by Marks Hinton
CAELIN: Woodlands resident Joel Deretchin named this street for his grand daughter. Nearby Colewood is named for his grandson, Cole. 4
HOUSTON’S GERMANIC HERITAGE
Germans and people of Germanic decent have been an important part of Texas history for 250 years. Prior to arriving in Houston, records show German traders visited other parts of Texas in the 1750s. Germans were associated with the Louisiana Purchase (1804), the Long Expedition (1821) and the Texas Revolution (1835-36). Beginning in 1831 German immigrants began to arrive in small numbers in Texas. By 1845 this trickle was a flood. Most of them settled in Houston, Galveston and the Brazos and Colorado River Valleys. The combination of difficult economic conditions at home, plentiful job opportunities, better wages and an abundance of inexpensive but fertile farmland were the reasons so many Germans came to the Lone Star State. The first record of Germans in Houston appears in 1842. A large number lived in the Second Ward. So many in fact that that area was called Germantown and Canal Street was on the city maps as German Street. Much of our Germanic heritage is contained in our cemeteries. Washington Cemetery was known as the German Society Cemetery from its founding in 1887 until the name was changed due to anti-war sentiment during WW I in 1918. Three smaller cemeteries in west Houston (Hillendahl, St. Peter’s United Church and Vollmer) were also the burial grounds of many people of German descent. A number of streets in the Spring Branch and Memorial Villages area memorialize many of the German settler families. These would include: Bauer, Beinhorn, Beutel, Conrad Sauer, Hedwig, Hillendahl, Moritz, Neuns, Ojeman, pech, pifer, Riedel, Rummel, Schroeder and Witte. 8
CAESAR: Caius Julius – He is the most famous Roman of all. A brilliant orator, author and military man he eventually parlayed that prowess into becoming Emperor of Rome. Unfortunately, Caesar abused his powers and was assassinated on the Ides of March (March 15, 44 B.C.) by a group of Roman senators lead by Cassius and Brutus, prompting his last words “Et tu Brute?” He is little remembered for one of his greatest accomplishments: reforming the calendar. The Julian calendar was used until the 16th century when it was slightly modified and called the Gregorian calendar. (See Brutus, Cassius and Marc Anthony.) 5
CAGE: Benjamin F. – In Houston’s younger days it was not unusual to honor veterans of the Battle of San Jacinto with a street name. Such is the case with Mr. Cage who came to Texas in 1832. He fought under the command of Captain William H. Patton. It is believed that Indians killed him in 1838 near San Antonio. 6
CAJON: See sidebar Learn a Foreign Language on Your Morning Walk, page 125.
CALAIS: In May 1940 after the Germans captured this French port city as well as the harbor town of Boulogne, the only avenue of retreat for the British forces facing annihilation was through Dunkirk. (See Dunkirk.) 7
CALHOUN: John Caldwell – Here is another example of Houston showing its appreciation of South Carolina for that state’s support of the annexation of Texas. This gentleman, along with South Carolina Senator W. C. Preston, was a strong supporter of statehood for Texas. Calhoun County in south Texas is named for him also. (See Preston.) 8
CALHOUN: This Richmond street was originally called Railroad because it paralleled the train tracks. An old map at the George Memorial Library there shows the following businesses in a two block area of that street: Blue Light Tavern, Horse Saloon, Manuel’s Bar, Sunset Saloon, Cinder Club, Dally Saloon, Emil and John Joseph Saloon, Jackson’s Bar & Café, Gooden’s Bar, C. F. Austin’s Exchange Saloon, Spells Liquor Store and Three Brothers Saloon. The latter business was forced to close when the brothers married hard shell Baptist wives who strongly disapproved of imbibing spirits, wine and beer. 9
CAMBRIDGE: This is one of the oldest English speaking universities in the world dating from the 12th century. Located in Cambridge, England it predates Oxford University by almost a century. Today it has 31 colleges. 10
CAMELOT: This is the site of King Arthur’s Court in Arthurian legend.
