Historic Houston Streets

by Marks Hinton

  McKINNEY FALLS: See sidebar The Most Scenic Spots in Texas, page 310.

  McKNIGHT: L. W. – I believe this street, south of Tetter Cemetery where he is buried, is named for this early settler. He was born in 1862 and died in 1937. (See Tetter Cemetery.) 66

  McMASTER: Clyde: He was a mayor of Pasadena, Texas who moved to this Ship Channel city in 1909. 67

  McNAIR STATION: This small principally black community was once a stop on the Beaumont, Sour Lake & Western Railroad. The town and street recalled by this name have been on area highway maps since the 1930s although the community started 10 years earlier. 68

  McNEIL: H. Lee – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.

  MEADE: George Gordon – Not many Houston streets remember Union generals from the War Between the States. However, Meade was one of President Abraham Lincoln’s top commanders. He saw action at numerous battles including Mechanicsville, Glendale (where he was severely wounded), Bull Run II, Antietam and Chancellorsville. But Meade is most remembered for his defeat of General Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg. As commander of the Army of the Potomac, only Ulysses S. Grant outranked him.69

  MEADOWLAKE: (See Larchmont.)70

  » MECOM: Fountains on South Main at Hermann Park are named for John Mecom

  MECOM: John Whitfield Sr. – Born in 1911 this Texas oilman made his initial fortune acquiring abandoned fields and finding large additional reserves others had missed. He also made major discoveries in Louisiana and Saudi Arabia. He purchased a large tract of land in Hitchcock that was once a naval blimp base. His plan to develop it never materialized. Mecom once owned the Warwick Hotel (now Hotel ZaZa). The fountains in the photo front that property. (See Blimp Base.) 71

  MEDICAL COMPLEX: This street leads to the Tomball Regional Hospital and the Texas Sports Medicine Center. The former was founded in 1976 and now serves the citizens of Tomball, Magnolia, Waller and Cypress. The latter is a division of the hospital and was the first hospital-based sports medicine center on the Texas Gulf Coast. It opened for business in 1982. 72

  MEDICAL PLAZA: This street leads to Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Woodlands. 73

  MEEK: Chester A. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.

  MELANIE: See sidebar gone With the Wind Too Far, page 303.

  MELLOW BREW: The developer and residents of this unincorporated neighborhood of trailer homes must really enjoy a cold beer periodically (or possibly more often) as almost every street is related in some way to the brewing process. Other streets include South & North Lite, Longneck, Cooter (as in “drunk as Cooter Brown”) as well as two platted but yet unpaved lanes to be called Six Pack and Strohs. 74

  MELLUS: See sidebar Texas Heroes’ Names for houston Streets Urged in 72 proposed changes, page 96.

  MELODY: See sidebar It’s Music to My Ears, page 218.

  MELTON: Jim – This gentleman was a large land owner near Magnolia in Montgomery County in the early 1900s. (See Magnolia.) 75

  MEMORIAL BEND: In 1955 two real estate developers, Howard Edmunds and Robert Puig, formed the Memorial Bend Development Company, so called because the property was where Memorial Drive takes a sharp bend northward. The neighborhood was given the same name and many of the streets there are named for famous operas. (See Butterfly, Faust, Figaro, Hansel & Gretel, Isolde, Mignon, Tosca and Taviata.) 76

  MEMORIAL CITY: This is one of many huge shopping malls in the Houston area with the entry way street named for the project. 77

  MEMORIAL HERMANN: This Pearland street leads to the Memorial Hermann Hospital in that community. 78

  MEMORIAL: At the end of this road is the Galveston Memorial Park Cemetery in Hitchcock. 79

  MENARD: Michel Branamour – Born near Montreal, Canada in 1805 he came to Texas to trade with the Indian tribes. He later added cattle and horse trading with Mexicans. Menard built a saw and grist mill on Menard Creek in 1833. He signed the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836. Menard and his partners Samuel May Williams and Thomas F. McKinney formed the Galveston City Company for the purpose of developing a town on the eastern end of Galveston Island. (See McKinney.) 43

  MERCEDES: This street runs behind the Mercedes-Binz Center on I-45 North. This fine German motorcar began life as a bus. Karl Binz began manufacturing busses in Manheim, Germany in 1895. He later turned his attention to the production of luxury automobiles. 80

  MERCER: This University was founded in 1833 by Jessie Mercer as an institution to provide students with a classical and theological education. Today it is the second largest Baptist institution in the world. As an aside, one of our city’s most eccentric citizens Jeff McKissack, creator of the whimsical folk art environment, The Orange Show, was a Mercer graduate (1925). 81

  MERCURY: See sidebar Space City U.S.A. or “Houston the Eagle Has Landed”, page 106.

