Northside in Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Booker T. Washington High School
Booker T. Washington High School, the first high school in Houston open to African Americans, was founded in 1893 as Colored High School, and was located in the Fourth Ward on San Felipe Street (now West Dallas Street). It served as the only high school for African American students until Yates Colored High School (Now Jack Yates High School) opened in 1926.
Charles H. Atherton was the school's first principal, a position he held until 1912. Courses taught at the school include English, Latin, mathematics, science and history. By 1896, Wright Mungin completed the coursework necessary to become the first graduate of Colored High School. The colored branch of the Carnegie Library was opened to the public inside the school in May 1909, establishing Houston's first library accessible to African Americans. Wiley College in Marshall, Texas established an extension branch at Colored High in 1925 and moved it to Yates High after one year; Houston-based successors evolved into Texas State University for Negroes in 1947, then Texas Southern University in 1951.
A major campus renovation was completed in 1927, and in the same year the school was renamed in honor of African American Booker T. Washington, founder of Tuskegee Institute. Population shifts led to relocation of the school in 1959 to a new campus at 39th and Yale Streets, in the historic African American Independence Heights community. During the process of integration, Washington High School was awarded the Houston Independent School District's first Magnet program in 1974, and the "High School for Engineering Professions" continues today as an important part of the school's curriculum.
Erected 2010 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 16570.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1909.
Location. 29° 49.29′ N, 95° 23.96′ W. Marker is in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Northside. Marker is at the intersection of Yale Street and East 39th Street, on the right when traveling north on Yale Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 119 East 39th Street, Houston TX 77018, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Independence Heights (approx. 0.3 miles away); Houston Heights Woman's Club (approx. 1.2 miles away); St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (approx. 1.3 miles away); Daniel Denton Cooley (approx. 1.3 miles away); Cooley School (approx. 1˝ miles away); Reagan Masonic Lodge No. 1037 A.F. & A.M. (approx. 1˝ miles away); David Barker House (approx. 1˝ miles away); Heights Church of Christ (approx. 1˝ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Houston.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 10, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 391 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 10, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.