CAMP STRAKE: This is one of the largest and most attended Boy Scout camps in America. It is named for Houston oilman George Strake, a philanthropist who donated generously to the Scouts during his lifetime. Over 80,000 Cub and Boy Scouts visit Camp Strake annually at no cost to them. (See Strake.) 11
CAMP WALLACE: This was a training center for antiaircraft units near Hitchcock during World War II. It was built in 1941. It is named for Colonel Elmer J. Wallace who was killed in the Battle of Meuse-Argonne in the First World War in 1918. Camp Wallace became a naval training center in 1944 and was closed and sold in 1946. (See Hitchcock.) 12
CAMPBELL: John W. – He was a lawyer and judge who owned property near the intersection of where Campbell and Katy Road intersect today in Houston. Campbell was originally from Louisiana. 13, 14
CANADA DRY: In the 1950s the Houston distributor of this once popular club soda and soft drink was located on this street that intersects the Gulf Freeway. 15
CANAL: Briscoe Irrigation Company developed a network of canals to provide Brazos River water for irrigation and industrial use in Fort Bend, Brazoria and Galveston Counties. In the 1930s the system was sold to American Rice Growers Association. They dug the American Canal which taps water from Oyster Creek. In 1967 the canals were taken over by the Brazos River Authority. This system still is a major component of the watershed management in this area. 16
CANAL: Prior to 1918 this Houston thoroughfare was called German Street. The name was changed because of the anti-German sentiment caused by WW I. Although none of the early city maps I studied showed any canal in the area, its proximity to the Houston Ship Channel and other maritime themed streets such as Navigation, may have influenced its name. (See sidebar Houston’s Germanic Heritage page 60.) 17
CANDLEWOOD: (See Chimney Rock.) 18
CANEY: Texas is home to more than 30 streams named Caney Creek. They are so called because of the cane-like vegetation along their banks. This one, in Montgomery County, runs about 50 miles, eventually flowing into the San Jacinto River near Lake Houston. The area was first settled in the 1830s. The town of New Caney rose on its banks in 1860. One of our state’s more interestingly named towns, Cut and Shoot, is on this waterway. (See Roy Harris.) 19
CANFIELD: Henry R. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.
CANGELOSI: Frank & Carlo – These brothers established a general store and cotton gin in Stafford in the early 1900s. (See Stafford.) 20
CANNONADE: This thoroughbred horse won the centennial running of the Kentucky Derby in 1974. The race was uneventful and he cruised to a 2 ¼-length victory. The fifth place finisher in this race, Little Current, went on to win the Preakness and the Belmont. 21
CANONERO: Winning the 1971 Kentucky Derby was the easiest thing this thoroughbred did in May of that year. He was air freighted with a load of chickens from Venezuela to Miami where he spent several days in quarantine. With no workouts he was placed in a horse trailer and driven 1,000 miles to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, site of the Derby. He trailed the field before coming on strong, recording a 3 ¾-length victory. Canonero proved his upset at Churchill was not luck when he posted a win in the second leg of the Triple Crown at the Preakness. In that run he led gate to wire. Unfortunately, he lost to Pass Catcher in the rubber match of the Triple Crown at Belmont. 22
» CAPRROL: Sketch of the first capitol of Texas
CANTATA: See sidebar It’s Music to My Ears, page 218. CAPELLA: See sidebar Starry Night, page 111.
CAPITOL: It was named to remind us that Houston was the second capitol of the Republic of Texas. We held this prestigious title from 1837 to 1839 when the government was moved to Austin. The actual Capitol Building was located on the northwest corner of Main and Texas where the Rice Loft condominiums are today. Named the Capitol Hotel by the Allen Brothers who owned the structure, it was purchased by William Marsh Rice. Following his murder it was renamed in his honor. (See Rice.) (See photograph of the first capitol at West Columbia on page 62.) 23
CAPTAIN BLIGHT: See sidebar Pirates of the Caribbean, page 280.
CAPTAIN HOOK: See sidebar Pirates of the Caribbean, page 280.
CARBON BLACK: The U. S. Government owned a carbon black plant in Sweeny that they sold to Phillips Petroleum in 1942. Carbon black is a by-product of the incomplete combustion of natural gas or petroleum. It is used to reinforce rubber as well as in inks, paints and polishes.
