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April
2003
Download
the newsletter in Microsoft Word format | Last
month's issue
| HNC
Meeting: 10 a.m. Saturday, April 26, at Trinity
Episcopal Church located at 1015 Holman Street at Main
Street [map].
Bill Moore from the Texas Nature Conservancy will be on
hand to discuss fundraising and volunteer strategies. |
Earth Day 2003 at Rice University
On Saturday, April 19, GHPA participated
in the 2003 Earth Day celebration at Rice University. GHPA took
part in this event to raise awareness of historic preservation
and to present the many environmentally friendly aspects of
preservation. Information was presented to illustrate the ecological
impact of demolishing buildings and the subsequent environmental
costs of replacing these structures. The demolition of one 1,500
square foot home results in approximately 2,560 cubic feet of
waste that goes directly to landfills. In visual terms, this
represents a conical mound of debris approximately forty feet
wide and thirty feet tall. When multiplying the byproduct of
one demolition by the total number of buildings demolished in
the city of Houston every year, the end result is a staggering
amount of waste. Historic Neighborhoods Council Director Thomas
McWhorter was on hand to answer questions and to provide educational
materials on this subject.
News from Around the Neighborhoods
The reconstruction of U.S. Highway 59 Spur 527, which borders
the historic Westmoreland
neighborhood, has been postponed. The delay is intended to alleviate
potential traffic problems when Houston hosts the Super Bowl
in January 2004. The construction is scheduled to begin in the
Spring of 2004 and continue for approximately thirty seven months.
Highlights from the current Texas Legislative
session were discussed at a town hall meeting, at the historic
Heights
Fire Station, with State Representative Jessica Farrar in March.
Among the topics discussed were the approximately $12 billion
budget shortfall and the tort reform bill. Among the programs
under review for budget cuts are the many programs sponsored
by the Texas Historical Commission, including the Main Street
Program and the Historic Texas Courthouse Preservation Program.
The reorganization of Houston's Neighborhood
Protection Department was discussed
at a March 24 Neighborhood Protection and Quality of Life Committee
meeting, chaired by Council Member Annise Parker. Among the
proposals are a more proactive approach to trash, derelict building,
and junk car abatement. In addition, the "Rat on a rat"
program has been transferred to Houston Police Department jurisdiction.
This program offers rewards for citizens who report illegal
dumping, resulting in convictions. The contact number for this
program is 713.525.2728.
Did You Know? Camp Logan & Rice Military
On the western side of downtown Houston
is one of the city's greatest treasures. Memorial Park
was created in 1924, from land sold to the city by Mike and
Will Hogg, to commemorate the tremendous loss of life during
World War I.
In 1917-1918, Memorial Park had been the site of a 1,400-acre
U.S. Army training facility called Camp Logan, whose namesake
was Captain John A. Logan, the founder of Memorial Day. At this
camp, more than 30,000 soldiers prepared for service on the
Western Front. Soldiers from Camp Logan were involved in the
infamous riot of August 23, 1917, which resulted in the largest
court martial in U.S. history. An original Camp Logan building
at 5801 Washington Avenue and a Logan Street exist in the Rice
Military neighborhood, which borders the original camp entrance
at the intersection of Westcott Street and Washington. Apart
from this, there are few visual reminders of this chapter in
Houston history.
Interestingly, the Rice Military subdivision, bounded by Buffalo
Bayou, Westcott, Asbury, and the old Houston and Texas Central
Railway, predates Camp Logan by nearly eight years. The neighborhood
was created after land owned by J.S. and W.M. Rice was sold
to Bankers Trust Co. on August 29, 1910. Within a few months,
much of the Rice estate's remaining land holdings were
sold, presumably in preparation for the groundbreaking of the
new Rice Institute (now Rice University).
Although the meaning behind the "Rice Military" name
remains something of a mystery, the association with the William
Marsh Rice estate is clear. There is even a connection between
Rice Institute and Camp Logan, albeit a tenuous one. For a brief
period during America's involvement in World War I, Rice
Institute was converted to an ROTC-type curriculum, complete
with morning Reveille and evening Taps. On occasion, the Rice
Owl teams even played against their Camp Logan rivals. Apart
from a few World War I reminders, Camp Logan, Rice Military,
and Rice University have all settled into decidedly more tranquil
roles.
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Students
from Second Baptist School help GHPA spruce up historic
College Park Cemetery. (Photo by David Bush) |
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College Park Cemetery Clean Up
(This article originally appeared in the
March 2003 issue.)
From March 10 through 14, Greater Houston
Preservation Alliance, in cooperation with Second Baptist School
and Bethel Baptist Church participated in a clean up of College
Park Cemetery. The historic cemetery, located in the 3500 block
of West Dallas, is the final resting place of the Reverend Jack
Yates. Yates, a former slave, taught the virtues of land ownership
among the newly emancipated, worked as a drayman, was an ordained
minister and founded Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and Bethel
Baptist Church.
The week-long project began with a training seminar in effective,
yet sympathetic cemetery cleanup by GHPA staff member Thomas
McWhorter. He has participated in several cemetery projects
in the past and lent his archeological experience and sweat
equity to the project. Through the effective collaboration and
hard work of students from Second Baptist School, Pastor Robert
Robertson from Bethel Baptist Church, and GHPA, the historic
cemetery clean up was a great success.
If your organization has a heritage-related community project
that needs volunteers, or your school or scout group is seeking
a heritage-related project, contact GHPA at 713.216.5000 or
e-mail tmcwhorter@ghpa.org.
HNC members may publicize their
community events free of charge in this newsletter. Events must
be open to the public and of general interest. Listings are
run at the sole discretion of GHPA as space permits. Information
must be submitted at least six weeks prior to the event. Fax
information to 713.216.2143 or e-mail tmcwhorter@ghpa.org.
The HNC Newsletter is the exclusive property of GHPA. It cannot
be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written
permission of GHPA.
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