South Side in Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Richard Allen

(1830 - 1909)

Photographed By James Hulse, April 16, 2021

1. Richard Allen Marker

Inscription.

Born enslaved in Virginia and brought to Texas in 1837, Richard Allen emerged as an influential community and political leader in Houston after emancipation. He was a skilled carpenter, contractor, mechanic and bridge builder. Allen attended Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and became a federal voter registrar in 1867 and a Freedmen's Bureau agent in 1868. He was a trustee of the Gregory Institute, established in 1870 as the first public school for Negro students in the Fourth Ward. He was a founding member of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Free & Accepted Masons of Texas, Magnolia Lodge No. 3, established in 1875. Allen was a trustee of the Colored People of Harris County Festival Association, which purchased this 10-acre tract in 1872 that became Emancipation Park. He occasionally served on the finance committee and as grand president and orator at Juneteenth celebrations. He had a distinguished political career as a member of the Republican Twelfth Legislature (1870-71), was elected to the Thirteenth Legislature (1873), and was also a Texas delegate to state Republican conventions. He served as Houston street commissioner and deputy collector of customs for the Port of Houston. Allen was instrumental in helping to improve education for Blacks and in developing the state's transportation system.

Erected

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2020 by Four Corners Public Art Project.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1837.

Location. 29° 44.225′ N, 95° 21.911′ W. Marker is in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It is in the South Side. Marker is at the intersection of Tuam Street and Hutchins Street, on the left when traveling west on Tuam Street. The marker is located in the northern corner of the Emancipation Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Houston TX 77004, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Reverend David Elias Dibble (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Legacy of Emancipation Park (about 600 feet away); Richard Brock (about 700 feet away); St. John Missionary Baptist Church (about 800 feet away); Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist (approx. 0.2 miles away); Reverend John Henry "Jack" Yates (approx. 0.2 miles away); Trinity East United Methodist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Houston.

Also see . . . ELEMENTS OF CHANGE - Four Corners Public Art Project. Richard C. Adams Public Art Collection:
In 1872 Richard Allen, Richard Brock, Jack Yates, and Elias Dibble

Photographed By James Hulse, April 16, 2021

2. Richard Allen Marker

together bought 4 acres (1.6 ha) of parkland with $800 ($16731.11 in 2013 inflation-adjusted dollars). The men, led by Yates, were members of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. They did this to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. Emancipation Park and Emancipation Community Center are located at 3018 Emancipation Ave in the Third Ward area of Houston. It is the oldest park in Houston, and the oldest in Texas. (Submitted on April 17, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 17, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 570 times since then and 81 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 17, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.