Historic Houston Streets

by Marks Hinton

  STRAND: This is Galveston’s most historic and famous street. It was named for a street of the same name in London. The five block area from 20th to 25th earned it the nickname of “Wall Street of the South” for the numerous banks and brokerage houses located there prior to 1900. Architect Nicholas Clayton designed 15 buildings on the Strand, 8 of which still exist. Like much of Galveston following the Great Storm of 1900, the street fell on hard times as business and commerce moved north to Houston. However, a restoration by the Galveston Historical Society in the 1970s revived the area and now it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 159

  STRATFORD: (See Avondale.)

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

  STRATTON RIDGE: Previously called Phair, this ghost town was named for a nearby sulfur dome. Most likely it was named by a resident, Carrie Stratton Brock in honor of her father, J. T. Stratton. (See Phair.) 160

  STRAWBERRY: While we have other area streets named for fruits, this one certainly has the most interesting story concerning its christening. The killer hurricane that hit Galveston Island in September 1900 caused massive damage in the coastal areas near Pasadena as well. Farmers’ crops were particularly hard hit. An economic disaster was in the making. However, Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, had 1.5 million strawberry plants shipped to the devastated city knowing they would produce a cash crop quickly. The plan worked and Pasadena became the “Strawberry Capital of the South.” In 1974 the city held the first Pasadena Strawberry Festival. Although the strawberry fields long ago yielded to refineries, the festival is held each May. 161

  STRINGFELLOW: Robert Edward Lee – He was born in Old Brazoria in 1866. His first job was on a cattle ranch at age 14. Soon he acquired his own herd and began buying land. Stringfellow created a 20,000 acre ranch in southern Brazoria County. He opened a large meat market in Velasco in 1890. He was severely injured in the 1932 hurricane and his wife Nannie assumed management of their operations. 162

  STUDE: The Stude family owned land on the north bank of White Oak Bayou where Stude Park is today. They gave the city approximately 22 acres there for the development of a park system, a concept that would eventually spread to include other waterways such as Buffalo, Braes and Sims Bayous lateral parks. Studewood is named in honor of the same family. 163

  STUDEMONT: This street name was created when the city paved a section of road to connect Studewood with Montrose and took part of the name from each connecting street. 164

  » STUDE: The original Stude Bakery

  STUEBNER: This was a prominent pioneering German immigrant family in the area west of Houston. Adolph Stuebner was an early Houston merchant who operated a general store on this road. Christian Frederick August Stuebner founded the town of Stuebner, Texas in the mid-1800s. However, the railroad chose to go through Huffsmith and the post office was established there effectively turning Stuebner into a ghost town. 165

  STYERS: James L. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.

  SUE BARNETT: When Garden Oaks real estate developer Edward Lillo Crane, Sr. turned his plat in to the Planning and Development Department of the City of Houston for approval there was a problem about intersecting numbered streets. As often happens in these meetings a quick solution is usually worked out. Sue Barnett was the planning director’s secretary and a wonderful lady (your author lived across the street from her on E. Cowen in the early 1940s). So those in attendance voted to add Sue’s name to our street map. 166

  SUFFOLK: See sidebar All Things English, page 175.

  SUGAR CREEK: A real estate development company owned by Jake Kamin bought 3,500 acres from Sugar Land Industries to build this master planned community. The five stone columns at the neighborhood’s entrance came from the old Galveston County Courthouse. Kamin had previously developed Nassau Bay on Clear Creek for employees of NASA. 167

  SUGAR HILL: (See Chimney Rock.) 168

  SUGAR LAND: (See Howell-Sugar Land.)

