by Marks Hinton
DINNER CREEK: This 4-mile long estuary rises a mile north of Settlers Village and empties into Langham Creek in northwest Harris County. (See Settlers Village.) 49
DISMUKE: Thomas – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.
DIVOT: When a piece of turf on a golf course is torn out as a ball is being struck, it is called a divot. For more on the odd street names of the Sky Lakes subdivision, see Bogie.
DOBBIN-HUFSMITH: What would become west Montgomery County was first visited by the French explorer LaSalle in 1687. Americans settled in the area in 1831. In 1880 the Navasota & Montgomery Railroad opened a station here called Bobbin. In 1909 the name was changed to Dobbin. (See Hufsmith.) 50
DOERRE: This family owned land in the area near Klein, Texas where this street is located. A number of these early settlers are interred in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery. (See Klein Cemetery.) 4
DOLIVER: Because of his daughter Mary Catherine’s fascination with Hawthorne’s Tanglewood Tales, developer William Farrington planned to name all of the streets in his new project for people and places in the novel. Except for the title street however, Doliver was the only other name he liked in the book. 51
DONERAIL: The naming of this street proves that the winner of the Kentucky Derby achieves immortality. Donerail won the Run for the Roses in 1913 by 1/2 a length. This high-strung thoroughbred refused to stand still while the blanket of roses was placed over his head, a winner’s circle tradition. Jockey Roscoe Goose dismounted, removed the saddle and climbed back on. No one knows why, but this seemed to satisfy Donerail and he was photographed with Goose and the roses on his bareback. He never won another major race. 52
DONEY: A. G. V. – This man was a surgeon in the 11th Texas Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. He was in Walker’s Texas Division. 53
DONEY: See sidebar Texas Heroes’ names for Houston Streets Urged in 72 Proposed changes, page 96.
DONIGAN: Paul – This gentleman was a prominent doctor in Brookshire. Donigan was born in Turkey. His former home is now the Waller County Museum. 54
DONNA BELL: Real estate developer Frank Sharp named this Oak Forest Addition street for his secretary’s daughter. (See Frank Sharp.) 55
DONOVAN: James G. – This gentleman was the city attorney for Houston Heights from its incorporation until Houston annexed it in 1918. His daughter was financier Marcella Perry (see Marcella). 56
DOOLITTLE: James H. – He became famous as the U. S. Army Air Corps general who led the air raid on Tokyo on April 14, 1942. Leaving from the aircraft carrier Hornet, this daring raid gave American morale a needed boost following the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. 57
DORAL: This Miami, Florida golf club and spa is the home of five championship links including the famed “Blue Monster.”
DOUBLETREE PLAZA: This short street fronts on the 313-room Doubletree Hotel at Houston Intercontinental Airport. 58
DOW: C. Milby – This Deer Park street and park of the same name remember this gentleman who donated the land for a park in 1958. 59
DOW: Dow Chemical Company was incorporated in 1897 by Herbert H. Dow to produce bleach. Along the way the product line expanded to include chlorine, ethylene, anti-knock gasoline, polystyrene, Saran Wrap, measles vaccine, Ziploc bags and compact discs to mention a few. The company has a large presence in the Ship Channel town of Deer Park. 60
DOWDELL: In the U. S. Census of 1850 there was a 55-year-old Virginian living in north Harris County where this road is located by the name of Edward R. Dowdle. It is possible the street is named for him. It was not uncommon in those days for people to have their names misspelled or later alter the spelling. Examples in the area include Kurkendale to Kuykendall, Thaisz to Theis or Struck to Strack. 61
» DOWLING: Dick Dowling statue when it was in Market Square
DOWLING: Richard W. “Dick” – Dowling was born in Tuam, Galway County, Ireland in 1838 and immigrated to America. He was a saloonkeeper in a Houston bar named The Finish. It was known for a drink called “kiss me quick and go.” He volunteered for the Confederate army and became a hero by defeating a Union effort to invade Texas at the Battle of Sabine Pass. Returning to Houston, Dowling opened a bar called The Bank of Bacchus Saloon. He died of yellow fever in 1867 and is buried in St. Vincent’s Cemetery on Navigation. The Ancient Order of Hibernians commissioned Frank Teich to sculpt a statue of him that originally stood in Market Square. Moved several times over the years, it has been in Hermann Park since 1958. Dressed proudly in his Confederate uniform he now guards the concrete lined concourse of Brays Bayou but is often missing his sword. It has been stolen five times since the statue was completed in 1905. Historically the Hibernians gave the statue a bath every St. Patrick’s Day. (See Sabine and Tuam.) 62
DOWNS: (See Epsom.)
