Historic Houston Roads

[Croberts]

Your theory is correct. In the 1830s and 1840s, there was a deeply rutted wagon road between Harrisburg and San Felipe, and nearby Columbus. I read about it in a personal history written by a German immigrant in 1849. He traveled that route in the early 1840s, and he described his journey from Harrisburg to Columbus as four days of pure hell.

Can you tell me where you read this personal history? Is it a published source or an archival document?

[FilioScotia]

Your theory is correct. In the 1830s and 1840s, there was a deeply rutted wagon road between Harrisburg and San Felipe, and nearby Columbus. I read about it in a personal history written by a German immigrant in 1849. He traveled that route in the early 1840s, and he described his journey from Harrisburg to Columbus as four days of pure hell.

Can you tell me where you read this personal history? Is it a published source or an archival document?

It was a book I came across in the early 70s. It seems to be a fairly well known book because I've seen references to it in other books on early Texas history. I'm still digging around on the Internet trying to find some record of it. I'll post it when I find it.

Edited May 12, 2008 by FilioScotia

[FilioScotia]

Your theory is correct. In the 1830s and 1840s, there was a deeply rutted wagon road between Harrisburg and San Felipe, and nearby Columbus. I read about it in a personal history written by a German immigrant in 1849. He traveled that route in the early 1840s, and he described his journey from Harrisburg to Columbus as four days of pure hell.

Can you tell me where you read this personal history? Is it a published source or an archival document?

It was a book. Roemer's Texas, written in 1845 by a German immigrant named Ferdinand Roemer.

Roemer's book focuses on the experiences of other German immigrants in settling in Texas, and it's still widely read and respected by historians. It's also still available from a number of publishers. You can buy it on Amazon dot com.

Edited May 13, 2008 by FilioScotia

[isuredid]

It was a book. Roemer's Texas, written in 1845 by a German immigrant named Ferdinand Roemer.

Roemer's book focuses on the experiences of other German immigrants in settling in Texas, and it's still widely read and respected by historians. It's also still available from a number of publishers. You can buy it on Amazon dot com.

You can read the book, Roemer's Texas, online in digital form on the Houston Public Library website.

[NenaE]

Just found a great paper written about street namings, by Marks Hinton, The Heritage Society. link:

http://www.heritagesociety.org/Hinton-Name...ts%20071907.pdf

For you East Enders, it explains the military history of St. Sgnt. Macario Garcia (page 5)...very impressive.

Edited May 14, 2008 by NenaE

[isuredid]

Just found a great paper written about street namings, by Marks Hinton, The Heritage Society. link:

http://www.heritagesociety.org/Hinton-Name...ts%20071907.pdf

I've read this before and have the book. I agree with most of Mr. Hiton's explanations for most streets, but have some issues with others. Shepherd Drive is one that bugs me. Maybe this article from the Nov 5th 1922 Galveston Daily News will convince him that Shepherd Drive was not named for B.A. Shepherd:

Houston History Recalled By Opening of New Modern Bridge at "Shepherds Dam"

By Burton Davis

Staff Special to The News

Houston, Tex, Nov 4 - Faith, the Good Book says, can move mountans. Money was what D.P. Shepherd, who built and rebuit Shepherds Dam, did not have enough of; he had plenty of faith. Because Shepherd could not raise enough money there was no water power developed on upper Buffalo River at Houston.

The story of the faith of D.P. Shepherd is brought back out of the dusty files of memory by the opening on Nov. 10, next Friday, of the new and beautiful reinforced concrete bridge over Buffalo River at Shepherds Dam. It was recalled this week too, by the renaming of the road that crosses the bridge, running parallel to the western city limits, about a thousand feet east of the line, and connecting with Washington avenue on the north and San Felipe and Westheimer roads on the south, running into the city.

"Shepherds Dam road" It had been for more than a quarter of a century. At the request of residents of Brunner, now called west end, the city council this week renamed their road "Shepherds Drive" If D. P. Shepherd were alive it would cut him to the quick for it thus offically recognizes on the city maps that the dam on which he spent his savings is out of sight and hereafter will soon be out of mind.

