by Marks Hinton
KICKAPOO: Located in northwest Harris County is this road as well as Kickapoo Creek for which the street is named. That stream runs three miles and empties into Spring Creek. 25
KICKERILLO: Vincent D. – In 1957 this gentleman founded the Kickerillo Companies, a builder of custom homes around the Houston area. His homes may be found in more than 28 neighborhoods including Nottingham, Thornwood and Ponderosa Forest. It is not unusual for real estate developers to name streets after themselves. (See Mott.) 26
KIDS R KIDS: This Conroe street leads to a child education business of the same name that focuses on intellectual development for pre-school age children. It was established in 1985. 27
KILGORE: Constantine Buckley - This lawyer came to Texas in 1846 from Georgia. Although he was opposed to Secession he volunteered for the 10th Confederate Cavalry, eventually reaching the rank of adjutant general. He fought at Corinth and in the Kentucky Campaign. Kilgore was seriously wounded and captured at the Battle of Chickamauga. After the War he came to Texas and resumed his law practice. Entering politics he became a Texas State Senator, U. S. Congressman and a United States Judge in the Indian Territory. 28
KILGORE: John M. – This Baytown citizen survived the Great Galveston Storm of 1900. Unfortunately his brother was drowned. Kilgore operated a brickyard from the 1930s until the 1950s. In addition he was a boat builder and Grand Master of the Cedar Bayou Lodge. 29
KINCHELOE: William – This Wharton resident donated the land where this city’s magnificent courthouse, designed by Houston architect Eugene Heiner, sits today. (See Heiner.)
KING ARTHUR: He is the mythical King of England who presided over the Knights of the Roundtable in the Arthurian legends.
KING RANCH: This is probably the most famous ranch in the world. Just its size, 825,000 acres, makes this south Texas spread memorable. However, there is much more to the story. In 1852 Richard King, a steamboat captain on the Rio Grande River, purchased a 75,000-acre Spanish land grant on Santa Gertrudis Creek. The ranch would eventually total more than 1.25 million acres. Its famous running W brand was introduced in 1860. Santa Gertrudis cattle, a crossbred of Shorthorns and Brahman, were developed here. Humble Oil & Refining Company discovered oil on the ranch in 1939. In 1946, Assault, a thoroughbred from the ranch won the Kentucky Derby by eight lengths and went on to capture the Triple Crown. That trophy is proudly displayed on the breakfast room table in the main ranch house. (See Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown and Kleberg.) (See photograph on page 182.) 30, 31
KING RICHARD: King Richard I of England also know as Richard the Lionhearted is remembered for leading the 3rd Crusade (1189-1192) to the Holy Land. Richard failed to liberate Jerusalem from the Moslems but did reach an agreement to allow unarmed Christians to make pilgrimages. On his return he was captured, turned over to the Austrians and held for ransom. His freedom was purchased by raising taxes on the English commoners. 32
» KINGWOOD: King Ranch headquarters near Kingsville, Texas
KING: Wilburn Hill – This Georgian attorney paid a short visit to Texas in 1856, liking it so much he returned permanently in 1860. He joined the 18th Texas Infantry as a private. However, his soldiering skills soon propelled him to the rank of major general. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1878 until 1881. 33
KINGWOOD MEDICAL: This north Harris County street leads to the Kingwood Medical Center. This 155-bed acute care hospital has been offering Kingwood residents inpatient, outpatient, surgical and specialty services since 1991. 34
KINGWOOD: This north Houston street derives its name from the joint venture partners who developed the neighborhood of Kingwood. The “King” is from the King Ranch while “Wood” represents Friendswood Development Company, the real estate division of Exxon Mobil. 35
KINKAID: Margaret Hunter – This Piney Point street is one of the few in Houston that honors a woman. The city had some odd laws in days of yore including one that prohibited married women from teaching in the public school system. Not to be denied, Kinkaid opened a private school in her home in 1904. By 1924 a new building was necessary so a school was built on Richmond Avenue. In 1957 the school was again moved, this time to the Memorial Villages area. It remains one of the city’s premier college preparatory educational institutions. 36
KIPLING: Rudyard – An English author born in Bombay, India, he wrote such famous novels as Gunga Din, The Jungle Book, Captains Courageous and his famous poem If. 37
KIPP: Founded in Houston in 1994, KIPP Academy (Knowledge is Power Program) offers education to children from underserved communities of Houston. The curriculum offers academic and character skills from pre-kindergarten thru 12th grade. Today it is a nationwide movement with more than 50 schools. 38