DR. JOHN E. CODWELL: He was one of Houston’s greatest black educators. HISD valued his skills so highly they waived the retirement age policy so he could continue his service for another decade. Among the positions he held were coach, assistant principal and principal at Phyllis Wheatley Senior High School and principal of Jack Yates Senior High School. (See Wheatley.) 63
DRAKE: Founded in 1881 in Des Moines, Iowa this university is named for a major financial contributor, General Francis Marion Drake. He was a Civil War general, Iowa governor, attorney, banker and railroad man. Drake consistently ranks academically as one of the top schools in the Midwest. Since 1910 it has been the home of the Drake Relays, one of the greatest track and field meets held in America. 64
DRISCOLL: Years ago the Driscoll family owned a large dairy farm where Montrose and this street are today. The vintage family farmhouse was razed in 2004 to make way for a townhouse complex. One of our city’s grisliest murders took place at 1815 Driscoll on June 20, 1965, Father’s Day. Three days later Houston homicide detectives discovered the neatly butchered bodies of Fred and Edwina Rogers in the icebox of the home. The crime has never been solved but their mysterious son, Charles, remains the chief suspect. No one has seen him for more than 40 years. Learn more about this heinous crime by reading The Ice Box Murders by Hugh and Martha Gardenier. 59
DRY BAYOU: This estuary rises northwest of Angleton where its source was dammed up to form Harris Reservoir. It runs 14 miles to join Middle Bayou before emptying into the Brazos River near Brazoria. (See Harris Reservoir.) 65
DRYDEN: John – He was a 17th century English poet and dramatist. But it was his essays on literary criticism that made him famous. His best-known work in this field, A Defense of an Essay of Dramatique Poesie, was written in 1668. To make a neighborhood seem full of intellectuals, who better to name a street after than John Dryden? 66
DUESSEN: Alexander – He was a petroleum engineer who donated a 309-acre site on Lake Houston to Harris County in 1956. Subsequently the land was converted into a public park named for him. 67
DUKE: James Buchanan – Duke, an industrialist and philanthropist, founded Duke University in 1924 in Durham, North Carolina. His final consuming interest was building the university. As Duke lay dying, one of his last recorded statements was “Don’t bother me, nurse. Today, I am laying out the university grounds.” 68
» HONORARY STREET MARKER: At Hood’s studio home at 819 Highland
DULLES: John Foster – Diplomat, civil servant and U. S. senator, this gentleman is best remembered as the Secretary of State during the Eisenhower administration. As chief architect of American foreign policy during the early years of the Cold War, Dulles believed peace could only be maintained by threats of “massive retaliation” against any Communist aggression. Dulles High school in the Fort Bend ISD is also named in his honor. 69
DUMONT: This was the original name of South Houston from 1907 until its incorporation in 1913. (See South Houston.) 70
DUNCAN: Hartford – This FM 1960-area road is the surname of an early settler in the area. Descendants of the man still live there. 71
DUNKIRK: A seaport in
France on the English Channel, it was the scene of about 1000 ships evacuating approximately 300,000 trapped English and Allied troops from its beachfront between May 27 and June 4, 1940 as the German forces were advancing. English civilians manned many of the boats. The RAF offered air cover for the operation. It ranks among the most tremendous feats of naval history. 72
HONORARY STREET MARKERS
Unless you are a real estate developer, your best friend is a developer, you are an employee of Vernon Henry & Associates or you have strong ties to city government, it is difficult to name a street. It is even a greater challenge to change the name of an existing street. Both of these processes involve applications, lengthy reviews and approvals. However, City Council is willing to consider “honorary street markers” in certain cases. An excellent example of this is the marker honoring world famous Houston artist Dorothy Hood. She lived and worked at 819 Highlands in the Houston Heights. Her studio was a Mecca for established as well as “starving” artists. Hood was born in 1919 in Bryan, Texas and attended the Rhode Island School of Design and the Art Students League in New York City. In the 1940s she met many famous artists, poets and composers from Latin America including the Mexican muralist Jose Clemente Orozco and conductor Valasco Maidana who became her husband. They moved to Houston in 1962. Her career as an artist took off. Hood had works shown in the Museum of Fine Art Houston, Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston, Museum of Modern Art in New York and the National Gallery in Washington, D. C. Her neighbors loved her and following her death in October 2000 they initiated the plan to have Highland Street renamed in her honor. The Planning and Development Department suggested an “honorary street marker’ would be much easier to get. The marker was placed in front of her home/studio in February 2001.