"Shepherd's Folly" they called it for years--that project to develop water power on Buffalo River to turn a grist mill and other possible industries.

Came of Pioneer Family

D.P. Shepherd was a telegraph operator according to old-time Houstonians. He was an uncle of Governor Pat M. Neff and a cousin of B.A. Shepherd, who had become one of the principal owners of the Commercial and Agricultural Bank in 1854, engaged exclusively in the banking business, and was, according to the history cited, the first man in Texas to do so. B.A. Shepherd in 1866 organized the First National Bank with T.M. Bagby, and succeeded to the presidency on the death of Bagby. The First National Bank is still owned mainly by decendants and connections of B.A. Shepherd.

D. P. Shepherd's attempt to build a water mill on Buffalo River was started thirty years ago. It was the first and only such attempt on the stream. The first corn mill in Houston, according to the Standard History, had been built in 1844 by Eltin Stockbridge on the north side of the bayou, not far from the ford then at Texas avenue, where the Interurban car barns stand now. Stockbridge's mill,. which cost the huge sum of $400, used three oxen on a treadmill for power. The "Morning Star" boasted that in a full day's grinding it could grind fifty bushels of corn.

Daniel W. Dickson, known to all of west end as "Uncle Dan" who has lived within sight of Shepherd's Dam on the same spot at 215 Roy street for twenty-nine years, coming on March 1, recalled today for The News the building of the first dam. "Shepherd was building that dam when I came here in March of 1894." said Mr. Dickson. "It was made of cedar logs and brickbats. I had a team of mules and I hauled many a load of "bats" for him from Fred Rice's brickyard in Brunner."

The dam created a ten or twelve foot head of water. Mr. Dickson and F. Cicero Robinson, who has lived in west end for twenty-seven years, agreed, sitting together on the gallery of "Uncle Dan's" house.

"He never did put up his mill." said Mr. Robinson. "He bought a turbine wheel--I reckon it was second-hand; it looked to be, but he never did operate a mill with it. Every few years a freshet in the Bayou would wash out part of the dam and he'd have to spend more money on it. He used up his savings, mortgaged his land and borrowed money until finally he quit.

"The dam backed the water up for nearly three miles. It made a great pleasure resort for Houston and Brunner folks. We had skiffs on it, there was good fishing, and lots of folks came out from town and put on bathing suits in the bathhouse down on the bank."

The last of the dam proper was washed out ten or twelve years ago. Mr. Dickson and Mr. Robinson agreed. Since that time there has been no boating, poor swimming and no fishing, because the oil waste of industries down the stream has spread upward and spoiled both the fishing and swimming. The building of the four-foot dam which is to be part of the new Sabine street bridge, two miles downstream, will back the water up perhaps a foot at Shepherds Dam, will permit the flushing out of the stream during summer stagnation, and will keep the oil off the upper waters and the bayou, or Buffalo River, as it has been rechristened, should again be a pleasure resort for Houstonians.

Mr. Dickson and Mr. Robinson declare that the bayou for miles above Shepherds Dam forms the prettiest woodland scenery within many miles of Houston, and the writer agrees with them. It is their hope that some day before it is too late the city will buy a strip of at least a quarter of a mile wide on each side of the river and for at least two miles above the old dam site. That would cost, at $500 an acre, about $320,000. It would be a wonderful monument to the wealthy man who would buy it now, in its original and untouched beauty and present it to the people of Houston. It is known that a parkway along Buffalo River from the Capitol avenue bridge through Sam Houston Park, the permanent exposition site, past the new Sabine street bridge and on along the meanderings of the stream though Cleveland Park, where another new bridge is just being started, and so up to Shepherds Dam and bridge, is part of the city plan of Houston, to be worked out by the city planning commission which Mayor Holcolmbe is now appointing. If the two miles above Shepherds Dam is not donated to the ciry, as soon as the money can be spared from more pressing needs it is believed that the city will buy the land.

New Bridge Open Friday

The new bridge will be thrown open to traffic next Friday. The next day will be Armistice Day, for which the people of west end are planning a big celebration of the opening of the bridge.