KIPP: J. H. – This family, along with the Bradfords, were the largest landowners in the Kemah area at the end of the 19th century. Kipp was chosen to establish a post office here. He applied under the name of “Evergreen” but there was already another Texas town with that moniker. So he asked the residents to pick a name. They chose Kemah, an Indian word meaning “facing the winds.” (See Kemah and Bradford.) 39
KIRBY CHAPEL: Barely a speck on the road map, this tiny village and its chapel were named by Jared and Helen Kirby in 1858. At first services were held in their home . Later the couple donated land for the chapel, school and cemetery. The building was torn down in 1969. The cemetery is all that remains. 40
KIRBY: John Henry – He was called the “father of industrial Texas.” Kirby owned the two largest lumber companies in east Texas. In 1895 the Houston Baseball Association was chartered with capital of $3,000 and Kirby as its president. In 1922 Kirby and Joseph Cullinan formed the American Anti-Klan Association to force the Ku Klux Klan to disband. He completed construction of his luxurious mansion at 2006 Smith in 1928. The Kirby Mansion had one of the city’s most beautiful gardens. It contained baroque water parterres, conservatory, pergola, natatorium and a lake with a rustic bridge. He owned Camp Killcare on Armand Bayou where he and influential friends partied on weekends, swam, fished and hunted alligators. Kirby and Howard Hughes Sr. were among the first Houstonians to own automobiles. The Great Depression took its toll on Houstonians including Kirby who filed for bankruptcy in 1933. 41
» KIRBY: John Henry Kirby
KIRWIN: James Martin – This Galveston priest and civic leader was born in Ohio in 1872. While attending Mount St. Mary’s Seminary he was incardinated in the Diocese of Galveston in 1892. Ordained in 1895 Kirwin arrived on the Island in 1896 and was appointed rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral. He served as a chaplain in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Kerwin is remembered as a hero of the Great Storm of 1900. He helped restore order, enforced martial law, disposed of the dead and aided hurricane victims. He conducted a study to improve fire protection in Galveston. Kirwin stared down the Ku Klux Klan who had threatened to tar and feather him. Sadly, the good Father died at age 56. 42
KITTY HAWK: This small town on the Atlantic coast of North Carolina was the site of the Wright brother’s first successful airplane flight on December 17, 1903.
KLEB: This pioneer family came to the Klein area from Germany. They were partners in the Kleb & Theiss Lumber Company, a firm that operated a sawmill off of Spring-Cypress Road. It was the last mill in Montgomery County to close due to depletion of the virgin timber in the area. Kleb Intermediate School is also named for this family. Early family members are buried in Roberts Cemetery. (See Roberts Cemetery.) 43, 44
KLEBERG PLACE: Robert Justus Kleberg was a Corpus Christi lawyer who represented King Ranch owner Richard King. Upon King’s death in 1885 his widow hired Kleberg to manage the ranch. He later married the King’s youngest daughter Alice. Under his stewardship the ranch was expanded considerably. Among his major contributions to Texas were his battle to eradicate the cattle tick and the ceding of acreage for the creation of the township of Kingsville, Texas. (See King Ranch.) 45
KLEE: Paul – This abstract Swiss artist is known for his fanciful use of
color and lines on his modernistic canvases. 46
KLEIN CEMETERY: This road leads to the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery. A number of early settlers who lived in this area are buried here. Many area streets are named for some of the prominent families interred here. (See Klein, Theiss, Doerre, Mueller, Benfer, Mittlestedt and Strack.) 30
KLEIN CHURCH: This northwest Harris County road leads to the Trinity Lutheran Church. In 1874 a group of early settlers formed this house of worship. It became the religious, social and educational center of the area. Many of the founding families have area streets named for them. (See Klein, Klein Cemetery, Benfer, Brill, Lemm, Theiss and Wunderlich.) 31
» KLEIN: Adam klein tombstone
KLEIN: Adam – German immigrants pioneered this area in the 1840s. They were farmers and found the land here to be inexpensive and fertile. One of the more interesting of the Kleins was Adam, who left Germany in the 1850s and came to Texas. He went to California to make his fortune in the Gold Rush. Returning to the Houston area he invested his money in land, a cotton gin and gristmill. The town of Klein as well as numerous roads in the area are named after this early settler. The town’s original name was Big Cypress for the huge stands of that tree that lined Cypress Creek. 47
KLOECKER: Henry – In the 1880s this German immigrant settled near Cedar Creek and opened a cotton gin. The family sold the business in 1902-3 to a businessman in Navasota. (See Cedar Creek.) 48
KLUGE: This family of German immigrants settled northwest of downtown near Cypress Creek, an area popular with people from Europe. Some of the family members are buried in Borgestedt Cemetery off Huffmeister Road including Hedwig, Herman, Edward and Clara. (See Borgestedt Cemetery.) 49
KNEITZ: Louis – This early Fairchilds settler arrived from Czechoslovakia. (See Fairchilds.)
