Sundance Square in Fort Worth in Tarrant County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Black Business District
Photographed by Craig Baker, April 7, 2024
1. Black Business District Marker
The years 1865-1965 represented a time of growth for Black businesses in Fort Worth. The corner of Ninth & Jones Streets became the entryway to a vibrant new business district during the 1920s. All of the businesses were Black-owned. (The district ran from Throckmorton Street to Jones Street south of Ninth Street and from Commerce Street to Grove Street between First and Ninth Streets.) The businesses in the area included grocery stores, cafes, beauty school, industrial arts college, hotel, drug store, dry goods store, beauty parlors, barber shops, night clubs, funeral homes, cleaners, tailors, millinery (hat) shops, cab companies, law offices, insurance companies, movie theater, ice cream parlor, hatchery, bank, and churches. The vision for the district was simple: "To create something for Black people by Black people." It was a community of great pride and strength. Today, it lives on in the hearts of people who witnessed its foundational impact on the city of Fort Worth then and now.
"If you stand on the shoulders of others, you have a responsibility to live your life so that others may stand on your shoulders."
Vernon Jordan, Business Executive and Civil Rights Activist, August 15, 1935 - March 1, 2021.
Erected 2021 by Heritage Trails.
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Location. 32° 45.1′ N, 97° 19.749′ W. Marker is in Fort Worth, Texas, in Tarrant County. It is in Sundance Square. It is on Main Street just north of 9th Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 137 E 9th St, Fort Worth TX 76102, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region. It is also in the American South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: JFK (a few steps from this marker); Black Medical District (a few steps from this marker); "A Great Time to be Alive" (a few steps from this marker); General William Jenkins Worth (within shouting distance of this marker); John F. Kennedy Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named General William Jenkins Worth (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of Majestic Theatre (within shouting distance of this marker); Ephraim Merrill Daggett (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Worth.
Photographed by Craig Baker
2. Black Business District Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on April 9, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2024, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 645 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 9, 2024, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.
