
Perhaps, on the whole, he owes most of his success to those old
family traits which have caused him to act always with absolute
integrity to a client's interest, regardless of his own apparent welfare,
although he will insist that his success is due entirely to the talent
and loyalty of the men around him.

420 History of Houston, Texas
fulfilling all needs, from the gentlemen's grill and breakfast room,
to the elegant palm room and dining hall, all arranged and located
to best serve the convenience of all classes of patrons. In addition
to these there will be the private dining rooms, in size and
appointment suitable to the smallest dinner party or to the most
elaborate banquet. One of the most marked features will be
the great banquet hall and concert room. This will be so arranged
that it will serve both for private and public entertainments.
The building will have 525 rooms, 450 of them having private
baths. Adequate elevator service will be provided. A new
feature will be the establishing of kitchens on every floor for the
purpose of serving meals in the rooms.
The roof garden will be a garden in fact and not one alone
in name. Situated at a height of about 300 feet above the noise
and bustle of the streets, with ornamental lights, flowers, palms
and an excellent orchestra it will be a most attractive spot. From
basement to top the new hotel will be constructed for the comfort
and convenience of its guests, and when completed, will be
one of the finest and most beautiful hotel buildings in the South.
The building will front about 175 feet on Texas Avenue -
and about 125 feet on Main Street. Including the ground, the
entire cost will be in the neighborhood of $3,500,000, the con
struction alone being $2,000,000. Mr. Jesse H. Jones is the
moving spirit in this great undertaking, as he has been in so many
others that had for their object the upbuilding of this city.
The success of the Houston architects in getting away from
the stereotype church architecture has been marked, as is evi
denced by the number of original and beautiful edifices they have
constructed. Probably the most interesting group of ecclesiastical build
ings in the city is the Christ Church group. This is composed of
the church proper, parish house and rectory. The ehurch is of the
perpendicular Gothic, executed in red brick and sandstone. The
other buildings are of the same general order, modified some
what to meet the limitations of the brick with which they are
built. Incongruous as are their surroundings, the vine-covered
church and rectory, with the deep cloister of the parish house

Architecture and Building 421
between, form an architectural group that has no superior in
Houston. The First Church of Christ, Scientist, is another beautiful
building, distinctive in design. Its architecture is Roman Doric,
which has been adhered to very closely. It is constructed of
stone, terra cotta and gray brick. The setting of the building
is fine, for it is surrounded by large trees that lend a color and
charm that are very pleasing.
In the St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church the architec
tural lines follow those of the Italian renaissance, though the
building, as a whole, is patterned after the Roman temples. The
dome is Byzantine.
The First Methodist Church follows the early English
Gothic, adhering to that architectural scheme, both within and
without, with absolute fidelity.
The Central Christian Church is an adaptation of the Roman.
The Temple Beth Israel is Byzantine though patterned after
an Americanized version of that style adopted by many Jewish
synagogues over the country.
The First Presbyterian Church, while following the Italian
renaissance architecture shows clearly other influences. It is
considered one of the most unique structures of its kind in the
South, for while the Gothic architecture always calls for the lofty
tower, this church has the tower, but instead of employing the
Teutonic influence the architect has used that of the very early
Roman. The Church of the Annunciation is strictly Italian Gothic.
With the advent of suburban additions, beautified by land
scape effects, an architecture representing a new manner of living
and action has come and is gradually transforming the appear
ance of the city. The country club was the first step in that
direction and has served as an example for much that has fol
lowed in the movement towards suburban and country homes.
Among the handsome new buildings is the Y. M. C. A.,
an exclusive association building, on McKinney Avenue and
Fannin Street. It is modernly equipped in all its appointments
and cost $200,000. It was erected in 1907-08.

422 History of Houston, Texas
The building is five stories in height and includes a
magnificent lobby and reading room on the first floor, gym
nasium, bowling alleys, swimming pool, handball court, baths,
lockers and dressing rooms and a full athletic complement. On
the second and part of the third floors* are assembly rooms, study
and class rooms. A part of the third floor and all of the
fourth and fifth are devoted to apartments for men. In all
there are ninety-one rooms, providing ample accommodations
for about 125 men. All of the rooms are uniform in size and
are neatly furnished according to a man's notion of comfort.
Light colored pressed brick and marble were used in its
construction. It contains 66,000 square feet of floor space and
is the largest Association building in the South.
The question of architecture was one of the first problems
that confronted the board of trustees of the Wm. M. Rice Insti
tute. They early decided that the new institution should be
housed in architecture worthy of the founder's high aims, and
upon this idea they entered with no lower ambition than to
establish on the campus of the institution a group of buildings
conspicuous alike for their beauty and their usefulness, which
should stand not only as a monument to the founder's philan
thropy but also as a distinct contribution to the architecture of
our country. With this end in view they adopted a general
architectural plan embodying the educational program which had
been adopted by the institute. Such a general plan, exhibiting
in itself the most attractive elements of the architecture of Italy,
France and Spain, was adopted by the board in 1910.
Immediately thereafter plans and specifications for an
administration building were prepared and the contract awarded.
Soon after the contract for the mechanical laboratory, machine
shop and power house was let. The architecture of the Adminis
tration Building shows borrowings from the best periods of many
southern countries. Round Byzantine arches on cloistered walks,
exquisite brick work of Dalmation design are features, together
with Spanish and Italian elements in profusion ; all in a richness
of color permissible nowhere save in a climate similar to that of
south Texas. The dominant tone is established by the use of a

Architecture and Building 423
local pink brick, a delicately tinted marble from the Ozark
Mountains and Texas granite, though the color scheme under
goes considerable variation by the free use of tiles and foreign
marbles. To meet the local climatic conditions there are in the
building many windows and loggias and a long, broad cloister
open to the prevailing winds.
The Laboratory is to be a two-story, fireproof building 200
feet long and forty feet deep, with a cloistered walk extending
its full length on the court side, and will be built of materials
similar to those in the Administration Building. The machine
shop, adjoining the Mechanical Laboratory in the rear connects
it with the power house. The lofty campanile of this group,
visible for miles in every direction, will be the most conspicuous
tower of the institute. These with the students' hall are the
only buildings under construction at present, but when all are
completed, the harmonious architectural effect will be seen to
advantage and will form one of the greatest, external attrac
tions of this great institution.
Houston is rapidly becoming a city of beautiful homes, and,
judging by the record made within the four years ending July
31, 1911, the growth and expansion in building have just begun.
The records of the building inspectors office show that during the
fiscal year, ending February 28, 1907, $892,000 was spent on
residences in Houston, while the same records show that during
the year ending February 28, 1911, $1,200,000 was spent on
residences. The records show that during the last decade Hous
tonians have invested $9,000,000 in homes of all kinds, from the
humble cottage to the palatial residence. Of the latter class
Houston has some of the most beautiful and expensive in the
South. In the fashionable sections of the city are residences that
have cost from $50,000 to $75,000 and quite a number of others
whose cost was very little below these figures. All styles of archi
tecture and all kinds of building material have been used. There
has been a great variety of taste shown, with a result that is
really pleasing since it prevents anything like monotony or
sameness. During the year closing July 31, 1911, there
were 931 permanent permits for buildings and im-

424 History of Houston, Texas
provements issued at the city hall, classified as follows:
One nine-story steel office building, to cost $512,793.00; one
twelve-story steel bank and office building, to cost $400,000.00;
one ten-story hotel building, to cost $30,000.00; one seven-story
telephone building, to cost $150,000.00 ; one eight-story apartment
house, to cost $100,000.00 ; one six-story reinforced concrete build
ing, to cost $77,850.00; one six-story brick and steel hotel build
ing, to cost $70,000.00; one church (Sacred Heart), to cost
$56,000.00 ; one three-story cold storage plant, to cost $50,000.00 ;
one ehurch (Christian Science), to cost $38,800.00; one two-story
telephone building, to cost $33,000.00; one four-story concrete
warehouse, to cost $26,000.00; one three-story brick building, to
cost $25,000.00; one two-story depot and car shed, to cost $20,-
000.00; one two-story brick warehouse, to cost $18,000.00; one
three-story reinforced concrete wagon factory, to cost $18,000.00 ;
one four-story brick building, to cost $17,000.00 ; one three-story
reinforced concrete coffee plant, to cost $15,000.00; one two-
story addition to power plant, to cost $15,000.00; one one-story
brick building, to cost $13,000.00; one one- and two-story brick
building, to cost $12,000.00; one one-story brick building, to
cost $10,000.00 ; one two-story brick building, to cost $10,000.00 ;
one one-story brick building; to cost $8,000.00; one addition to
elevator factory, to cost $6,000.00; five flat buildings, to cost
$59,300.00; eight one- and two-story brick buildings, to cost
$43,800.00; thirteen one- and two-story frame store buildings,
to cost $19,100.00 ; four remodeling, to cost $12,300.00 ; one veter
inary hospital, to cost $9,725.00; 4 churches, to cost $9,900.00;
seventeen warehouses, to cost $18,200.00 ; four schools, to cost
$4,447.00; two factories, to cost $2,575.00; nineteen garages, to
cost $2,175.00; four offices, to cost $1,185.00; two club houses,
to cost $2,800.00 ; one machine shop, to cost $1,000.00 ; one cotton
shed, to cost $1,000.00; one foundation, to cost $2,000.00; one
blacksmith shop, to cost $250.00; two hundred and twenty-seven
two-story residences, to cost $665,105.00; 496 cottages, to cost
$472,800.00; ninety -six stables, sheds and miscellaneous, to cost
$19,385. As the registration permit fee is increased with each
$1,000 of construction cost, the sums given always represent a
minimum.

CHAPTER XXIV
Insurance

Houston Gets Lowest Rate of Fire Insurance Premium. Fire
Fighting Apparatus. Early Fire Insurance. Planters Fire
Insurance Company. Purchase of Bogus Bonds Destroyed
Houston Fire and Marine Insurance Company. Guarantee
Life Insurance Company. Remarkable Prosperity of the
Great Southern Company.

An insurance company is not a charitable institution going
about doing good for the mere pleasure of the thing. It does not
sign an agreement to give a person so much money in case his
property is destroyed by fire, and then sit down with him and
wait for the disaster. The company will sign the agreement, but
when it does so it will expect and demand that the person who
is to be benefitted and the community in which he resides, shall
do all possible to prevent the disaster. The company will protect
a person against losses, but will, at the same time, demand that it,
itself, be protected.
Wherever a community makes ample provision against the
danger of fire, the insurance companies encourage the citizens to
insure their property, by giving to such community a low rate
of insurance premium, and since Houston has received the lowest
rate, it is self-evident that all the requirements of the
National Board of Fire Insurance Underwriters, for a city of
100,000 inhabitants, have been complied with.
During the decade from 1901 to 1911, there has been a
healthy growth in Houston's facilities for fighting fire. In
1901, Houston had eight stations, twenty pieces of fire-fighting
apparatus, 13,000 feet of hose and sixty paid men. In 1911,
there are nine stations, thirty pieces of apparatus, 30,000 feet
of hose and 104 paid men.

426 History of Houston, Texas
The water supply in 1901, consisted of a pumping capacity
of 13,000,000 gallons of water and 579 fire hydrants. In 1911,
the pumping capacity is 29,000,000 gallons daily, with 843 fire
hydrants and 97.8 miles of water mains in service. There are 156
fire-alarm boxes, and ninety miles of paved streets. Every detail
of the fire department is carefully looked after and kept in per
fect order. Every fire hydrant is flushed and tested daily by a
force of men employed for that work only.
That, in a few words, is the Houston of today, but it has not
always been so well equipped, nor has there been a need or
demand for such perfection. Fire insurance in Houston is
possibly as old as the city itself. There is no record of the fact,
however, for the first local agent for any company was Mr. John
Dickinson, who began issuing policies about 1858. Before that,
all the insurance obtained by local merchants and traders was
had direct from agencies or companies located in New Orleans.
In those earlier days insurance was on a small scale and kept
pace with the accumulation of mercantile stocks, and accumula
tion of cotton and other products of the farms and plantations
Soon after the establishment of the local agency by Mr.
Dickinson and just about the time that he was doing a good
and substantial business, the war occurred, which, of course,
rendered all insurance moribund. After the declaration of peace,
many agencies were established here and for several years the
insurance business was conducted by the following firms and
individuals : O. L. Cochran, A. L. Steele & Co., S. O. Cotton &
Bro., Childress & Taylor, and Raphael Brothers. All these, with
the exception of A. L. Steele & Co., are still in business. Besides
these there are about twenty -five insurance agencies doing busi
ness in Houston.
Soon after the war, about 1868, the Planters ' Fire Insurance
Company of Houston was organized, with a capital stock of
$100,000 and did business until about 1880 when the company
went into voluntary liquidation, following a disastrous cotton
fire. Capt. E. M. Longcope was president of this company and
among its directors were E. H. Cushing, B. A. Botts, W. R.

Insurance 427
Baker, S. L. Allen, T. M. Bagby and other old citizens, none of
whom survive.
About the year 1895, the Houston Fire and Marine Insur
ance Company was organized and did business for several years.
Through a lot of bogus Austin City bonds which were innocently
purchased by this company, it was forced to make a disastrous
aud rather sensational failure a few years ago.
As no statistics are available as to the volume of insurance
premiums received in Houston annually by the various local agen
cies, who represent about one hundred and twenty fire insurance
companies, it cannot be recorded with accuracy what the total
sum is. From a comparison of the business done by the leading
agencies here, it is thought that the premium receipts will run
over $1,000,000 per year.
It is somewhat strange that with so inviting a field as it is,
Houston should have had no local life insurance company until
1906. In that year the Guarantee Life Insurance Company was
organized with a capital of $100,000 and at once became very
prosperous, doing a large business. It is now five years old and
in addition to its capital stock it has a surplus of $80,000 and
has $13,000,000 insurance in force. Its officers are: Jonathan
Lane, president ; John H. Thompson, vice-president ; Chas. Boed-
eker, secretary-treasurer.
The Great Southern Life Insurance Company is one of
the most remarkable organizations of its kind in existence. It
was organized on November 1, 1909, and is therefore only two
years old, and yet the amount of business it has already done
creates admiration and amazement even in large insurance cen
ters, as nothing like it has ever been seen before. It has a capital
stock of $500,000 and a surplus of $500,000 and has $10,000,000
insurance in force. A remarkable feature about it is the large
number of those among its patrons who are insured for large
amounts. It has over fifty policy holders who are insured for
$25,000 or more, and one who is insured for $100,000. This
last is the first and only policy for so large an amount ever writ
ten for one person by a Texas company.
The phenomenal growth of this company is shown by the

428 History of Houston, Texas
following statement: From its organization, November 1, 1909
to December 31, 1909, the company wrote $1,020,000 new business.
During the first half of 1910, the new business amounted to
$3,028,000, while during the first half of 1911, it amounted to
$4,048,000, showing a gain of 33 per cent.
The ' ' Index, ' ' published by the Spectator Company of New
York, contains the official reports of 181 American life insurance
companies, all being in active operation January 1, 1911. Of
this number 106 paid for less business during the entire year of
1910 than the Great Southern wrote during the first half of 1911.
This company is making life insurance history at a rapid
rate. Its officers are: J. S. Rice, president; O. S. Carlton, C.
G. Pillot, J. S. Cullinan, and P. H. McFadden, of Beaumont,
Texas, vice-presidents; J. T. Scott, treasurer; Louis St. J.
Thomas, secretary.
All the great insurance companies that are permitted under
Texas laws to do business in the state have capable local agents
in Houston who write a great amount of business.

