C.E. KING: This gentleman was a large landowner in Harris County. He developed Southpark following World War II. Many of the streets in this neighborhood are named for famous battles of that conflict and their histories are detailed elsewhere in this book. These starter homes could be bought for $50 per month in the 1950s. King said his goal was to build houses “young people may buy and be proud of.” Old timers may recall the twin screen King Center Drive-In. Once located near where Loop 610 South and M. L. King intersect, it has been closed for years. The theater became infamous in it final days. With the popularity of drive-in theaters waning in the late 1960s and early 1970s, economic considerations forced operators to adopt drastic measures to keep the gates open. The King Center began showing pornographic films that evening commuters on the Loop could not help noticing. But even the likes of Deep Throat and Debbie Does Dallas couldn’t save the King. 1
CABELL: William Louis – A graduate of West Point he resigned his commission in 1861 to fight for the South in the War Between the States. He was a brigadier general in the Army of the Potomac. Cabell saw action in more than 30 battles. He was wounded at Hatcher’s Creek in 1862 and captured at Mine Creek in 1864. Following the War he graduated from law school and moved to Dallas. He was elected mayor of that city in 1874 and served several terms until 1883. 2
CADENZA: See sidebar It’s Music to My Ears, page 218.
CADUCEUS: It is only appropriate that a city like Galveston with its long association with the University of Texas Medical Branch would have a street named for this insignia symbolizing a physician. The symbol is a staff with two entwined serpents and two wings. The caduceus dates back to 1577. 3
CAELIN: Woodlands resident Joel Deretchin named this street for his grand daughter. Nearby Colewood is named for his grandson, Cole. 4
Germans and people of Germanic decent have been an important part of Texas history for 250 years. Prior to arriving in Houston, records show German traders visited other parts of Texas in the 1750s. Germans were associated with the Louisiana Purchase (1804), the Long Expedition (1821) and the Texas Revolution (1835-36). Beginning in 1831 German immigrants began to arrive in small numbers in Texas. By 1845 this trickle was a flood. Most of them settled in Houston, Galveston and the Brazos and Colorado River Valleys. The combination of difficult economic conditions at home, plentiful job opportunities, better wages and an abundance of inexpensive but fertile farmland were the reasons so many Germans came to the Lone Star State. The first record of Germans in Houston appears in 1842. A large number lived in the Second Ward. So many in fact that that area was called Germantown and Canal Street was on the city maps as German Street. Much of our Germanic heritage is contained in our cemeteries. Washington Cemetery was known as the German Society Cemetery from its founding in 1887 until the name was changed due to anti-war sentiment during WW I in 1918. Three smaller cemeteries in west Houston (Hillendahl, St. Peter’s United Church and Vollmer) were also the burial grounds of many people of German descent. A number of streets in the Spring Branch and Memorial Villages area memorialize many of the German settler families. These would include: Bauer, Beinhorn, Beutel, Conrad Sauer, Hedwig, Hillendahl, Moritz, Neuns, Ojeman, pech, pifer, Riedel, Rummel, Schroeder and Witte. 8
CAESAR: Caius Julius – He is the most famous Roman of all. A brilliant orator, author and military man he eventually parlayed that prowess into becoming Emperor of Rome. Unfortunately, Caesar abused his powers and was assassinated on the Ides of March (March 15, 44 B.C.) by a group of Roman senators lead by Cassius and Brutus, prompting his last words “Et tu Brute?” He is little remembered for one of his greatest accomplishments: reforming the calendar. The Julian calendar was used until the 16th century when it was slightly modified and called the Gregorian calendar. (See Brutus, Cassius and Marc Anthony.) 5
CAGE: Benjamin F. – In Houston’s younger days it was not unusual to honor veterans of the Battle of San Jacinto with a street name. Such is the case with Mr. Cage who came to Texas in 1832. He fought under the command of Captain William H. Patton. It is believed that Indians killed him in 1838 near San Antonio. 6
CAJON: See sidebar Learn a Foreign Language on Your Morning Walk, page 125.
CALAIS: In May 1940 after the Germans captured this French port city as well as the harbor town of Boulogne, the only avenue of retreat for the British forces facing annihilation was through Dunkirk. (See Dunkirk.) 7
CALHOUN: John Caldwell – Here is another example of Houston showing its appreciation of South Carolina for that state’s support of the annexation of Texas. This gentleman, along with South Carolina Senator W. C. Preston, was a strong supporter of statehood for Texas. Calhoun County in south Texas is named for him also. (See Preston.) 8
CALHOUN: This Richmond street was originally called Railroad because it paralleled the train tracks. An old map at the George Memorial Library there shows the following businesses in a two block area of that street: Blue Light Tavern, Horse Saloon, Manuel’s Bar, Sunset Saloon, Cinder Club, Dally Saloon, Emil and John Joseph Saloon, Jackson’s Bar & Café, Gooden’s Bar, C. F. Austin’s Exchange Saloon, Spells Liquor Store and Three Brothers Saloon. The latter business was forced to close when the brothers married hard shell Baptist wives who strongly disapproved of imbibing spirits, wine and beer. 9
CAMBRIDGE: This is one of the oldest English speaking universities in the world dating from the 12th century. Located in Cambridge, England it predates Oxford University by almost a century. Today it has 31 colleges. 10
CAMELOT: This is the site of King Arthur’s Court in Arthurian legend.
CAMP STRAKE: This is one of the largest and most attended Boy Scout camps in America. It is named for Houston oilman George Strake, a philanthropist who donated generously to the Scouts during his lifetime. Over 80,000 Cub and Boy Scouts visit Camp Strake annually at no cost to them. (See Strake.) 11
CAMP WALLACE: This was a training center for antiaircraft units near Hitchcock during World War II. It was built in 1941. It is named for Colonel Elmer J. Wallace who was killed in the Battle of Meuse-Argonne in the First World War in 1918. Camp Wallace became a naval training center in 1944 and was closed and sold in 1946. (See Hitchcock.) 12
CAMPBELL: John W. – He was a lawyer and judge who owned property near the intersection of where Campbell and Katy Road intersect today in Houston. Campbell was originally from Louisiana. 13, 14
CANADA DRY: In the 1950s the Houston distributor of this once popular club soda and soft drink was located on this street that intersects the Gulf Freeway. 15
CANAL: Briscoe Irrigation Company developed a network of canals to provide Brazos River water for irrigation and industrial use in Fort Bend, Brazoria and Galveston Counties. In the 1930s the system was sold to American Rice Growers Association. They dug the American Canal which taps water from Oyster Creek. In 1967 the canals were taken over by the Brazos River Authority. This system still is a major component of the watershed management in this area. 16
CANAL: Prior to 1918 this Houston thoroughfare was called German Street. The name was changed because of the anti-German sentiment caused by WW I. Although none of the early city maps I studied showed any canal in the area, its proximity to the Houston Ship Channel and other maritime themed streets such as Navigation, may have influenced its name. (See sidebar Houston’s Germanic Heritage page 60.) 17
CANDLEWOOD: (See Chimney Rock.) 18
CANEY: Texas is home to more than 30 streams named Caney Creek. They are so called because of the cane-like vegetation along their banks. This one, in Montgomery County, runs about 50 miles, eventually flowing into the San Jacinto River near Lake Houston. The area was first settled in the 1830s. The town of New Caney rose on its banks in 1860. One of our state’s more interestingly named towns, Cut and Shoot, is on this waterway. (See Roy Harris.) 19
CANFIELD: Henry R. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.
CANGELOSI: Frank & Carlo – These brothers established a general store and cotton gin in Stafford in the early 1900s. (See Stafford.) 20
CANNONADE: This thoroughbred horse won the centennial running of the Kentucky Derby in 1974. The race was uneventful and he cruised to a 2 ¼-length victory. The fifth place finisher in this race, Little Current, went on to win the Preakness and the Belmont. 21
CANONERO: Winning the 1971 Kentucky Derby was the easiest thing this thoroughbred did in May of that year. He was air freighted with a load of chickens from Venezuela to Miami where he spent several days in quarantine. With no workouts he was placed in a horse trailer and driven 1,000 miles to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, site of the Derby. He trailed the field before coming on strong, recording a 3 ¾-length victory. Canonero proved his upset at Churchill was not luck when he posted a win in the second leg of the Triple Crown at the Preakness. In that run he led gate to wire. Unfortunately, he lost to Pass Catcher in the rubber match of the Triple Crown at Belmont. 22
» CAPRROL: Sketch of the first capitol of Texas
CANTATA: See sidebar It’s Music to My Ears, page 218. CAPELLA: See sidebar Starry Night, page 111.