The original bridge was an iron and wooden one, built just above the dam, some twenty-seven years ago. Jules Hirsch, then a county commissioner, got the bridge erected for the people of Brunner.

"It never was much of a bridge" said Mr. Dickson. "But it had to serve us for many years, with repairs two or three times. There were not 100 families in Brunner then. "Brunner was incorporated about that time. It ran from White Oak Bayou on the north to Buffalo Bayou on the south, about a mile and from Patterson street on the east to Reinermann street. A Mr. Lynn was the first mayor and C.D. (Charlie) Green the second. His people still live here. He was a newspaper man on the old Post. The corporation was dissolved after about a year. About ten years ago we voted ourselves into the city of Houston.

The new Shepherds Drive bridge is 168 feet long or 85 feet longer than the old wooden one. It is 37 feet above low water mark, or 10 to 12 feet higher than the old one. It is 43 feet wide, which heavy balustrades of concrete, topped with ornamental lights, and is really a thing on beauty.It was started in May and cost the city $65,000 counting new and higher approaches.

Edited May 14, 2008 by isuredid

[dbigtex56]

Interesting article, especially the reference to Brunner. First mention I've seen of that community.

[isuredid]

Interesting article, especially the reference to Brunner. First mention I've seen of that community.

Speaking of Brunner, there are some streets there too which need some correcting in the Hinton book, Reinermann street, for one example. Actually all of the north-south streets of Brunner are named after John Reinermann or his heirs and are worthy of a story in a book on Houston street names.

Anton Brunner

Edited May 14, 2008 by isuredid

[isuredid]

From 05-15-1892

Names of Streets Changed

By a recent act of the city council the following changes have been made in the names of streets, the names generally being after some one prominently connected with the present or past of Houston:

Wards First and Fourth north: Bradley to Sabine street, Heiss to Colorado street, Stanley street to Stanley place, Park to Johnson street, Nicaragua to Moore, Bismark street to Bismark place, Clay street to Houston avenue, Susan to Kessler street, Cushman street to Cushman place, John to Hickory street, South street to Artesia place, Herbert street to Herbert place, Kane street to Reisner street, Morin street to Morin place.

Second ward: First street, Factory addition, to Lockhart, Second street to Bering street, Third street to Kennedy street, Fourth street to Fox street, Fifth street to Dumble street, Sixth streed to Freund street, Seventh street to Foley street, Clarke street to Flynn street.

Third ward: West Broadway to Hutchins street, East Broadway to Dowling street, Shanghai to Velasco street, Bremond street to Burke place.

Fourth ward south: Bomelt street to Baldwin street, Trinity street to House street, next street west of Trinity to Fuller street, Sabine street to Heiner street, Bayou street to Crosby street, Hobson to Meyer street,Baker to Buckner street, Gentry to Sherman street, Runnels to Cushing street, First street west to Mathews, Second street to Wilson, Third street to Bailey, Fourth street to Gilette, Ennis street to Ruthven, Cline to Cleveland street, First street south to Arnold, Second street south to Cook, Third street Sutton, Center to Erichson street, Houston to Curtin street, Laura street to Rusk avenue.

Fifth ward: Henry and Johnson streets from Webster addition east to Clarke street, to Campbell street, Pascal to Leo street, Campbell to Noble, James street to Sumpter street, Grand avenue and Stephens street to Loraine street, Pinkney to Wills street, Dumble street change to Leona street, Price and John street to Opelousas, Venice and Burr to Liberty street, Second and Bull to Sterrett, First to Grayson street, Ducong and Hare to Nance street, Waverly to Brooks street, Stephens to Hogan, John street Richey addition to Walnut street, Mariana to Huntington, Walker street to Willaimson place.

Edited May 15, 2008 by isuredid

[MidtownCoog]

Who remembers when Choate (now Dixie Farm) was a shale road?

[NenaE]

Wow, thought I could trust a reputable source, through The Heritage Society ...I've run across the Brunner subdivision in several early Houston books, also it is shown on a very early Houston map. (I have a link somewhere on the board).

