macwoodson

I was raised in 5th ward and it has gone down terribly. I remember when the street sweepers came around twice a week to clean the streets in

5th ward. I-10 ran right in front of the apartment I grew up in. I saw them tear down the old neighborhood to make way for the I-10 freeway. The freeway stopped

at Gregg street and it took years for them to complete the rest. There was a place bordered by Clinton Drive (south), 59 freeway (west), Collingsworth (north) and Gregg St (east). This area was called "French Town". This is where my grand parents lived. My grandfather was a carpenter and was the builder for many of the

rent houses that was located within this area of 5th ward. My parents had businesses in that area also. It was a very vibrant fun place to be. Once you get there,

you never wanted to leave. It just sucked you in, embraced you, and accepted you as one of them. My grandfather worked hard Mon thru Friday and Friday night,

it was Zydeco time. They played just as hard as they worked. There was my grandfather & grandmother, their five sons and five daughters. Needless to say, there

was a lot of grandchildren, which I was one of them. Sometime my grand parents would have a barrel in the yard and they would put wood in it and start a fire. It

was so nice because we kids would sit on the steps and listen to the adults tell stories of their lives and about things that happened in their lives. It was so interesting. I learned a lot about family just by listening to their stories. Other times, my grand father, his sons, and his cousin would grab some musical instruments

and begin playing the zydeco while we kids would commence dancing to the music. One person would get a rub board, one would get the accordion, one would get an old bucket that had a hole in it, and they would put a knot in a string, thread it into the hole of the bucket, attach the other end of the string to the top of a

broom stick and that would be the bass. Another one would have two spoons playing them together to make a tune. They played while sitting on the porch and we kids would dance in the streets. This was in the 1950 - 1960 before the 1964 civil rights act bill was passed. We had fun! We were family, all of us! If you came

to French Town, you were one of us and that is all there was to it. That is why nobody every wanted to leave. Now, I visited Houston a few years ago and the area

that I grew up in is completely demolished. Nothing could I see that I remembered. All the houses are gone, the lots are overgrown with weeds and trash, the City

of Houston does not clean up it's streets any more. It used to be so pretty and green. Now, it looks like a large slum with a few roses (new homes) trying to grow

amongst the weeds. What has happened to "French Town" and the Historical Society of Houston, TX?

I was riding around 3rd Ward and East End this weekend. Went to Ninfa's on Saturday (delicious).

I was on Gregg St, south of I-10. I see townhomes/lofts/condos going up. I crossed I-10, and I was in 5th Ward, and it looked like no improvement is even being considered.

Don't get me wrong, I know 5th Ward is currently undesirable, but so is/were all the other Wards that are now gentrified.

Question - How long until someone 'takes a chance' and builds on what must be fairly prime location?

I agree with you. I was raised in 5th ward and it has gone down terribly. I remember when the street sweepers came around twice a week to clean the streets in

5th ward. I-10 ran right in front of the apartment I grew up in. I saw them tear down the old neighborhood to make way for the I-10 freeway. The freeway stopped

at Gregg street and it took years for them to complete the rest. There was a place bordered by Clinton Drive (south), 59 freeway (west), Collingsworth (north) and Gregg St (east). This area was called "French Town". This is where my grand parents lived. My grandfather was a carpenter and was the builder for many of the

rent houses that was located within this area of 5th ward. My parents had businesses in that area also. It was a very vibrant fun place to be. Once you get there,

you never wanted to leave. It just sucked you in, embraced you, and accepted you as one of them. My grandfather worked hard Mon thru Friday and Friday night,

it was Zydeco time. They played just as hard as they worked. There was my grandfather & grandmother, their five sons and five daughters. Needless to say, there

was a lot of grandchildren, which I was one of them. Sometime my grand parents would have a barrel in the yard and they would put wood in it and start a fire. It

was so nice because we kids would sit on the steps and listen to the adults tell stories of their lives and about things that happened in their lives. It was so interesting. I learned a lot about family just by listening to their stories. Other times, my grand father, his sons, and his cousin would grab some musical instruments

and begin playing the zydeco while we kids would commence dancing to the music. One person would get a rub board, one would get the accordion, one would get an old bucket that had a hole in it, and they would put a knot in a string, thread it into the hole of the bucket, attach the other end of the string to the top of a

broom stick and that would be the bass. Another one would have two spoons playing them together to make a tune. They played while sitting on the porch and we kids would dance in the streets. This was in the 1950 - 1960 before the 1964 civil rights act bill was passed. We had fun! We were family, all of us! If you came

to French Town, you were one of us and that is all there was to it. That is why nobody every wanted to leave. Now, I visited Houston a few years ago and the area

that I grew up in is completely demolished. Nothing could I see that I remembered. All the houses are gone, the lots are overgrown with weeds and trash, the City

of Houston does not clean up it's streets any more. It used to be so pretty and green. Now, it looks like a large slum with a few roses (new homes) trying to grow

amongst the weeds. What has happened to "French Town" and the Historical Society of Houston, TX?