by Marks Hinton
WADDELL: C. H. – It is likely that this Rosenberg street was named for this man who established the Fort Bend Telephone Company. 3
WAFER: John F. – This early Pasadena settler came to Texas from Kansas. Active in city affairs, he served on the first school board. 4
WAGNER: Leland J. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.
WAHINI: See sidebar Bali Hai May Call You, page 322.
WAKE FOREST: This Winston-Salem, North Carolina university was chartered in 1833. 5
WALDECK: See sidebar Brazoria County’s Old Plantation Streets and Roads, page 258.
WALKER SCHOOL: This street leads to Walker Station Elementary School. The Fort Bend ISD opened this facility in 1993. This institution has received a Great School Rating of 10 out of 10. 6
WALKER: Robert J. and/or Samuel Hamilton – The provenance of this street makes for a great tale. In 1845 Robert J. Walker, a Mississippi congressman, introduced legislation in the U.S. Congress to annex Texas. Because of his support of this controversial law Texas honored him by naming a county after him. It is likely that Houston followed suit as the area around Walker Street was annexed by the city in 1840. However he turned out to favor the Union in the War Between the States. As a result the Texas Legislature renamed the county in 1863 for Samuel H. Walker. He was a legendary fighter who “distinguished himself for courage and coolness.” Walker’s introduction to combat came in the Indian Wars. He became a Texas Ranger in the 1830s. Captured during the Mier Expedition near Saltillo, Mexico in 1842, he escaped to join General Zachary Taylor as a scout during the Mexican-American war in 1846. Walker saw action in the battles of Palo Alto, Monterrey and the mountainous jungles between Vera Cruz and Mexico City. He was killed leading a charge at Huamantla on October 9, 1847. The mystery is: Does Houston now honor the second Walker? No one knows. 7
WALLER-SPRING CREEK: This road goes from Waller to a bend on Spring Creek. That estuary, also known as Arroyo de Santa Rosa, rises near Field Store. It flows 64 miles southeastward to its mouth on the San Jacinto River near Lake Houston. On April 15, 1836 Sam Houston’s Army camped at McCurley’s Plantation on the creek near Waller. (See Field Store and Waller.) 8
WALLER: Edwin – K. H. Faulkner, the man who platted this small village northeast of Houston named it after this early Texas patriot. Waller fought at the battle of Velasco, signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, served as postmaster general of the Republic of Texas, commanded Confederate troops in the Civil War battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill in 1864 and was the first mayor of Austin. Waller County and Waller Creek also recall this Texan. One unusual story about the town according to the Handbook of Texas concerns a general store called “God’s Mercy Store.” Owner A. D. Purvis priced all the merchandise at cost and allowed the customer to add whatever markup seemed fair. 9, 10
WALLISVILLE: Prior to the construction of Interstate 10 this was the road to Wallisville, Texas in Chambers County. The town was founded in 1825 by Elisha Henry Roberts Wallis who held Santa Anna prisoner in his home in 1836 following his capture at the Battle of San Jacinto. Up until the late 1870s Wallisville served as a major steamboat port on the Trinity River. Today it is on the National Register of Historic Places. 11
WALNUT CREEK: This creek was first discovered by Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle on February 13, 1687 on one of his many expeditions searching for the Mississippi River. Settlement of this area began in 1829. It rises southeast of Navasota, flows 24 miles through Waller and Montgomery Counties before emptying into Spring Creek. 12, 13
WALNUT CREEK: This Fort Bend County plantation was established on the banks of Oyster Creek in 1835 by Thomas W. Nibbs. He died at a young age and his widow married a lawyer, Constantine W. Buckley. In the following years the plantation prospered. By 1860 their net worth was estimated at $325,000, a tremendous amount of money in those days. Unfortunately, Walnut Creek suffered severely during the War Between the States resulting in its demise shortly thereafter. 14
WAR ADMIRAL: This colt won the 63rd running of the Kentucky Derby in 1937. He took the lead after a quarter of a mile and extended the distance over the field as the race progressed, winning by 1-3/4 lengths. He went on to become a Triple Crown winner with first place finishes in the Preakness and the Belmont. (See Triple Crown.) 15
WARD: William L. – This Baytown resident was a Harris County Judge. 16
WARNASCH: John – (See Salt Grass Trail.)