[tmariar]

I've read this before and have the book. I agree with most of Mr. Hiton's explanations for most streets, but have some issues with others. Shepherd Drive is one that bugs me. Maybe this article from the Nov 5th 1922 Galveston Daily News will convince him that Shepherd Drive was not named for B.A. Shepherd:

I'm on your side on that issue. See the comment left here - A great-nephew of Daniel Shepherd says that there was a similar article that appeared in the Chronicle on November 4, 1922. He thinks that Hinton was not aware of the article when he wrote the book.

In Hinton's defense (not that he was really being criticized), his was not the first book to conclude that Benjamin Shepherd is the street's namesake (for example, Marguerite Johnston reached the same conclusion), and Hinton's preface notes that, in some cases, he had to resort to an informed guess. I'm thinking, too, that even the Daily News wasn't ocr'd (for full-text searching) when Hinton wrote his book.

As isuredid and I have discussed previously, Hinton's entry for Airline is very likely also incorrect (as isuredid pointed out, the road is too old to have been named after an actual airline - A GDN search supported an attribution in line with this wiki page).

I'll try sometime to post something about Mound Street becoming part of West Alabama - something I saw the other day suggested there may be an interesting railroad-related story there, too.

Which reminds me: I love this thread, as the origins of local street names and changes to them really interest me, but I wish that there were individual threads for many of the streets/changes discussed in it. Behind many names and name-changes is a mini-volume of Houston history, and I think some of it never gets added here as the focus shifts so quickly from street to street. I think the job of separating out the various topics raised above, if it were even possible to do so, is beyond the call of the mods' duties. But maybe in the future, if a question about a given street or name change is raised in this thread, and I have more than a little information to post, I'll start a new topic and put the information there.

Edited May 15, 2008 by tmariar

[NenaE]

As isuredid and I have discussed previously, Hinton's entry for Airline is very likely also incorrect (as isuredid pointed out, the road is too old to have been named after an actual airline - A GDN search supported an attribution in line with this wiki page).

quote/ Tmariar.

Sorry, believe I missed that, just when I thought I'd read everything...

Thanks "guys", always enlightening to hear your feedback, you are definitely "on your game"...by the way, can I get you to proofread my future research papers? ...just kidding. I love HAIF...I never realized street name origins were so hard to track down, accurately. Any more info. on the East End, particularly, would be greatly appreciated.

Tmariar, I like your ideas about individual post topics for street names.

Edited May 15, 2008 by NenaE

[isuredid]

Sunday, July 30, 1899 - Galveston Daily News

Shepherd's Dam

Houston, Tex, July 29--On the strength of a conversation concerning improvements and advantages in and near the city, a vist was made to D.P. Shepherd's dam, which survived without a scar the recent high water in Buffalo bayou.

It is located in the suburbs of the city, within the allotment of the town of Brunner, to northwest, within three miles from the court house, the axis of the city. In a wonderfully picturesque spot on Buffalo bayou. The dam was built of red cedar curbing, quite finished to eight feet in height and nearly complete to double that altitude. It is owned and was built by Mr. D.P. Shepherd, the father of Texas telegraphers.

Just below the dam is a beautiful spring of almost ice cold water--about a yard square, recently walled in with rock--clear as the azure skies, bubbling up in a dozen places and pouring a beautiful pellucid stream out through a little pipe near its top. The water, while delightful for ordinary uses, has a decided infusion of iron, sulphur, and other things in a desirable character to complete its value in this climate.

The purposes aimed at in the dam are the same as that at Austin and the possibilities are beleived to be quite as great.

[Libbie]

I have a theory that San Felipe was the original road from harrisburg and later houston to San Felipe, capital of austins colony. Washington, north of Buffalo bayou went to Washington on the Brazos. If so these would have been the first roads coming into houston from the west. The only competitor would be old richmond road, which might have been of the same era.

You're probably right. That makes a great deal of sense. And thinking about the street name San Felipe, it just popped into my head to wonder why native Houstonians (I'm one) routinely pronounce it "San FILLipee"? If you're a Spanish speaker, it should sound like "San Feh-LEE-peh;" if you're an English speaker, it should be "San FehLEEpy" or San FehLEEP," but how in the world did it get started as "San FILLipee, which doesn't fit the phonic of either English or Spanish? It's enough to drive you nuts, wondering.