  MERKEL: Joseph R. & Caroline – In August 1860 this German immigrant couple paid $3,000 for 101 acres of land where this street is today. Many German families settled in this area, later called Merkel’s Grove, in the 1840s and after including the Blau, Schrimpf and Freund families. The family sponsored competitive target shooting contests on the farm. In 1885 Merkel opened the area for public recreation, 14 years before the city constructed its first park. (See Engelke and Canal.) 35

  MERLIN: In Arthurian legends he is a famous magician and counselor to King Arthur.

  MERRIMACK: When the Union forces abandoned the Norfolk Naval Yard early in the Civil War, they scuttled this steam frigate. Raised by the Confederates it was converted into an ironclad and renamed Virginia. On March 9, 1862 she squared off against the Monitor in the first battle of ironclads. The four-hour, close-range battle was a draw. Although they never fought each other again, both met their fates at the bottom of the sea. The Rebels destroyed the Virginia (nee Merrimack) in May 1862 to prevent her capture by advancing Union armies. The Monitor sank in rough seas off Cape Hatteras in December of the same year. 82

  METAIRIE: See sidebar Laissez les bon temps roulez (Let the good times roll), page 188.

  METCALF: W. – A captain of Company F of the 34th Regular Texas Cavalry Dismounted, he fought under Walker’s Texas Division during the War Between the States. 83

  METZLER CREEK: There are a number of members of the Metzler family buried in the Salem Lutheran Cemetery west of where this street is located. It is possible it is named for German immigrants who arrived in the Tomball, Texas area in the 1800s. (See Lutheran Cemetery.) 84

  MEYER PARK: This street and park are named for Elizabeth Kaiser Meyer. 72, 85

  MEYER: (See Stavinoha.)

  MICHAUX: Located in developer William A. Wilson’s Woodland Heights neighborhood, this street is named for Mr. Michaux, a close friend of Wilson’s. A long time resident told me this civic-minded man was president of the Chamber of Commerce as well as the YMCA. 86

  IT’S MUSIC TO MY EARS

  Woodwind Lakes in northwest Houston has to be our most musical neighborhood. Visit here and you can drive on Adagio (a slow tempo); Andante (moderately slow tempo); Allegro (a lively tempo); Brahms (classical German composer); Cadenza (melodic flourish in an aria); Cantata (musical piece composed of choruses, solos and recitatives); Chorale (Protestant hymn melody); Clarion (shrill, Medieval trumpet); Concerto (three movement orchestral composition); Crescendo (gradually increasing musical volume); Cymbal (brass percussion instrument); Ensemble (work for two or more musicians); Golden Chord; Melody; Musical; Opus (creative musical body of work); Oratorio (sacred story composition); Percussion; Prelude (short piece for piano); Rhapsody (improvisational composition); Rondo (triple musical theme between contrasting themes); Rhythm; Scherzo (¾ time movement); Serenade (musical performance professing love); Sinfonia (overture to an opera); Sonata (composition for four instruments); Symphonic; Toccata (free style piece for organ); Whistling and Woodwind (wind instrument with a reed). 34

  MICHELANGELO: See sidebar Neighborhoods with Interesting Street Na
mes, page 104.

  MIDLINE: This town was established in the 1830s and grew when the Houston, East and West Texas Railway passed through it. It got its name due to its location near the Montgomery-Liberty County line. Like many towns in the area it benefited from the lumber boom of 1900. By 1930 the lumber business had declined. Midline began its slide into obscurity and very little remains. 87

  MIDWAY: This small community was established in 1822 but no longer exists. It was located where Baytown is today. 88

  MIDWAY: This street is named for a decisive WW II battle that occurred on and around this South Pacific island on June 3-6, 1942. Fought on sea and in the air, the defeat of the Japanese navy here was the turning point in the momentum of the War in the Pacific. During the action American forces sank four Japanese aircraft carriers, severely impacting that country’s ability to deliver offensive blows. 89