WARREN RANCH: This 6,478 acre spread near Hockley has been a working ranch since its founding in the 1850s by the Warren family. At that time the family operated a boarding house and restaurant (where they served meals from local game shot on the property). In 2004 the Katy Prairie Conservancy purchased the ranch to keep it out of the hands of real estate developers and assure it will remain a wildlife area. It offers some of the best nature viewing in the area with birds, deer, jackrabbits and coyotes to mention a few that are often spotted. 105
WARREN: In 1955 the Warren Petroleum Company built an underground salt dome storage terminal beneath the town of Mont Belvieu, Texas where this road is located. The facility contains 26 caverns, can store 43 million barrels of natural gas and natural gas liquids and is the largest terminal of its kind in North America. 18
WASHBURN TUNNEL: This Houston Ship Channel tunnel is named for longtime Harris County auditor Harry Washburn. He first ran for auditor in 1905 but failed to get one single vote. However, eight years later he won the job and served the county for the next 41 years. County Commissioner E. A. “Squatty” Lyons once called him “an almost irreplaceable official.” The tunnel connects Pasadena with the north side of the Ship Channel. Opened in May 1950, this $9 million project was built using a prefabricated tunnel that was placed into a trench dug in the channel. 19
WASHINGTON IRVING: This early American author was born in 1783 in New York City. He is famous for his humorous stories and satirical essays, which poked fun at New York City’s fashionable society. Irving’s best-known works are the short stories, Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. In Rip Van Winkle, the title character falls asleep for 20 years and awakens to find everything different. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells about Ichabod Crane, a poor schoolmaster, and his encounter with a headless horseman. Other streets in this Pearland neighborhood are Crane, Rip Van Winkle and Sleepy Hollow. 20
WASHINGTON: This avenue is not named for the first president of the United States, George Washington, but rather for a small town about 70 miles west of Houston called Washington-on-the-Brazos. Here between March 1 and 17 of 1836 the Texas Declaration of Independence was written and signed. Although revered by Texans as the “Cradle of Independence” few recall it was a rough and tumble town. In 1837 Captain John W. Hall constructed a horse race track here that resulted in a building boom of saloons and gambling halls. Furloughed Texas Army veterans poured into town and things became disorderly. It took a confederacy of town ministers to restore law and order. 21
WATERBURY: Forest John – This young soldier was killed in Iraq by a sniper on March 14, 2008. He was raised in Richmond and graduated from Terry High School. The City Council decided to honor this fallen hero by naming a street for him. 22
WATERGATE: This yachting center was established on 45 acres along the shore of Clear Lake in 1965. It has over 1,100 boat slips and has won “Marina of the Year” from the Marina Association of Texas. 23
WATERLOO: At this small Belgian town Napoleon Bonaparte met his final crushing defeat at the hands of the Duke of Wellington on June 18, 1815, thus prompting the expression to “meet one’s Waterloo.” Four days later Napoleon abdicated and was exiled to the island of Elba and later to St. Helena where he died in 1821. 24
WATSON: Wiley – This gentleman was the secretary of William A. Wilson’s real estate development company. It is located in Woodland Heights, a subdivision developed by Wilson. 25
WAUGH: Thomas Terrell – When we were a smaller city and people believed we knew ea
ch other better it was not unusual for the City Council to name streets for the young men who gave their lives in defense of our country. (See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During World War I, page 22.) Tom Waugh was killed in WW I. His father, T. L. Waugh, was Houston’s Street & Bridge Commissioner. He had the street named for his son in 1922. 26
WAUKEGAN: Like many other Montgomery County towns, Waukegan, named for the Illinois city of the same name, rose and fell with the timber industry. When the last sawmill closed in the mid-1920s and state Highway 105 by-passed the town it disappeared from the Texas map.. All that remains is this road. 27
WEAVER: James Baird – He was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1833. Weaver became active in politics. He was a U. S. Representative of the Greenback Party, a group that opposed the gold standard and national banks. Twice he unsuccessfully ran for president on that ticket. Q. A. Wooster of Baytown supported his efforts and named a street for him. (See Wooster.) 28
WEBER: Joseph C. – See sidebar Houston Streets Named for Men Killed During WORLD War I, page 22.