KNIGGE CEMETERY: This small burying ground contains the remains of several members of the Knigge family including Gottlieb (1862-1936), Minna (1857-1901), Saul (1825-1894) and Johanna (unreadable dates). The cemetery remains in use today with graves as recent as 2003. 50
KNIGHT’S COURT: This Fort Bend County street runs in front of Elkins High School. The school’s mascot is a medieval knight. 51
KNOLLWOOD: The Knollwood Country Club of Elmsford, NY was established in 1894. Augustus T. Gillender, a New York attorney, purchased 75 acres upon which to construct this Westchester County club. The crème de la crème of New York society flocked to join the organization. The 19th Hole at most country clubs is the bar where golfers retire after a round to enjoy a round. However, a unique feature of Knollwood is that there is actually a 3-par 19th hole used for tiebreakers. 52
KNOWLTON: Charles – This Englishman arrived in Baytown in 1873 to work for his father-in-law Thomas Wright’s brickyard. (See Wright.) 53
KNOX: Knox Briscoe Howe was a real estate developer here in the 1940s. He was a descendant of Harrisburg founder John R. Harris, and first Chief Justice of Houston Andrew Briscoe. 54
KOBAYASHI: Mitsutaro – This Japanese rice farmer arrived in Webster, Texas in 1906. He was very successful in his agricultural ventures. In 1913 he asked his family in Japan to send him a bride. Moto Shigeta, daughter of a prominent whale oil dealer, arrived and the couple was married. She was renowned for her skills in flower arranging, calligraphy and poetry. Moto also had a reputation as an excellent cook. 44
KOBS: Fertile land and plenty of fresh water were among the reasons so many German immigrants settled in the area surrounding Tomball, Texas. Among these were the Kobs. Friedericke Kobs (1863-1926) is interred in the Salem Lutheran Cemetery. (See Lutheran Cemetery.) 55
KOBS: William – A German immigrant, he arrived in the Tomball area in the 1840s. The family owned a large tract of land and in 1933 oil was discovered on their farm creating a rush of drilling in the area and a boomtown atmosphere. Kobs Road remembers this family. 56
KOCH: John or Ludwig – Many German immigrants settled in the area near what is today Addicks Dam & Reservoir. I don’t know when John arrived here but he was buried in the Koch-Schmidt Cemetery, the earliest in the area, in 1854. Other streets here named for early settlers, many of whom were related, include Brandt (Frederick and Katherine), Quade (Emil and Amelia) and Matzke. Sophie Addicks Eggling was the sister of Henry Addicks while her sister Dorothea was married to Frederick Kobs. (See Addicks, Eggling and Kobs.) 57
KODES: Jan – This Czech tennis pro won the French Open in 1970 and 1971 and Wimbledon in 1973. 58
KOHRVILLE: This small community southeast of Tomball was begun by a group of free slaves from Alabama who acquired property here and worked in the sawmills in nearby Louetta. Hufsmith-Kohrville road is named for Paul Kohrmann. As is often the case this German immigrant was the town’s first postmaster. At times in the past the town was named Korville and Pilotville. 59
KOINM: This immigrant family owned land in the Aldine area where this street is located today. Many people of Swedish and German heritage found this area to their liking. 60
KOLBE: Carl – This gentleman was a German immigrant who moved into the Memorial/Spring Branch area in the 1830s. He is considered the first resident of Spring Branch. (See Spring Branch.) 61
KOVAR: J. M. – This gentleman was an early resident of Fairchilds. (See Fairchilds.) 62
KRAHN: This family was among the many German immigrants who settled in the Cypress area in the mid-to-late 1800s. 63
KRASNA CEMETERY: Far western Fort Bend County was settled in the mid-1800s by immigrants from Slovakia. Krasna means “beautiful” in Hungarian and recalls a neighborhood in Kosice, Slovakia. Most of the persons buried here have Slovakian surnames including Dujka, Krnicko, Jecmenek, Vaclau and Zotyka. 64
KRESS: Samuel H. – He founded the S. H. Kress 5 & 10 store chain in 1897. It became one of the foremost retailing operations in America in the early to mid 20th century. The storefronts are remembered for the use of architecture that fit into the context of the streetscape. As an example, the San Antonio, Texas store built in 1939 resembled a Spanish mission while a 1938 store in Miami features the Art Deco style of Miami’s South Beach area. 65