CAPITOL: It was named to remind us that Houston was the second capitol of the Republic of Texas. We held this prestigious title from 1837 to 1839 when the government was moved to Austin. The actual Capitol Building was located on the northwest corner of Main and Texas where the Rice Loft condominiums are today. Named the Capitol Hotel by the Allen Brothers who owned the structure, it was purchased by William Marsh Rice. Following his murder it was renamed in his honor. (See Rice.) (See photograph of the first capitol at West Columbia on page 62.) 23
CAPROCK CANYON: See sidebar The Most Scenic Spots in Texas, page 310.
CAPTAIN BLIGHT: See sidebar Pirates of the Caribbean, page 280.
CAPTAIN HOOK: See sidebar Pirates of the Caribbean, page 280.
CARBON BLACK: The U. S. Government owned a carbon black plant in Sweeny that they sold to Phillips Petroleum in 1942. Carbon black is a by-product of the incomplete combustion of natural gas or petroleum. It is used to reinforce rubber as well as in inks, paints and polishes.
CARDWELL: Bedford C. – This street as well as Cardwell Estates may be named for this 1950s real estate developer. 24
CARNARVON: George Edward Stanhope – Its location in the Sherwood Forest addition leads me to believe this street is named for the British archeologist who was the patron of Howard Carter, the man who found the tomb of King Tutankhamen on November 4, 1922. Carnarvon died from an infection he contracted shortly after opening the sarcophagus, prompting the legend of the mummy’s curse. 25
CARNEGIE: This university was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by industrialist and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, in 1900. It began as a technical school. Carnegie’s vision was to open a vocational training school for the sons and daughters of working-class Pittsburghers. 26
CAROLINE: On some of the earliest street maps of Houston this street is named Carolina. South Carolina and one of its two U.S. Senators, W. C. Preston, strongly backed Texas annexation when this was not a popular cause in Washington D. C. because of fear of starting a war with Mexico. In return for this support city fathers honored that state with a major downtown thoroughfare. Somewhere along the way a transcription error changed the name to Caroline. In a way this is a shame because we have streets named for 48 of the 50 states. Only South Carolina and Maine are omitted. (See Preston and Calhoun.) 27
CARPETBAGGER: Feelings about the War Between the States do not die easily, especially in the South. Thus the name of this street in western Harris County near Fairfield. A carpetbagger is a Northerner who came to the South after the conflict and became active in Republican politics and profited from the disordered conditions during the Reconstruction Era. Today the word represents any opportunistic or exploitive outsider. 28
CARRELL: W. A. – He owned property northeast of Tomball. Carrell sold three acres of land to the city for its first hospital in 1944. (See Hospital.)29
CARTER: Oscar M. – He was a self-made millionaire from Nebraska who brought his Utopian vision for a 20th century town to Houston. He created the Omaha and South Texas Land Company that purchased 1,756 acres on the highest point in the area northwest of downtown. Calling it Houston Heights, the corporation invested $500,000 in infrastructure including utilities, parks, schools, landscaping, streets and alleys. 30
» CARTER: Houston Heights founder O. M. Carter
CARTWRIGHT: Jessie H. – He arrived in Texas in 1825 from Mississippi. In 1828 Stephen F. Austin awarded Cartwright a league of land where Missouri City is today. He farmed and ranched on his Cartwright Plantation. Santa Anna and the Mexican Army crossed his property in pursuit of their fateful meeting with Sam Houston at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. During the Republic of Texas he served in the Congress in 1836-7. He died in 1878. 31
» CARVER: George Washington Carver
CARVER: George Washington – This neighborhood (Carverdale) and street honor one of America’s most outstanding African-Americans. His expertise was agriculture. He was head of the Agriculture Department and director of Agricultural Research at Tuskegee Institute. He devoted his life and work to improving the lot of poor southern farmers. In 1940 he endowed the George Washington Carver Foundation to perpetuate his research. He was the recipient of numerous honors and awards. In 1953 the Alabama plantation where he was born of slave parents was named a national monument. 32
CASCADA: See sidebar Learn a Foreign Language on Your Morning Walk, page 125.
CASEY: Mike – He founded a brickyard in the Baytown area in 1869 that produced 600,000 bricks yearly. Casey died in 1871. His family closed the business and moved away. In the 1880s the brickyard was reopened to take advantage of the building boom going on in Galveston. Once again the yard fell on hard times and the site was sold to the City of Baytown for a garbage dump. 33
CASH: R. M. – In Katy, Texas a neighborhood named Heritage Meadows contains the names of the men who platted the city in 1895. Cash was one of these founders. 34
CASSANDRA: In Greek mythology Apollo gives Cassandra the ability to predict the future. In return Apollo wants Cassandra to be his lover. When she refuses he makes sure that no one believes her prophesies. 35
CASSIUS: Caius Longinus – This Roman was involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 B.C. In his stirring “Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears– speech, Marc Anthony enraged the citizens, forcing Cassius to flee to Syria. He was pursued by Anthony and Octavian who engaged him in battle at Philippi. Mistakenly believing he lost the skirmish, Cassius committed suicide. (See Caesar, Marc Anthony and Brutus.) 36
CASTLE HARBOUR: See sidebar Tennis or Golf, Anyone?, page 348.
CASTOR: In Greek and Roman mythology Castor along with his twin brother Pollux were children of Zeus and Leda. They were revered by sailors and were said to appear during storms as St. Elmo’s fire, a visible electric discharge that can appear on a ship’s mast in foul weather. 37
CASTOR: See sidebar Starry Night, page 111.
CAT SPRING: In 1834 a group of Germans from Oldenburg and Westphalia, lead by Ludwig Anton Siegmund von Roeder and Robert Kleberg, settled in this area of western Austin County. They were joining another Oldenburg citizen who arrived three years earlier and wrote enthusiastically about this area of Texas. The name came from von Roeder’s son who killed a puma near one of the springs here. 38
CATFEET COURT: Located in the Woodlands this street name was inspired by Carl Sandberg’s short poem. “The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over the harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.” 39
CAT’S CRADLE: Also in the Woodlands, Susan Vreeland-Wendt was inspired by Harry Chapin’s Cat’s in the Cradle off of his 1974 hit album Verities & Balderdash when she named this street. 40
CAYLOR: Joseph B. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.
CEDAR BAYOU: This drive is named for the bayou of the same name. That estuary meanders 46 miles through Liberty County, emptying into Trinity Bay southeast of Baytown. Early settlers named it because of the great abundance of cedar trees that lined its banks. 41
CEDAR CREEK: Tanglewood developer William Farrington named this street for a small Texas town where his wife’s family had lived for over 100 years and had founded the Baptist church there. 42
CEDAR CREEK: This Waller County village was named for the nearby creek of the same name by Henry Kloecker in the 1880s. (See Kloecker.) 43
CEDAR GROVE CEMETERY: This burying ground is all that remains of the small Brazoria County town of the same name. Cedar Grove was established in 1886 where the Dance family’s Cedar Brake Plantation once stood. 44
CEDAR GROVE: Lying east of Houston near the Harris/Chambers county line is this two-block long street. It recalls the small village of the same name. Cedar Grove was on most Texas maps up until the late 1930s. 45
CEMETERY: (See Zion Lutheran Cemetery.)