WEBSTER RANCH: This community in southeast Harris county was established where James W. Webster had his ranch. Originally it was called Gardenland in 1879 as it was founded by English colonists who enjoyed gardening. It was renamed Websterville in 1882 and Webster in 1893. 29
WEBSTER: George – He was a printer who worked for the Houston Informer, a newspaper owned by C. F. Richardson. Webster lived on Elgin Street. 30
WEINGARTEN: From 1901 until 1980 when it was sold, the J. Weingarten Inc. grocery chain was Randall’s, Central Market and Whole Foods Market rolled into one. It was the city’s premier purveyor of foodstuffs. Harris Weingarten arrived in Texas from Germany in the 1880s. He moved from the Richmond-Rosenberg area to Houston in 1895 and opened a general store. In 1901 his son, Joe, opened a grocery on Congress. By 1914 Joe was joined by his brothers, Sol and Abe, and the expansion began. This southeast side street runs beside a former Weingarten store that was at 4431 Griggs. 31
» WEINGARTEN: Interior of one of the early Weingarten grocery stores
WELCH: Both City of Houston Historic Preservation Officer Randle Pace and sources at the Robert A. Welch Foundation believe this Montrose area street is named for either Professor Chris W. Welch and/or his brother Robert Alonzo Welch. The brothers founded Welch Academy for Boys in 1896. Many of Houston’s distinguished citizens were graduates. Robert worked for James Bute Paint Company before making his fortune in oil and real estate. In addition he established the Welch Foundation to encourage chemical research. Robert died in 1952, leaving $25 million in his will to that organization. 32
WELLS FARGO: This north Harris County street recalls the image of six-horse stagecoaches thundering across the great American West. In 1852 Henry Wells and William Fargo founded Wells, Fargo & Co. The business plan called for the firm to deliver mail, gold, currency and negotiable instruments across America as fast as possible. Over the years the company used stagecoaches, ships, railroads, telegraph and the Pony Express. 33
WERLEIN: Ewing – He was the secretary of the Belle Court Land Company, a firm that was active in real estate development in West University Place in the 1920s. 34
WESLAYAN: This street first appears on a city map in 1935. Since it is in West University, where a number of streets are named for institutions of higher learning, it could be a misspelling of Wesleyan. That university was founded in 1831 and named for an Englishman named John Wesley. He went on to found the Methodist church. 35
WESSENDORFF: Anton – In 1854 this immigrant from Hamburg, Germany arrived in Fort Bend County. He acquired 565 acres of land to live on. Wessendorff served under Confederate General John B. Hood during the War Between the States. He was severely wounded during the Battle of Chickamauga but did recover. Returning to Richmond he opened a lumber yard. Wessendorff became so famous for his beautiful wooden caskets he became an undertaker. Then he began building hearses. One of these may still be seen today at Arroyo Seco Park in Richmond. 36
» WESTCOLUMBIA: Photograph of the First Capitol of the Republic of Texas prior to its destruction in the Great Storm of 1900
WEST 11TH: This little street was referred to as “oddly named” since “there are no other numbered streets for miles” in Doug Milburn’s classic guide book Houston, The Last American City. However, early maps of Houston as well as Southampton Place indicate that Bissonnet, the street West 11th intersects just west of Montrose, was called Eleventh Street and started west of Main. 37
WEST COLUMBIA: This Brazoria County town was founded by Josiah Hughes Bell in 1836 and named Columbia. It was still known by that name when it served as the first capitol of the Republic of Texas from September until December 1836. When the capitol was moved to Houston the name was changed to West Columbia. Its economy is driven by cotton, rice, sulfur and oil and gas. There are many historic sites to visit here including the Varner-Hogg Plantation, a replica of the first capitol and sister city East Columbia. That whole community is on the National Register of Historic Places. (See photograph on page 334 and Bell’s Landing and Varner.) 38
WEST POINT: Located on the west bank of the Hudson River is the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. President Thomas Jefferson established the Academy in 1802. Many of America’s greatest military leaders are graduates of West Point including Lee, Grant, Sherman, Jackson, MacArthur, Eisenhower and patton to mention just a few. (See individual streets named for these soldiers.) 39
WEST RANCH: This is a 766 acre real estate development near Friendswood. It is bordered by Clear and Chigger Creeks. When built out it should contain about 1,300 homes. (See Pearland.) 40
WEST: (See Parkway.)