KRUEGER: Much of the land around Hockley, Texas was settled by German immigrants in the 1800s. The Krueger family was among them and owned land in northwest Harris County. Some of the early family members are interred in nearby Roberts Cemetery. (See Roberts Cemetery.) 57
KRUEGER: Walter – He was the consummate soldier and the only man to rise from private to general in U. S. military history. He fought in the Spanish-American War (1898), Philippines-American War (1898), Pancho Villa (1916) and World War I (1917-18). During World War II he commanded the 6th Army and saw action at New Britain, Admiralty Islands, New Guinea, Layet and Luzon. Krueger was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Legion of Merit and Army Distinguished Service Medal. He retired from military service, settled in San Antonio and wrote From Down Under to Nippon: the Story of the 6th Army in WW II. 66
KRUG: The Krug families were land owners in the area west of Tomball, Texas. They, like many of their neighbors, emigrated from Germany during the mid-1800s. Many of them are interred in Salem Lutheran Cemetery just east of where this street is located. The tombstones of Heinrich (1861-1911) and Eva (1881-1910) are inscribed in German. (See Lutheran Cemetery.) 67
KRUGER: William – The 1850 U. S. Census of north Harris County lists a 44-year-old farmer by this name living in the area. A German immigrant, like many of his neighbors, it is likely this street is named for him. 68
KUHLMANN: Johann F. and Theo H. – In the 1880s these brothers and their families operated a dairy farm in the area we now know as Riverside Terrace, east of Hermann Park. 69
KUSTOM KASTLES: This 40-year old residential construction company has built more than 1,000 homes in the Houston area since 1962. In 1997 Webster-based Tribble & Perry, Inc. acquired Kustom. 70
KUYKENDAHL: Henry A. – This early German immigrant was the founder of the German Society of Texas in 1840. The Kuykendahl family lived along Cypress Creek. 71
KWIK KOPY: The headquarters of this Houston retail office machine rental and Xeroxing store is on this street. 72
KYLA: (See Bhandara.)
KYLE: W. J. – He along with his business partner, Benjamin F. Terry, purchased the Oaklawn Plantation from Samuel May Williams in 1853. They changed the name to Sugarland Plantation. It was located where the town of that name is today. (See Oaklawn and Williams.) 73
LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULEZ (LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL)
Why go all the way to New Orleans when the “Big Easy” can be found in Clear Creek Village off the Gulf Freeway on the way to Galveston? Developed in the 1960s this neighborhood’s streets are all named for famous places in and around New Orleans. Acadia is a region in Canada where, during the French-Indian War, many Acadians immigrated to Louisiana. Our word “Cajun” is derived from Acadian. Audubon is the toniest Uptown street as well as the name of the city’s most beautiful park. Burgundy is a street in the French Quarter. It is pronounced “bur-gun-de” not like the French wine region of Burgundy. Chalmette, a town down river, is where the Battle of New Orleans was fought. Claiborne is one of the city’s major thoroughfares. Lafayette was a French soldier who fought with George Washington as well as a town in Louisiana. La Salle claimed Louisiana for the French in 1682. Metairie is an upscale bedroom community that abuts New Orleans. Ponchartrain recalls the lake. Rampart street is the downtown, lakeside border of the French Quarter. Royal is the Quarter’s major shopping street. Just one question, how did Aggie get in this neighborhood? 32
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LA PORTE: Real estate developers, I. R. Holmes, T. W. Lee and brothers A. M. and J. H. York named this Houston Ship Channel town in 1892. In French it means “the door,” possibly a reflection on its location at the head of the waterway. St. Mary’s Seminary, the oldest Catholic theology school in Texas, started here in 1900. In 1954 this institution of religious schooling moved to Houston where its campus is on Memorial Drive.1
