City Parks, Cultural History
The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park, Houston
Every city has its humble beginning, but not every city fulfills its founders’ dreams — at least, not as well as Houston has. According to the Handbook of Texas, Houston “began on Aug. 30, 1836, when Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen ran an advertisement in the Telegraph and Texas Register for the ‘Town of Houston.’” The duo claimed the town would become the “great interior commercial emporium of Texas.”
While Houston has flourished as the Allens predicted, the city has also retained its cultural origins, reminding future generations that it wasn’t always powered by electricity and gasoline, and its once unpaved streets weren’t lined with high-rise buildings, strip centers and convenience stores.
The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park, once a recreational focal point for residential neighborhoods, is now a cultural oasis in the shadow of high-rises. The last building in the park standing on its original site, the 1847 Kellum-Noble House, was the cornerstone structure around which the cultural preservation project was created. Self-guided cell phone tours are available, and guided tours begin at the Museum Gallery, which houses both permanent and rotating exhibits.
A permanent exhibit is a graphic timeline, which provides a visual chronology of the growth and development of the country’s fourth largest city.
San Felipe House, Houston – After immigrating here from Germany, Justina and William Ruppersburg built this cottage in 1868 along the San Felipe Road. William began as a carriage driver for a funeral home before establishing a successful undertaking and carriage business, which enabled the family to move to a larger home in 1872.
Pioneer Farms — Austin
Austin had a rockier beginning than Houston because of its remoteness from population centers. The city was prone to Mexican and Indian attacks in its early days of serving as the state’s capital. Today’s booming population betrays its rough start, but the Frederick and Harriet Jourdan Homestead is a reminder of the history of Austin and the lives of its early settlers.
The homestead is located on the 100-acre living history museum overseen by the Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farms Foundation. Located unobtrusively in the middle of residential neighborhoods, Pioneer Farms gives visitors six themed locations to see on self-guided tours, while activities, like a workshop on period blacksmithing, change from day to day.
Jourdan Cabin, Pioneer Farms – Frederick Jourdan bought his property in 1858 with this cabin being the second residence he and his family lived in on the property.
Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park
The city of Dallas has a long and storied past almost as old as the Republic of Texas. Founded by John Neely Bryan in 1841, Dallas grew from a trading post along the banks of the East Fork of the Trinity River to become the ninth largest city in the U.S. Situated at the crossroads of interstate highways 20, 30, 35 and 45 in North Texas, Dallas serves as a strategic location for worldwide transportation and international commerce.
The Texas legislature granted Dallas a town charter on Feb. 2, 1856, and by 1860 the population had grown to 678. Many fine examples of early craftsmanship and pioneer industry are on display at Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park. The Village is nestled in one of Dallas’ first neighborhoods, the Cedars, and is built on the grounds of the city’s first park.
In 1966, civic volunteers received permission from the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department to move 22 historic structures from locations throughout North Central Texas, including a schoolhouse, train depot, bank and saloon, all dating from between 1840 and 1910. With docent-led educational programs, interactive demonstrations and events throughout the year, Dallas Heritage Village stands as a unique, immersive historical experience unlike any other in Dallas.
Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park – The Dallas skyline is visible over the trees from the porch of the Sullivan House in Dallas Heritage Village.
Fort Worth’s Log Cabin Village
In the winter of 1840, Captain Jonathan Bird, along with a band of Texas Rangers, was sent from Austin by President Sam Houston to set up a frontier fort for the newly formed Republic. Fort Bird was established on the banks of the Trinity River and was the site of an 1843 peace parley between General Edward H. Tarrant, for whom Tarrant County is named, George W. Terrell and chiefs from nine tribes around the area. The resulting treaty established a line that passed through the future site of Fort Worth, beyond which the Native Americans were to remain. The line marked “Where the West Begins,” hence Fort Worth’s trademark slogan.
That line was drawn to show where the west begins, but not where the east ended. An eastern pioneer practice, building log cabin shelters, had spread throughout West Texas with the migration of German immigrants. The pioneer staple, built by laying logs horizontally and interlocking them on the ends with notches, was quick and easy but made a lasting impression on Texas culture and history.
Log Cabin Village, south of I-30 near Texas Christian University, is a project of the Pioneer Texas Heritage Committee and members of the Tarrant County Historical Society. These groups realized log structures were vanishing at an alarming rate, so they began identifying and moving them to the site in the 1950s and ’60s. Six log cabins selected from the North Texas region were restored in the beginning, and Log Cabin Village was donated to the City of Fort Worth in 1966. Five more structures including a smokehouse, blacksmith shop and a gristmill have been added since.
Interpretation of the historic structures and lifestyle of the pioneers who lived and settled the area in the mid to late 1800s is provided by volunteers and city staff. Log Cabin Village also manages the Van Zandt Cottage, a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark and listed site on the National Register of Historic Places.
Log Cabin Village, Fort Worth
