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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFreedmen's Town Article PRESERVATION PROFilE I I I I. I I I HELPING HOUSTON'S HISTORY Group Protecting Freedmen's Town from Danger of Demolition enty ears ago, Houston's reedmen's Town Historic District ntained more than 500 structures. w, only a few dozen remain. utherford B. H. Yates Museum Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the historic African American neighborhood, has acquired eight properties for use as educational museums and urban archeology sites. The group's goal is to preserve as many structures as possible to continue its mission of educating Texans about the significance of the neighborhood's early residents. "We've been trying to stay one step ahead of the bulldozers for years," says Catherine Roberts, co-founder of the Yates museum group. "It's been challeng- ing to find funding, but we have a lot of dedicated people working to preserve this invaluable piece of our city's past." One of those people is Debra Blacklock-Sloan, a member of the Harris County Historical Commission (CHC) specializing in genealogical and historical research. Blacklock-Sloan is working on several historical markers with the CHC, and in the process, has discovered important pieces of the neighborhood's historical puzzle. "It's been very rewarding to be involved with the CHC - especially with all the research I've done on the Freedmen's Town because I've had a chance to see how the community evolved," Blacklock-Sloan says. ''I've learned a lot about how African Americans at that time built and used their houses, schools and churches. I'm glad I can give testament to the people who did those things." The CHC also recently brought an educational component to the TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION "11 HIS IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PART OF HISTORY: AND WE NEED PEOPLE TO COME TO OUR RESCUE." - Catherine Roberts, co-founder of Rutherford B.H. Yates Museum, Inc. district by helping place two histori- cal markers through the Texas Historical Commission's marker 'pro- gram. Dedicated to Freedmen's Town's origins and 20th-century development, the markers help inter- pret vital links to Houston's African American past. In 1906, African Americans owned nearly 90 percent of the property in Debra Blacklock-Sloan (left) and Catherine Roberts discuss plans to preserve Houston's Preedmen's Town. II Freedmen's Town; by the time the Great Depression hit, many of those families were displaced due to out- standing debts. According to Roberts, this was the beginning of the end - as the decades passed, much of Freedmen's Town's history was lost along with the demolished structures. The Yates group seeks to educate people about the Freedmen's Town's residents. Contrary to popular belief, its families lived relatively affluent lifestyles, as evidenced by artifacts discovered such as porcelain tea sets and decorative wallpaper. "Many African Americans at that time were able to get good jobs and save enough money to build new homes with nice furnishings," Blacklock-Sloan says. "Despite every- thing going on with Jim Crow laws, they were able to forge ahead and make a decent living for themselves in that community." Blacklock-Sloan and Roberts continue to dedicate their time to preserving the Freedmen's Town's history for the edification of future generations. In the meantime, they hope to keep the demolition crews away while they buy time and any remaining historic structures. "It's a burden for those of us trying to protect these properties, but a breeze for those wanting to tear them down. It's just not right," Roberts says, referring to the city's current preservation ordinance. "This is an extremely important part of history, and we need people to come to our rescue." * This article was wri~ten by Andy Rhodes, managing editor of The Medallion.