Standards for Honorary Street Markers are as follows: 1) A request must be made to Planning and Development listing the individual’s contribution to society; 2) Requests must be approved by City Council; 3) Honorary markers are only for local streets; 4) They are limited to one block and 5) Use of proper names is only allowed if the honoree is deceased.
» DUNLAVY: U.S. MARINE HERBERT DUNLAVY’S OBITUARY
DUNLAVY: Herbert D. – This U. S. Marine was killed in action in WW I. He was the first Houstonian casualty of that war. This hero single-handedly captured the crew of a German machine gun nest on June 6, 1918. For this action he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Unfortunately on June 7 Dunlavy was resting in a trench when he was killed by the force of an artillery shell that exploded near him. In 1921 he was honored by his church, Christ Church Cathedral, along with five other servicemen who lost their lives in the conflict, with a special war memorial. (See obituary page 102.) 73
DUNMAN: Joseph – An early resident of Humble, Texas, this gentleman holds the honor of being the first documented burial in the Humble Cemetery. 74
DUNSTAN: See Southampton’s English Streets, page 255.
DURANZO: See sidebar Brazoria County’s Old Plantation Streets and Roads, page 258.
DURHAM: Mylie E. – This gentleman was a general practitioner in the Houston Heights for many years. He was a founder of Heights Hospital. Long-time Heights resident Flossie Huckabee said Dr. Durham passed away on his birthday while enjoying a round of golf. 75
DUVAL: John Crittenden – He came to Texas to fight for independence from Mexico. Duval was captured with Fannin but managed to escape before the Palm Sunday massacre at Goliad. He fought in the War Between the States but did not believe in secession. He took up writing at age 48 and was called “the First Texas Man of Letters– by J. Frank Dobie. He wrote of his fantastic escape at Goliad as well as his adventures with Bigfoot Wallace. 76
DWIGHT: (See Eisenhower.)
DYER MOORE RANCH: John Matthew Moore was born in Brazoria in 1862. Following his graduation from Texas A & M, he worked on the family’s farm. In 1883 he married Lottie Dyer and became manager of her land and cattle operations. He served four terms in the U. S. Congress and was instrumental in getting funds appropriated for construction of the Houston Ship Channel. 77
DYER: C.C. or J. E. – C. C. Dyer was a judge in Fort Bend County. His son, J. E., was born at Stafford’s Point in 1832. He was a rancher, merchant (J. E. Dyer Dry Goods Store) and banker. In addition he was county treasurer from 1852 until 1859. J. E. fought for the Confederates in the War Between the States. 78
D’AMICO: Samuel L. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.
NEIGHBORHOODS WITH INTERESTING STORIES
Westhaven Estates. This west side neighborhood only has two streets, Potomac (named for the river that runs into Chesapeake Bay near Washington, D. C.) and Nantucket (the Massachusetts island and one time whaling port and now posh resort). Today Westhaven is chock-a-block with pricey town homes with median values approximating $300,000. However, it comes from more rural beginnings. In the 1950s Italian truck farmers were forced to move their gardens west from Post Oak due to construction of Loop 610 West. They built modest farmhouses on these two streets with construction materials supplied from Bering Hardware (see Bering). Residents grew much of the city’s fresh produce. Only a few of these charming little cottages remain. Neither street had curbs or gutters. Rainwater was carried away in large bar ditches. Developer/builder William Carl got the streets repaved and began putting up town homes in the 1970s starting the neighborhood on its road to gentrification.