CHAPTER XXV
Theatres

Santa Anna Broke up First Theatre Project. The Thompson
and Buckley Theatres. The Gray Opera House. Early
Amateur Dramatic Clubs. Academy of Music First Local
Home of Vaudeville. The Beautiful New Majestic Theatre.
The Prince Theatre. The Old Majestic. The New Cozy.
Moving Picture Shows and Stock Companies.

Only one month and two days after Texas declared her in
dependence, an enterprising theatrical manager, a Mr. G. L.
Lyons declared that he was going to establish the first theatre
in the new republic, at Harrisburg, and that he would give the
first performance about the first of May, 1836. He issued a
long announcement of his intention. Evidently he did not con
sult Santa Anna, for the sudden appearance of that gentleman
on the scene seems to have so disarranged his plans that nothing
beyond the announcement of mtentions was ever heard of him
afterwards. Theatrical performances early got a hold on the
people of Houston and the fever has never been allowed to die
down. An account of the theatre in the days of the
republic appears in an earlier chapter of this volume.
The first really good theatre erected in Houston was
located in a building that Mr. James Thompson put up in
1854. Mr. Thompson owned four or five lots in the northeast
corner of the block o,n the south side Of Texas Avenue, opposite
the old Capital Hotel, and on three of these he erected a large
house. It was three stories high in the middle, facing Main
Street, and had two stories on each side. The theatre was located
on the third floor in the center, and was a large hall with
a good stage at one end. Some very good performances were

430 History of Houston, Texas
given in this theatre. In 1859, this theatre was destroyed by fire
and was never rebuilt, but Colonel Buckley put in a theatre in
a brick building that he erected about that time located in the
middle of the block on the southwest side of Main Street, between
Congress and Franklin Avenues. This place was never popular
and was seldom used for the purposes for which it had been
planned. . -
About the same time the Perkins Theatre, or as it was called,
Perkins Hall was built. This hall was large and comfortably
arranged and proved to be very valuable and useful for those
who were giving concerts, fairs and bazaars, for the purpose
of raising money for the soldiers during the war. After the war,
the Gray Opera house was built in the middle of the block on
the west side of Court House Square. Then the pretty little
theatre in the Market House was built. There have been others
constructed from time to time, important in their time, among
them being the Old Majestic described elsewhere, the Houston
Theatre, Avhich was the principal theatre of the city when it was
destroyed by fire in 1908, and the New Majestic, the Prince and
the Cozy theatres all of which are described in this chapter.
Houstonians have had the pleasure of hearing nearly all the
great actors and singers of the world, who are native Americans
or who have visited America. In 1859, Jenny Lind sang here
in the old Academy. Patti, Nielson and scores of other world-
famed singers have visited Houston, while Booth, McCullough,
Barrett and hundreds of other great actors have played here.
Houston early had an amateur dramatic club as the follow
ing letter, printed in the Telegraph of February 17, 1845, shows :
"Houston, February 16, 1845. To the Hon. Francis Moore,
Jr., Mayor of the City of Houston. Sir :— In behalf of the Hous
ton Dramatic Society, and in furtherance of a resolution of the
corps, we herewith place at your disposal the sum of thirty
dollars (which amount exceeds the net proceeds from the per
forate of the last play) to be appropriated by yourself for the
relief of the indigent of the city and county. You will exercise

Theatres 431
your own judgment in deciding who are worthy to be recipients
and to whom charity should be a blessing.
"If we needed any apology for charging you with the dis
bursement of our inconsiderable donation, we would find it in
the industry and humanity evinced in your conduct when sim
ilar objects have demanded and received your attention. Respect
fully, your obedient servants, Thomas M. Bagby, president ; Wm.
R. Baker, secretary."
There were other amateur associations formed afterwards
in Houston, the most important being the Magnolia Histrionic
Club, which had great success in 1878, and for some years after.
In the early eighties Judge John Kirlicks and the lamented D.
D. Bryan, were leading lights in this club and did much to
add to its prominence and success. Mr. Bryan's removal from
the city for a few years proved fatal to the club and it soon
ceased to be an active body.
About the same time the Young Men's Hebrew Club came
into prominence. This club, after a few successful years, was
allowed to die out.
Mr. Ed. Bremond, son of the "Texas Railroad King," was
the first to establish vaudeville in Houston. In September, 1873,
he- opened the Academy of Music which was located on the
southeast corner of Main Street and Prairie Avenue. He had
quite a number of ' ' artists, ' ' among them Milt Barlow, who had
his start in Houston, under Mr. Bremond, and afterwards
became famous as an impersonator of aged negroes. His song
' ' Old Black Joe, ' ' became one of the classics of negro minstrelsy.
The Academy was quite successful for a short time but soon
degenerated and dropped down to what is known as the variety
class, and proved a failure. Another vaudeville, on a somewhat
lower plane, was Bell's Theatre, which held forth for years on
Texas Avenue across the street from the Rice Hotel. It was
afterwards moved to Franklin Avenue, opposite the Hutchin's
House. In 1893 it was closed by the city authorities but was
reopened at once by an injunction. It was finally closed on
the death of the proprietor.
Of the theatres in service in Houston the only one that

432 History of Houston, Texas
justifies much local pride is the New Majestie, built on the site
of the- old Shearn Church on the corner of Texas Avenue and
Milam Street and completed in 1910. Its cost of $300,000 will
doubtless prohibit its ever becoming a great revenue producer
but it is a model of construction and comfort and is a place of
amusement that for beauty compares favorably with any theatre
ot its capacity in any country. The builder was Jesse H. Jones
and the structure represents local pride and patriotism for it
was meant to give the city a place of amusement second to
none. Actors praise it, for every comfort has been provided for
them, both in the modern dressing rooms and on the large fully-
equipped stage. The public appreciates it because in the whole
house there is no angle, no obstructing pillar, nor column and
no seat that does not furnish a good view of the stage.
The numerous exits, ample fire escapes and perfect system of
ventilation also commend it. In order that the content of 250,000
cubic feet of air might be changed every three minutes, an
elaborate plant was built and the concrete walls were interlaced
with hollow ducts. From the floor, walls and ceilings, these
converge to carry away the vitiated atmosphere into one large
tunnel leading to the fan house on the roof. There a large wheel
sucks it up and discharges into the open air 80,000 cubic feet of
air each minute. The building is constructed entirely of con
crete and stone and is as nearly fireproof as a theatre can be
built. Some of the beautiful features of this theatre wrorthy of
special enumeration are : The Pompeian entrance with its marble
walls, the ladies' waiting room of the period of Louis the Mag
nificent, the drinking fountains and mirrors of the foyer, the
marble staircase and ingle nooks, the Flemish smoking room with
its beams and tiles, the cantilever balcony with its loggias, the
great, dark crimson curtain of asbestos, the gilded and rose-
wreathed sounding board, the bacchante heads and scroll orna
mentation of the stage boxes, the carefully calculated acoustics,
the children's play room with nurse and toys, the elaborate light
ing and the great circulation fan, the roomy stage with maple

Theatres 433
apron and ample scenery, and the delicacy and elaboration of
the color scheme.
Among the other places of amusement the following are
the leading ones :
The Prince Theatre, built in 1909, on the site of the Sweeny
& Combs Opera House, known as the Houston Theatre, which
was destroyed by fire in 1908. This is a combination theatre and
office building. It is six stories high and covers a plot of ground
100 by 150 feet, located ori Fannin Avenue opposite the County
Court House. The construction is of brick and concrete and
the building is fireproof. The cost of the building was $140,000.
The theatre is located on the ground floor and is the home of
the legitimate drama in Houston. It is cheaply built and
entirely inadequate to the present needs of the city. The
dressing rooms are abominable and little has been done for the
comfort of the actors and artists. There is comparatively easy
egress in case of fire, and much danger in that direction has
been eliminated. The seating capacity is 1,200. The lessee of
the theatre, Manager Dave A. Weis is a man of large experience
as a theatrical manager and constantly tries to improve the
character of attractions coming to Houston.
The Old Majestic was erected in 1903 at a cost of $35,000.
It is of wood and brick construction and has a seating capacity
of 800. When erected and for a few years after, it was Hous
ton's chief vaudeville theatre. Since 1909 it has been given over
entirely to stock companies. The building is antiquated.
The Cozy, located on Texas Avenue, "forty-five seconds
from Main Street" is a very popular place of amusement,
devoted to vaudeville. It is a small but comfortable and well
arranged theatre, and has a seating capacity of 800. The build
ing was erected in 1910 by Mr. M. E. Foster and is 50 by 125
feet. Its cost was $25,000.
Other places of amusement in Houston are: The Theato,
pictures and vaudeviUe; The Star Theatre, moving pictures;
The Crystal Theatre, moving pictures; The Princess, moving
pictures and vaudeville ; The Royal, moving pictures and vaude
ville ; The Dixie Theatre, moving pictures ; The Vaudette Theatre,

434 History of Houston, Texas
inoving pictures; The Bil-Sol, moving pictures; McDonald &
Newcomb, moving pictures ; John McTighe, moving pictures, and
two moving picture places for negroes only.
It is estimated that between 8,000 and 10,000 persons pat
ronize the moving picture shows in Houston daily. The best
of those named is the Dixie. The Plaza and the Lyric are open
air, summer theatres arranged for comfort during the hot
weather. Each is well patronized.
In 1909, 1910 and 1911, Houston had good stock companies
playing in the city. The Players Stock Company under the
management of Joseph D. Glass, at the old Majestic, and the
William Grew Stock Company, at the Plaza in the summer of
1911, were the best of these.
At present the city has abundance of vaudeville theatres,
but the Prince Theatre should be given up to stock company
work and a great modern theatre for legitimate drama built that
would be to that class of theatrical offerings what the New Majes
tic is to vaudeville.

CHAPTER XXVI
Parks and Cemeteries

Purchase and Development of Sam Houston Park. Highland
Park. Cleveland Park. Elizabeth Baldwin Park. City's need
of Plaza Parks. Ruined Condition of City's Earliest Ceme
teries. Episcopal Church and Holland Lodge Cemetery.
Glenwood and Catholic Cemeteries. List of other Cemeteries.
Sylvan Beauties of Burying Ground. Land Tenure of Cem
etery Lots.

As early as 1882 there was begun a crusade for a city park.
Nothing came of it, however, and it was not until eighteen years
later that anything definite was accomplished. In 1900, Judge
Sam Brashear, at that time mayor of Houston, desiring to leave
a monument to commemorate his administration, purcha-
for the city, seventeen acres, the site of the present Sam Houston
Park. This park is located on the south side of Buffalo Bayou in
the western part of the city, and is one of the most beautiful
places in Houston. Its natural advantages are very great, and
to these have been added the art and skill of expert landscape
gardeners. The site was purchased by the city, June 19, 1910, and the
cost of the land and improvements was about $50,000. When first
purchased, portions of the tract were badly cut up by gullies and
ravines. Some of these have been filled while others have been
made use of in the scheme of beautifying the park.
At first a zoological garden was started, but after
making good headway towards establishing a really cred
itable zoo, the idea was abandoned and the collection was sold
to an amusement park in Little Rock, Ark. Mayor Brashear
was anxious to extend the park on the opposite side of the bayou,
but this has not yet been done, although the park is connected

436 History of Houston, Texas
with that side by a good wide bridge, and the approaches are
first class. The city owns a good sized tract on the north side of
the bayou, immediately opposite the park, so that it is possible
to enlarge it at any time.
Highland Park, near Beauchamp Springs at the foot of
Houston Avenue on White Oak Bayou, is a natural park, and is
a beautiful spot near Houston. It is located on a tract of
about twenty acres, lying north of the city near the junction of
Little. White Oak and White Oak Bayous. The ground slopes
towards the bayous and is covered with magnificent oak, mag
nolia and other forest trees. This park was inaugurated and
improved by the Houston Electric Company as a private enter
prise but became a public park, apparently, by common consent.
It is free to all and has many attractions, the chief one being
an artificial lake filled and fed by artesian wells.
Sam Houston Park seems destined to be eclipsed in the near
future by Cleveland Park, which is located just beyond the west
bounds of the city on Buffalo Bayou. This park, consisting of
thirty acres, was a Christmas gift to the people of Houston in
December, 1907, and cost the city $45,000. If no work in the
way of beautifying it were done, it would still be a charming
sylvan retreat, for nature has done wonders for it. It is located
in a great bend of the bayou, and the earth slopes gently towards
the bayou, with numerous natural, miniature hills breaking the
contour. In one of the declivities between these miniature hills,
a large artificial lake has been made, fed by an immense artesian
well. The place was originally intended for a park, and $15,000
had been spent on it before the city purchased it. Thus far
the city has made no improvements, but when it does, Cleveland
Park will become one of the handsomest parks in the South.
What was known as the old Lang place in the Third ward, at
the end of the LaBranch Street car line, was purchased
some years ago with the legacy left by the late Mrs. W.
M. Rice, and was named after her, "Elizabeth Baldwin Park."
It was cleared, fenced and opened by the Civic Club, but no
improvements were made either by the club or by the city

