Rev. Arthur McCullough’s house circa 1911 (Houston Area Digital Archives)
Corporation Limits of Independence Heights (Houston Area Digital Archives)
George O. Burgess, First Mayor of Independence Heights (Houston Area Digital Archives)
New Hope Baptist Church (Houston Area Digital Archives)
Independence Heights School Class (Houston Area Digital Archives)
Ms. Sally Willies, Mr. Horton and Mrs. Susie Booker standing outside together (Houston Area Digital Archives)
Middle-class African American families moved into this area and established the neighborhood around 1908. Independence Heights was an important center for African American businesses, including retail stores, restaurants, building contractors, lumberyards and a blacksmith shop. Residents also formed a number of fraternal organizations and churches in the community.
By 1915, the community had grown to more than 400, and the residents incorporated Independence Heights as a city, electing George O. Burgess as the first mayor. The city invested substantially in improvements, including shell paving for streets, plank sidewalks, and a municipal water system. In 1929, the growing city of Houston annexed Independence Heights.
Independence Heights Neighborhood
- Bounded by North Yale Street, East 24th Street and Loop 610, Houston, TX
- National Register of Historic Places