Home Owned Estates. Located near the Houston Ship Channel, this area initially served as residences for the thousands of workers employed by the businesses serving the maritime industries. The neighborhood sprang up following World War II. Old time residents say the name came from the fact that prior to the War few people owned their own home in the area. It was a marketing ploy used by developers according to Maxine Cunningham, an original owner. Signs said “Come to your Home Owned Estate.” Many of the streets here are named for towns where early residents may have lived prior to moving to the Houston area. It is an odd geographic mixture including Louisville, Indianapolis, Joliet, Peoria, Mobile, Rochester, Sacramento, Utica, Duluth, Boise and Topeka.
Magnolia Point. In the 1950s as Houston began to boom, real estate developers began gobbling up large chunks of cheap suburban property. To call attention to these future communities, developers would place red flags on the property to mark the boundaries of the lots. Most of these developments were totally lacking in improvements such as paved streets, curbs, gutters, streetlights, water and sewer lines and sidewalks. Local pundits took to calling these schemes “Red Flag” subdivisions. Magnolia Park was just one of many of these neighborhoods. When it was annexed by Houston in 1984, it was still lacking most of these amenities.
Stagecoach. This Montgomery County development was started in 1958. Previously it had been a farm owned by W. L. Swinley. And prior to that it was a station on a 19th century stagecoach route. In keeping with the western theme of the neighborhood, the developers named the streets Tomahawk, Surrey, Boot Hill, Cimarron, Wagon Wheel, Broken Spoke, Indian Springs, Westward Ho, Old Coach, Silver Spur and of course, Stagecoach.
University Oaks. Ben Taub and I. G. Strauss developed this neighborhood between Wheeler, Cullen, N. MacGregor and Calhoun in 1939. Naturally the street names relate to academia including University Oaks, Graduate, Faculty and Varsity.
Frenchtown. In 1922 a group of Louisiana Creoles, persons of a mix of African and French or Spanish blood, arrived in Houston. They brought with them their culture, customs, food and music. These Creoles were joined by a second wave that arrived following a severe Mississippi River flood in 1927. This neighborhood on our city’s north side is bounded by Collinsworth on the north, Russell on the east, Liberty on the south and Des Chaumes to the west. Over the years the Creole influence has been diluted but it is still possible to enjoy some marvelous Cajun cuisine and dance to some rocking Zydeco music in Frenchtown.
Venetian Estates. In the 1950s the Imperial Sugar Company, the major land owner in Sugar Land,
Texas, decided to dredge Oyster Creek and create a waterfront district that would attract homebuyers. Canals were dug. The area was named Venetian Estates, as the waterways recalled those of the beautiful Italian city of Venice. Carrying the theme further, all the streets in the development have an Italian connection: Gondola, Salerno, Venice, San Marino, Santa Maria, Piedmont, Tuscany, Sorrento, St. Marks, Capri and Lombardy.
East Houston. The principally African-American neighborhood has three inexplicably named streets in a row. Little, Boy, Blue. Is this real estate developer humor? 3
E
EAGLETON: Barrett Station is a black community off U. S. 90 that sprang up during Reconstruction. The Eagleton family are landowners in this small town. (See Barrett Station.) 1
EARLINE: Located just to the north of Laura Koppe, this street is named for Earline Trone. 2
EAST BAY: This body of water is the southeast extension of Galveston Bay lying along Chambers County between Bolivar Peninsula and the mainland. It is 20 miles long and 5 miles wide. 3
EAST SAN JACINTO: The east fork of the San Jacinto River flows 69 miles from Dodge, Texas to where it joins the west fork at Lake Houston. This river was the eastern boundary of Stephen F. Austin’s colony where settlement began in the 1820s. In 1844 Sam Houston built a plantation home, Raven Hill, on the upper east fork bank. 4
EASTEX FREEWAY: When freeway construction began in the 1940s and 50s city officials decided to involve the populous in naming these concrete monsters. A young Houston lass won a contest to name the Gulf Freeway. This superhighway was also named as the result of a contest held in 1953 as it became the main road to East Texas. (See Gulf Freeway.) 5