Parks and Cemeteries 437
authorities. The only adornment it has is its beautiful trees. The
park is small, but could be made very attractive.
Several of the additions that have sprung up around
Houston have made provision for parks, yet it is hardly safe to
assume that future generations of Houstonians will have ample
breathing spaces. At present Houston is too much occupied in
developing her material resources to pay much attention to her
play grounds, but when the time comes, as it soon will, there is
no question but that a large work in that direction should be done.
The extension of Sam Houston Park with riverside drives on
hoth sides of the bayou is the improvement nearest in sight. Mr.
Harvey T. D. Wilson has outlined a plan of park extension and
improvement which he hopes to see the city eventually adopt.
The city's greatest need is a number of small parks or plazas of
one square block in extent. It is an economic mistake for the
city not to purchase a number of vacant squares for this purpose.
When the Aliens laid ont Houston they set aside a block of
ground in the First ward, north of Buffalo Bayou near the banks
of White Oak Bayou, as a cemetery, and gave it to the city to
be used for that purpose. About the same time another plot of
ground out on the San Felipe road was dedicated to the same
purpose. These two cemeteries are the oldest in Houston, and
for several years they were the only places of burial here. Neither
was ever very popular with the early Houstonians, and many of
the older families buried their dead in their flower gardens.
Still there were numerous burials in the two cemeteries and
some of the most prominent citizens of Houston and of Texas
are buried in one or the other of these two places. Both have
become dreadfully neglected, and have been allowed to go to
ruin. This is particularly true of the cemetery in the First
ward, which has no fence and is used as a public highway. The
San Felipe ground, owing to its more isolated situation is some
what better preserved, but it is badly in need of care and
attention. The fact that the Jewish Cemetery adjoins it has
acted as a protection and has partially preserved it from the
fate that has overtaken the cemetery in the First ward.
About the year 1845, the members of the Episcopal Church

438 History of Houston, Texas
and Holland Lodge of Masons joined together and purchased
a plot of ground in the western part of the city, near the banks
of Buffalo Bayou, and established what was afterwards known
as the Episcopal-Masonic burial ground. It was on a sloping hill,
was free from many trees, and was, for that day, an ideal spot
for the purposes for whieh it was intended. Many of the prom
inent families purchased lots there and for many years it was
used. In the early seventies, it was gradually abandoned.
When Glenwood Cemetery was opened nearly all the bodies were
removed to the latter place. It was evident that the ceme
tery had been placed too near town, for even in 1870 the city
had encroached on all sides of it except on the bayou side. When
Sam Houston Park was established, the cemetery, which
adjoins it, was closed for good, and future burials there were
prohibited. It is. now closed to the public. The old place has
many sacred memories clinging to it as some of the best loved
Houstonians still sleep there.
The first effort made to establish a really large and imposing
cemetery was in 1872, when Glenwood was begun. The site is a
naturally beautiful one, opening on Washington Street, and
landscape gardening and art have made it one of the most
attractive places of its kind to be found in the South. This is
the principal cemetery of the city.
One of the oldest cemeteries is the old Catholic cemetery in
the Second ward on Runnels Street. This cemetery was estab
lished shortly after the establishment of the Episcopalian ceme
tery. Only members of the church may be buried there.
The names and locations of the other cemeteries are as fol
lows : The German Society Cemetery, is just west of Glen
wood Cemetery on Washington Street. The Hebrew Cemetery is
on the San Felipe road, half a mile west of the G. H. & S. A.
Railway. Hollywood Cemetery is located on the west side of
West Montgomery road, half a mile north of the city limits. It is
the second cemetery in importance in the city. Its natural beau
ties are great and many handsome monuments adorn it. The Holy
Cross Cemetery, is on the east side of the west Montgomery Road,
two blocks south of Houston Avenue. The Magnolia Cemetery

Parks and Cemeteries 439
lies on the north side of the San Felipe road, one block west of
the G. H. & S. A. Railway. The College Park Cemetery (negro) .
is south of the San Felipe road, one mile west of the G. H. &
S. A. Railway. Olive Wood Cemetery (negro), lies at the north
end of the Court in Chaneyville.
Houston's cemeteries combine the beauty of the wildwood
with the charm of the tropical and semi-tropical plants and
flowers that the climate permits to flourish in great beauty and
abundance. For ten months in the year the sylvan charm of
the natural forest and indigenous plants, vines and flowers hold
their sway. Ferns blow in the open air and only have to be
put under cover a few chilly nights in each year.
The patriotic societies and organizations have marked the
graves of the honored dead, and many a monument to hero, as
well as loved one, rises in the city's beautiful cemeteries.
Wealth, moved by grief, has uttered its sorrow in many
costly marbles and towering shafts, and many a marble angel
with drooping wings broods over the resting places of the dead.
The cemeteries are open to one criticism that applies at
least to several of them, and that is, that lot owners sometimes
experience great difficulty in having their lots properly cared
for. Under the form of deed given in Glenwood, and other ceme
teries, no real ownership in the lot passes and the purchaser only
buys the privilege of being perpetually taxed by the cemetery
organizations which retain the nominal right, although it is per
haps not often exercised, to cast out the dead and resell the
lots if the payments cease. If there is any spot on earth to which
title should pass in fee simple it is the plot of ground in a ceme
tery where the dead rest in their last long sleep. The character
of title given, together with the lesson from the neglected ceme
teries of the early days, points a moral that is not pleasant to
read as to the possible future fate of these wooded and flowered
retreats where the dead rest.

CHAPTER XXVII
Old Landmarks

The Old Indian Trading Post. The Old City Hotel and Hutchins
House. Site of Capitol and Land Office Buildings. Hous
ton's Mansion. Where the First Store Stood. Two Historic
Bridges. Sites of Early Railroad Construction. The Old
City Wharf. Reminiscences on Destruction of Houston's
First Hotel.

There are a number of points in Houston that have his
torical interest, and as most of them are already forgotten or
almost unknown to the present generation and in a few years
all of them, with one or two exceptions, will be entirely
forgotten, it may be well to place some of the most important
on record in these pages.
What was known as the home of Mr. Horace D. Taylor,
located on the north side of Preston Avenue, on the south
side of Buffalo Bayou, near the Preston Avenue Bridge, was
formerly a great Indian trading post. It was owned and
conducted by Mr. George Torrey. The post was established
early in 1836 and was in active operation for several years.
There were one or two tribes of Indians near Houston. They
were "tame" Indians and were about as civilized as Indians
ever get to be. The largest tribe was the Creek, and another
tribe lived farther north on the San Jacinto River. These
Indians visited Houston often and were here until in the late
fifties, when they were removed to the territory north of
Red River.
Houston, or rather the place where Houston was afterwards
located, must also have been a favorite home for the wild
Indians for there were numerous evidences of them found here
in the early days. All that region south of Preston Avenue

Old Landmarks 441
and west of Louisiana Street, must have been a burial ground
for the Indians, for it is a common thing to dig up bones,
arrow-heads and such articles all over that vicinity.
The trading post was abandoned early in the forties, 'and
the Indians then transferred their patronage to Mr. John
Kennedy, who had a store on the northwest corner of Travis
and Congress, and to Mr. Cornelius Ennis, who had a store
on Main Street between Franklin and Commerce. The Chief
of the Creeks was an Indian named Mingo, who was a rather
superior man. He spoke fairly good English and always
conducted himself well, even when he was drunk, in which
state he was every time he come to town. Mingo died, and
was buried somewhere out on the San Jacinto, before his
tribe was moved away.
Perhaps there is no place in Houston that has so many
memories clinging to it as the northeast corner of Travis
and Franklin. Here was built Houston's first hotel, the old
City Hotel conducted by Mr. Geo. Wilson, father of Mr. Ed.
Wilson, the latter still a citizen of Houston. This first hotel
was an insignificant affair, constructed out of logs and stood
for many years. It fell down in 1855 and another one-story
structure was built on its site which was soon torn down to
make way for the Hutchins House, which in its day was the
finest hotel structure in Texas. The old Hutchins House was
a great meeting place and, as already noted in these pages,
nearly all of the leading state societies and organizations had
their beginning in its parlors. The building was destroyed
by fire and the site, after remaining vacant for several years
was finally purchased by the Southern Pacific Railroad, and
the present magnificent office-building of that road was
erected on it.
Workmen are now engaged in tearing down the Rice
Hotel, to make way for one of the largest and finest hotels in
the South. The location is on the site of the old Capitol of
the Republic of Texas. This locality is too well known to
everybody and its history is too familiar to require more than
passing notice. Just across Main Street from the hotel site is

442 History of Houston, Texas
the Binz Building which stands where the first Land Office of
the Republic of Texas stood. There were other government
offices in the old frame building which stood there, but the
chief one was the Land Office.
If one believed all the stories and traditions connected
with President Sam Houston, one would be forced to believe
that he was ubiquitous, or that he was largely peripatetic,
for there are several places pointed out as "Sam Houston's
home" in Houston. There is a house in the Second ward,
another in the Fourth ward, and there may be yet others
while the friends of Mrs. A. C. Allen claim that he made his
home at her residence on the corner of Main and Rusk. Each
one of these stories may be true, but the fact remains that
the official home of the President of the Republic of Texas
was in the President's mansion on the southeast corner of
Main and Preston, where the Scanlan Building now stands.
It was a "mansion" in name only, for it was a small wooden
house that was so badly constructed that it barely kept out the
wind and rain. After the Capital was moved to Austin the
"mansion" became the shop of a hatter.
There are other points to which interest is attached from
a purely commercial point of view. One of the chief of
these is the northeast corner of Commerce Avenue and Main
Street, where the first store or warehouse was erected in
Houston. Aside from being the first warehouse it was the
third house of any kind built here. It was a small one-story
frame building and was erected in February, 1837. Though
it was comparatively small it was at the time the largest
building in Houston. Afterwards it was extended back
towards the bayou, so that its rear elevation looked like a
big two-story house. It was built and occupied by Mr. Thos.
Elsberry, but afterwards passed into the hands of Messrs.
Allen and Pool who used it as a cotton and hide warehouse.
There was a large door cut in the rear of the building and
instead of draying or trucking the bales of cotton down to
the steamboats, they were dumped bodily out of this door
and rolled right on the boats. The fall of twenty or thirty

Old Landmarks 443
feet often proved disastrous to the bales when the ropes,
used as ties, would break. The methods of handling and
caring for so valuable an article as cotton were about as
crude and wasteful then as they are now. Everything about
a bale of cotton has been improved on except handling and
protecting it from the weather. A point of interest connected
with that old building, which stood until long after the war,
was the fact that several of the wealthiest and most influential
citizens of Houston began their careers within its walls. Mr. J.
T. Doswell who gained a large fortune as a commission
merchant and who was afterwards a large cotton exporter in
New Orleans, began his commercial life on that site as book
keeper for Allen & Pool and when he resigned to go in business
for himself he was succeeded by Mr. Wm. R. Baker, who in
turn resigned to engage in business for himself. He began by
renting a part of the same warehouse and when he died, he
was one of the wealthiest and most successful citizens of
Houston. There were several others though none so successful
as these two.
There are two bridges that deserve to be placed among
the historical locations. One is the Preston Avenue bridge
and the other is the small bridge spanning White Oak Bayou
not far from where it empties into Buffalo Bayou. Over these
two bridges, for many years, practically all the commerce of
the state passed. It is impossible to even estimate the value
of the products that have passed over these bridges coming
into Houston or the value of the goods that passed going
ont. There are three points that have historical interest from
a railroad point of view. The first is near the west end of the
old McGowan Foundry, for it was there that the first shovel
of dirt was thrown by Mr. Paul Bremond when the construction
of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad was begun. The
second is the southwest corner of Polk Avenue and San
Jacinto Street, where the first- passenger and freight depot
of the Buffalo Bayou and Brazos Railroad was located. The
third is the southeast corner of McKinney Avenue and San

444 History of Houston, Texas
Jacinto Street, where, during the war, the Galveston, Houston
and Henderson Railroad had its passenger and freight depot.
Thousands of soldiers and hundreds of tons of munitions
of war have passed over that spot, for during the four years
of the war that road was in constant operation and the
military authorities took entire charge of the road.
Of course the old wharf at the foot of Main Street and
extending down as far as San Jacinto Street, is historical, but
as the only change likely to be made in it will be one of
improvement and growth, it is not necessary to speak of it
especially here.
On October 1, 1911, workmen began tearing down the Rice
Hotel, which stands on the site of the old Capital, to make way
for a new hotel which is to cost two million dollars and is
to be the finest hotel in the state. In this connection the
following extract from the columns of the old Telegraph,
will be read with interest, since it tells of the fate of Houston's
first hotel and of some of the distinguished men who patronized
it. In its issue of May 16, 1855, under the heading, "The Fall
of a Historic House," the Telegraph stated that the oldest
house that was standing in Houston on the preceding Saturday
had been reduced to a mass of ruins. It was the original
City Hotel, a log building in the rear of the Telegraph office
on Franklin Avenue. After an existence of nearly twenty
years it had fallen because of old age and decrepitude. It
was built by Maj. Ben Fort Smith, a pioneer in Texas and
in Houston, and the Telegraph said: "It had been in its day
the hotel par excellence of the Capitol and commercial
metropolis of the glorious old Republic of Texas. The
President and his cabinet and the senators and representatives
and officials of the first and second Congresses had dined
there, and so, too, had foreign ministers."
"Rusk, who was a great man before the Republic, was
once glorified at its tables with a sacrifice of good things —
fowls at $6 a pair,- butter at $1 a pound, eggs at $3 a dozen
and champaigne at a fabulous price per bottle." "It has
been said that the dinner was planned to encourage a

Old Landmarks 445
reconciliation between Rusk and Houston, and that it was
so far successful that Rusk, in toasting Houston, his old
opponent, said: 'Houston, with all thy faults I love thee
still' "
The fall of the old house evidently put the editor in a
reminiscent mood, for he goes on to say: "Texas had great
men in that day and their name was legion. It was an
insult to take a man for anything but great, brave, chivalrous
and even rich. Everybody was rich, or in the army or
navy or public service, which was the same thing. The
City Hotel had a barroom, one of perhaps twenty that
flourished in the town, where steam was kept up at the
explosion point, and the collapse of a decanter, pitcher or
tumbler, as it came in contact with the brains of some unlucky
devotee at the shrine of chivalry or bravado, or of the kindred
virtues usually worshiped 'when the wine was red in the cup,'
was no uncommon occurrence. Those were the days of duels,
bowie knives and pistols, poker, keno and faro, when ten,
twenty or fifty thousand dollars would be lost and won in
a night. Texas was the prophecy of California, and Houston
a very San Francisco. No mines were dug, but gold was
plenty and men managed to live without sweating their brows.
If a man worked at all, he earned his $8 or $10 a day, but
precious few worked at all. Buck Peters and Jeff Wright
were the practical jokers. Judge Shelby was on the bench,
and was indicted by his own grand jury for playing
backgammon with his wife. Gus Tompkins, fertile in
expedient, but fractious, with his large brain and small body
and lightning impulses, was a terror to evil-doors. Felix
Huston commanded the turbulent army, Commodore Moore
had not come to Texas then, and the navy was divided with
several competent but less ambitious commanders, not least
distinguished among whom was our old friend Boots Taylor,
a very Chesterfield in manners. Carnes and Teel and
Morehouse and Deaf Smith lived in. those times with a host
of other noble spirits whose lights have long since gone out."
"We notice a few survivors of those glorious days still

446 History of Houston, Texas
among us. Col. Frank Johnson, one of the heroes of the
storming of j3an Antonio, and the surrender of the Mexican
garrison under Cos, sat with us on a log under the very
eaves of the old building the day before it fell, and with him
was another survivor, Honest Bob Wilson, who was expelled
from the Senate of the old Republic, but was reelected and borne
back in triumph upon their shoulders by an indignant people,
to the Capitol."

