A Thumb-Nail History of the City of Houston, Texas

Samuel Oliver Young

• Publisher: Jazzybee Verlag
• Year: 2017
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9783849649180
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

This beautiful, small historical work is divided into twelve chapters, each devoted to some phase of the city's activities and tracing its history from the inception of that interest to the year 1912. Chapter 1 gives an account of the founding of Houston and outlines its municipal history; Chapter 2 tells of the building activities, private and public, at different periods, and of the organization of fire companies; Chapter 3 does the same for railroad building, and gives some notes on the lawyers and doctors; many more chapters follow. Obviously. the book is far from being a complete history of Houston. There is enough history, however, to indicate the leading role Houston has played in the business enterprise of the State, and the wonderful transformation of the old Houston into a modern city.

CHAPTER ONE.

Why Houston Was Founded — When Incorporated — First Mayor of Houston — Various Administrations — Reconstruction Days — Huge City Debt — What the Commission Is Doing Today — Full List of Houston's Mayors.

A fact not generally known nor appreciated is that Houston is the result of a disagreement between the Aliens and the Harrises. There was no serious quarrel or anything of that sort. They differed about land matters, with the result that the Aliens, instead of joining the Harrises in their efforts to build up the already established town of Harrisburg, came five miles by land and about sixteen miles by water further up the bayou, and laid the foundation for the rival town, which was destined to become the greatest city in Texas and one of the greatest in the Southwest.

Now, as a matter of fact, there was no good reason for the new town. The location at Harrisburg was ideal and had many advantages, naturally, that Houston had to create artificially. There was, to begin with, sixteen miles of very crooked and hardly navigable bayou to be overcome in order to reach Houston, while the new site had absolutely nothing to compensate for this disadvantage.

However, there was an element injected into the controversy that helped the Aliens wonderfully in carrying out their scheme. Santa Anna's soldiers showed up just at the critical moment and burned Harrisburg. Before the Harrises could recover from the blow, and while their town still lay in ashes, the Aliens acted and not only had their town laid out, but were actively engaged in selling town lots to settlers. Not much progress was made during the first year, however, and there was not much of a city in evidence and scarcely more to indicate where that city was to be, for Governor Frank Lubbock, in his memoirs, gives an amusing description of his search for the town, even after he had reached and passed the foot of Main street. He came to Houston on the first steamboat that ever arrived here and it took four days to make the trip from Harrisburg to Houston. That being the pioneer trip an immense amount of work had to be done to clear the stream of sunken logs and overhanging trees. There was plenty of water, but there were numerous obstructions in and over the channel. After that first boat there was little or no delay and before long there were other boats that came to Houston, and in a year or two there was a regular service established between Houston and Galveston.

The question of transportation was one of the most serious with which the early settlers had to contend. Transportation by land was not only difficult, but actually dangerous, for there were hostile Indians and predatory bands of Mexicans ever on the watch for unwary settlers. There were no roads, ordinary trails being the only guides for the traveler, and therefore when communication was established with the outside world by water from Houston, it was looked on as a blessing, since it saved many miles of difficult and dangerous travel. The bayou soon became popular and Houston sprang at once into the greatest prominence as a receiving and distributing point. It is remarkable that Houston should have had all those advantages, naturally, in the early days and then after the lapse of many years she should still retain them through the commercial activity and business foresight of her citizens.

During the first eighteen months of the new city's existence there was little accomplished aside from perfecting the plans and arranging the divisions of Houston, for there was not much more of a city than a name and some surveyed streets and lots until late in 1837. By then the town began to show some life and activity. It is true that the city was more like a military camp than anything else, for it was composed largely of tents, with here and there a small log cabin. During 1837 there was a large storehouse built at the corner of Commerce street and Main and at the same time work was begun on the "Mansion House," Houston's first hotel. This was located on the corner now occupied by the Southern Pacific offices.

But it was not until 1838 that Houston took on genuine city airs. That year an election was held to decide whether the city should be incorporated or not. The result was an affirmative vote and the same year the Texas Congress granted the City of Houston a charter.