CENTENARY: Founded in 1825, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church, Centenary College is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River. Located in Shreveport, Louisiana, this college’s name came from the desire to remember the 100th anniversary of John Wesley’s founding of the Methodist Societies in England. 46
CENTER WAY: The streets of Lake Jackson were laid out to provide easy access to the center of town. “Drives” go around the outskirts and handle through traffic. “Ways” lead to the city center. Thus the name of this street. Circle Way circles the business district. (See This Way and That Way.) 47
Developers of Denver Harbor and Houston Harbor, just northwest of the Houston Ship Channel, elected to name streets after towns where newcomers had moved from in order to become residents of our fair city. From north to south these streets are named: Gainesville, Longview, Texarkana, Eagle Pass, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, Laredo, Hillsboro, Waxahachie, Brownwood, Greenville, Bonham, Dennison, Amarillo, Abilene, El Paso, San Angelo, Gonzales, Corsicana and Palestine. 9
Although we do have separation of church and state in America there is no law preventing developers for naming streets for Saints. As a result we might be considered a quite religious community by outsiders who notice how many of our highways and byways are named for these holy souls and whom or what they protect. Some examples include: St. Agnes-young girls; St. Alban-converts; St. Andrew-fishermen and Scotland; St. Anne & Santa Anna-housewives, miners and childless women; San Antonio-shipwrecks and lost articles; San Augustine-brewers, theologians and eye sores; St. Benedict-farmers, spelunkers and gall stones; St. Cecilia-music and musicians; St. Christopher & San Cristobal-travelers and safe journeys; St. Clare & Santa Clara-embroiderers, TV and eye disorders; St. Claude-toy makers; San Clemente-stoneworkers and sick kids; St. Cloud-nail makers; St. Francis-Italy, merchants and animals; San Gabriel-broadcasters, clergy and telephones; St. George-England, soldiers and boy scouts; St. Helena-difficult marriages and divorced people; St. Ives-England; St. John-poison sufferers; St. Joseph & San Jose-fathers, joiners and Russia; St. Jude-lost, desperate or hopeless causes; St. Lawrence-the poor; St. Louis & San Luis-masons and sculptors; St. Lucia-authors and eye diseases; St. Mark & San Marco-Venice, notaries and lawyers; St. Martin & San Martin-vintners, tailors and innkeepers; St. Mary & Santa Maria-Spain; St. Michael-security forces, bankers and grocers; Santa Monica-difficult marriages, victims of adultery and victims of unfaithfulness; St. Patrick & San Patrico-Ireland and engineers; St. Paul & San Pablo-Rome and public relations; St. Peter & San Pedro-Rome and foot problems; San Ramon-lawyers and medical records librarians; St. Regis-lace makers and social workers; Santa Rita-forgotten causes and sickness; San Sebastian-athletes, police and archers; St. Simon-curriers and saw men; Santa Theresa-bodily ills and headaches and San Vicente-charities and prisoners. 10
OENTURION: A military title during the Roman Empire, this officer commanded a troop of 100 legionaries. 48
CESAR OHAVEZ: Born during the Great Depression and raised in migrant farm labor camps in California, he experienced first hand the plight of American and Mexican farm workers. He was driven by this experience to form the National Farm Workers Association to unionize the pickers. He fought bitterly but successfully with California grape, lettuce and citrus farmers for better pay and improved working conditions for the members. 49
CESSNA: Clyde Cessna was an aviation pioneer. In 1927 he unveiled a monoplane with a full cantilever wing (one without supporting struts or braces) that forever changed the way aircraft were designed. Since then the Cessna Aircraft Company of Wichita, Kansas has produced multi-engine aircraft, gliders for use during World War II as well a turbo-prop airplanes and business jets. 50
OHAFFIN: James A. – This gentleman is another veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto. He had only been in the state a short time, arriving in 1835, when he enlisted in the Texas Army. He fought in the company of Captain William Kimbro. After the war he moved to San Augustine where he operated a saloon. 51
CHAGALL: Marc – This Russian born artist is best remembered for his works about Jewish life and folklore. Although he spent most of his life in France, his works are on display around the world. His dreamlike, fantasy style and use of bright colors make his paintings distinctive. 52, 53
CHALLENGER SEVEN: On January 28, 1986, America’s space program suffered one of its most tragic disasters. That morning the Space Shuttle Challenger Seven exploded shortly after takeoff, killing the crew of seven astronauts. These heroic Americans are honored by this Jacinto City street. “
CHALMETTE: See sidebar Laissez les bon temps roulez (Let the good times roll), page 188.
CHANCELLORSVILLE: This was the site of the South’s most costly victory in the War Between the States. Although General Lee’s 53,000 rebels routed General Hooker’s 120,000 federals, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, one of the Confederates’ greatest military geniuses, was seriously wounded by a South Carolina regiment that accidentally fired on him on the night of May 2, 1863. The next morning surgeons were forced to amputate Jackson’s arm in an attempt to save his life. However, he died on May 10 at a farmhouse in Fairfield, Virginia and was taken to Lexington for burial. A strange twist of events caused his arm to not make that trip. Jackson’s chaplain, Reverend B. Tucker Lacy, found the arm at the field hospital and took it to his brother’s plantation, Elmwood, where it was buried in the family cemetery. Today it lies in peace under a tombstone with the epitaph “Arm of Stonewall Jackson - May 3, 1863,” buried seven days before its owner expired. 54
» CHANCELLORSVILLE: Tombstone of Stonewall Jackson’s arm
CHANDLER: W. E. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.
CHANEY COURT & CHANEY LANE: These two streets are named for Chaney Junction, a stop on the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railroad that operated in the 1880s and early 1900s. 55
CHANNEL CITY: In the 1920s this road led to Channel, Texas, a small community on the Houston Ship Channel. Today docks owned by Tenneco, Georgia Pacific and Ethyl are on the site. Channel was also known as Houston Terminals, not the most charming name for a residential neighborhood. 56
OHANNELVIEW: Both the street and this Houston refinery suburb are named because of the location on the north side of the Houston Ship Channel. When founded at the turn of the 20th century the town was perched on the banks of Buffalo Bayou and the nascent shipping channel there. 57
CHANTILLY: In 1947 real estate developer Frank Sharp began construction of the Oak Forest Addition in Houston. Many of the houses were sold to returning veterans of WWII for $8,000-$10,000, one of whom was Harold P. Hill. He was hired by Sharp as an office manager. This street was named for Hill’s wife’s silver pattern. It is produced by Gorham, a company that began in Germany in 1813. Chantilly was first made in 1895 and became the most popular sterling silverware pattern of the 20th century. (See Nina Lee and Frank Sharp.) 58
CHARING CROSS: This is a neighborhood in London where the grieving Edward I erected the last of 12 crosses marking the locations where his wife Eleanor of Castile’s funeral procession camped between Nottinghamshire and London in 1290. 59
CHARLES E. SELEOMAN: He was chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Input/Output, a seismic acquisition imaging technology company for land and marine oil and gas exploration headquartered in Stafford. 60
CHARPIOT: In the 1800s this family settled in north Harris County where this street is located. Fifteen members of the family were buried in Teeter Cemetery, north of Bush Intercontinental Airport. The most beautiful tombstone in that burying ground is that of Rebecca Jane Charpiot (1835-1896). She was the wife of Severin Charpiot. (See Teeter Cemetery.) 61
CHARRO: In Mexico they use this word to describe a cowboy or cowboy associated objects such as frijoles ala charro or cowboy beans. 62
CHARTRES: When this street first appeared on a Houston city map in 1839 it was spelled Chartre and then Charter. Its current name appeared on the 1866 map. The best guess as to the provenance of this street is that A. Girard, most probably a Frenchman, could have been from the French town of Chartres (although the town name was misspelled on the 1839 map) or it honors the beautiful Chartres Cathedral. Girard may not have been around by the time the map was printed to call attention to the error. Read about Girard Street to see possibly why he was nowhere to be found. (See Girard.) 63
CHATTANOOGA: A Civil War battle took place at Chattanooga, Tennessee on November 24-27, 1863. The Confederate Army of the West was dug in on Lookout Mountain when the Union forces attacked. Because of the thick ground fog this skirmish earned the nickname of “The Battle Above the Clouds.” Northerners chalked up one in the win column here. 64
