Cedar Crest in Dallas in Dallas County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Tenth Street Historic District Freedman's Town
Photographed By QuesterMark, September 17, 2016
1. Tenth Street Historic District Freedman's Town Historical Marker
Inscription.
Tenth Street Historic District Freedman's Town. . The first African Americans to live in Oak Cliff were slaves, brought here by settlers such as William H. Hord in 1845 to work the land. The neighborhood that grew here became known as the Tenth Street District. An important African American enclave within the historically white community of Oak Cliff. It was not until after the Civil War that the Freedman's Town began to grow and thrive. Records differ as to when and how quickly African Americans settled here, but by 1900, Oak Cliff contained more than 500 African American residents, almost a sixth of the town's population. Segregation forced the development of a separate commercial district. The community thrived, and even gave rise to famous entertainers like the noted blues artist, T-Bone Walker, an d1960 Olympic Gold Medal decathlete Rafer Johnson., Though the community continued to maintain a strong African American heritage, the construction of IH-35 east in 1955 and integration in the 1960s resulted in the demolition of around 175 original and influenced residents to seek opportunities elsewhere. Residential buildings date to as early as 1910 and are relatively unchanged. Oak Cliff Cemetery, established in 1846 by settler William Beaty, is within the heart of the district near the 1928 N. W. Harllee School. Other significant buildings include the 1889 Sunshine Elizabeth Chapel CME (demolished 1999) and the 1886 Greater El Bethel Baptist Church. The degree to which these historic buildings remain standing and in good repair marks the Tenth Street area as one of the more well-preserved African American communities of this time period remaining in the Dallas Metropolitan area. Oak Cliff's Tenth Street Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 in recognition of its cultural significance and architectural value.
Marker is Property of the State of Texas.
The first African Americans to live in Oak Cliff were slaves, brought here by settlers such as William H. Hord in 1845 to work the land. The neighborhood that grew here became known as the Tenth Street District. An important African American enclave within the historically white community of Oak Cliff. It was not until after the Civil War that the Freedman's Town began to grow and thrive. Records differ as to when and how quickly African Americans settled here, but by 1900, Oak Cliff contained more than 500 African American residents, almost a sixth of the town's population. Segregation forced the development of a separate commercial district. The community thrived, and even gave rise to famous entertainers like the noted blues artist, T-Bone Walker, an d1960 Olympic Gold Medal decathlete Rafer Johnson.
Though the community continued to maintain a strong African American heritage, the construction of IH-35 east in 1955 and integration in the 1960s resulted in the demolition of around 175 original and influenced residents to seek opportunities elsewhere. Residential buildings date to as early as 1910 and are relatively unchanged. Oak Cliff Cemetery, established in 1846 by settler William Beaty, is within the heart of the district near the 1928 N. W. Harllee School. Other significant buildings include the 1889 Sunshine Elizabeth
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Chapel CME (demolished 1999) and the 1886 Greater El Bethel Baptist Church. The degree to which these historic buildings remain standing and in good repair marks the Tenth Street area as one of the more well-preserved African American communities of this time period remaining in the Dallas Metropolitan area. Oak Cliff's Tenth Street Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 in recognition of its cultural significance and architectural value.
Marker is Property of the State of Texas
Erected 2015 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 18318.)
Location. 32° 45.073′ N, 96° 48.367′ W. Marker is in Dallas, Texas, in Dallas County. It is in Cedar Crest. Marker is at the intersection of East Eighth Street and Anthony Street, on the right when traveling east on East Eighth Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1216 E Eighth St, Dallas TX 75203, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. The dedication ceremony for this marker was held September 17, 2016 at 10 AM, sharing the event with the ribbon cutting for the N.W. Harllee Early Childhood Center, in front of which it stands. The historical marker was produced through the Texas Historical Commission's "Undertold Marker" program.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 22, 2016, by QuesterMark of Fort Worth, Texas. This page has been viewed 890 times since then and 93 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on September 22, 2016, by QuesterMark of Fort Worth, Texas. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.