Having become a chartered city it was necessary to elect a mayor and board of aldermen. Unfortunately all the records of the city have been twice destroyed by fire, but tradition and the oldest inhabitants declare that Dr. Francis Moore, Jr., was the first mayor of Houston. Now there is really no good nor substantial reason for doubting that Dr. Moore was the first mayor, and the question is brought up in this way so as to give place to a doubt introduced by Maj. Ingham Roberts, who has made a close study of all that relates to the early history of Houston. Major Roberts, in the History of Southeast Texas, of which he was one of the editors, publishes a list of Houston's mayors and gives the honor of being the first to James S. Holman. The Major gives as his authority for doing this, a notice published in the Telegraph of Sept. 29, 1837, calling an election to fill vacancies caused by the deaths of two aldermen, which notice was signed Jas. S. Holman, "Mayor."

Major Roberts is a most careful student and accurate writer, and yet one is constrained to believe that a serious error has been committed by himself or by the paper publishing that notice. In the first place, Houston was not incorporated until a year after the date of that notice and, therefore, could not have had a mayor or board of aldermen. In the next place, James S. Holman was clerk of the Eleventh District Court from February, 1837, until 1842, and it is not likely that he could have been mayor of Houston at the same time. As a matter of fact he was clerk of the court at the very time that notice was published, as the court records show. The matter is given space here so as to bring out all the facts for the guidance of future historians.

When the Moore administration took office, its first act was to extend the city limits, which to that time had been the Bayou on the north. Walker street on the south, Bagby street on the west and Caroline on the east. The limits were extended so as to embrace nine square miles. This was done in order to increase the taxable area and to include within the city limits many citizens who had built residences just beyond the old city lines. The nine-mile area was maintained many years, or until the city fell in the hands of the "Carpet-bag" Republicans appointed by E. J. Davis during reconstruction days. These found it necessary, in order to create more plunder, to increase the taxable area, so they extended the limits so as to embrace twenty-five square miles. When the Carpet-baggers were turned out of office by the home people who had regained control of affairs, the limits were reduced to nine square miles. That was in 1874, and until 1903 no change was made. But by that time the city had so extended beyond its limits that an increase was demanded in justice and fairness to all, so the area was fixed at sixteen square miles. A remarkable feature is that since those limits were fixed, the city has again far outgrown its bounds, so that a very large number, perhaps 15,000 or 20,000 nominal citizens of Houston are living outside the city limits. Aside from fixing the city limits and placing some pine trees across the streets, so that people could get across from one corner to another without bogging down in the mud, there appears to have been nothing accomplished by the Moore administration, or by that of G. W. Lively, the second mayor. It was reserved for the Charles Biglow administration, in 1840, to take the first step towards permanent public improvement. That year a contract was let for the erection of a market house and city hall on Market square. That old market was pointed to with pride for many years by all Houstonians. It was really a pretentious building for it had length, if not height, being only one story high. It extended from Preston to Congress and on the Congress side it was two-stories high, the upper floor being used as a city hall, while the lower one was devoted to a city jail or "calaboose" as it was called.

The market part was given over to the butchers and vegetable people, who had stalls arranged on each side, while a broad alley extended down the entire length of the market. There was no floor, only the bare earth serving for that purpose. The building soon became famous for the number of rats that took possession of it. Perhaps, in no part of the world were there ever so many rats gathered together in a limited space as were found in that old place. However, it was a great improvement on conditions that had prevailed to that time, for the market vendors had been forced to do business in the open air, or under a dilapidated shed that some one had erected. There was a tent, not on the square, however, that was used for market purposes, but that was a private affair with which the city had nothing to do.