  MIGNON: In 1866 the French composer Ambroise Thomas wrote this opera. It is the story of Lothario, an elderly wandering minstrel, in search of his lost daughter, Mignon, who has been kidnapped by gypsies. The plot thickens with heroics, love, rejection, the other woman, attempted murder and finally redemption. During his career Thomas penned cantatas, ballets and 19 other operas. 90

  MIKE GAIDO: In 1911 San Jacinto Gaido opened Gaido’s Seafood Restaurant in Galveston. Its first location was atop Murdoch’s Bath House that extended on a pier into the Gulf of Mexico. In 1934 it moved to its present location at the intersection of Seawall and 39th Street (now renamed Mike Gaido Boulevard.) Mike was S. J. Gaido’s son. The fourth generation of the family operates this excellent eatery now. Treat yourself to a visit here and order the Snapper Sapparito. It might just be the greatest seafood dish in the world. 91

  MILAM: Benjamin Rush – A Kentuckian born in 1788, his first taste of battle was in the War of 1812. His fame came at the Siege of Bexar (December 5-9, 1835) during the Texas Revolution. Despite his diminished forces because of a retreat by Edward Burleson’s troops, he said to the remaining soldiers “Who will go with old Ben Milam into San Antonio?” Three hundred men volunteered. Milam was killed in action on December 7 but the Texans captured San Antonio and held it until the Battle of the Alamo. 92

  MILBY: Charles H. – Milby arrived in Harrisburg in 1872. During his life he ran a general store, founded a bank, manufactured bricks and was elected Harris County Commissioner. He was a civic-minded Houstonian, financier and owner of the Milby Hotel (1910). Milby led a drive to construct a new county courthouse. As a landowner in Harrisburg he contributed land, money and time to encourage Congress to deepen and improve the Houston Ship Channel. The Milby home, built in 1885-88, was at 614 Broadway at Elm in Harrisburg. His wife, Maggie Tod Milby, lived in the home until her death in 1942. The house stood vacant for many years and was demolished in 1959. 93

  MILFORD: See Southampton’s English Streets, page 255.

  MILL CREEK: This estuary has two forks that rise in Washington County and flow approximately 30 miles southeast before uniting. From there it continues fourteen more miles to its mouth on the Brazos River near Stephen F. Austin State Park. Early settlers called this creek Palmetto. The current name was adopted between 1820 and 1845. 94

  MILLENNIUM FOREST: (See Alderon Woods.)

  MILLER: Arthur O. – Following its incorporation in 1945, this man was elected to Katy, Texas’ first city council. 95

  MILLER: Charles E. or James E. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.

  MILLER: Hermann – This German immigrant settled in Bellville in the 1850s and opened a general store on the main square. 96

  MILLET: C. F. – He was a 1st Lieutenant in Company G of the 16th Texas Volunteer Infantry. Millet fought under Major General John George Walker during the War Between the States (1861-65.) 97

  MILLHEIM CEMETERY: (See Millheim.)

  MILLHEIM: German immigrants founded this community on Clear Creek near Bellville in about 1845. At a meeting at the Engelking & Noltke General Store, a resident, Wilhelm Schneider, suggested the name Mulheim (it was later anglicized) in honor of the German city on the Rhine River. In the 1850s a school, cemetery, chapel and singing society were formed. 98

  MILLIE BUSH: To the best of my knowledge this street is the only one in the Houston area named for a dog. Millie Bush (who is also remembered by the 13-acre Millie Bush Bark Park in Barker Reservoir) was “First Dog” during the administration of President George H. W. Bush. First Lady Barbara Bush chronicled this Springer Spaniel’s life in the White House in Millie’s Book in 1990. In 2005 this dog park was named the best in America by Dog Fancy magazine that rated over 700 of this type of facility. 76

  MILLS: Ollie – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.

  MILO HAMILTON: On April 9, 2009 a short stretch of Hamilton Avenue near Minute Maid Park was renamed in honor of long time Houston Astros broadcaster Milo Hamilton. Born in Iowa in 1927, he began his broadcasting career announcing football and basketball games for the Iowa Hawkeyes. His first major league baseball job was with the St. Louis Browns. In the next six decades he would announce games for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves (where he announced Hank Aaron’s 715th home run), Pittsburg Pirates and Houston Astros (for 20 years). He will be remembered for his catch phrase, “Holy Toledo, what a play.” (See Hamilton.) 99