CHAPTER XXVIII
Houston's Growth and Progress

The Several Periods of Houston's History. The Plan Followed
in Writing the City's Story. A Chapter of Recapitulation.
Characteristics of the Pioneer Builders. Trade Revival
Following Annexation. The Days of Ox- Wagon Traffic.
Benefits from the First Railroad. The Destructive Early
Fires and their Results. A Pen Picture of the City in 1857.
Houston During the Civil War. Blockade Running and Trade
Conditions. Houston as Military Headquarters. Feverish
Gaiety of the War Period. A Dearth of Food and Clothes.
Confederate Money and Shin Plasters. Rapid Business
Revival When War Closed. Texas on Gold and Silver Basis.
City Looted Under Carpet Bag Rule. A Pen Picture of
Houston in 1879. A Period of Lethargy and Stagnation.
The Years of Growth and Expansion. Rapid Increase in
Property Values. City's Population Doubles Each Decade.
The Great Skyscraper Era. Synopsis of City's Relation to
Big Business Taken from City Directory of 1911. What
Houston has Accomplished in the 75 Years of its Life.
The Promise of the Future.

Houston's history, if it were divided into periods would be
classified somewhat as follows:
The period of the Republic, from 1836 to 1845.
The Ante-Bellum period, from 1845 to 1861.
The Civil War period, from 1861 to 1865.
The short period of recovery, from 1865 to 1867.
The Carpet-Bag period, beginning 1867, whose effects lasted
until 1882.
The period of lethargy and slight growth, from 1882 to 1895.
The decade of rapid growth from 1895 to 1905.
The skyscraper period, from 1905 to the present time.
The early chapters of the present volume describe the earliest

448 History of Houston, Texas
period with a good deal of attention to the details of growth and
the genesis of the several institutions. As the different kinds of
enterprises that go to make up a city do not grow symmetrically
nor syn-chronologically they can not be foreshortened into a
composite picture and hence the several elements and institu
tions of civic prosperity in fairness to themselves had to be
traced severally and so the beginning and progress of each has
been indicated in turn.
The municipality and its officials ; the public improvements ;
the law and the lawyers; the physicians and the institutions
they founded; the bench and bar; the banks and the bankers;
the railroads and public seryice corporations ; the great financial
institutions; the builders and architects and the results of their
labor in brick and steel and stone; the capitalists and the wage
earners; the preachers and the churches; the public schools and
the Rice Institute ; the newspapers and the writers ; the captains
of commerce and of industry and their great business enter
prises ; trade and manufacture ; music and musicians ; art and
artists; clubs and societies and organizations to better the social
welfare; and the several classes of citizenship who have stood
for these things; have all been treated in turn.
As these grew, Houston grew from a group of log huts and
tents to a busy village on a water course that led to the sea,
grew to build railroads, grew to throw out the tentacles of enter
prise in all directions, grew out of the village status and the
small town ideas and ideals, grew to be a real city with the throb
bing complex life of a city and a city 's multifold interests, grew to
teach the nation something about the problems of city government,
grew to be an example in the conduct of public schools, grew
to be the home of many beautiful churches, grew into a great
buying market for cotton and many other commodities and a
great selling market for lumber and many other things, grew
into a city of factories, grew into a great port of export and a
center of distribution for a great territory, grew to adorn herself
with costly public buildings and grew up into the air with great
business structures,, and is steadily growing into a huge metrop
olis.

Houston's Growth and Progress 449
This chapter is one of rapid recapitulation. One that takes
a backward glance at the city during its several periods and
rethreads the complex story from the days of the pioneers to
the present and then summarizes notable elements of very recent
growth, grouping them into an avenue of achievement through
which opens the vista of a splendid future, for the story of
Houston will doubtless ever remain an unfinished story and the
sequelae will make ever fairer chapters because the future of
Houston should ever be novel in daring and epic in grandeur.
The builders of the future should remember, however, that
had their predecessors not chosen wisely and builded well the
foundations, their own achievements would have been lesser and
more circumscribed.
The popular conception of pioneers is that brawn and
muscle are their main and distinguishing attributes. In popular
estimation, the aesthetic, the refined and the artistic have no place
in the composition of a pioneer. He is imagined as being roughly
educated, if at all, with a careless disregard for books or for liter
ature in any form, concentrating his interest on his immediate
surroundings and having something amounting almost to con
tempt for everything not directly bearing on his physical com
fort. Now it is a remarkable fact that the pioneer Houstonians
resembled such a type of pioneer in no way at all, for among
them were many really brilliant and great men. Of course there
were also representatives of the rough class, but these were not
numerous and had too little weight or influence to stamp their
individuality on the community. Society was largely composed
of men of education and learning ; of professional men, lawyers,
doctors, statesmen and soldiers — men whose mental and moral
qualifications would have reflected honor on any community.
Neither is it surprising that such conditions should have pre
vailed, for among the early Houstonians were well educated
representatives of many of the most prominent families of the
older states, while among the foreigners, mostly Germans, were
some of the most highly educated and well born men of Europe.
Under conditions such as these it is not surprising that Houston

450 History of Houston, Texas
was at first, more than in later years, an educational and intel
lectual, as well as a commercial center. Hon. A. W. Terrell,
formerly United States minister to Turkey, once uttered a mem
orable address in which he showed the great number of highly
educated men among the signers of the Texas Declaration of
Independence. Such men composed the early citizenship of
Hovston. After the establishment of the Texas Republic, Houston
became a great social and political center, for here were gathered
statesmen, congressmen, foreign ministers and others whose pres
ence added materially to the life and gaiety of the city. Then,
too, there was a large influx of professional men, planters, mer
chants and others who, with their wives and daughters, added
largely to the social life of the little town. The means of enjoy
ment were limited, of course, but there were gatherings, visit-
ings, dinings and other forms of social pleasure.
Tn December. 1845, the first state election was held. Peter
W. Gray and J. N. 0. Smith were elected representatives and
Isaac W. Brashear was elected Senator. The following February,
Texas took her piace among the states of the Union. As soon
as that occurred, immigration from the South and West began
and new life was enthused into the state and particularly into
Houston, T^ade levived, land values increased and a regular
boom set in. There was a brisk demand for all staph- goods and
the wholesale trade of the city became very great. All these goods
were received by v. ater, but their distribution to the interior had
to be made by means of ox-wagons and that gav.s rise to an
immense industry. The very difficulties of transportation created
this industry and it soon became highly remunerative. It was
of great proportions, too, for it is recorded that on one day there
were ninety-seven ox-wagons that entered the city over the Long
Bridge alone, and that it required 1,164 oxen to haul these
wagons. As there was a large business done with the West also,
wagons from which section came into the city over the San Felipe
road, an idea of the magnitude of the business may be formed.
This form of transportation, while very slow and tedious, was
very reliable and certain, for while the roads at times were bad,

Houston's Growth and Progress 451
as a rule they were very good. There was danger from attacks
by Indians, but the wagoners guarded against that, by keeping
together, and traveling in large parties.
The great bulk of Houston's trade with the interior was
done by wagons, even as late as 1856, or three years after the
Central Railroad had been started. Three years later, or in 1859,
the wagon trade with the Northwest became a thing of the past,
for by then, the railroad had reached a point where its influence
was felt. As soon as this occurred, Houston began to feel the
benefits of the change. Her business increased by leaps and
bounds. Houston real estate increased in value from the time.
that the first shovel full of dirt for the construction of the Hous
ton and Texas Central Railroad was thrown, but the increase was
most pronounced after that road had reached Hempstead, fifty
miles from Houston.
The following extract from the assessment rolls of the city,
shows the valuation of Houston real estate for the years named :
1858, $2,127,123; 1859, $2,485,851; 1860, $3,339,285; 1861, $3,-
386,493; 1862, $3,581,923; 1863, $4,426,571.
The city was visited by" two disastrous fires, one in 1858, and
the other in 1859, which, while looked on as calamities at the
time, were really highly beneficial. Up to that time there had
been only two or three small brick buildings erected, and the
whole business part of the town was composed of frame buildings.
The first fire destroyed the block bounded by Main, Congress,
Travis and Preston, and also destroyed the Main Street front
of the block opposite. The second fire destroyed the block
bounded by Main, Franklin, Congress and Travis. These two
fires gave opportunity, of which advantage was taken, to replace
the old wooden buildings with brick ones.
Until the beginning of the Civil War, the affairs of the
city were administered in an honest and progressive spirit, which
was characteristic of the people. Public office was considered a
high honor and the very best citizens were chosen to act as
public servants, and esteemed it an evidence of the confidence of
their fellow citizens.

452 History of Houston, Texas
Just what Houston was before the war is well shown by
this extract from the Telegraph of January 21, 1857 :
"A gentleman from the States who has just returned from
a tour through the principalities of Texas says that of all places
he visited in the state, the city of Houston presents the best
evidence of wealth and substantial prosperity, and that he has no
doubt that it is destined to be by far the largest city in Texas.
He based his belief on the advantages possessed by the city in
its geographical position, at the head of the principal bay and
harbor of the whole coast ; upon the start it has already attained
in the trade and commerce of the state; upon the energy, and
enterprise it exhibited in building the first railroads and extend
ing iron arms to embrace the whole territory of the Lone Star
State within their commercial grasp ; upon the disposition to be
found among the people of the interior to cultivate friendly
relations with our city and to secure to themselves the benefits of
a market such as no other point in the state can offer them."
This vista of prosperity was rudely blurred -by the Civil War.
When the great Civil War began in 1861, Houston had over
two hundred miles of railway centering here. The Houston and
Texas Central road extended to the north as far as Millican, a
distance of 80 miles, the Buffalo Bayou and Brazoria road led to
the west as far as Allyton, about 80 miles, and the Texas and
New Orleans road to the east as far as Orange, about 80 miles.
These made Houston the railroad center of the state, and a point
of the greatest military importance. It became at once the great
concentration and distributing point for troops and munitions of
war, and the resultant activity was very great. Early in 1862
the Federal fleet menaced Galveston so seriously that everybody
who could get away left there and came to Houston. Thus the
population was increased in a novel way. Military Headquarters
for the Trans-Mississippi Department were established at Hous
ton, and it became the military, commercial and social center of
the state. There was, of course, a great show of prosperity and busi
ness, but it was all show and had but little that was real and
substantial about it. There was some real prosperity, but this

Houston's Growth and Progress 453
was confined to only a few people. Those who had a great deal
of money to begin with, and who could keep out of the army,
were enabled to add largely to their fortunes by obtaining per
mits to ship out cotton and bring back a certain amount of
arms and ammunition for the use of the soldiers. It is true that
a strict blockade was maintained by the Federal ships off Galves
ton and all other Texas ports, and that there was great risk in
blockade-running, and yet one success would more than cover the
losses from two or three failures. Cotton could be bought for
Confederate money and after it reached a foreign port iteould
be sold for a dollar a pound in gold. The return eargo of war
munitions was scarcely higher in price in foreign markets than
during ordinary times, so that the profits on a successful round
trip were very great. Most of the blockade runners, those who
owned the cargoes and financed the operations, had headquarters
in Houston. It would seem that this alone would have added
greatly to the general prosperity, but such was not the case. The
whole thing was rather a close corporation and only one or two
individuals shared in the profits. Besides there were no great
numbers employed in the work. One or two small, but
very swift vessels, manned by as small a crew for each vessel
as possible, a big capitalist at this end to buy the cotton, a sales
man who went with the cargo to sell it, eager competitive buyers
at the other end, prepared to give gold for the cotton and to seU
arms and anything else for a return cargo, — that was all. Less
than a dozen men and one small vessel could easily do all that
was necessary to make a big fortune by one successful trip, or
lose a small one by failure. This is narrated here to show how
one-sided was the prosperity brought about by blockade running
and how little the general public shared in it.
Houston being military headquarters, army contractors and
hundreds of such people flocked here. There was a great deal
of money in circulation, but it was Confederate money and it
was just about as hard to get hold of as any other kind of money.
One had then to earri what he got, as now, and as all avenues
of money making were closed, except those opened for the for
tunate and favored few, there was real want and great poverty

454 History of Houston, Texas
among the masses. About the only things that were plentiful
were brass bands and gaudy military uniforms, for there were
enough brilliantly plumed staff-officers in Houston during the
whole war to have made an entire regiment of Texas troops such
as General Lee said he needed and wanted so badly. The chief
way in which Houston suffered during the war was in having
general business halted, and in having all foundries and work
shops closed except those employed in manufacturing war materi
als. Even those that were open and in operation were operated
by soldiers, detailed for that purpose. The Federal troops never
were responsible, directly, for any injury to Houston, for they
never got closer than fifty miles to it. Yet there was great want
and suffering among the people, for even the coarsest food was
expensive and hard to get, and clothing was all homemade. Any
old style and any old thing was good enough just so it covered
nakedness. A very fair statement of actual conditions in Houston about
the middle years of the war would be the following: General
Magruder and his staff lived on the fat of the land. Several
favored and adventurous merchants grew rich, honorably, by
running the blockade. Dozens of army contractors got rich, any
old way. The great mass of the real men were off at the front
fighting for their country, and their families at home suffered
for the absolute necessities of life. That is not a very nice pic
ture but it is a true one.
Yet the city wore no funeral trappings. Houston was never
so gay and lively as during those war days. It is true, that
nearly every week tidings came from the front that plunged some
family in deepest grief, or in painful anxiety about the death or
painful wounding of a son, brother, father or sweetheart on a
distant battle field. Still the gaiety went on. And yet all this
round of mirth making was not for the sole purpose of pleasure.
Some of it had a higher and nobler motive.
The women of Houston were constantly at work raising
funds to supply clothing for the soldiers and to procure hospital
supplies for the sick. In order to do this they gave concerts,
balls, fairs, oyster suppers, in fact they did any and everything