CARDWELL: Bedford C. – This street as well as Cardwell Estates may be named for this 1950s real estate developer. 24
CARNARVON: George Edward Stanhope – Its location in the Sherwood Forest addition leads me to believe this street is named for the British archeologist who was the patron of Howard Carter, the man who found the tomb of King Tutankhamen on November 4, 1922. Carnarvon died from an infection he contracted shortly after opening the sarcophagus, prompting the legend of the mummy’s curse. 25
CARNEGIE: This university was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by industrialist and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, in 1900. It began as a technical school. Carnegie’s vision was to open a vocational training school for the sons and daughters of working-class Pittsburghers. 26
CAROLINE: On some of the earliest street maps of Houston this street is named Carolina. South Carolina and one of its two U.S. Senators, W. C. Preston, strongly backed Texas annexation when this was not a popular cause in Washington D. C. because of fear of starting a war with Mexico. In return for this support city fathers honored that state with a major downtown thoroughfare. Somewhere along the way a transcription error changed the name to Caroline. In a way this is a shame because we have streets named for 48 of the 50 states. Only South Carolina and Maine are omitted. (See Preston and Calhoun.) 27
CARPETBAGGER: Feelings about the War Between the States do not die easily, especially in the South. Thus the name of this street in western Harris County near Fairfield. A carpetbagger is a Northerner who came to the South after the conflict and became active in Republican politics and profited from the disordered conditions during the Reconstruction Era. Today the word represents any opportunistic or exploitive outsider. 28
CARRELL: W. A. – He owned property northeast of Tomball. Carrell sold three acres of land to the city for its first hospital in 1944. (See Hospital.)29
CARTER: Oscar M. – He was a self-made millionaire from Nebraska who brought his Utopian vision for a 20th century town to Houston. He created the Omaha and South Texas Land Company that purchased 1,756 acres on the highest point in the area northwest of downtown. Calling it Houston Heights, the corporation invested $500,000 in infrastructure including utilities, parks, schools, landscaping, streets and alleys. 30
» CARTER: Houston Heights founder O. M. Carter
CARTWRIGHT: Jessie H. – He arrived in Texas in 1825 from Mississippi. In 1828 Stephen F. Austin awarded Cartwright a league of land where Missouri City is today. He farmed and ranched on his Cartwright Plantation. Santa Anna and the Mexican Army crossed his property in pursuit of their fateful meeting with Sam Houston at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. During the Republic of Texas he served in the Congress in 1836-7. He died in 1878. 31
» CARVER: George Washington Carver
CARVER: George Washington – This neighborhood (Carverdale) and street honor one of America’s most outstanding African-Americans. His expertise was agriculture. He was head of the Agriculture Department and director of Agricultural Research at Tuskegee Institute. He devoted his life and work to improving the lot of poor southern farmers. In 1940 he endowed the George Washington Carver Foundation to perpetuate his research. He was the recipient of numerous honors and awards. In 1953 the Alabama plantation where he was born of slave parents was named a national monument. 32
CASCADA: See sidebar Learn a Foreign Language on Your Morning Walk, page 125.
CASEY: Mike – He founded a brickyard in the Baytown area in 1869 that produced 600,000 bricks yearly. Casey died in 1871. His family closed the business and moved away. In the 1880s the brickyard was reopened to take advantage of the building boom going on in Galveston. Once again the yard fell on hard times and the site was sold to the City of Baytown for a garbage dump. 33
CASH: R. M. – In Katy, Texas a neighborhood named Heritage Meadows contains the names of the men who platted the city in 1895. Cash was one of these founders. 34
CASSANDRA: In Greek mythology Apollo gives Cassandra the ability to predict the future. In return Apollo wants Cassandra to be his lover. When she refuses he makes sure that no one believes her prophesies. 35
CASSIUS: Caius Longinus – This Roman was involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 B.C. In his stirring “Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears– speech, Marc Anthony enraged the citizens, forcing Cassius to flee to Syria. He was pursued by Anthony and Octavian who engaged him in battle at Philippi. Mistakenly believing he lost the skirmish, Cassius committed suicide. (See Caesar, Marc Anthony and Brutus.) 36
CASTLE HARBOUR: See sidebar Tennis or Golf, Anyone?, page 348.
CASTOR: In Greek and Roman mythology Castor along with his twin brother Pollux were children of Zeus and Leda. They were revered by sailors and were said to appear during storms as St. Elmo’s fire, a visible electric discharge that can appear on a ship’s mast in foul weather. 37
CASTOR: See sidebar Starry Night, page 111.
CAT SPRING: In 1834 a group of Germans from Oldenburg and Westphalia, lead by Ludwig Anton Siegmund von Roeder and Robert Kleberg, settled in this area of western Austin County. They were joining another Oldenburg citizen who arrived three years earlier and wrote enthusiastically about this area of Texas. The name came from von Roeder’s son who killed a puma near one of the springs here. 38
CATFEET COURT: Located in the Woodlands this street name was inspired by Carl Sandberg’s short poem. “The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over the harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.” 39
CAT’S CRADLE: Also in the Woodlands, Susan Vreeland-Wendt was inspired by Harry Chapin’s Cat’s in the Cradle off of his 1974 hit album Verities & Balderdash when she named this street. 40
CAYLOR: Joseph B. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.