[FilioScotia]

You're probably right. That makes a great deal of sense. And thinking about the street name San Felipe, it just popped into my head to wonder why native Houstonians (I'm one) routinely pronounce it "San FILLipee"? If you're a Spanish speaker, it should sound like "San Feh-LEE-peh;" if you're an English speaker, it should be "San FehLEEpy" or San FehLEEP," but how in the world did it get started as "San FILLipee, which doesn't fit the phonic of either English or Spanish? It's enough to drive you nuts, wondering.

Most non-Spanish speaking Anglos don't know or care much about the precisely correct way to pronounce foreign words and names. We're happy if we just come close to the correct way of saying something from another language.

It's why people in Austin say "Guada-loop," instead of "Guada-loopay." The town of Mexia is correctly pronounced "moo-hee'-ya." We say it "muh-hay'-uh." Refugio comes out "Reefyurio." There are countless other examples and nobody makes a fuss about it. Not yet anyway.

It's probable that the first generation of Texans prounced San Felipe and other Spanish place-names more or less correctly because there were a good number of Spanish speakers around to keep them correct. Over many decades though, as the state was flooded with non-Spanish speakers, San Feeleepay gradually became San Fillupy.

After all, Felipe is Spanish for "Phillip."

Edited May 19, 2008 by FilioScotia

[Subdude]

You're probably right. That makes a great deal of sense. And thinking about the street name San Felipe, it just popped into my head to wonder why native Houstonians (I'm one) routinely pronounce it "San FILLipee"? If you're a Spanish speaker, it should sound like "San Feh-LEE-peh;" if you're an English speaker, it should be "San FehLEEpy" or San FehLEEP," but how in the world did it get started as "San FILLipee, which doesn't fit the phonic of either English or Spanish? It's enough to drive you nuts, wondering.

But since San FILLipee is the accepted common local pronunciation that's what I call it. There's certainly no law that says we must adhere to pronunciations in source languages. After all, would you call Paris Texas "Paree" because that is how it is pronounced in French? That would just be silly.

[Libbie]

But since San FILLipee is the accepted common local pronunciation that's what I call it. There's certainly no law that says we must adhere to pronunciations in source languages. After all, would you call Paris Texas "Paree" because that is how it is pronounced in French? That would just be silly.

Oh, I call it San FILLipee too. After all, I am a native Houstonian. I even tell friends from out of town them that the correct Houston pronunciation is San FILLipee. It doesn't bother me that people don't pronounce it like the original Spanish (I have no intention of calling it anything other than San FILLipee, either); it simply intrigues me that San Felipe could have evolved such a quirky pronunciation that obeys neither the English nor the Spanish pronunciation conventions.

I guess FiloScotia's theory makes sense: that the first generation of Texans pronounced it pretty close to the Spanish and that it gradually became San Phillip-ee. It's logical, in a way: pronouncing it like its English equivilant "Phillip," but pronouncing the final e of Felipe as a sort of a remnant of the original pronunciation. O.K. I can live with that theory.

[tmariar]

The pronunciation of San Felipe issue has come up in other threads. The old-school (San PHIL-u-pee) pronunciation I always figured revealed an awareness that Felipe is the Spanish form of "Philip" (and perhaps also has something to do with the Texan habit of sometimes (certainly not always) pronouncing "e" as "i" (e.g., for many Texans, "pen" and "pin" are homophones; "get" becomes "git"; etc.)). The "ee" at the end, who knows - maybe it's just because the name looked like Philip with an "e" on the end, maybe it's because of the pronunciation of "Penelope", maybe it's because of the American pattern of mispronuncing French words/names like fricassee, Desiree, Aimee, etc.

While I grew up with the old-school pronunciation, and so that sounds right to me, many newer or younger Houstonians say "San Phu-LEE-pay", and I think that may become the more common pronunciation over time. It's not really incorrect as much as it's not the traditional Houston pronunciation. I take some pleasure in perpetuating the traditional pronunciation - not just because I'm a native, but also because I think it's interesting (like Refugio being Refurio, Behar being Bear, etc.).