WEST: Simeon – This gentleman platted the town of Deer Park. It is possible this street in the neighboring town of Pasadena recalls this surveyor. The town’s name is derived from the fact that prior to its incorporation a privately owned game park that contained deer occupied the site. This area is known as the “Birthplace of Texas” since it was here that the treaty between Sam Houston and Santa Anna was signed following the Battle of San Jacinto. 41
WESTCOTT: The Westcott family were large landowners in the area east of what is now Memorial Park. The street also honors Charles H. Westcott, a U. S. Army soldier who died of disease in Europe during World War I. 42
WESTFIELD VILLAGE: This northern Harris County road recalls the oil town of Westfield. It was founded in 1870 and named after Gate F. West by officials of the International-Great Northern Railroad. The railroad track passed through property owned by West. (See Bammel.) 43
WESTHEIMER: Michael Louis – An immigrant from Germany, Westheimer came to Houston in 1859. He was quite an entrepreneur. Westheimer owned a flourmill, a livery stable on the corner of Milam and Congress, was a hay merchant and laid the city’s first streetcar tracks. At auction he bought a 640-acre farm for $2.50 an acre west of town where St John’s School is today. He started a school on the property for his 16 children as well as nieces and nephews who migrated from Germany. The shell lane that led to the schoolhouse became known as “the road to Westheimer’s place.” Out of the family livery business came the Westheimer Transfer and Storage Company. They once owned the Westheimer Undertaking and Embalming Company. The family remains prominent in the city today. 44
» WESTHEIMER: An early Westheimer moving van
WESTLANE: This street was named by H.A. Kip, as it was the westernmost extension of River Oaks. (See Timberlane.) 45
WESTMINSTER: This London borough is the home of the British government including the Prime Minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. Located on the Thames River it also contains the most famous place of worship in England, Westminster Abbey. 46
WESTMORELAND: In 1902, William W. Baldwin, an officer of the Missouri-Kansas & Texas Railroad, incorporated the South End Land Company to create a classy neighborhood at the edge of downtown. Baldwin knew St. Louis, Missouri well, as the MK & T was
headquartered there. He hired the architect, Julius Pitzman, who had platted the beautiful Westmoreland Place in St. Louis to recreate that masterpiece in Houston. Westmoreland was the first neighborhood in the city to have deed restrictions, most of which are still in effect today. (See photograph on page 337 and Bellaire.) 47
» WESTMORELAND: Early photograph of the Westmoreland entrance and gates
WHARTON WEEMS: This gentleman was an early resident of La Porte, Texas where this street is located. 48
WHARTON-BOLING-PLEDGER: Located on the east bank of the Colorado River in the county of the same name, the town was named for John and William Wharton, leaders in the struggle for Texas Independence who arrived in Texas in 1827 from Virginia. The brothers settled in Wharton in 1846. Wharton began to expand with the arrival of the New York, Texas & Mexican and the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroads in 1881 and 1889, respectively. Texas President Sam Houston appointed William Wharton the first minister to the United States. He died when a pistol accidentally fired while he was dismounting from his horse on March 14, 1839. Wharton nearly burned to the ground in 1902 so city fathers decreed downtown be rebuilt using brick. Among its famous citizens were Academy Award winning author and screenwriter Horton Foote (To Kill a Mockingbird) and television newsman Dan Rather. (See Boling and Pledger.) 49, 50
WHEATLEY: Phillis – Located in a predominately African-American neighborhood, I believe this street honors this well-regarded black poet. Born in Africa in 1753 she was kidnapped and sent to America at the age of seven. Too young to be sold as a slave, she was purchased by John Wheatley of Boston as an attendant for his wife. She was a very intelligent girl and a quick learner. She published her first poem at the age of 14. In 1773, 39 of her poems were published in London. Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral was her only book and the first book of poetry published by an Africa-American. Wheatley Senior High School (established in 1927) also recalls this amazing woman. 51