CEDAR BAYOU: This drive is named for the bayou of the same name. That estuary meanders 46 miles through Liberty County, emptying into Trinity Bay southeast of Baytown. Early settlers named it because of the great abundance of cedar trees that lined its banks. 41
CEDAR CREEK: Tanglewood developer William Farrington named this street for a small Texas town where his wife’s family had lived for over 100 years and had founded the Baptist church there. 42
CEDAR CREEK: This Waller County village was named for the nearby creek of the same name by Henry Kloecker in the 1880s. (See Kloecker.) 43
CEDAR GROVE CEMETERY: This burying ground is all that remains of the small Brazoria County town of the same name. Cedar Grove was established in 1886 where the Dance family’s Cedar Brake Plantation once stood. 44
CEDAR GROVE: Lying east of Houston near the Harris/Chambers county line is this two-block long street. It recalls the small village of the same name. Cedar Grove was on most Texas maps up until the late 1930s. 45
CEMETERY: (See Zion Lutheran Cemetery.)
CENTENARY: Founded in 1825, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church, Centenary College is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River. Located in Shreveport, Louisiana, this college’s name came from the desire to remember the 100th anniversary of John Wesley’s founding of the Methodist Societies in England. 46
CENTER WAY: The streets of Lake Jackson were laid out to provide easy access to the center of town. “Drives” go around the outskirts and handle through traffic. “Ways” lead to the city center. Thus the name of this street. Circle Way circles the business district. (See This Way and That Way.) 47
HOUSTON STREETS NA
MED FOR OTHER TEXAS TOWNS
Developers of Denver Harbor and Houston Harbor, just northwest of the Houston Ship Channel, elected to name streets after towns where newcomers had moved from in order to become residents of our fair city. From north to south these streets are named: Gainesville, Longview, Texarkana, Eagle Pass, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, Laredo, Hillsboro, Waxahachie, Brownwood, Greenville, Bonham, Dennison, Amarillo, Abilene, El Paso, San Angelo, Gonzales, Corsicana and Palestine. 9
STREETS NAMED FOR PATRON SAINTS
Although we do have separation of church and state in America there is no law preventing developers for naming streets for Saints. As a result we might be considered a quite religious community by outsiders who notice how many of our highways and byways are named for these holy souls and whom or what they protect. Some examples include: St. Agnes-young girls; St. Alban-converts; St. Andrew-fishermen and Scotland; St. Anne & Santa Anna-housewives, miners and childless women; San Antonio-shipwrecks and lost articles; San Augustine-brewers, theologians and eye sores; St. Benedict-farmers, spelunkers and gall stones; St. Cecilia-music and musicians; St. Christopher & San Cristobal-travelers and safe journeys; St. Clare & Santa Clara-embroiderers, TV and eye disorders; St. Claude-toy makers; San Clemente-stoneworkers and sick kids; St. Cloud-nail makers; St. Francis-Italy, merchants and animals; San Gabriel-broadcasters, clergy and telephones; St. George-England, soldiers and boy scouts; St. Helena-difficult marriages and divorced people; St. Ives-England; St. John-poison sufferers; St. Joseph & San Jose-fathers, joiners and Russia; St. Jude-lost, desperate or hopeless causes; St. Lawrence-the poor; St. Louis & San Luis-masons and sculptors; St. Lucia-authors and eye diseases; St. Mark & San Marco-Venice, notaries and lawyers; St. Martin & San Martin-vintners, tailors and innkeepers; St. Mary & Santa Maria-Spain; St. Michael-security forces, bankers and grocers; Santa Monica-difficult marriages, victims of adultery and victims of unfaithfulness; St. Patrick & San Patrico-Ireland and engineers; St. Paul & San Pablo-Rome and public relations; St. Peter & San Pedro-Rome and foot problems; San Ramon-lawyers and medical records librarians; St. Regis-lace makers and social workers; Santa Rita-forgotten causes and sickness; San Sebastian-athletes, police and archers; St. Simon-curriers and saw men; Santa Theresa-bodily ills and headaches and San Vicente-charities and prisoners. 10