CHAUCER: Geoffrey – He was one of the first great English poets. His writings did much to establish English as a literary language. Chaucer’s most famous work is The Canterbury Tales. 65
CHEMICAL: So named as it leads to the manufacturing facilities of Dixie Chemical and Carpenter Chemical in the Bayport Industrial Complex. (See Bayport.) 66
CHENANGO PLANTATION: This antebellum plantation was named for a town in New York. It was originally part of William Smith’s 1,300 acre land grant. Later 3,000 additional acres were added to it when land belonging to Richardson and Joshua Abbot were merged into Chenango. The property passed through many hands until it was acquired by the Texas Department of Corrections who made it into the Ramsey Prison Farm near Angleton. 67
CHENEVERT: This street appears on the second map of Houston drawn in 1839. The map was produced by A. Girard, most likely a Frenchman who immigrated to Texas prior to the Texas Revolution in 1836. He probably named the street for the thick forest that existed in the Houston area then. In French chene means oak and veret is green. (See Girard.) 68
CHENNAULT: Clare Lee – A fighter pilot through and through, Chennault fought in WW I. He went to China in 1937 to assist Chiang Kai-shek in building an air defense against the Japanese invaders. He founded the famed American volunteer force, the Flying Tigers, in 1941. In 1942 Chennault was named commander of the U. S. air operations in China. 69
CHERRYHURST: The addition and street of the same name are on property that was owned by D. B. and H.H. Cherry in 1906. The 45-acre neighborhood was platted on the city map in 1908. Mirabeau B. Lamar, the second President of the Republic of Texas, once owned this acreage. His home was rumored to have been near the intersection of Commonwealth and Hyde Park. The neighborhood was principally developed by Edward Lillo Crane Sr. beginning in 1921 following his purchase of the land from the Cherrys. (See Edloe.) 70
CHEVRON OIL FIELD: This Fort Bend road recalls a historic oil company. Chevron traces its roots to an 1879 oil discovery north of Los Angeles. The firm was then named Standard Oil Co. of California. The moniker was changed to Chevron when they acquired Gulf Oil Corporation in 1984. In 2001 the company merged with Texaco and purchased Unocal Corporation in 2005. Today it is one of the world’s largest integrated energy firms. 71
CHEVY CHASE: This street is named for the famous Chevy Chase Club in the Maryland town of the same name in Houston’s River Oaks. The Club was incorporated in 1895. Its famous golf course dates back to 1910. 72
CHICAGO BRIDGE-IRON: It is named for the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, a 136-year old construction firm. Today CB & I is best known for manufacturing bulk liquid terminals, storage terminals and process vessels. 73
CHICKAMAUGA: A Civil War battle occurred here in Georgia on September 19 and 20, 1863. On these days the Confederates were victorious with General Bragg forcing Union General Rosecrans to retire to Chattanooga. 74
CHICORA WOOD: See sidebar the Antebellum Streets of River Plantation, page 122.
CHILTON: George W. – Chilton fought with John C. “Jack” Hays’ Texas Rangers in the Mexican-American War in 1846-48. He was a member of the Texas State Legislature and later a colonel in the Confederate Army. Following the War Between the States he was elected a U.S. Representative. However, it was payback time for the Union and the Reconstructionists in Congress denied the Texans their House seats. 75
CHIMNEY ROCK: The Farringtons, developers of the posh southwest Houston neighborhood of Tanglewood, named this street as well as Huckleberry, Sugar Hill, Lynbrook, Candlewood and Russet as “picturesque regional identifications.” 76
CHINA GROVE: Albert Sidney Johnson was born in Kentucky in 1803. Shortly after graduating from the U. S. Military Academy he fought in the Black Hawk War. In 1836 he moved to Texas and enlisted in the Texas Army where he earned the rank of brigadier general. Two years later he was appointed Secretary of War for the Republic of Texas. He settled in Brazoria County and developed China Grove Plantation. Johnson fought in the Mexican War (1846-8). Jefferson Davis appointed him a general in the Confederate Army. He saw action at Nashville, Tennessee, Corinth Mississippi and was killed at the Battle of Shiloh on August 6, 1862. 77
This unusual headline appeared in the Houston Chronicle. In the 1930s Houston had numerous streets with duplicate names. This problem made mail delivery extremely difficult. In various sections of the city there were numerical streets, alphabetical streets, streets named for ladies, streets honoring historical figures, etc. This often meant the postman would have to take a letter to as many as five different houses on streets with the same names in different parts of the city to finally make delivery to the correct person. To solve this dilemma the Engineering Department assigned two engineers, Jack Tooke and Jack Graham, to rename the duplicate thoroughfares. They selected 241 street names, a number that well exceeded the number actually needed. So it was decided “Proud parents who find it difficult to select an appropriate name for their new arrivals might do well to confer with Tooke and Graham.” “We have a lot of names left over, too” said Tooke. “They’d fit children, dogs, cats, streets or anything.” It is not known if any of our indecisive citizens availed themselves of this generous offer. 11
» CHINQUA PIN SCHOOL: Bob and Maxine Moore
CHINQUAPIN SCHOOL: Robert and Maxine Moore founded this college preparatory academy in 1969. Its mission is to provide intelligent but low-income children an opportunity to receive a first class education. The first class consisted of 16 students. Today enrollment tops 120. Your author had the pleasure of knowing Bob and Maxine well. I was lucky enough to study English at St. John’s School while Bob taught there during his 19-year tenure. They named the school after Chinquapin Creek near their summer home in Palestine, Texas as well as for the chinquapin oak tree. Bob and Maxine passed away in 1999.
CHISHOLM TRAIL: This famous cattle drive trail was named for Jesse Chisholm. In the 1860s and 1870s millions of longhorn cattle were herded from as far south as the Rio Grand, through Texas to Wichita, Kansas. 78
CHISUM: See sidebar Texas Heroes’ Names for Houston Streets Urged in 72 Proposed Changes, page 96.
CHOATE: Moses L. – This gentleman settled in the La Porte area in 1822 and is thought to be, along with William Pettus, the city’s first citizens. Choate was a sizable landowner in east Texas. He platted a town there called Springfield in 1839. When Polk County was created the politicians wanted the county seat closer to the geographic center of the county. The site they wanted happened to be near Springfield. Choate gave them 100 acres for the new county seat provided they would name it Livingston after his hometown in Tennessee. 79
CHOCOLATE BAYOU: This bayou rises north of Manvel and flows 30 miles to its mouth on Chocolate Bay. It was the eastern boundary of Stephen F. Austin’s first colony. The ghost town of Chocolate Bayou was located nearby on the Austin-Perry land grant. It came into being in the early 1900s. Emily Perry, Austin’s sister, ran a plantation here known as Peach Point. She raised cotton and sugar cane. 80
CHOKE CANYON: See sidebar The Most Scenic Spots in Texas, page 310.
CHOPIN: Frederic Francois – He was a Polish composer who wrote primarily piano solos. 81
CHORALE: See sidebar It’s Music to My Ears, page 218.
CHRIESMAN: Horatio – This Virginian who was born in 1792, arrived in Texas in 1821 to lead Stephen F. Austin’s corps of surveyors. He settled in Fort Bend County. Chriesman is a member of the Old 300. 82
CHRISTOPHER WREN: He was unquestionably England’s greatest architect. Wren was chosen as the man to oversee the rebuilding of London following the Great Fire of 1666. His strong suit was places of worship. He designed 52 of them including his masterpiece, St. Paul’s Cathedral. 83
CHURCHILL DOWNS: This thoroughbred racehorse track is the home of the “most exciting two minutes in sports” – the Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and since that time 135 Derbies have been run here, with the winners passing into horse racing history. With its famous twin white spires that are copyrighted, this Louisville, Kentucky track is among the most architecturally appealing racecourses in the world. If you are ever given the opportunity, don’t fail to be trackside on the first Saturday in May for the “Run for the Roses.” It is the thrill of a lifetime. 84
CINCO RANCH: This 7,500 acre planned community is located in Katy. Its master plan offers single-family, custom, estate and low-maintenance housing. 85
CINDERELLA: She was the fairy tale maiden who escaped a life of oppression under her stepmother and stepsisters to marry a prince and live happily ever after.
CIRCLE WAY: (See Center Way.)