The old market house stood for many years and was finally torn down to make place for the famous market house erected by the Scanlan administration. The story of that famous building is worth telling. Mr. Alexander McGowan had been elected mayor of the city in 1867, but was turned out of office by E. J. Davis, the "reconstruction" Governor of Texas, in August, 1868. Some other changes were made, but it was not until 1870, that Davis showed his hand by turning everybody out of office and appointing his own henchmen. T. H. Scanlan was appointed mayor and four ignorant negroes were made aldermen by Davis. Then the "plundering" began in real earnest, and by the time they got through Houston had a debt of almost two million dollars and had but little or nothing to show for it. It was no public spirit or local pride that gave Houston the finest market house in the South. Houston got the building finally, but Houston paid a fancy price for it. It was merely the opportunity to extend the loot field that lay behind the market that resulted in its final construction.

Having decided to erect a market house, plans were drawn, specifications made and bids were invited. Col. William Brady was the successful bidder at $250,000. He was backed by some New Yorkers. He agreed to take the city's bonds in payment, they to bear 8 per cent interest and to run twenty-five years. That part of the contract was all right, perhaps, but after actual construction of the building began, things began to show up that were never expected. Col. Brady built according to the plans and specifications, but when those were examined it was found that they contained no provision for blinds, some doors, and in one or two instances, for floors for the building. The whole thing was found to be merely an outline of plans and specifications, but Col. Brady claimed it was what he had bid on and he held the city strictly to its contract with him.

There was only one thing to do — issue more bonds, and that was when the city limits were extended, so as to take in more taxpayers. The tax area was increased, more bonds were issued, and before the market house was completed its total cost was $470,000 instead of $250,000 as originally contemplated. The building was insured for $100,000, but when it was burned down in 1876, the insurance companies refused to pay even that, and, after much haggling, finally agreed to restore the building, which they did at an outlay of only $80,000. The restored building was also destroyed by fire some years later, when the present magnificent building was erected.

A so-called election was held in 1872, and by importing negroes from the surrounding counties and obstructing the white voters, the Republicans were able to elect the entire city ticket and keep the same gang in office. Retribution was near at hand, however, for the next year the Democrats swept the State and elected Coke-Governor. In January, 1874, Houston was granted a new charter, by provision of which the Governor was authorized to appoint the city officials of Houston. Governor Coke lost no time, but turned the Scanlan crowd out of office. He then appointed Mr. Jas. T. D. Wilson, mayor, and also appointed a board of aldermen composed of respectable and prominent citizens. A few months later an election was held and all the gentlemen appointed by the Governor were regularly elected.

There was little accomplished by the new administration during their tenure of office. The affairs of the city were so badly tangled and the bonded and floating debts were so large that the city was absolutely without money or credit. Under conditions such as these it was not expected that anything could be done beyond "standing off" clamoring creditors and answering court summonses, for the city was being constantly sued.

After holding office for one year the Wilson administration retired and Mr. I. C. Lord was chosen as mayor in 1875. He had all that his predecessor had to contend with, and in addition there came up the question of disposing of the interest the city had acquired, in some way, in the Houston East and West Texas railroad. The interest owned by the city was in that part of the road surveyed as far west as the Brazos near Bellville, but which had been abandoned and has never been built. There were suits and counter-suits and the whole question became very much involved. Finally the city sold its interest for $35,000 and went out of the railroad business for good. But it was a case of jumping out of the frying-pan into the fire, for so soon as it was known that the Lord administration had a little cash on hand the court house feature became aggravated and everybody was clamoring to get hold of it. Old notes, old and new claims, popped up from unexpected quarters and the situation became desperate. Mr. Lord held office for two years and then quit in disgust.

Mr. Wilson having had a two years rest was persuaded by the citizens to try his hand again. This was literally true for at that time a man had to be persuaded to take such an onerous office as that of the debt-burdened city. It required patience, honesty of purpose and fi...

Table of contents

• A WORD IN ADVANCE.
• CHAPTER ONE.
• CHAPTER TWO.
• CHAPTER THREE.
• CHAPTER FOUR.
• CHAPTER FIVE.
• CHAPTER SIX.
• CHAPTER SEVEN.
• CHAPTER EIGHT.
• CHAPTER NINE.
• CHAPTER TEN.
• CHAPTER ELEVEN.
• CHAPTER TWELVE.