Houston's Growth and Progress 455
in their power to raise money. And they succeeded too. Public
balls and concerts added greatly to the general gaiety of the city,
and scarcely any one paused to think of the heartbreaking cause
that led to their being given. But the good work of the women
was not all so pleasant as giving balls and concerts. They organ
ized as nurses, and took charge of the local hospitals that were
established for sick soldiers. When the hospitals became crowded
they opened their homes to the sick and wounded soldiers, and
they were unceasing in their devotion to the great work they
had undertaken.
Coffee, tea and flour became things of the past almost, and
were so scarce that they were only within the reach, even when
a stray supply showed up, of the very wealthy. There was
plenty of sugar in this part of the state, because of the prox
imity of the sugar plantations, and there was plenty of corn
meal and bacon and meat, but beyond that, there was nothing.
Many substitutes for tea and coffee were found but there was
none for flour. Sweet potatoes roasted to a crisp and then
ground in a coffee mill, made a good substitute for coffee. Sassa
fras root made good tea. As a rule, however, most people drank
only hot water.
One of the greatest problems the people had to contend with
was securing lights. Every family became its own candle-maker.
These candles were wonderful creations made of tallow and hav
ing wicks of home-spun cotton. They had to be snuffed about
every two minutes, otherwise they gave no light at all.
About the queerest hardships the people had to undergo
developed the latter part of 1863. The money gave out. Even
Confederate money became so scarce that the people had no
medium of exchange. What little Confederate money there was
in circulation was in bills of large denomination. There were no
small bills at all. In this dilemma each merchant in town con
stituted himself a bank of issue. At first the plan worked very
satisfactorily, but soon it was so overdone that everybody
became disgusted, and refused to take any of the notes or bills
except those issued by well known and responsible firms. As
the number of these was limited, the confusion soon became almost

456 History of Houston, Texas
as great as ever. The older citizens tell of a German druggist,
who did not have the best character for honesty, issuing thou
sands of dollars of these "shin plasters," as they were called.
No one would take them, and finally he refused to take them
himself, giving as his reason the fact that everybody else refused
them, and that he had a right to do what everybody else did.
There was a great deal of both tragedy and comedy in Hous
ton during the four years of the war, but on the whole comedy
prevailed, and people went on buying and selling, laughing and
weeping, marrying and giving in marriage.
Almost before the echo of the last gun of the war had died
away, Houston began to show life and animation. Business
became brisk and there was evidence of prosperity on every hand.
This was due to several causes. Houston had felt few of the ill
effects of the war, except those that were general to the whole
country, and certainly none that could be considered more than
temporary and transient. But the real reason for the great
prosperity lay in the fact that there were large quantities of cot
ton stowed away on the plantations and farms — the accumula
tions of four years, which found a ready and ravenous market
at fabulous prices. Houston's trade- became at once very great,
and the prosperity was great also. There was plenty of money
and it was easy to get hold of. It was real money too, gold and
silver, for Texas was the only state in the Union that was on a
gold and silver basis in 1865. Large quantities of foreign gold
were shipped here with which to buy cotton, and gold became
the currency of the country. This prosperity was somewhat
checked in 1866 by the occurrence of the cholera epidemic of
that year, but the check was only temporary and before the faU
of 1866, everything was booming again. The winter of 1866-1867
was very active in all branches of business. The presence of a
large body of troops, the Federal army of occupation, while
annoying and exasperating, was possibly beneficial from a com
mercial point of view, since they had to purchase all their sup
plies in the local market.
This prosperity was effervescent, however, for after the
supply of old cotton had been exhausted, it was found, that

Houston's Growth and Progress 457
owing to the difficulties of securing suitable labor, it was
almost impossible to produce more. Then the great yellow
fever epidemic of 1867 broke out, accompanied by an equally
great disaster, the establishment of carpet-bag rule in Texas and
of course, in Houston, and all semblance of prosperity fled.
All the county and city officials in Houston were removed
from office by order of E. J. Davis and their places filled by
men, who, with few exceptions, were irresponsible rascals or
negroes. Then began a struggle for white supremacy, which
lasted for several years, during which time the dishonest officials
proceeded to loot the county and city.
By 1879 the bonded debt of Houston was very close to
$2,000,000 and the affairs of the city were in a desperate con
dition. A very true picture of the Houston of that day was
given by a citizen of Iowa, who visited this city and after his
return home wrote the following letter to the Davenport, Iowa,
Gazette, in 1879:
"This (Houston) is the great railroad center of Texas, and
if railroads make a great city, this is destined to be one. It
is the terminus of the Galveston and Houston, the Houston and
Texas Central, the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio, the
Texas and New Orleans, and the Great Northern railroads, the
last named of which also has a branch to Columbia. Besides
this it is the harbor of the Morgan line of steamships, running
to New Orleans, Havana, Brownsville and Vera Cruz. Is not
this a good foundation for a city? * * * * It has a charming
climate. Its trees are green and its flowers are beautiful and
fragrant. It has some (not many) good buildings, business
houses and residences. It has the finest market house in the
West and the finest market. It has some good looking stores,
dry goods and groceries, and, I am told, a good cotton press.
But the city looks shabby. There is not a paved or macadamized
street in the town, and but few decent sidewalks, and no system
of sewers at all. Wooden troughs are placed in the gutters in
some places, and waste water from houses is conducted into them
through other wooden troughs. This water does not run off, but
stands and emits an unhealthful odor. If such a want of clean-

458 History of Houston, Texas
liness does not breed disease it is only because the day of wrath
is being put off.
"I was told that the city has an enormous debt, and that
some are recommending a surrender of the city charter to avoid
payment, but I cannot believe that the better men of Houston
will suffer such a stigma to attach to their city.
' ' She has the recuperative power within herself which needs
only to be awakened to impel her to throw off the load by which
she is oppressed. The city is beautiful for situation and were it
paved, painted and polished up, it would shine like a star."
Most of the evils this writer complained of have been done
away with and the bright future he predicted for Houston has
become a fact.
When Houston had finally compromised her bonded debt,
she was placed in position to turn her attention to those things
that have made her great. But the following twelve to fifteen
years, or from 1882 to 1895, her progress was slow. The city
barely held its own and there was little growth either in com
mercial importance or in population during that period.
The year 1895 marked the end of the period of lethargy and
inaction. There was a recognition of Houston's advantageous
position by outside capital and home people began to share in
this new born confidence. The growth was not phenomenal, but
it was satisfactory and of such character as to attract attention,
and was altogether along safe and conservative lines. During the
next decade the expansion and growth became wonderful, and
at one time it reached such proportions that it created alarm,
and predictions were freely made that Houston would be over
taken by the fate of other "boomed" cities. These predictions
have proved groundless and what was considered undue inflation
in 1900 was considered as ridiculously conservative five years
later. The change of form of municipal government, from the
old board of aldermen with a mayor, to the five commission
ers, inspired the greatest public confidence, and the city entered
on an era of growth, expansion and prosperity that was of such
marked proportions as to attract the attention of the outside

Houston's Growth and Progress 459
world. The commission form of government became effective
in 1905. In less than a year, the guarantee that it gave of a
business-like management of public affairs and the consequent
stability of every other form of business, inspired the greatest
confidence, and capitalists vied with each other in their efforts to
add to the commercial and manufacturing industries of the city.
From September, 1906 to September, 1907, there were 146 new
enterprises chartered in Houston, with a total capital of $14,-
836,375, while twenty-eight of Houston's established corpora
tions increased their capital stock $3,340,000.
The assessed valuation of property in Houston, in 1901, was
$27,534,271, while the bonded debt was, including the funded debt
incurred by the carpet-bag government, $2,995,000.
For the year 1911 the assessed valuation is $77,294,351. (The
real value is nearly $200,000,000), while the bonded debt is only
$5,919,000 or just twice as great as it was ten years before, while
the city has a hundred fold more to show for its debt.
Houston has never redeemed any of the bonds issued, for the
simple reason that none, save those funded, have ever fallen due.
The oldest outstanding bond issue is that of $524,000 of 30 years
funding bonds, bearing 6 per cent interest, issued January 1,
1882, and maturing January 1, 1912. The city will be able to
pay these bonds when due and will do so.
The city's charter permits the levying of $2 on every $100
of assessed valuation, but the commission has gradually reduced
this rate until now it is only $1.70 on the $100.
The following figures taken from the books of the assessors
office do not fairly show the true values, but they do fairly indi
cate the wonderful ratio of increase in the value of Houston prop
erty, not only during each decade, but the remarkable increase of
each decade over the preceding one : 1880, assessment $5,502,416 ;
1890, $12,946,485; 1900, 27,480,898; 1910, $77,294,351. In 1880
the bonded debt represented almost two-fifths of the assessed
value of Houston's property, while in 1911, it represented only
one-thirteenth. The original city limits of Houston were nine square miles.
During the reconstruction period this was inflated many miles in

460 History of Houston, Texas
every direction but was reduced, as has been recounted, back to
the original limits. By 1903 it overlapped this area in every
direction and the limits were rationally extended to include 16
square miles which is the official area today, but the city again
overlaps in every direction.
According to the federal census the population of Houston
within its city limits was 27,557 in 1890 and in 1900 it was 44,633,
while by the census of 1910 the total was 78,800. Together with
Houston Heights, Brunner and other suburbs,' however, between
which and Houston there exists only the artificial boundary of
an imaginary line and which are one with Houston in continuity,
growth and development, the population is 105,860, so that Hous
ton is actually the largest city in Texas.
Although practically all the acreage of Harris County is
fertile there is only 11 per cent under cultivation and the devel
opment of the 89 per cent of the county lands will vastly increase
the city's growth. The development of all south Texas will also
help this city.
The story of the great building era of recent years has been
told but it should be noted that the skyscraper period of build
ing has only been in progress since about 1905 and that 19 of the
28 buildings* of six stories or over that Houston boasts have
been completed within the two years preceding November 1, 1911.
Permits for the erection of 981 buildings were granted by
the city for the year closing February 28, 1911.
A quarter of a century before, in 1885, there were 98 build
ings constructed in Houston in the course of a year and their
total cost was $286,000 or about half the cost of an ordinary
modern skyscraper. Of the 98 buildings of that year, 80 were
dwelling houses, and only six were factory buildings.
At any time since January 1, 1909, there has been at least
$5,000,000 worth of construction work in progress in Houston,
huge new skyscrapers being begun as soon as others were com
pleted. On October 1, 1911, over $7,000,000 worth of construc-
*This chapter was written at a little later date than the one
in which it is stated that there are 25 buildings of 6 stories or
over.

Houston's Growth and Progress 461
tion work was in progress. Houston 's latest city directory, issued
in the summer of 1911, thus summarizes the advantages of
Houston as the home of big business :
' ' In cotton, lumber, oil and rice, Houston is preeminent. It
collects and distributes for export the great bulk of the Texas
and Oklahoma cotton crop and much from elsewhere. Here are
annually handled 275,000 bales. By concentration facilities and
saving on railroad rates Houston saves the cotton trade some
$4,000,000 annually. Most of this saving is to the growers and
initial shippers. From all over the world, great cotton interests
send their representatives here. Manchester, Liverpool iand
Hamburg are accustomed to send scions of their great trade
houses to learn the cotton business in Houston. Even Japan is
represented among the cotton factors and brokers of Houston
by a native firm. Cotton compresses, cotton oil and cotton seed
products have large plants and interests.
"Houston is perhaps the greatest lumber city in America.
There are 49 corporations of yellow pine lumber nianufacturers
here, whose combined capital aggregates $85,000,000. An annual
business of $40,000,000 in lumber is transacted by the lumber men
in Houston. Some 250 saw mills in Texas, Louisiana and Arkan
sas are represented here. There are six national banks and four
large trust companies, two of the largest of the latter having
just consolidated, that have a combined capital stock of $7,000,-
000. Two of the banks are capitalized for $1,000,000 each. They
are the Union National and the First National. The checking
deposits of the Houston banks aggregate over $33,000,000 and
the saving deposits $3,000,000 more.
"Houston is the second largest primary rice market in the
South. It is in the center of a district that annually produces
2,500,000 bags from 282,000 acres planted in rice. Five great
. rice mills operate here.
"Houston is the market and center of the Texas petroleum
district which annually produces 13,000,000 barrels. The largest
independent oil company in America, The Texas Company, has
headquarters here. It is capitalized for $50,000,000 and owns
its own line of oil steamers which traverse nearly all seas.

462 History of Houston, Texas
"Houston is the center of the great sugar growing district
of Texas. Near it are 13 sugar mills with a combined capacity of
11,700 tons daily. This district produces 2,350,000 gallons of
molasses annually. Every boy and girl in North and South
America could have molasses, on his or her bread, grown and
made within sixty miles of Houston.
"Some 20 concerns on Houston's produce row do an annual
business in the Texas produce market of $5,500,000. The city
is the center of the Texas fruit and vegetable trade. The annual
wholesale trade of Houston is $130,000,000. The city has over
1,200 retail firms that do an annual business of over $55,000,000.
The city has 341 factories, producing 282 different articles. The
manufactured products of Houston are annually worth $56,000,-
000. Over 10,000 wage earners are employed in Houston who
receive $9,000,000 annually.
"The tax roll for 1912 will carry an $80,000,000 property
valuation. "The city death rate is 13.5, one of the lowest in the country.
The death rate among the white population is under 10. These
figures are to each 1,000 inhabitants.
"The city has the largest scholastic population and the
best public school system of any city in Texas.
"Houston has 64 churches worth over $3,500,000. They are
supported by 30,000 communicants at an annual cost of $275,000.
' ' The railroad shops of Houston employ over 5,000 men who
draw an annual aggregate wage of over $3,000,000.
"Houston is the home of splendid newspapers, thoroughly
equipped and magnificently housed.
"Harris County has over 300 miles of shell road and is a
paradise for automobilists.
' ' The altitude of Houston is 64 feet and the terrain is every
where level.
"At Houston 17 lines of railroad meet the sea, and here they
have absolute terminals.
' ' The Houston ship channel, now 18 feet deep for its entire
length, carries an annual traffic of 1,500,000 tons valued at a
sum in excess of $50,000,000.