  SULPHOR COUNTRY: Although there is no such word as “sulphor” the citizens of Damon want to remind passers through that they truly are in what was once the largest sulfur producing area in the world. 169

  SUL ROSS: The Lawrence Sullivan Ross family moved to Texas in 1839 when he was just one year old. He became an Indian fighter, captain in the Texas Rangers and organized and led Ross’ Cavalry Brigade in the War Between the States. Entering politics he was eventually elected governor of Texas in 1887. On leaving office in 1891 he was named president of Texas A & M University. 170

  SUN OIL COMPANY: This Mont Belvieu road recalls an early player in the Spindletop field, at the time (1901) the greatest petroleum discovery in history. Founded in 1886, it was named Sun Oil in 1890. Over the years the corporation was involved in numerous ventures including ship building, gasoline stations, mercury mining, oil and gas production and oilfield equipment manufacturing. Today Sunoco as it is called, engages in refining and marketing of petroleum products and chemical production. 171

  SUNNY SIDE: This virtual ghost town was settled in 1866. It was named in 1877 when it got a post office. An early resident, James Rainwater, said he believed sun would always shine on the post office building that was located on the prairie land above the river bottoms. At its peak Sunny Side had two general stores, four grist mills, cotton gin, blacksmith shop, school, doctor and Methodist church. Today a handful of those structures stand unoccupied at the end of this rural road. One of which is the post office. So Rainwater remains partially correct in his prediction. 172

  SUNSET: I think this story is probably apocryphal but it is still a good tale. This boulevard was named because of the beautiful sunsets that reflected off the newly constructed buildings of Rice Institute in the 1920s. The developer of Southampton supposedly used this line in his marketing pitches to prospective homebuyers. 173

  SUPERIOR: Baytown is proud of its oilfield boomtown heritage and has a number of streets named in honor of petroleum companies that operated facilities there over the years. William M. Keck was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania in 1879. Forced to go to work at a young age, he only completed six grades of school. However, he retained a strong interest in education. He moved to California where he struck oil in 1922 and founded the Superior Oil Company. Keck remained chairman of the board of this very successful oil giant until his retirement at age 83. He used his great wealth for philanthropic purposes and gave millions to a number of California institutions of higher learning including Stanford University. He died in 1964. 174

  SURF: This near beachfront street recalls the small community of Surfside at the mouth of the Brazos River. Originally known as Follett’s Island it occupies the site of old Velasco. It has been a popular beach resort since before 1875. (See Velasco.) 175

  SUTTON MILL: Alex Sutton is an executive with The Woodlands Operating Company. 176

  SWARTHMORE: The Society of Friends founded this co-educational college in 1864 in the Pennsylvania town of the same name. 177

  SWIFT: Jonathan – Swift was the greatest satirist of the 18th century. In his pièce de rèsistance tale, Gulliver’s Travels (1726), he frames a brilliant political and social satire within what appears to be a child’s story about a man who visits the imaginary lands of Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa and Houyhnhnms. 178

  SYDNOR: John – In 1901 he worked for the Clear Creek Development Company that platted and promoted the town of Seabrook, Texas. Named for his son, Seabrook Sydnor, the town was initially a beach resort on Galveston Bay. Weekenders reached the village via the commuter train called the Interurban that ran from Houston twice a day. (See Interurban.)179

  » SYLVAN: Houston architect Alfred C. Finn’s plans for Sylvan Beach Park

  SYLVAN: Sylvan Beach Amusement Park on Galveston Bay at La Porte was the hottest spot in the area during the 1920s and 1930s. As it gained national attention all of the big stars in America wanted to play there. Records ind
icate Rudy Vallee, Phil Harris and Benny Goodman were regulars. In addition it was very popular for its bathing beauty contests. The Houston Launch Club held its annual regatta in the bay waters off Sylvan Beach. Old timers recall it as the grandest event of its kind anywhere on the Gulf Coast. (See Spencer.) (See photograph on page 307.) 180

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

  SYRACUSE: Opened in 1891 this co-educational university in New York is famed for its instruction in technological subjects, communications and computer applications. 181

  T

  T. C. JESTER: This gentleman was the pastor at the Baptist Temple on the corner of 20th Street and Rutland in the Houston Heights. He was appointed to the position in 1927 and remained in the job until his death in 1950. Every business in the Heights closed for his funeral. He began a program of tithing by the members in 1938. Some of the older parishioners still tithe to the Baptist Temple. He was very active in the community and served on the Houston City Planning Commission and the board of Baptist Hospital. 1

  TAFT: William Howard – The 27th President (1909-13), had the misfortune of following the popular and flamboyant Teddy Roosevelt. Despite his lack of political skills, Taft was able to pass important legislation. The highlight of his career was being appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the only American to hold both positions. 2

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

  TAHITI: See sidebar Bali Hai May Call You, page 322.