Pronunication varies from place to place and over time. The fact that an English-language word or American place name has a foreign or foreign-lanugage origin doesn't mean that an anglicized pronunciation is "incorrect". Just as the American pronunciation of "garage" isn't more correct than the British pronunciation just because it's closer to the French pronunciation - and the British pronunciation isn't more correct because it (I'm guessing) came before the American. And the fact that in neither country is "garage" pronounced exactly as it would be in France doesn't mean both the British and American pronunciations are incorrect. The more acceptance a given pronunciation has, the harder it is to call it "incorrect" per se. (Though I tend to ignore that in arguing that our pronunciation of the city "Houston" is more correct than the New York pronunciation of their "Houston" street - I think that the surname Houston comes from a Scottish parish originally called "Hughstown".)

Ok - enough of my amateur linguistics - just thought I'd give my opinion.

[NenaE]

I am always inclined to say "San Phu-LEE-Pay" first before the others, (and I've been here a long time), but have used other ways to say it at times. It's one of those words you grow up saying however you want...and argue with others about which one is right.

Ok - enough of my amateur linguistics - just thought I'd give my opinion.

I was just going to ask if you were one.

[tmariar]

It's one of those words you grow up saying however you want...and argue with others about which one is right.

That about sums it up!

[isuredid]

I think another interesting pronunciation is for the street Chartres....most people in Houston say Shar-trez or Char-trez, while in New Orleans they call pronounce their Chartres street "Charters". Gruene, Texas is pronounced "Green" , Boerne, Texas is pronounced "Bernie". In Houston Beauchamp is pronounced Beechum. In Austin you might be tempted to pronounce Burnet road Bur-net, but you would be wrong. Local pronunciation is Burn-it. People in Austin may call the river Gua-da-lupay but the street is Gua-da-loop.

Edited May 21, 2008 by isuredid

[FilioScotia]

Gruene, Texas is pronounced "Green" , Boerne, Texas is pronounced "Bernie". In Houston Beauchamp is pronounced Beechum.

You do know that "gruen" is the German word for "green". It's worth noting that "Bernie" is the correct pronunciation of "Boerne". It's a two-syllable word, and the "oer" is pronounced "ur".

As for Beauchamp, we got "Beecham" from the Brits. They've said it that way forever. Many people with that name over there even spell it "Beecham". The famous conductor Sir Thomas Beecham is just one example.

Edited May 21, 2008 by FilioScotia

[NenaE]

So tell me, is it Braes or Brays Bayou?

[tmariar]

So tell me, is it Braes or Brays Bayou?

I don't have an answer, but that question has come up in other threads before - including this one. I think people generally agree that the bayou itself is "Brays" bayou.

[Reefmonkey]

Greens Rd. was once called Gears Rd.

Will Clayton Pky. was once Jetero Blvd.

Hwy. 249 was once FM 149

Veterans Memorial Dr. was once Steubener-Airline

There still is a Gears Rd. in that area.

There still is a Jetero Blvd west of IAH.

Wasn't that long ago that I remember them changing 149 to 249, and I'm only 32. There is still a business on 249 (is it a bar, and convenience store?) that is called the 149 such and such that I see when I drive up there.

Steubner Airline is still called that name, at least north of 1960.

[mkultra25]

There still is a Gears Rd. in that area.

Gears Rd. runs between Stuebner Airline, I mean Veterans Memorial and I-45 (can't remember if it continues west of Veterans or not). It splits in two roughly 1/2 mile west of I-45, with one fork continuing straight on to 45 as Gears and the other fork curving away and becoming Greens Rd.

[Gurgis]

So tell me, is it Braes or Brays Bayou?

I've seen Braes much more than Brays (including being used as parts of nearby subdivisions and street names), so I'd bet that today's spelling (though it may have originated as Brays.

[rsb320]

It's Bray's Bayou, N & S Braeswood Blvds., Braeswood Place, Braes Blvd. Water gets a y and stone gets an e. However, I'm not sure why.

[NenaE]

Can anyone tell me why there are 3 locations for N. MacGregor Way. Strange how one is located in Idylwood. (I just flew Google Earth to all 3).