CITATION: The 1948 Triple Crown winner, this thoroughbred won at distances ranging from five furlongs to two miles. His trainer once said, “He could catch any horse he could see.” He had one of the greatest seasons any three-year-old horse ever had winning 15 straight races after the Derby and posting a record of 19 wins in 20 starts in 1948. (See Triple Crown.) 86
CITY CLUB: Located in Greenway Plaza, Houston City Club is a private business, tennis and athletic facility. Founded in 1979 the club has 10 indoor, climate-controlled tennis courts, exercise facilities, indoor running track, racquetball courts and locker rooms. It also offers food and beverage service as well as meeting rooms. 87
CLAIBORNE: See sidebar Laissez les bon temps roulez (Let the good times roll), page 188.
CLAREMONT: This is another River Oaks street with the moniker of a famous American country club. This Oakland, California golf club was founded in 1904. The course was designed by architect Jim Smith. “Slammin” Sammy Sneed won the U. S. Open here in 1937. 88
CLARION: See sidebar It’s Music to My Ears, page 218.
CLARK: W. Floyd – Located in the village of Spring Valley, it is possible this street is named for one of that municipality’s first aldermen. He was sworn into office on June 30, 1955. 89
CLAY: Clarence and Rebecca – A west Houston road, it is named after this brother and sister who were residents of the Memorial area. 90
CLAY: Henry – This downtown Houston street was named for a Kentucky politician who, during his distinguished career in the U.S. Congress (both as a Congressman and a Senator) was considered a friend of Texas. Clay opposed the Transcontinental Treaty of 1819 with Spain that would have given up America’s claim over Texas. He later was a supporter of Texas annexation. Clay was a major factor in the Compromise of 1850 that wiped out the state’s debt and adjusted the boundary with New Mexico in Texas’ favor. 91
CLEAR CREEK: This League City street is named for one of the longest creeks in our area. The watercourse headwaters are in northeast Fort Bend County. The creek runs 41 miles east, forming the border between Harris, Brazoria and Galveston counties before reaching its mouth in Galveston Bay. 92
CLEAR LAKE CITY: This boulevard leads to a real estate development named for a large coastal body of brackish water called Clear Lake. Originally part of the 30,000-acre James West Ranch, the land was sold to Humble Oil & Refining Company (now Exxon Mobil) in 1938. In 1961 the National Aeronautics & Space Administration purchased 1,000 acres from Humble to build the Manned Spacecraft Center. To house all of the rocket scientists and their families, Humble partnered with Del E. Webb Corporation to build a residential development nearby. Clear Lake City formally opened on September 15, 1963. 93
CLEAR LAKE: This lake separates Harris County from Galveston County and connects Clear Creek to Galveston Bay. A considerable amount of recreational activity occurs here including boating, sailing, water skiing, etc. (See Clear Creek.) 94
CLEAVER: A. G. – Born in Nacogdoches he came to Prairie View A & M University in 1907 to study agriculture. Impressed with his talent the school hired this black educator in 1925 to head up the Industrial Education Department which he ran for the next 32 years. Early on during Cleaver’s tenure his salary was only $100 per month. To make ends meet he raised hogs, cows and owned over 700 chickens. 95
CLEMONS SWITCH: Known now as Clemons it was founded as a switch on the Texas Western Railroad, a narrow gauge line that passed through here. It is named for Martin Key Clemons who operated a general store and was the postmaster from 1885 until 1888. The town was the home of Edwin A. Waller for whom Waller County is named. Today it is a small rural community with a few scattered dwellings. (See Waller.) 96
CLEMSON: This land grant South Carolina college opened in 1893 in a town of the same name. It is well thought of for its agricultural courses. 97
CLEVELAND: Eddie – He was mayor of Pelly, Texas prior to its annexation by Baytown. 98
CLEVELAND: Settlers began arriving in this area in 1836 when the Texas General Land Office offered acreage in exchange for military service. Father Peter La Cour built a church and convent here in 1854. The town formed in 1878 after Charles Lander Cleveland donated 64 acres of land to the Houston, East & West Texas Railway and asked the station here be named for him. Since its founding Cleveland’s economy has been driven by oil and gas discoveries, farming, ranching and the mining of sand and gravel. 99, 100
CLEVELAND: William D. – Evidence indicates this Third Ward street is named for an influential alderman during Mayor William R. Baker’s term (1880-1884). He was known for his financial acumen and was closely involved with the city treasury, bondholders as well as local and out of state bankers. From 1884 until 1891 he was president of the Cotton Exchange. As a cotton merchant he founded Cleveland Compress Company in 1895. Captain Cleveland was a founder, director and first president of Houston’s Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). 101
CLIFTON: (See Bacliff.)
CLINTON: No, it’s not named for William Jefferson Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States. In 1874 the Morgan Steamship Line and the Port of Galveston had a falling out over wharf fees. Ship owner Charles Morgan, who founded the port of Morgan City, Louisiana, dredged a channel up Buffalo Bayou from Morgan’s Point to Simms Bayou. There he constructed a turning basin and named the new town Clinton. The docks opened in 1876 with rail lines to the major railroads in the area. Now he not only didn’t have to pay a red cent to Galveston but also could charge hefty fees to other ship owners that wanted to use his channel and docks. 102
CLODINE: (See Alief-Clodine.)
CLOVERLEAF: Both this street and the small town of the same name began life as a station on the Beaumont, Sour Lake & Western Railroad. It has appeared on county highway maps since 1936. 103
CLUTE-ANGLETON: One of Brazoria County’s first plantations (1824) was located near the future site of Clute. Called Evergreen, it was owned by Alexander Calvit, one of Austin’s Old 300, and Jared E. Groce. John Herndon bought it and named the plantation for himself. When Soloman J. Clute established a town nearby he named it for his family. (See Angleton.) 104
COCHET: Henri – This French tennis player was ranked No. 1 in the world in 1926-30. He won five French Championships in singles and three in doubles, Wimbledon singles and doubles twice and the U. S. Championship singles once. Oddly enough, he is the only male player in tennis history who failed to defend all eight of his singles titles. 105
COCHRAN: Owen L. – In the 1850s he was Houston’s postmaster. Cochran opened an insurance agency in 1856, the first in Texas. By the time the firm was 100 years old in 1956 it was the oldest existing business in Houston. He married one of Benjamin A. Shepherd’s daughters and was an officer and director of Shepherd’s First National Bank. This civic-minded Houstonian gave almost 1,000 books to the Lyceum (predecessor to the Houston Public Library) in 1876. (See Shepherd.) 106
COCHRAN’S CROSSING: Prior to the development of The Woodlands, where this street is located, the Grogan-Cochran Lumber Company owned this property. 107
COLDSTREAM: See sidebar All Things English, page 175.
COLEMAN: John D. – This Houstonian was a civic leader and active in politics in the city’s Third Ward. Governor Dolph Briscoe appointed Dr. Coleman to the Board of Regents at Texas A & M University. His son, Garnet F. Coleman, was a Texas State Representative from District 147 that includes the Third Ward. 108
COLERIDGE: Samuel Taylor – An English poet and philosopher, he is famous for his Rime of the Ancient Mariner. It is a tale of the sea that revolves around the killing of an albatross, considered a mariner’s good luck charm. It is a story of adventure, fright, fall from grace and penance. 109
OOLEWOOD: (See Caelin.)
» COLLINSWORTH: Historical marker on James Collinsworth’s grave in Founders’ Cemetery
COLISEUM: Emperor Vespasian started this Flavian amphitheater in the Forum in Rome in 79 B.C. His son, Emperor Titus, completed it five years later. This huge oval arena had seating for over 45,000 spectators and was the site of the gladiatorial contests. It was the inspiration for our Astrodome. Impresario Roy Hofheinz had visited it on a trip to Rome and sold his partners on the idea of a domed stadium. The Coliseum had a removable canvas roof. 110
OOLLINSWORTH: James – Research leads me to believe this street is named for this early Texas politician. The Republic of Texas’ Constitution prohibited a president from serving consecutive terms. So in 1838 Sam Houston could not stand for re-election. Houston’s opponents and critics backed Mirabeau B. Lamar as the second president. He faced two other candidates, Peter W. Grayson and James Collinsworth. Before the election Grayson committed suicide and Collinsworth drowned in Galveston Bay. So Lamar, as the only living candidate, won in a walk. 111
COLONY: (See Iowa School.)