Houston's Growth and Progress 463
"On July 18, 1907, Houston was made a port of entry and
has doubled its receipts each year since that time.
"On February 7, 1910, the federal congress authorized the
expenditure of $2,500,000 under government direction on the
Houston ship channel to straighten it and increase the depth to
25 feet, conditioned that Houston pay half of the amount. On
January 10, 1911, Houston, by almost unanimous vote, decided
to issue bonds for her one-half of the sum named. The bonds
have just been issued and are now open to bids. (These bonds
were purchased en bloc by the Houston banks and trust com
panies and were not put on the outside market at all.)
"At the same time that Houston voted the ship channel
bonds it voted the expenditure of $500,000 for the building of a
viaduct over the bayou to more closely connect the several sections
of the city. These bonds have been sold and work will soon com
mence on the splendid viaduct. (The bonds were purchased by
the South Texas National Bank of Houston and work is now
under way on the viaduct.)
"The city has recently voted $500,000 in school bonds fur
the erection of new schools.
' ' The figures and statistics quoted are largely taken directly
from the city reports and the reports of firms and corporations,
the rest are those collated by Houston's active chamber of com
merce. ' ' Socially, religiously, educationally and most of all in busi
ness life Houston is the metropolis of Texas and stands on the
threshold of yet larger and more splendid growth."
This summary taken from the directory was written by the
editor of this volume, and where larger figures are used than
those in the body of the text, in the chapters referring to the
several industries the larger figures are those of the city's cham
ber of commerce collated at a later date than the chapters were
written. Houston as a city is 75 years old. It has demonstrated many
remarkable things in city building. Within one year from the
time that John Allen, cut the coffee weeds with a bowie knife
down a muddy slope that led to a slowly flowing bayou, the new

464 History of Houston, Texas
town became the capital city of the new Republic whose area was
52,000 square miles greater than that of France. In a few years
Houston lost the political capital, which sought a spot nearer the
geographical center of the state, but it retained the commercial
supremacy and is today the financial capital of the state. Its
population has practically doubled every decade, but the last
doubling actually occurred within a period of some five years.
Will it double again within the next five or the next decade?
Few students of business conditions will doubt it.
Out of the Houston-Galveston shipping district more goods
are sent abroad than from anywhere else in the United States
save New York City alone. The opening of the Panama Canal
will make this district the great shipping point to South Amer
ica and the Orient and will also develop it as a great port of
entry for foreign goods. One must look to Manchester and to
Hamburg to be able even to presage the future commercial
supremacy of Houston.
Built in a wilderness Houston has become a metropolis.
Built on an almost sea level plain it has lifted itself into
the air. It has disappointed no promoter's faith and has made
sober and trite reality of many a promise that seemed but the
extravaganza of rhapsody and has then passed beyond the proph
ecies that were made for it until one almost sneers at the seers
of its future for their shortness of vision. In view of that fact
who shall dare to paint its future or count the heaven kissing
shafts and towers shown in the mirage of the days to come over
arched by the rainbows of promise. The arithmetic of the future
is of little value, for Houston grows in a geometrical progression. '
One thing at least is certain. Great Texas will have one great
metropolis. It will be a sea-port. It will be Houston!

INDEX

Index 467

Abbe Domenech, quoted  63, 70
Abundance of Wild Game  31
Academy, Houston  170
Academy of Music  431
Account of First Settlers, by John Henry Brown  32
Adath Geshurum Congregation  164
Advertisement, "The Town of Houston"  26
Allen Bros., A. C. & J. K, New York speculators, 26 ; pur
chase site of Houston, 26 ; nerve of  28
Allen, Harry H., newspaper editor  208
Allen, Rev. Wm. Y., early Presbyterian minister  62
Altitude  462
American Brewing Company  346
American Trust Company  330, 338
Amerman, Judge A. E  116
Amusements, early day  .'  41
Anderson, Phillip, M. D  124
Andrews, Ball & Streetman, law firm  121
Andrews, Frank, lawyer  120
Andrews, John D., mayor  107
Andrews, Judge W. C  116
Andrews, M. E  318
Andrews, Wm., mayor  108
Anecdote of the Congress of the Republic  35
Annexation  59, 450
Annexation Sentiment  59
Annexation Vote of Harris County  59
Anniversary Ball  42, 66
Annunciation, Church of the  64
Ansley, W. O  318
Ante-Bellum Period  447
Anti-Rat Society  68
Apartment Houses  414

468 History of Houston, Texas
Architecture and Building, Chapter 23,  403
Art Collection of Wm. M. Rice  200
Art League  390
Artesian Water  91, 105
Ashe, Judge Charles E  39, 116
Audubon's Early Visit  41
Auditorium  400'
Automatic Telephone  259
Bagby Brass Works  344
Bagby, T. M  59
Bailey George, of heavenly Houston fame  220
Bailey, J  59
Bailey, James, mayor  107
Bailey, W. S., lawyer  120
Baker, Botts, Parker & Garwood, law firm  121
Baker, Gen. Mosely  44
Baker, James A., lawyer  120, 166, 197, 202, 336, 337
Baker, Judge James  115
Baker, Wm. R  94, 95, 108, 144, 237, 443
Baldwin, H  59, 107
Baldwin, J. C, lawyer  120
Baldwin Park  436
Ball, a memorable  42, 66
Ball, Thos. H  120, 121, 122
Banks  327
Bank Clearances  329
Bankers Journal  213
Bankers Trust Company  329, 337
Banner, the National, early newspaper  211
Banquet of Home Products  357
Baptist Church, first ministers of  143, 144
Baptists, early  61, 63, 142
Baptist Sanitarium  134
Bar Association  119 120
Barziza, Capt. D. W., criminal lawyer   111
Bayland Orphan 's Home  286
Bayou City Iron Works  345

Index 469
Bayou City News, early newspaper  211
Bayou City Street Car Company  251
Beaconsfield Apartments  415
Beaumont, Sour Lake and Western  245
Bench and Bar, Chapter 8,  109
Bender Hotel  417
Bennett, Alf, Lumber Company  367
Beth Israel Congregation  163
Biglow, Charles, mayor  107
Big Tree Lumber Company  367
' ' Billow, ' ' early steamboat  246
Binz Building  405, 442
Bland and Fisher  367
Blockade Runner  251
Board of Health  66
Board of Trade, and Banks, Chapter 18,  313
Boat building  ,  355
Boilers and Engines, manufacture of  345
Boldt, Adolph  325
Boosters, Houston  28
Borden, Gail and T. H., made original survey and map. ... 29
Borden, Henry L., lawyer  120
Botts, Thos. H., lawyer  120
Botts, Col. W. B., lawyer  115
Boundaries of Houston  76, 79
Boyler, T. J., M. D  132
Boys ' Fire Company  84
Brady, Col. J. T., lawyer  119
Brashear, Isaac W  60
Brashear, Judge John  116
Brashear, J. W  59
Brashear, Sam. H., mayor, 108 ; judge  116
Brass Works  344, 345
Brazos Plank Road Company  233
Bremond, Paul, pioneer railroad builder  237, 240
Brewster, Judge M. N  116
Bridge, first  80

470 History of Houston, Texas
Bringhurst, Geo. H  ¦  59
Briscoe, Capt. Andrew  32, 36
Briscoe, Hon. Andrew  109
Briscoe, Mrs. Mary  110
Briscoe, Mary J., daughter of John B. Harris  32
Brooks Fire Company, No. 5  84
Brown, John H., quoted  32, 59
Brown, John T., mayor  108
Bryan, Dudley  383
Bryan, Guy M  333
Bryan, L. A., M. D  124
Buckley, Hon. C. W  115
Buckner, B. P., mayor  108
Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railroad  227, 229, 443
Buffalo Bayou Improvement  245, 246, 248
Buffalo Ship Channel  248
Building, Capitol  30
Building Statistics . .'  423
Burke, A. J., mayor  108
Burnett, David G  '  62
Burns, Hon. W. T  120
Bush Bros  367
Business League  323
Cage, R. K., lawyer  119
Cage, Rufus  119, 165
Cairnes, A. C  322
Campbell, E. R., criminal district attorney  115
Camp, Indian  -.  31
Capital Days and Annexation, Chapter 4,  54
Capital Removed to Austin  57
Capitol Building  30, 54, 66, 444
Capitol Square  30
Card Games  41
Carlisle and Company  367
Carnegie Library Association  294
Carnival Associations  282
Carpet Bag Period  447

Index 471
Carrington, W. A., lawyer  115
Carter Building  407
Carter-Kelley Lumber Company  367
Carter Lumber Company  367
Carter, S. F  165, 333, 336, 337
Carter, W. T. & Bro  367
Carter, W. T  332, 337, 369
Car Wheel Works  349
Catholic Churches  161
Cavin, E. D., criminal district attorney  115
' ' Cayuga, ' ' early steamboat  245
Cemeteries  435
Census Statistics  73
Central Christian Church  421
Central Coal and Coke Company  367
Central Fire Station  402
Chamber of Commerce  68, 325
Charitable Institutions  285
' ' Charles Fowler, ' ' early steamboat  246
Charter, the City's  97, 103
Cheek-Neal Company  355
Cherokees expelled from the state  57
Cholera  137
Christ Church  62, 157, 420
Christian Church  160
Christian Scientist  160
Chronicle Building  411
Church building, the first  142
Church History, Chapter 10  142
Church lots donated by the Aliens  142
Church Mule, the   143
Church of the Annunciation  64, 421
Church, first organized  62
Cisterns, source of water supply  90
City Auditorium  400
City Bank of Houston  328
City's Charter  97, 103

472 History of Houston, Texas
City control of public schools  175
City Cotton Mills  352
City Fire Department  81, 83, 84, 85, 86
City's Finances and Debt  94, 95, 103
City Government, Chapter 7,  76
City Hall  79
City Hospital  67
City Hotel  441
City Incorporation  38
City Officials  106
City of Tents  30
Civil War Period  447
Clearing Bank  329
Clearing House  339
Cleveland Compress Company  320
Cleveland, C. L., criminal district attorney  115
Cleveland Park  436
Cleveland, Wm. D  165, 316
Cochran, 0. L  426
Coffee Roasters  355
College Park Cemetery  439
Columbia Tap Railroad  231
Columbus, San Antonio and Rio Grande  227
Commercial and Agricultural Bank  327
Commercial National Bank  330, 331
Commission Government  97, 101, 105, 459
Conditions in 1836  31
Congress of the Republic  35, 55
Congress Square  30, 77
Constitutional Convention  60
' ' Constitution, ' ' early steamboat  245
Constitution Bend  245
Conservation of Timber  370
Continental Lumber Company  367
Cook, Judge Gustave, lawyer  115
Cook, E. F., M. D  '  129, 130
Corporation Court  117

Index iiii
Cotton as King  319
Cotton Compresses  74, 320, 342, 343
Cotton Exchange  313
Cotton Exchange and Board of Trade  31&
Cotton, J. M  324
Cotton Press, first  74, 342"
Cotton, S. 0. & Bro  426"
Cotton Seed Oil Mills  348, 350
Cotton Seed Products  350
County Affairs, early  36
County Court, Harris  116
County, Harris, description of  33
County Records, first  36, 39
County Seat moved to Houston  33, 36'
Court House  393, 413:
Court House Site  30, 36, 39'
Cox, Mrs. Robert L  379, 381
Cozy Theatre  430, 433:
Crank, Maj. W. H., lawyer  114-
Criminal District Attorneys  115>
Crystal Theatre  433
Current Literature Club  :  299
Cushing, E. H., newspaper editor  nr 208
Cushman 's Foundry  344
Daily and Weekly Journals  212
Dialy Commercial  •  213
Daily Courier  213
Daily Evening Star  , 212
Daily Mercury  •  213
Daily Telegraph  213
Daily Times, early newspaper  • . . 210, 212
Daily Union  212
Daly, David  •  253
Dancing Club, Z. Z  283
Daughters of American Revolution  • 301
Daughters of the Republic of Texas  302
Death Rate  •  462:

474 History of Houston, Texas
Debt of the City  94, 95, 103
Declaration of Independence  32
Denis, L. S  165
Dennis, E. L  165
Denominational Schools  189
DePelchin Faith Home  288
' ' Desmonia, ' ' early steamboat  246
Deutsche Zeitung  214
' ' Diana, ' ' early steamboat  246
Dickens Fellowship  301
Dickson Car Wheel Works  349
Direct Navigation Company  323
Disastrous Fires  153
District Court, eleventh, 115; fifty-first, 116; sixty -first. . . . 116
District Schools  190
Dixie Theatre  433
Donation of Church Lots by the Aliens  142
Donellen, Thusetan  ^  388
Dragoons, the organized  69
Dramatic Club  430
Drayage Costs Eliminated  320
Drays and Floats Unnecessary  361
Dunn, T. C  332
Dupree, Judge Blake  120
Duval, J. S., M. D  124
Eagle, Joe H., lawyer  120
Early Architecture  403
Early Baptists  61, 63, 142-
Early Card Games  41
Early Chamber of Commerce  325
Early City Officers  38
Early Court Officers  36
Early Day Amusements, Chapter 2,  41
Early Growth and the Bayou, Chapter 6,  65
Early Law Cases  37, 110
Early Lawyers  109
Early Market  77

Index 475
Early Merchants  67
Early Methodists  61, 62, 148
Early Murder Trials  37
Early Newspapers  ;  204 — 211
Early Police Matters  86
Early Presbyterians   62, 152
Early Prices for Provisions  67, 359
Early Religious Organizations, Chapter 5,  61, 142, 152
Early Schools  73, 167, 169
Early Steamboating on the Bayou  70, 245, 246
Early Theatres  46, 169, 429
Early Transportation Difficulties  225
Education and Free Schools, Chapter 11  167
Election, whiskey  41
Electric Lights  105, 349
Eleventh District Court  115
Elimination of Drayage  320
Elizabeth Baldwin Park  436
Eller Wagon Works  353
Endowment, Wm. M. Rice's  192
Engines and Boilers, manufacture of  345
England's Plans  58
England's Refusal of Recognition, 57 ; recognition,  58
Englehard, H. A., M. D  123
Enlarged Town Site  30
Ennis, Cornelius, mayor, 107 ; pioneer railroad builder .... 237
Epidemics  66, 136, 137
Episcopal Churches  159
Episcopals, early  62
"Erie, No.' 3," early steamboat  246
"Erie, No. 12," early steamboat  246
Evening Age  213
Evening News  213
' ' Farmer, ' ' early steamboat  246
"Father" Levy  162
Federal Building  414
Fifty-first District Court  116