  MILTON: John – This English poet’s Paradise Lost (1667), a blank verse poem about Satan’s revolt against God and Adam and Eve’s fall from grace, is one of the greatest literary works of the English language. It was Milton’s attempt to explain why there is evil in the world and how God deals with it. He later published Paradise Regained (1671), another poem detailing how Christ resisted the Devil’s temptation. This is the city’s second street called Milton. The first was on the original map of Houston drawn in 1836. Three years later that street name was changed to LaBranch. (See LaBranch.) 100

  MIMS: This small town and road are located on the San Bernard River in southwestern Brazoria County. It is named for Joseph Mims, one of Stephen F. Austin’s Old 300, who owned the Fannin-Mims Plantation there along with his partner James W. Fannin. All that remains is the Mims Cemetery at the end of this lonely road. (See Fannin.) 101

  MINERAL WELLS: See sidebar The Most Scenic Spots in Texas, page 310.

  MINK LAKE: This Montgomery County street leads to a small lake of the same name. Minks are semi-aquatic carnivores that were in evidence when the first settlers arrived in this area in the mid-1850s. They were hunted for their luxurious pelts that were subsequently turned into coats and hats. 102

  MINK: The Mink family settled here in about 1845. Following the War Between the States an influx of settlers arrived, building a Grange hall, interdenominational church, school, general store and municipal buildings. In 1902 the International-Great Northern Railroad bypassed Mink. Most citizens then moved to nearby Magnolia, turning Mink into another Montgomery County ghost town.103

  MINOR: L. W. – This black Mississippi educator was hired as the first principal of Prairie View A & M University. 104

  MINTER: S. A. – Minter was the captain of Company K of the 19th Texas Volunteer Infantry of Walker’s Texas Division during the War Between the States. 105

  » MINOR : Street sign on Prairie View Campus

  MISSIONARY RIDGE: A skirmish here in Tennessee occurred during the Battle of Chattanooga on November 25, 1863. Union General U. S. Grant’s men captured this ridge despite orders not to risk it. 106

  MISSOURI CITY: Two real estate promoters, R. M. Cash and L. E. Luckle, purchased a sizable plot of land out South Main Street in Fort Bend County in 1890. They elected to market their development in St. Louis. Three years later another investor, W. R. McElroy, acquired some acreage in the same area and began promoting it under the name of Missouri City. 107

  MISSOURI PACIFIC: On Independence Day 1851 ground was broken for the construction of this railroad, the first “iron horse” west of the Mississip
pi River. Its advertising motto was “We extend from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean.” 108

  MITTELSTAEDT: This pioneering German family immigrated to the Klein-Spring area in the late 1800s. Many family members are buried in the historic Budde Cemetery off Louetta Road. (See Budde Cemetery.)109

  MOBY DICK: This 1851 novel by Herman Melville follows the tale of a sailor named Ishmael’s voyage aboard the whaling ship Pequod. The ship’s insane Captain Ahab is chasing a huge white whale that had previously ripped off the captain’s leg. Ahab’s voyage of revenge does not turn out well. This fictional tale is based on a true story about Owen Chase, a sailor aboard the Essex that was rammed and sunk by a whale in the Pacific Ocean in 1820. Read about this adventure in Stove by a Whale by Thomas Heffernan. 110

  » MOBY DICK: Owen Chase’s grave on Nantucket Island

  MONET: Claude – This French artist was the heart and soul of the Impressionist movement during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was his painting, Impression: Sunrise, that gave the movement its name. He is best remembered for his paintings of water lilies, Paris scenes and the Rouen cathedral. 111

  MONITOR: (See Merrimack.)

  MONROE: Although we might fantasize that this avenue is named for the glamorous movie star Marilyn, nee Norma Jean Baker, it is actually honoring the 5th President of the United States, James Monroe (1817-25). His greatest accomplishment was the formulation of the Monroe Doctrine, the ne plus ultra statement of American foreign policy of the times. 112

  MONTEZUMA: Montezuma Xocoyotl or Montezuma II was the last Aztec emperor of Mexico. He is one of the most tragic figures in Mexican prehistory. His religious superstition allowed the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez to seize control of the Aztec empire virtually without a fight. Montezuma believed the conqueror to be Quetzalcoatl, the light-skinned god of Aztec mythology who would one day return to earth. By the time he discovered otherwise it was too late. Cortez imprisoned and humiliated this once proud leader. In 1520 his own people killed Montezuma. 113