COLORADO: The Old Sixth Ward remembers three of Texas’ most important rivers. The Colorado flows about 600 miles from its headwaters in Dawson County to its mouth at Matagorda Bay. The word Colorado in Spanish means “red,” a misnomer since the waters of this river are very clear. The Sabine courses 360 miles to reach the Gulf of Mexico and represents the border between Texas and Louisiana. The name comes from the Spanish word meaning “cypress” due to the abundance of those trees that line its banks. The Trinity is one of the longest rivers that has its entire course within Texas. It was named La Santisima Trinidad in 1690 by the Spanish explorer Alonso de Leon. In 1716 the anglicized name was adopted. 112
COLQUITT: Oscar Branch – This long time Texas politician held numerous appointed and elected offices in his lifetime. Among those positions were state senator, revenue agent, railroad commissioner, governor (1910-15) and member of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. In addition he was a newspaper publisher and oilman. Colquitt was one of the honored speakers at the dedicatory ceremonies at the opening of Rice Institute (now Rice University) in 1912. 113
COLUMBARIUM: The owners of Garden Park Cemetery in Tomball named this street. A columbarium is a sepulchral building containing many small niches for cinerary urns. The term is derived from the Latin word columba or dove and its resemblance to a dovecote. 114
COLUMBIA BLUE: The Houston Oilers may have fled town for Nashville, Tennessee but this Missouri City street recalls the team’s uniform colors that were red, white and Columbia blue.
COLUMBIA MEMORIAL: This NASA area highway remembers the tragic crash of the space shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003. A few minutes before 8 AM as the spacecraft was descending for a landing in Florida residents of East Texas heard a series of explosions overhead. As they looked up they saw the shuttle being ripped apart as it headed toward Earth at 12,000 MPH. Unfortunately, the mission was doomed just 82 seconds after lift off. At that time a small piece of insulating foam broke lose from the orbiter’s external fuel tank and slammed into the left wing. When the craft re-entered the atmosphere, the 5,000 degree air temperature penetrated the damaged wing and melted critical support structures. All seven astronauts perished in the crash. 115
COLUMBIA: Located in the Houston Heights, it is named for Columbia University in New York City. 116
COLUMBUS: This Austin County road runs from Sealy to Columbus in Colorado County. The town was settled in 1821 by members of Stephen F. Austin’s Old 300. It was first called Beeson’s Ferry or Beeson’s Ford. In 1835 a former resident of Columbus, Ohio suggested renaming it for his hometown. By 1837 it was know for its bars, gambling houses and horse race track. As time passed the economy was driven by tobacco production, cottonseed oil, cattle ranching as well as sand and gravel mining.
COMMERCE: In an effort to promote the new city of Houston as an important place to do business, the Allen Brothers elected to name the first major street fronting on Buffalo Bayou Commerce. With its proximity to the steamboat docks, warehouses and merchant stores this street was a public relations gimmick to inflate our status as a bustling business community. 117
COMMUNITY COLLEGE: At the end of this street is Houston Community College’s Northwest Campus. HCC is the 4th largest community college system in America. Founded in 1971, over 1.3 million students have studied here. More than 70 curriculums annually are offered to the 55,000 members of the student body. 118
COMPAQ CENTER: Compaq Computer was founded in 1982 by three former Texas Instruments employees who each invested $1,000 to develop a portable personal computer capable of running all of the software being developed for the IBM PC. Compaq went on to become one of the great success stories of the technology industry. This wide boulevard leads to the company’s headquarters. Compaq was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2002. 119
CONCERT: Located in Hermann Park this street leads to the Miller Outdoor Theater where many concerts are held. This 7.5 acre site hosts more than 250,000 people annually to free performances. The theater is named for Jesse W. Miller who willed the property to the city in 1919. The theater was constructed in 1921 (William Ward Watkin was the architect) and was dedicated in 1923. In 1968 the original theater was replaced with the one we see today. (See photograph on page 78). 120
» CONCERT: Miller Theater in Hermann Park
CONCERTO: See sidebar It’s Music to My Ears, page 218.
CONCORDIA: The German immigrants who settled in the Bellville area started a singing society and named it Concordia Gesangverein. 121
CONCRETE: This street was named in the 1920’s. It leads to the Texas Portland Cement Plant on the Houston Ship Channel. 122
CONGRESS: On November 30, 1836 the legislature of the Republic of Texas voted Houston as the seat of government. On the earliest map of the city (1836) it was clear that the Allen Brothers intended this street to be for government buildings. Two prominent features were Congress Square (between Travis and Milam) and Court House Square (between San Jacinto and Fannin). The Harris County Court House is still at this latter location. The State government was moved to Austin in 1837. Today Market Square is where those august legislative bodies were in the old days. 123
CONNORS ACE: Jimmy Connors was one of America’s greatest tennis players. He was ranked number one in the world from 1974 until 1978. He won five U. S. Opens, two Wimbledon titles and one Australian Open championship. He was the dominant player of the time winning 98 matches at the U. S. Open and 84 at Wimbledon. In his career Connors won 109 singles titles. 124
A Key Map is a cartographer’s as well as a taxi driver’s dream. No better map of the city of Houston exists. The user can pinpoint with incredible accuracy the location of streets, subdivisions, cemeteries, schools, hospitals, public buildings, parks and post offices just to name a few places. Started over 50 years ago by James M. Rau this company has flourished over the years. In 2010 they published the 51st edition of this map book. Because of the tremendous amount of proprietary data that these maps display the company takes its copyright protection very seriously. On the maps first page in bold letters is the statement, “It is the intent of the publisher to enforce these provisions in federal court.” Over the years those who have infringed on Key Maps’ rights have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The Company developed a clever way of detecting piracy – the fake street. An interesting game for the industrial strength Houston streetophile is to take the official city map and compare it to the Key Map and find these fake streets. Management and the cartographers display a keen sense of humor as well as a bit of disdain for the plagiarists in naming these non-existent streets, lanes and boulevards. In the 2010 edition try to physically locate Fake, Lawsuit, Pistol Whipper, Inkahoots and D+ to name a few. They don’t exist except in the crafty minds of Key Maps’ cartographers. But just try putting one or more of them on your purloined map and see how long it takes to be contacted by the Federates. Enjoy yourself trying to identify other fake streets. 12
CONRAD SAUER: Many immigrants from Germany settled west of Houston in the area we know today as Spring Branch. Land was plentiful, productive and inexpensive. Water was abundant from the region’s many streams. This gentleman was one of the early German farmers in Houston. Sauer operated a dairy as well. For a time he worked as a maintenance man paving and repairing area streets. He was born in 1843 and died in 1876. His grave is in Vollmer Cemetery. 125
CONROE-HUFSMITH: In 1881 Isaac Conroe established a sawmill where this road is today. At that time it was near the International-Great Northern Railroad line. In 1884 a railroad officer suggested the name Conroe Switch in honor of Mr. Conroe. About 10 years later it was shortened to Conroe. It was principally an agricultural and timber center until oil was discovered southeast of town in 1931. Conroe suffered greatly during the Great Depression but the oil strike changed that. The school district became one of the wealthiest in the state and for a period of time Conroe had more millionaires per capita than any city in the U.S. As a boy your author lived on the Conroe Texas Company lease where my father was a petroleum engineer. (See Hufsmith.) 126
» CONROE-HUFSMITH: Issac Conroe’s tombstone in Glenwood Cemetery
CONROE-PORTER: Also known as FM 1314, this highway connects these two towns. Porter (early on known as Porters) was founded in the late 1800s. It was a lumber and livestock town. A famous resident was astronaut Robert L. Crippen who piloted the space shuttle Colombia in 1981. (See Conroe-Hufsmith.) 127
CONSTELLATION: This street is named for one of America’s classic aircraft, the Lockheed “Super G” Constellation. This four-engine propeller plane had a range of 5,400 miles and a top speed of 328 mph. The last model rolled off the line in 1959. 128
CONTI: On the city map of 1882 several streets in this 2nd Ward neighborhood were named in conjunction with Louisiana. Conti is a street in the Big Easy’s French Quarter. The street to Conti’s north was once called New Orleans Avenue. Opelousas, named for the Louisiana hometown of Jim Bowie, is also in the neighborhood. 129
CONVAIR: This aircraft was one of the most popular commercial airplanes in the 1950s and 1960s. There were four models of this two-engine piston driven aircraft. 130
COOK: John D. – This gentleman was a cotton farmer in the Alief, Texas area. Born two years after the War Between the States he lived to be 87 years old and is buried in the historic Alief Cemetery. 131
COOLIDGE: Calvin – He was our 30th President, serving from 1923 until 1929. A conservative Republican he cut taxes, reduced Federal spending and lowered the national debt. 132
COPANO BAY: See sidebar The Most Scenic Spots in Texas, page 310.