  TALCOTT: Patching – Nathanial Lynch owned a league of land where this street is today just south of the Sheldon Reservoir. Talcott and his wife Clarrisa purchased some land that was part of this piece of property in the late 1800s. 3

  TAM-O-SHANTER: This is a Scottish cap usually with a pompom on the top. It is named for the hero of Robert Burn’s 1790 poem of the same name. 4

  TAMANA: See sidebar Bali Hai May call You, page 322.

  TAMINA: Located near The Woodlands, this street was named by James H. Berry. This real estate promoter seemed to admire Tammany Hall in New York City. When he requested the name from the postal service he obviously did not know how to spell the name of this powerful political organization, thus the odd spelling. However, locals still call the road “Tammany.” 5

  THE MOST SCENIC SPOTS IN TEXAS

  In a Fort Bend neighborhood just north of the Sugar Land Municipal Airport the developer chose place names of some of the most beautiful places in our fair state for the street names. Among those locations are: Lost Maples (a Hill Country stand of bigtooth maple trees), Inks Lake (a beautiful body of water on the Colorado River near Austin), Natural Bridge (the largest cave in the state located in Comal County), Longhorn Cavern (a cave between Burnet and Marble Falls), Matagorda (a major coastal bay), Pedernales Falls (a waterfall and state park near Johnson City known for its flora and fauna), Davis Mountains (this west Texas range is the second highest in the State), Hueco Tanks (giant granite rock formations known for its prehistoric petroglyphs near El Paso), Mineral Wells (the old “crazy waters” spa west of Ft. Worth), Caprock Canyon (rugged cliffs in the Panhandle), Copano Bay ( a small coastal bay near Rockport), Mustang Island (a rugged barrier island off of Corpus Christi), McKinney Falls (a swimming hole southeast of Austin), Copperas Creek (a tributary of the North Llano River), Possum Kingdom (a recreational area and lake near Graham), Seminole canyon (a park northwest of Del Rio known for its ancient petroglyphs), Garner Park (a recreation area in Uvalde County renown for flora and fauna) and Choke Canyon (over 20,000 acres of untouched South Texas scrub brush filled with deer, turkeys and javelinas). 48

  TANG CITY: In 1985 real estate developer Calvin Leung began construction on Tang City, a $200 million multi-use project in Missouri City. It was the first master-planned Chinese community in the United States. It was to include an oriental supermarket, Asian restaurants and retail shops in a 120,000 square foot mall. Leung envisioned a beautiful tourist attraction. However, Houston’s fickle real estate market put an end to the dream and the property was taken over by the Resolution Trust Corporation in 1990. For more than a decade the property was a graffiti covered, weed choked eyesore. In 1999 former Houston Rocket’s star Hakeem Olajuwon purchased the property with plans to build a mosque on the site. To date, little progress has been made. 6

  » TANGLEWOOD: The gate sign

  TANGLEWOOD: Mary Catherine Farrington Miller, daughter of Tanglewood developer William G. Farrington, named this street. She cited several reasons for her choice: it was easy to pronounce and remember, she had enjoyed reading Nathaniel Hawthorn’s Tanglewood Tales in junior high school and was also familiar with the Boston Symphony’s 210-acre formal gardens in Lennox, Massachusetts. (See photograph on page 310.) 7

  TANGLEY: This was a very swampy and overgrown part of West University. Early residents recall their house pets wondering into this fenced off area catching crawfish. When it was eventually paved the name of the street was chosen to remember the jumble of vines that were previously here. 8

  TANNER: G. H. – In the early 1900s this man offered his farmhouse to Fairbanks, Texas for a school. His generosity earned him a street name. 9

  TARA: See sidebar Gone with the Wind Too Far, page 303.