476 ' History of Houston, Texas
Files of the old "Telegraph" destroyed  208
Fire Companies  81, 83, 84
Fire Department  81, 83, 84, 85, 86
Fire Insurance  425
Fires  81, 153, 451
First Baptist Church  142, 144
First Board of Health  66
First Bridge  80
First Catholic Church  160
First Church Bell  153
First Church Building  142
First Church of Christ, Scientist  421
First Congress  35
First Cotton Press  74, 342
First County Records  36, 39
First Court  109
First Court House  391
First Evangelistic Sermon  61
First Fire Company  81
First Grand Jury  36
First Hotel  30
First Houston Author  220
First Iron Foundry  343
First Jail  36, 391
First Lone Star Flag  33
First Mayor  .'  76, 107
First Methodist Church  148, 152, 421
First National Bank  329, 330, 331
First National Bank" Building  409
First National Bank of Texas  '.  328
First Organized Church  62
First Presbyterian Church  152, 42]
First Protestant Episcopal Church  156
First Religious Services  142
First Steamboat  29, 65
First Street Railway Company  251
First Two-story Dwelling   66

Index ill
First Sunday School  62
First Use of Gas  93
Flewellen, R. T., M. D  ¦  126
Floats and Drays Unnecessary  361
Floral Festival  325
Florence Crittendon Rescue Home  291 1
Foote, Henry Stewart, quoted  o9
Forest Area and Stumpage in Texas  369
Foster, J. H., M. D  130
Foster, M. E  219
Founding of Houston  76
Foundry, Cushman 's  344
Fountain, Rev. Edward, early Methodist minister  62
Fowler, Rev. Littleton, early Methodist minister  61, 63
Franchises, granting of  101
Franklin, Hon. Benj. C  37, 115
Freeman, Judge T. J  241
Free Masonry  261
Free School Lands  :  171
Free Schools Opposed  174
Frisco Lines  232, 242, 244
Fuller, Col. Nathan, mayor  107
Fuller, Mrs. Charlotte M  ¦  143
Furniture Manufacture  353
Galveston Causeway  254
Galveston Disaster  97
Galveston Harbor  27
Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Ry  226, 230, 245
Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railway 
 :  228, 230, 231, 239, 243, 245
Garwood, H. M., lawyer  120, 166
Garrow, H .W  317
Gas- Company Organized  93
Gas, price of  105
Gebhart-Williams-Fenet  367
"Gems from a Texas Quarry,"  222
"General Sherman," first locomotive in Texas  227

478 History of Houston, Texas
Gentry, A. M  59
German Lutheran Church, First  159
German Musical Association  377
German Society  267
German Society Cemetery  438
Gibbs, J. P., M. D  129, 130
Gill, W. H, lawyer  120, 121
Gillespie, J. K. P., criminal district attorney  115
Girard 's Map  30
Girls' Musical Club  386
Glenwood Cemetery  438
Goldthwaite, George, lawyer  114, 119
Gordon, Boris Bernhardt  389
Gould System  231
Government by Commission  97, 101, 105
Government, seat of, 34 ; moved to Houston,  33
Grand Jury, the first  36
Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas  263
Grant Locomotive and Car Works  345
Grants to Settlers  57
Gray, A. C, editor  209
Gray, E. N., M. D  130
Gray, Hon. Peter  114, 117
Gray Opera House  430
Great Southern Life Insurance Company  427
Gross, Rev. Dr. J. L  147
Grove, Hangman's  38
Growth and Progress, Chapter 28,  447
Guarantee Life Insurance Company  427
Guarantee State Bank  330, 333
Guards, Milam  53, 58, 67
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe  243, 245
Hadley, Mrs. Piety L  143
Hadley, T. B. J  59
Hall City  79
Hamblen, Hon. E. P  116, 119
Hamblen, Hon. W. P  114, 116, 117

Index 479
Hamilton, Gavin, M. D  130
Hamman George  332
Hangman's Grove  38
Harrisburg and Brazos Valley Railway  226
Harrisburg : better place for a city, 25 ; rivalry with, 31 ;
county, 32, 36 ; founded, 32 ; municipality of, 31 ; laid
out, 32 ; seat of justice, 32 ; put to the torch by Santa
Anna  32
Harris County Court  116
Harris County Court House  393, 413
Harris County : description of, 33 ; vote on annexation .... 59
Harris County Jail  395
Harris County Medical Association  128
Harris County Schools  190
, Harris, D. W. C, county clerk  109
Harris, John B., founder of Harrisburg  32
Harris, John Charles, lawyer  1 20
Harris, Mary Jane  32
Hartwell Iron Works  344
Hawthorne Lumber Company  367
Health Department Statistics  131
Hebrew Cemetery  438
Hebrew Congregations  162
Henderson, Gov. J. W  59, 113, 118
"Henry A. Jones," early steamboat  246
Henry, 0., famous short story writer  220
Hewitt Manufacturing Company  345
Highland Park  436
Hill, J. L., Lumber Company  367
Hogg, Gov. Stephen S  121
Holland Lodge No. 1  41
Holland Lodge No. 1,  261, 263
Holland Lodge No. 36,  262
Holman, J. S., mayor  107
Hollywood Cemetery  438
Holt, O. T., mayor  108
Holy Cross  438

480 History of Houston, Texas
Home Products Banquet  357
Hook and Ladder Company No. 1  81, 83, 84
Horn, Prof. P. W  175, 179
Hospitals  67, 132, 135
Hotel, Rice  30
Hotel, the first  30, 419, 441, 443
House Sash Factory  347
House, T. W., Sr  92, 108, 237, 328
Houston Academy  170
Houston : advertisement of, 26 ; and tide water, 26 ; advan
tages for building, 27 ; as a railroad center, 240 ; a lum
ber center, 365 ; boundaries of, 76, 79 ; founding of, 76 ;
distance from Brazos River, 26 ; head of navigation, 26 ;
described by Lubbock in 1837, 29 ; city of tents, 30 ;
selected as seat of government, 33, 54 ; county seat, 33 ;
conditions as seat of government, 34; incorporated as a
city, 38, 76 ; monument to real estate promoters ' art . . 25
Houston and Texas Central Railway  228, 230, 239, 443
Houston and Texas Central Shops  241, 245
Houston and the Red Men, Chapter 3  48
Houston Bar Association  119, 120
Houston Belt and Terminal Company  232, 244
Houston Business League  323
Houston Car Wheel and Machine Company  349
Houston Chronicle  216, 219
Houston City Street Railway Company  251
Houston Clearing House  339
Houston Country Club  284
Houston Daily Herald  218
Houston Daily Sun  218
Houston Direct Navigation Company  247
Houston East and West Texas Railway  230, 245
Houston Electric Company  349
Houston Fire and Marine Insurance Company  427
Houston Fire Department  83 — 86
Houston Futures, boys' fire company  48
Houston Gas Company, organized  92

Index 481
Houston, Gen. Sam: in Indian conference, 49; residence and
office of, 55; as Indian Chief, 48; as president-elect,
45, 42, 43 ; opposes removal of capital  58
Houston Ice and Brewing Company  346
Houston Iron Works  345
Houston Labor Journal  214
Houston Launch Club  355
Houston Light Guard  277, 280
Houston Loan and Trust Company  330, 335
Houston Lyceum  292
Houston Lyceum and Carnegie Library Association  296
Houston Medical Association  124
Houston Musical Festival Association  385
Houston National Exchange Bank  330
Houston Newspapers, Ciiapter 13,  20-1
Houston Nutshell  214
Houston Packing Company  346
Houston Pen Women's Association  300
Houston Post, 214 ; reorganized  217
Houston Quartette Society  382, 385
Houston Savings Bank  329
Houston Settlement Association  '. 287
Houston Ship Channel  249
Houston Structural Steel Works  345
Houston Symphony Club  386
Houston Tap and Brazoria Railway  229, 230, 231
Houston Telegraph  209, 213
Houston Telegram  214
Houston Telephone Exchange  258
Houston Theatre  430
Houston Weekly Argus  213
Houston Weekly Chronicle  213
Houston 's Boosters  28
Houston's Buildings  391
Houston's Debt and Finances  94, 95, 103
Houston's First Author  220
Houston's Growth and Progress, Chapter 28  447

482 History of Houston, Texas
Houston's Manufacturers, Chapter 19,  340
Houston 's Motto  155
Houston's Pioneers,  449
Houston's Postoffices  396
Houston's Seventeen Railroads  245
Houston 's Stability  373
Howard, Wm. H., M. D  124
Howe, Mrs. M. G  110
Huckins, Rev. James, early Baptist pastor  143
Hume, W. D  385
Hurd, C. W  384
Hutchins House  441
Hutchinson, J. C, lawyer  115
Hutchins, W. J., mayor, 107 ; pioneer railroad builder .... 237
Hutchison, Mrs. Wilie  380
Ice Factories  345
' ' Ida Reese, ' ' early steamboat  246
Ideson, Miss Julian  296
Ikin, Arthur, quoted  73
Improvement of Buffalo Bayou  245, 246, 248
Inauguration of Stage Lines  68
Incorporated as a city  38, 76
Independence and Monroe Doctrine  58
Independence, Declaration of  32, 55, 58
Indian Burial Ground  441 %
Indian Camp  31, 48
Indian History  48
Indian Letters  50
Indian Trading Post  440
Indian Treaty  50
Industrial Rice Milling Company  •  372
Industrial Statistics  305
Infirmaries  I35
Insurance, Chapter 24,  425
Intelligencer, the  55
International and Great Northern Railway  231, 241 245
Interurban Railroad  253

Index 483
Iron Foundry, early  343
Jackson, Andrew L., mayor  108
Jacobs, Rev. Dr. Wm. States  155, 386
Jail  36, 395
Jewish Herald  214
"J. H. Sterrett, ' ' early steamboat  246
Jockey Club, the  42
Johnson, Col. R. M  217, 323
Jones, Dr. and Mrs. Anson  39, 261
Jones, Frank C, lawyer  120, 264
Jones, Fred A  415
Jones, George, county clerk  117
Jones, Jesse H  332, 336
Jones, Judge C. Anson  114, 116
Jordan, A. N., lawyer  111. 11 8
Jordan, Charles, lawyer  114
Junkin, Rev. Dr. E. D  1 54
Jury, first petit  110
Katy System  231, 243, 245
Kennerly, T. M., lawyer  120
Kerr's Poems  222
Kidd, Geo. W  113
King Cotton  319
King, F. B., M. D  130
King, W. H., mayor  107
Kirby Lumber Company  366
Kirkland, W. H  346, 347
Kirlicks, Judge John H  117
Kittrell, Judge Norman G  116, 222
Knight, Mr., early settler  32
Knights of Pythias  265
Knox, M. D., M. D  -  128
Krause, A., M. D  130
Kyle, J. A., M. D  129, 130
Labor Statistics'  305
Ladies' Reading Club  296
Ladies' Shakespeare Club  29S

484 History of Houston, Texas
Lamar, M. B., as president  56
Landmarks  440
Land Office  '  441
Lane, Jonathan, lawyer  120
Lane, Wolters & Storey, law firm  122
Larendon, J., M. D  126
Latin Influence in Architecture  405
"Laura," the first steamboat  29, 65
Layne and Bolder  345
Lea, A. H  317
Leavell, Rev. Dr. Wm. Hayne  154
Lee Fire Company, No. 2  83, 84
Levy, Abe M  332, 337
Levy, "Father,"  162
Lewis, John W., lawyer  120
Liberty Fire Company, No. 2  83, 84
Lively, George W., mayor  107
' ' Lizzie, ' ' early steamboat  246
Lloyd Metal Company  345
Lombardi, C  197, 202
Lone Star Flag, when first made  33
Lone Star Lodge, No. 1  ¦  264
Long-Bell Lumber Company  367
Longcope, Capt. C. S  313, 316
Long's Expedition  32
Looscan, Mrs. Adele B., describes early ball  43
Looscan, Mrs. M.,  110
Lord, I. G, mayor  -  108
Lubbock, Francis R. : prominent early citizen, 29 ; govern
or of Texas, 29; "discovered" Houston, 29; describes
trip from Harrisburg to Houston in 1837,  29, 59
Lumber Companies  357
Lumberman's National Bank  330 333
Lumber Trade  365 451
Lyceum   292
Machinery Trade  361
Machine Shops  343

Index 485
Magnolia Cemetery  438
Magnolia Histrionic Club  431
Magnolia Warehouse & Storage Company  321
Main Street Located  65
Malone, CM  337
Malone, Wm  338
Manafee Lumber Company  367
Manley, Col. John H., criminal lawyer  Ill
Manley, John, lawyer  119
"Mansion"  442
Manufacture of boilers and engines, 345 ; of furniture, 353 ;
of ice, 345; of organs and pianos, 354; of show cases.
354 ; of wagons  '.  353
Manufacturing, 340 ; statistics of, 341 ; natural advantages
for, 341 ; early,  342
Manufacturing Statistics  356
Maps of Houston, early  29, 30
Market, early  77
Market House, 77, 78 ; burned  79, 394, 399
Market Master  78
Market Square  "  77
Marmion, Judge  117
Marsh, Rev. R., early Baptist minister  61
Masonic Mirror and Family Visitor  21 3
Masonry, Holland Lodge, No. 1, 41; Temple Lodge No. 4. . 42
Masterson, Judge James, lawyer  114. 116, 119
Masterson, Judge James R  116
Masterson, Judge James A. R  119
Masterson, Judge Wm  116
Maury, R. G., criminal district attorney  115
McAnally, Doctor  124
McAnnelly, CM  59
McAshan, J. E  197, 202, 222
McAshan, S. A  317
McCraven, W. M  ¦  '.  59
McCraven, Wm., M. D  124
McDonald, Mrs. Edna  386

486 History of Houston, Texas
McGowan, Alexander, 60; mayor, 107 ; early foundry man. . 343
Mcllhenny, S. K  317
Meador, N. E  336
Mechanics Fire Company, No. 6  84
Medical Association, Harris County  128
Medical Association, Houston, organized  124
Medical Association, State  125, 127
Medical History, Chapter 9,  123
Medical Practice, regulation of  127
Memorable Ball  42
Merchants Compress Company  322
Merchants, .early  67
Merchants National Bank  332
Methodists, early  61, 62, 148
Methods of Handling Cotton  319, 364
Milam Guards  53, 58, 67
Miller, R. C, Lumber Company  367
Mingo, Indian Chief  441
Minutes of First Baptist Church  143
Missouri, Kansas and Texas System  231, 243, 245
Mitchell, Edgar  '  389
Mitter, K. N., M. D  130
Monroe Doctrine and Texas Independence  58
Moore, Dr. Francis, 59, 60, 76, 107; editor, 207; pioneer
railroad builder  237
Moore, H. C, M. D.,  129, 130
Moore, J. T., M. D  130
Morgan's Point  249
Morning Star, early newspaper  211
Morning Star, the  55, 66, 74
Morrell, Rev. Z. N., early Baptist minister  61
Morris, Hon. Richard  115
Mounted Police  87, 89
Munger, Mrs. N. C  381, 382
Municipal History  76
Municipality of Harrisburg  31
Munn, W. C  326