COPPAGE: H. – This gentleman fought with Walker’s Texas Division during the War Between the States. He was a lieutenant in the 16th Cavalry in command of Company A. 133
COPPERAS COVE: See sidebar The Most Scenic Spots in Texas, page 310.
COPRA: See sidebar Bali Hai May Call You, page 322.
CORBINDALE: Ira Corbin was an early resident of Memorial. He operated one of the earliest gas stations in the area for many years. 134
CORDELL BRICK: This lane leads to the Cordell Brick Company. I believe it was originally named the Lighthouse Brick Works. The owner Henry R. Lighthouse manufactured many of the bricks used in commercial buildings and homes in the 6th Ward, including his own two-story Colonial Revival house. Later the name was changed to the Andy Cordell Brick Company. Years ago brick producers imprinted their company names in the product. Keep an eye open in historic areas of the city for Cordell bricks. 135
CORDES: Roy – He was mayor of Sugar Land from 1973 until 1981. Being mayor was not a full time job so he operated a dry cleaning plant there. 136
CORNELL: This land grant university opened in Ithaca, NY in 1868. It is named for Ezra Cornell who donated the land and endowed the school. 137
CORNISH: J. R. – This street is named for an assistant surgeon in the 13th Texas Cavalry Dismounted. He fought with Walker’s Texas Division during the War Between the States. 138
CORONADO: Francisco Vasquez de – This Spanish explorer is best remembered for his failed quest to find the “Seven Cities of Cibola” and the riches of “El Dorado.” In 1540 he set out from Mexico to discover these rumored cities of gold. Two years of difficult trekking turned up nothing but dirt-poor Indian villages. Dispirited, the remnants of his expedition returned empty handed. He retired in Mexico City in 1544 where he died ten years later a broken man. 139
Developers have had the upper hand in shaping Houston since the Allen Brothers first platted the city in 1836. But unprincipled behavior never was more egregious than with the creation of the “red flag” communities. Beginning in the 1960s land speculators would buy blocks of inexpensive land on the edge of town and lay out a “subdivision” with cheap lots along dirt roads marked with little red flags. The neighborhoods were totally void of municipal services such as paved streets, curbs, gutters, sewer lines, etc. By the 1980s 26 of these communities were located in Houston. An example of one is Magnolia Point. Situated on the north shore of Lake Houston, this suburb was “red flagged” in 1965 and still lacked any services as late as 1984. Is it just coincidence that one of the principal streets here is named Cheatham? 13
CORTLANDT: Houston Heights developers Oscar Carter and Daniel Cooley named this street for a town of the same name located in their home state of Nebraska. 140
CORVETTE: America’s quintessential sports car debuted in 1953. That first year each Corvette was hand built and all were white with red interiors. The developer who named this north central Harris County street must have had a sense of humor. The next street over is Isetta, probably the least sporty car ever made. (See Isetta.)
COSSEY: Kohrville, Texas was a small black community in northwest Harris County founded by freed slaves from Alabama in the 1870s. It was named for Paul Kohrmann, the village postman in the 1880s. Today little remains of this town except the Kohrville Cemetery. Members of the Cossey family are interred here. This street is located just south of the burying ground. 141
COTTONWOOD CHURCH & COTTONWOOD SCHOOL: Located on Cottonwood Creek in Fort Bend County. This area was promoted by the Waddill brothers as an excellent place to farm corn, broom corn and cotton. The brothers erected a white framed wooden church and a brick school house. 31
COTTONWOOD SCHOOL: (See Cottonwood Church.)
COUGAR PLACE: Located on the campus of the University of Houston next to Robertson Stadium, this street is named for the ever popular mascot, the cougar. For years the school brought a live cougar named Shasta to football games and other events. This beautiful beast lived in a zoo-like cage on campus when she was not giving command performances. A more politically correct world ended Shasta’s stardom and she was retired. 142
COUGAR: Abutting Cy-Fair Stadium, this short street is named for the mascot of Cypress-Creek High School. The two connecting streets, Bobcat and Falcon, are the mascots of Cypress-Fairbanks High School and Jersey Village High School, respectively. 143
COUNTRY CLUB GREEN: At the end of this tree lined lane sits the Tomball Country Club. Opened in 1948 the club only had a 9-hole golf course. In 2001 9 more holes were added resulting in a 6,275 yard, par 71 links. 144
COUNTRY CLUB: C. E. King developed Houston Country Club Place in 1941. At that time the venerable old Houston Country Club (now Gus Wortham Park Golf Course) was located just across Wayside from this neighborhood. Graced with brick cottages and ranch-style homes, some rather grand arches once marked its entry, similar to those at the entrance to Villa de Matel. However, only one remains today. (See C. E. King.) 145
COUNTRY CLUB: This street leads to Golfcrest Country Club. Earl Gammage Sr., a real estate developer opened this golf course in 1927. In 1932 Golfcrest became one of the country’s first clubs to experiment with night golf. Flood lights illuminated nine holes but the novelty soon wore off and night golf was discontinued. The very popular four-ball tournament, one of the most popular in Houston, began in 1951 as a pro-am event. (See Golfcrest.) 146
COUNTY LINE: This is the closest road to the Waller-Montgomery county line. 147
» COURTLANDT PLACE: The neighborhood’s east gate
COURTLANDT PLACE: The area was originally part of the Obedience Smith land grant. In 1908 it was sold to the Courtlandt Improvement Company. The developers modeled the street after an exclusive area in St. Louis, Missouri. This block-long street with its beautiful esplanade was one of the city’s first areas with deed restrictions. These rules prohibited any commercial establishments. Between 1911 and 1921 the homes here were designed by Houston’s finest architects including Birdsall P. Briscoe, Alfred C. Finn (who also designed the San Jacinto Monument), Sanguinet & Staats and Warren & Wetmore. (See Birdsall.) 148
COW CREEK: This estuary rises a mile north of Damon and runs 12 miles to its mouth on the Brazos River near the Ramsey Prison Farm. (See Beasley-Damon.) 149
COX: Charles – (See Splendora.)
CRANE: Ichabod – He is the lean and extremely superstitious schoolmaster in Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. After attending a party one evening where he was wooing the farmer’s daughter, Katrina, he is pursued by the Headless Horseman. This specter is supposedly a Hessian trooper whose head was shot off by a stray cannonball. Nightly he rides the roads near Sleepy Hollow in quest of his head. Crane is so frightened by this sight that he flees town. (See Washington Irving, Sleepy Hollow, Brom Bones and Tarrytown.) 150
CRAWFORD: Joseph Tucker – He was an agent of the British government who was sent to evaluate the situation in the newly born Republic of Texas in 1837. While the English were not interested in making Texas a colony they were trying to find a way to halt American expansion westward. This international attention was one of the major factors in the United States annexing Texas in 1845. 151
CRAZY HORSE: This Oglala Sioux chief is remembered for his victory at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Also called “Custer’s Last Stand,” Crazy Horse inflicted the worst defeat of the Indian Wars on the American frontier army. It took the Sioux less than an hour to kill Lieutenant-Colonel George Armstrong Custer and all 211 of his men. (See Custer and Sitting Bull.) 152
CRESCENDO: See sidebar It’s Music to My Ears, page 218.