  TARA: This Bunker Hill Village street is named for the famed plantation in Margaret Mitchell’s epic novel about the South during the War Between the States, Gone with the Wind. One street to the north is Rhett, named for the dashing Rhett Butler, Scarlett O’Hara’s love interest in the novel. (See O’Hara.)

  TARAWA: In a bloody four-day battle from November 20 – 23, 1943, the U.S. Marines captured this island in the South Pacific Ocean. The Japanese had heavily fortified the atoll in the Gilbert Islands. The fighting was fierce and casualties heavy on both sides. When it ended the Americans reported almost 1,000 Marines dead and over 2,300 wounded. The approximately 4,800 Japanese defenders were killed. 10

  TARLTON: See sidebar Gone with the Wind Too Far, page 303.

  TARPLEY: William P. – When Texas City incorporated and chose the commission form of government in 1901 this state representative from Galveston County was elected mayor. 11

  TARRYTOWN: Washington Irving set his story The Legend of Sleep Hollow in Tarrytown, New York. (See Washington Irving, Sleepy Hollow, Crane and Brom Bones.) 12

  TAUTENHAHN: Herman – This German immigrant built a general store in Westfield in 1864. When the International-Great Northern Railroad laid its rail line from Houston to Spring, Tautenhahn moved his operation to a trackside location near the Bammel and Hardy Road intersection. Business boomed and in 1911 he built a fancy two story brick building from which to offer his goods. It was the precursor to the supermarket of the 20th century. 13

  TAYLOR: E. W or Horace Dickinson – There are two possibilities for the provenance of this street. First is E. W. Taylor. This gentleman was an official of the Texas Central Railroad and a friend of William Baker who developed the Sixth Ward where this street is located. The second is Horace D. Taylor. In 1838 this pioneer and his brother moved from Massachusetts to Independence, Texas. Ten years later the brothers came to Houston and established a cotton business. The cotton brokerage firm operated out of a warehouse on Buffalo Bayou. Taylor was a founder of the Cotton Exchange & Board of Trade. He married and built a home on 3.5 acres of land northwest of downtown where this street is located. Taylor was an alderman (1861-2) and served as mayor in 1866. 14, 15

  TAYLORCREST: It is possible this Memorial Villages street recalls John D. Taylor who owned a league of land in this area. 16

  TEAS NURSERY: (See Teas.)

  TEAS: Edward T. Sr. – The son of horticulturist John C. Teas, Edward arrived in Houston in the early 1900s. Bellaire developer William W. Baldwin hired him in 1909 to mastermind the landscaping of that new city. In 1910 he opened Teas Nursery, a family business that existed until 2009. Over the next few years, Teas took on projects including the landscaping of Rice Institute (now University) and
River Oaks. 17

  TEETSHORN: Ray G. – Originally this Houston Heights street was named Reichman. However, after World War I it was renamed to honor a Heights resident who died of disease in Europe during the war. 18

  TEJAS: Texas got its name from the Hasnai Caddo Indians who used the word tayshas (friend or ally) that the Spaniards translated as tejas. 19

  TELEPHONE: When this route was named many years ago Houston children thought it was called Telephone because every house on the street had one. In those days that would have been real news. However, like most urban legends there was no truth in the story. Instead, its name came from the fact that it followed the route of the first long-distance telephone line in Texas. 20

  TELGE: This family owned land in the area around Cypress Creek. They emigrated from Hanover, Germany in the late 1800s. A number of family members are buried in the Knigge Cemetery off Huffmeister Road in northwestern Harris County. Among these persons are Chester, Alma, Louis and Geborne Telge. (See Knigge Cemetery.) 21, 22

  TELLEPSEN: Howard T. – He was president of the Chamber of Commerce when on July 3, 1954, the one-millionth resident of Houston was honored. That date was chosen Houston’s “M Day.” The winner received thousands of dollars in gifts and toured other metropolitan areas with populations of one million or more and brought greetings to the mayors and Chamber of Commerce presidents from the citizens of Houston. Tellepsen also was president of a major construction company responsible for many huge projects in the Houston area. Tellepsen Construction celebrated its 100th birthday in 2009. 23