HOUSTON, Texas – Freedmen’s Town, located along the Buffalo Bayou in Houston’s Fourth Ward, once served as the first African American community for the last of the enslaved people.
The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves on Jan. 1, 1863, but the last slaves were freed on June 1, 1865, in Galveston, Texas. About 1,000 freed slaves migrated to Houston and established what we know today as Freedmen’s Town.
The neighborhood was once home to some of Houston’s most notable names such as Reverend Jack Yates, who served as the first pastor of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. Yates established the Houston Academy that served freed African American children. Aside from Rev. Yates, Freedmen’s Town produced many notable Houstonians, including Black physicians, ministers, jazz musicians, businessmen and women, and attorneys. Emmet J. Scott, author and personal secretary to Booker T. Washington, and elected secretary of the National Negro Business League in 1901, was born in Freedmen’s Town.
By 1880, Freedmen’s Town was home to 95% of Black Houstonians, marking a substantial black middle class. By the 1930s, it had produced over 400 Black-owned businesses. It is referred to as the “Mother Ward”.
Now, although the Freedmen’s Town we once knew is still rich in history, it has also been gentrified, like many historic Black neighborhoods in Houston.
The Freedmen’s Town Conservancy is working to preserve what’s left of the communities rich Black history.
“We’ve built these places. We’ve contributed to the landscape of economic success. This community was economically sustainable, all on its own, with over 400 businesses. By 1930, it was home to about 95% of the Black middle class. We are the mother ward of Houston, we poured into what is now Fifth Ward in Third Ward. So it’s really important to understand the historical significance here. Freedman’s Town is where all began for Black Houston,” said Sharon Fletcher, the executive director of the Freedman’s Town Conservancy.
When you drive down Saulnier Street in Freedmen’s Town, you will see two homes that may look like eyesores to many, but they’re pieces of distinct history. The two homes, located at 1609 and 1611 Saulnier, are part of the Town’s original structures.
“So the Saulnier Project are two historical homes that were built in 1928 that we have literally saved from being demolished. Those two historical homes that we’ve acquired, we are in the works of restoring both of those homes. One is 1609 Saulnier and the other is 1611 Saulnier. We recognize that the answer is not demolishing historical properties. There’s a way for us to be able to do this work by preserving the historical footprint by rehabilitating these historical homes that can be used for permanent affordable housing,” Fletcher explained.
The two historic homes, which will keep much of their original framework, will not be offered to the general public.
“Our goal is to be able to offer these homes to those who live in the current community right now, who have not experienced home ownership, or those who have been priced out of this place and want to come back to the community or Freedman’s Town. But we feel like it’s an opportunity for us to continue to fulfill the legacy of this historic community, being able to benefit future generations. And so tying it back to individuals who have family that have lived here for maybe three, four or five generations, which some that still live in the community. We want to keep the opportunity for people to live within this community who’ve been here,” Fletcher said.
After the property has been restored, landmark status will be applied and the two homes will become budget-friendly housing.
Fletcher said the Houston Community Land Trust will identify and qualify a buyer with incomes under 80% of the Area Median to receive a grant of $150,000 to cover the purchase and closing costs of the home. The qualified buyer will finance the remaining amount needed after the grant through one of HCLT’s approved lenders.
However, Fletcher said that monetary donations are still needed to continue this project. Over the past few years, the Freemen’s Town Conservancy has raised over $600,000, which has allowed the organization to purchase the two homes, purchase the land, and add the second home, 1611 Saulnier, to the property.
“We’re looking to raise an additional $350,000 to get these homes done, and then be able to subsequently move into the process of permanent home ownership for someone,” Fletcher said.
If you would like to donate, Fletcher said to visit the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy website, click on the Join The Rebirth tab, and learn more about their projects and how to donate.
Also, Fletcher said the non-profit organization is working on other projects to help revitalize Freedmen’s Town that Houstonians can help out with as well.
“We currently are in our Rebirth and Action Project. Phase two of that project is a preservation effort. We are in the process of working through cataloging and identifying 30,000 plus historical bricks. Freedman’s Town Historical Bricks over at the City of Houston. Along with that effort also included the restoration or rehabilitation of three historical homes, and then the construction of an open-air pavilion that will house the historical bricks of Freedman’s Town. We’ve gone through phase one of this project,” Fletcher said.