» CROCKETT: Davy Crockett: Battle of the Alamo hero
CROCKETT: Davy – He sits in the highest pantheon of Texas heroes. Jane Bowers immortalizes him in her 1959 song, Remember the Alamo, with the lines “Young Davy Crockett stood smiling and laughing, the challenge fierce in his eye/For Texas and freedom a man bold and willing to die.” Prior to coming to Texas he served as a U.S. Congressman from his native Tennessee. Teddy Roosevelt characterized Crockett as “distinctly, intensely American stock.” 153
CROSBY-DAYTON: In eastern Harris County there are a number of roads with dual names involving Crosby such as Crosby-Cedar Bayou and Crosby-Barbers Hill. In this case the Crosby is for the small town of Crosby, Texas. It was named for G. J. Crosby, a railroad construction foreman. Charles Karcher opened the town’s first business, a general store, in 1865. Dayton, in Liberty County, a small town three miles west of Liberty (named for Santisima Trinidad de la Libertad) was first called West Liberty. By 1854 it was known as Day’s Town for a landowner there named I. C. Day. Over the next few years the name was Days Station and Dayton Station. It officially became known as Dayton in the mid 1880s. 154
CROSBY: This 4th Ward street is named for the Crosby family who were early land-owners in the area. 155
CROW: W. D. – Now a part of Baytown, in 1892 this gentleman and his partner, Q. A. Wooster, laid out the town of Wooster. (See Wooster.) 156
CROWN: In 1917 the Crown Oil & Refining Company (now Crown Central Petroleum) was almost bankrupt when they hit “black gold” with “Well Number 3” near the Pasadena city limit. This strike saved the young firm. In 1920 the company constructed a refinery on the Houston Ship Channel just east of where the entrance of the Washburn Tunnel is located today. This Pasadena street leads to a facility on that same site that refines 100,000 barrels of crude oil a day. 157
CRUSADER WAY: In 1960 Father Michael F. Kennelly received permission from the Catholic Church to establish a college preparatory school for boys in Houston. Strake Jesuit opened its doors to the freshman class in 1961. Today it is one of our city’s finest schools. Their mascot is the “Fighting Crusader.” 158
» CRYSTAL BEACH: Hurricane Ike devastated this town in 2008
CRUSE: Aubrey – Prior to the formation of the Pasadena Police Department in 1937, law and order in our neighboring city was maintained by city marshals. This gentleman was Pasadena’s second marshal. 159
CRYSTAL BEACH: Originally called Patton and then Patton Beach its current name was made official in the early 1940s. The seven mile community runs through the middle section of Bolivar Peninsula. Crystal Beach suffered catastrophic destruction during Hurricane Ike in 2008 when a 20-foot storm surge rolled over the peninsula destroying 80% of the buildings. 160
CULBERSON: Charles Allen – This Texas politician started his career as attorney general. He was elected governor in 1894 and re-elected in 1896. Nicknamed the “veto governor” he once vetoed a general appropriations bill that he thought had too much “pork” in it. Culberson called the Texas Legislature to a special session in 1895 to pass a bill prohibiting the Corbett-Fitzsimmons heavyweight-boxing match in the state. In 1898 he was elected to the U.S. Senate where he served for 24 years. (See Roy Bean.) 161
CULLEN: Hugh Roy – Here is one of the larger than life Houstonians that we love to brag about. He earned a phenomenal fortune in cotton, real estate and oil despite his lack of a formal education. He had a reputation for finding huge pools of oil where others drilled dry holes. But the real story is what Cullen did with his money. During his lifetime he gave away $175,000,000 to charitable and educational institutions, created the Cullen Foundation and established the University of Houston among many great deeds. When once asked about his generous donations Cullen was quoted in the Houston Chronicle as saying “It’s just as easy to give away $2 million as two bits.” In one four day period he gave four Houston hospitals more than a million dollars each. Now that’s philanthropy Houston style! 162
CUMMINS: See sidebar Texas Heroes’ Names for Houston Streets Urged in 72 Proposed Changes, page 96.
» CULLEN: Hugh Roy Cullen
OUNEY: Norris Wright – Son of a white plantation owner and a black slave, Cuney settled in Galveston in the late 1860s. He was a remarkable man. Cuney became an attorney, Inspector of Customs at Galveston, elected alderman in 1883 (the first black Galvestonian to hold this office), Collector of Customs, operated a stevedore business and served as Grand Master of the Negro Masons of Texas. Cuney Street leads to Cuney Homes, the first black housing project in Houston (1940). Cuney, Texas, a small town southwest of Tyler is also named for him. 163
CUNNINGHAM CREEK: This stream is named for Colonel E. H. Cunningham a veteran of the War Between the States who was wounded four times during that conflict while fighting for the Confederacy. After the War he bought the Sugarland Plantation from W. J. Kyle and Benjamin F. Terry. He purchased other acreage in the area forming one of the largest plantations in Texas. Cunningham invested more than $1 million to construct a sugar refinery on the property. Like other owners in the area he leased convicts from the State of Texas to work his sugar cane fields. (See Kyle and Terry) 164
CURTIN: Henry M. – A number of streets in Houston are named for political figures— mayors, congressmen, etc. This gentleman was a prominent citizen as well as the Harris County tax assessor. Evidence leads me to believe this east side street remembers this man. 165
CUSHING: Edward Hopkins – This pioneer Houstonian was the publisher of the Houston Telegram, the city’s earliest newspaper. Cushing bought it from Gail Borden in 1856 and operated it for the next 10 years. During the War Between the States he faced two serious problems for a newspaperman. One was how to gather accurate news without mail service (suspended during the War) or telegraph lines (often cut by marauding troops). He solved this dilemma by setting up his own pony express. Two, he faced a severe shortage of newsprint. He used any paper he could find, so often, the newspaper was different colors every day. Cushing sometimes used wallpaper, just printing the news on the reverse side. He obviously succeeded in solving his problems and printed much accurate history of the War. In fact, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, used Cushing files when writing his version of the conflict. 166
» CUSHING: “Bohemia,” the home of Edward Cushing
» GAIL BORDEN: Early Houston newspaper publisher
CUSTER: George Armstrong – Custer was a brilliant and heroic Union cavalry officer who distinguished himself in the Civil War and the campaign against the Cheyenne. However his ego overwhelmed his tactical skills and cost him and many men their lives. At what came to be called the Battle of Little Bighorn (1876), Custer, underestimating the strength of the Sioux, divided his troop into three columns and attacked Chief Crazy Horse. It was a fatal mistake and the troopers were slaughtered. (See Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull) 167
CYMBAL: See sidebar It’s Music to My Ears, page 218.
CYPRESS CHURCH: German immigrants began settling here in the 1840s. This street led to one of the early Lutheran churches in the area. 168
CYPRESS CREEK: Rising where Snake and Mound Creeks meet southeast of Waller, this estuary runs 49 miles to its mouth at Spring Creek. Stephen F. Austin made his first land grant on Cypress Creek to John Callihan in 1835. In the 1840s and 1850s this area was a popular place with German immigrants because of its fertile soil and abundance of fresh water. 169
CYPRESS GARDENS: For 65 years this Winter Haven, Florida theme park hosted the finest water ski extravaganza in the world. Over the years it expanded to add a botanical garden, alligator habitat and an ice skating show. Unfortunately, the arrival of mega-theme parks like Disney World resulted in it and other smaller entertainment venues’ demise. Cypress Gardens closed in April 2003. 170
CYPRESS-ROSEHILL: This road leads from Cypress, west of Houston, to the small rural community of Rosehill to the north. German immigrants settled Cypress in the 1840s. Its name is derived from a nearby stream, Cypress Creek, the banks of which were lined with cypress trees. In 1904 while drilling for oil here a wildcatter accidentally hit a hot artesian well. It wasn’t long before entrepreneurs opened the Houston Hotwell Sanitarium and Hotel. Houstonians flocked to the spa to soak in its supposedly “healing waters.” P. W. Rose settled Rosehill in the early 1830s but until 1892 it was called Spring Creek. He was chosen for the first grand jury of Harrisburg County (the name was shortened to Harris in 1839). German immigrants found the area excellent farm country. In 1852 they founded Salem Lutheran Church, one of the oldest Lutheran congregations in Texas. (See Cypress Creek.) 171