Index 487
Murder of Wm. M. Rice  192
Music and Art, Chapter 21  377
National Banner, early newspaper  210
Natural Advantages  357
Neal, J. W  355
Nelms, A. L  318
Nerve of the Allen Brothers  28
Neuhaus, C. L  337
New and Old Methods of Handling Cotton  319
New Majestic Theatre  430, 432
Newspapers of Houston  204
Norris Lumber Company  367
Norsworthy Hospital  135
Norsworthy, 0. L., M. D  129, 130
Norton, Hon. M. P  59
No-Tsu-Oh Association  :  282-325
Oberly, Cyrus S., early writer  221
Odd Fellowship  264
Officers, early county  36
Oil industry  '  375, 461
Oil Mills  348, 350
Old and New Methods of Handling Cotton  319
Old Cemeteries  437
Old Landmarks, Chapter 27  440
Old Majestic Theatre  430, 433
"Old Reliable," early steamboat  246
Olive Wood Cemetery  439
Opposition to Free Schools  174
Orange Lumber Company  367
Organized Church, first  62
Organized Labor, Chapter 17,  305
Oriental Textile Mills  352
Original Plan of the City  29
Original Street Names  29
Original Survey and Map  29
Ox Wagon Trade  225, 235, 451
Packing House Products  363

488 History of Houston, Texas
Packing Industry  346
Palmer, E. A., lawyer, 114 ; judge  118
Parker, E. B., lawyer  120
Parker, J. W., lawyer  120
Parks and Cemeteries, Chapter 26  435
Peabody Fund •  173, 176
Peden, E. A  326
Peoples Advocate  213
Percy, H. R  316
Perkins Hall  313
Perkins Theatre  430
Petit Jury, first  110
Petroleum  375, 461
Phelps, Ed. S., lawyer  120
Phelps, Dr., early settler  32
Pickering Lumber Company  367
Pillott's Opera House  .'  313
Pioneers  449
Pioneer Railroad Builders  237
Plan of the City, original  29
Planters and Mechanics Banks  332
Planters Fire Insurance Company  426
Police Affairs  86— 90
Police Tragedies  88
Pony Express  208
Porter, George L  316
Port of Houston  74
Post McLennan, No. 9, G. A. R  277
Postoffices  396, 414
Practice of Medicine, regulation of  127
Preachers Vigilence Committee  61
Presbyterian Churches  156
Presbyterian Church, First  153
Presbyterians, early  62, 152
President's "Mansion"  442
Preston Avenue Bridge  443
Priester, Wm. G., M. D  130

Index 489>
Princess Theatre  433
Prince Theatre  430, 433
Pritchard Rice Mills  372
Private Schools-  189
Produce Business  462
Protection Fire Company, No. 1  81, 83 84
Protestant Episcopal Church, First  156
Provisions, early prices of  67, 3591
Public Buildings  391
Public Schools Under City Management  175
Quackery  139
Rail and Water Competition  360^
Railroad Shops  241
Railroad Street  30
Railroad Surgeons Association  128
Railway Systems  230
Railroad Trackage and Equipment  241
Ralston, W. W., M. D  130
Raphael Bros  426
Raphael, E  197, 198, 202, 349
Raphael, Rev. Samuel  163
Ray and Mihills  367
Read, Wm. M  317
Recognition  55, 56
Recognition of Independence; refused by England, 57;
granted by France, 57 ; and the Monroe Doctrine .... 58
Reconstruction Times  78, 94, 108
Records, first court  36, 39
' ' Red Backs, ' ' depreciation of  67
Red Fish Bar  249, 250
Red, S. C, M. D.  130
Religious Service, first  142
Removal of Capital to Austin  57
Republic Period  447
Rescue Home, Florence Crittendon  290
Retail Business  374
Rice, B. B  179, 202

490 History of Houston, Texas
Rice Culture  370
Rice, Edwin B. . .-  284
Rice, F. A  197
Rice, H. B., mayor, quoted  88, 89, 96, 106, 108
Rice Hotel  30, 419, 441, 443
Rice Hotel Square  30
Rice Institute Architecture  ....'.'  422
Rice Institute, 190 ; Chapter 12,  °.  191
Rice Institute Site, 202 ; laying of cornerstone  202
Rice, Joe  284
Rice, J. S.  332, 336, 337
Rice, J. S. and W. M  367
Ri6e Mills*  372
Rice Trade  461
Rice Trustees,  197
Rice, William M  284
Rice, W. M  197, 202
Rice, Wm. M., 59, 192; murder of, 192; Houston's greatest
philanthropist, 195; pioneeer railroad builder, 237:
biography of  195
Richardson, A. S  '  114, 197
Rivalry with Harrisburg  31
Roberts, Maj. Ingham S., quoted,  107
Robinson, C W., criminal district attorney  , .... 115
Robinson, W. D., M. D  ¦  124
Rock Island System  232
Rockwell, J. M  332, 336
Rodgers, M. T  59
"Rolla," schooner  42, 66
Rose, Dr. Pleasant W., visited site of Houston  28
Ross, J. 0  337
Rossonian, the  415
Roster of City Officials  106
Round Tent Saloon  35, 41
Royal Theatre  433
Ruthven, A. S., pioneer railroad builder  2:37
Sabine, C B., lawyer  114, 116, 118

Index 491
Sabine Lumber Company  367
Saengerbund  377
Sam Houston Park  435
San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway  230, 243, 245
Sanitarium, the Baptist  134
' ' San Jacinto, ' ' early steamboat  246
Santa Fe Expedition  58
Santa Fe Lines  231
Savoy Flats  415
Scanlan Building  407, 442
School Board  101, 107
School Lands  171
Schools, denominational  189
Schools, early  73
Schools, private  167
Schooner : " The Rights of Man, " 32 ; " Rolla, "  42, 66
Schopman, Hugo  388
Scott, Hon. George R  116
Scott, J. W., M. D  130
Sears, D. G., lawyer  121
Sears, Judge W. G  .'  117
Sears, Rev. Dr. Peter Gray  159, 166
Seat of Government Moved to Houston  33, 36
Second Texas Infantry  269
Settlement and Pioneer Life, Chapter 1  25
Settlers, early, 32; Brown's account of  32
Settlers Grants  57
Shakespeare Club  298
Shands, H. A., lawyer  121
Shaw, Judge W. N  116
Shearn, Charles  148, 176
Shearn Church Site  61, 63, 150
Sheltering Arms, the  157, 286
Shepherd, B. A  328, 337
Ship Channel  248, 463
Shops, machine, 343 ; Southern Pacific, 241 , 348 ; Houston
and Texas Central  241

492 History of Houston, Texas
' ' Shreveport, ' ' early steamboat  246
' ' Silver Cloud, ' ' early steamboat  246
Site of Court House  30
Site of Hutchins House  30
Site of Rice Institute  202
Sixty-first District Court  116
Skyscraper Period  447
Smith, Ashbel, M. D  123, 124, 128, 171
Smith, C L., Lumber Company  367
Smith, Col. Benjamin Fort, builder of first hotel  30
Smith, Dan C, mayor  95, 108
Snell, M. K  59
Social Organizations  283
Societies and Clubs, Chapter 15  261
Society, Anti-rat  68
Sons of the American Revolution  277
Southern Compress and Warehouse Company  322
Southern Pacific Building  413
Southern Pacific Hospital  133
Southern Pacific Shops  241, 348
Southern Pacific System  230
Southern Pinery Tie and Lumber Company  367
Southern Trust Company  330, 337
South Texas National Bank  330, 332
South Texas National Bank Building  407
Southwestern Rice Mills  372
Southwestern Telephone Building  412
Spanish American War Veterans  277
Square, Capitol  30
Square, Congress  30 77
Square, Market  77
Square, Rice Hotel  30
St. Agnes Academy  161
St. Anthony 's Home  286
St. Joseph's Infirmary  161
St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexican Railway  232, 245
St. Pauls M. E. Church  42]

Index 493
Stage Coaches  225
Stage Lines Inaugurated  68
Standard Compress Company  323
Standard Milling Company  372
Standifer, J. M., lawyer  121
Star of Hope  286
' ' Star State, ' ' early steamboat  246
Star Theatre  433
Star, the morning, early newspaper  211
State Medical Association  125, 127
Statistics Census, 73 ; tax  74
Statistics of Health Department  131
Statistics of Manufactures  356
Steamboating on the Bayou, early  70
Steamboats, early means of transportation  225
Steamboat, the first  29, 65
Steele, A. L. and Company  426
Stevens, James H., mayor  107, 237
Stewart, Hon. Charles, criminal lawyer  Ill, 119
Stewart, John S., possessor of early map, 30 ; lawyer  121
Stewart, Minor, lawyer  121
Stonewall Fire Company No. 3  83, 84
Storey, James L., lawyer  121
Streetman, Sam, lawyer  121
Street, Railroad  30
Stuart, D. F., M. D  126, 132, 155
Stuart, J. R., M. D  130
Study Shakespeare Class  299
Stumpage and Forest Area  369
Sugar Cane Fields, proximity of  363, 462
Sunday Gazette  212
Sunday School, first  62
Sunset Central System  242
Surgeons Association, railroad  128
Swain, W. W., mayor  107
Taliaferro, S., lawyer  121
Tankersly, Benjamin, lawyer  114, 119

494 History of Houston, Texas
Taub, Otto, lawyer  121
Tax Statistics  74
Taylor, C H., lawyer  121
Taylor, E. W  318
Taylor, H. D., mayor  '  108
Taylor, Tom M  337
Telegraph and Register, early newspaper  205
Telegraph and Telephone Lines  254
Telegraph Files Destroyed  208
Telegraph, the  38, 55, 66
Temple Beth Israel  .' . . . 421
Temple Lodge No. 4  42
Terminal Depot  244
Terry 's Texas Rangers  268
Texas and New Orleans Railway  229, 230, 245
Texas and the Monroe Doctrine  58
Texas Annexation  '  59
Texas Bankers' Journal  213
Texas Gazette  213
Texas Independence  42, 55, 56, 57
Texas Journal of Education  218
Texas Medical Association  ... 127
Texas Magazine  213
Texas Railroad and Navigation Company  226
Texas Realty Journal  214
Texas Rice Mills  372
Texas Scrap Book  '.  218
Texas Staats Zeitung  213
Texas State Press Association  223
Texas Sun  213
Texas Tradesman  214
Texas Transportation Company  245
Texas Trust Company  330 336
Texas Wireless Telegraph-Telephone  259
Texas Word  214
Thalian Club   284
Tharp, G. W., lawyer   '  121

Index 495
Theato  :.  433
Theatres, Chapter 25  429
The City Government, Chapter 7  76
The Vagabond  214
Thompson, A. P., lawyer  114, 118
Thursday Morning Musical Club  378
Timber Conservation  370
Times, the daily, early newspaper  210
"T. M. Bagby," early steamboat  246
Tod, Hon. John G  116
Tompkins, S. S  59, 114
Townes, E. W, lawyer  121
Town of Houston Advertised  26
Town Site Enlarged  30
Trade in Machinery  : . .  361
Trading Post  440
Tragedies, police  :  88
Tragedy, the Rice  191
Transportation and Communication, Chapter 14  224
Treaty, Indian  52
Treble Clef Club  380
Trinity River Lumber Company  367
Trust Companies  334
Trustees for Wm. M. Rice Estate  197
Tryan, Rev. Wm. M  _  ¦;  144
Turner, Capt. E. P., lawyer . :  114
Turn Verein   265
Turpentine  370
Union Compress and Warehouse Company  -  322
Union Iron Works  345
Union Land Register  213
Union National Bank  329, 330, 332
Union National Bank Building  41 0
United Charities  286
United Confederate Veterans  276
United Daughters of the Confederacy  303
Vagabond, The .,  214

496 History of Houston, Texas-
Value of Water Transportation  323
Van Alstine, W. A  237
Vasmer, Judge E. H  116
Vaudette Theatre  433
Vaudeville in Houston  431
Vaughan Lumber Company  367
Viaduct  398, 463
Volks-fest  266
Volks-fest Association  267
Voss, Duff, police chief  90
Vote for Annexation  59
Wagner, Meyer C, lawyer  121
Wagon Trade  225, 235, 451
Washington County Railway  228
Water and Rail Competition  36
Water, Artesian  91. 105
Water Plant Purchased  92
Water Supply  426
Water Transportation, value of  323
Waterworks Company  91
Waterworks System  90, 92, 105
Watson, Wm. V. R  317
Wauls Legion  269, 272
Wesley House  290
West, W. W., Lumber Company  367
Wharton, Earl, lawyer  121
"Where Seventeen Railroads Meet the Sea"  155
Whiskey Election  41
White Oak Bayou Bridge  443
White, Walter C, early settler  32
Whitmarsh, T. W., mayor  107
Wholesale Business, volume of  362
Wholesale Trade and Big Business, Chapter 20  358
Wier, R. W., Lumber Company  367
Wier, W. M., M. D  129, 130
Wild Game Abundant  31
Wilkins, Mrs., early settler  32

Index 497
Williams, Mrs. Turner  382
Wilson, A. B., lawyer  121
Wilson, James T. D., mayor  91, 108
Wilson, Judge, lawyer  114
Wilson, Judge Wm. H  116
Wilson, R. D., M. D  130
Wireless Companies  259
Wireless Telegraph-Telephone   259
Womans Choral Club  382, 385
Wolters, Jake, lawyer  121, 122
Wynne, Archibald, lawyer  107
Wynns, A  59
Yellow Fever Epidemic  :  66, 137
Yellow Pine Trade  368
Y. M. C. A  421
Y. M. C. A. Building  421
York, J. B., M. D  130
Young Men's Hebrew Club  431
Young, S .0., M. D  124-126
Young Women's Christian Association  291
Z. Z. Dancing Club  283

499

EBBATA.
In list of members of the Houston Bar, page 120, the name
"R. Lewis" should be "Lewis R. Bryan;" "Earl Wilson," page
121, should be "Earl Wharton," and "Clerk C. Wrenn," page
121 should be "Clark C Wrenn.
"Dr. D. F. Stewart," pages 139 and 155, should be "Dr.
D. F. Stuart."
"Dr. Asbel Smith," page 171, should be "Dr. Ashbel
Smith." "Arkansas Pass," pages 230, 243, 245 and 253, should be
"Aransas Pass."
"H. F. McGregor, page 252, should be "II. F. MacGregor."

VALE UNIVERSITY

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