Northside in Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Independence Heights
A Portrait of a Historic Neighborhood
| | 1905 - 2005 | |
Photographed by James Hulse, August 20, 2025
1. Independence Heights Marker
Businesses in Independence Heights included retail stores, restaurants, building contractors, lumberyards, a blacksmith shop, tailor and barber shop.
Fraternal organizations were formed, as well as a number of churches: New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Green Chapel A.M.E., St. Paul C.M.E., Ebenezer M.E. Concord Missionary Baptist and North Main Church of God in Christ.
By 1915 there were four hundred residents in that year, an election was held and the city was incorporated. George O. Burgess was elected the first mayor. City improvements over the next few years included the shell paving of streets, plank sidewalks and the installation of a municipal water system. O.L. Hubbard and Arthur L. McCullough, Sr. also served mayoral terms. In 1928 another election was held in which the city organization was dissolved. Independence Heights was annexed by the City of Houston on December 26, 1929. The Independence Heights name is still associated with the area.
Erected 2005.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists:
this page online
Location. 29° 49.023′ N, 95° 23.556′ W. Marker is in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Northside. It is at the intersection of North Main Street and Link Rd, on the right when traveling north on North Main Street. The marker is located in an empty lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7314 N Main Street, Houston TX 77022, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. 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, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Jackson's Barber Shop & Beauty Salon (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); James D. Burrus Elementary School (about 800 feet away); a different marker also named Independence Heights (approx. Ό mile away); Booker T. Washington High School (approx. half a mile away); Houston Heights Woman's Club (approx. one mile away); Matthews-Johnson House (approx. one mile away); St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (approx. one mile away); Daniel Denton Cooley (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Houston.
Also see . . . The History of Independence Heights: Texas' First Incorporated Black City. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)
Independence(Submitted on August 21, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)Heights was originally northeast of Houston in an area now within the Houston city limits, bounded on the south by Thirtieth Avenue, on the north by Fortieth Avenue, on the west by Yale Street, and on the east by Airline Drive in Harris County. The Wright Land Company secured the land, incorporated in 1910, and developed a new community for Blacks. By doing their own financing they made it possible for people with small incomes to become homeowners. Resident contractors built most of the houses and churches.Photographed by James Hulse, August 20, 20252. Independence Heights Marker
Photographed by James Hulse, August 20, 2025
3. The view of the Independence Heights Marker along the street
Credits. This page was last revised on August 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 20, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 142 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 21, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
