Northside History Project Report Prepared for: TxDOT Corpus Christi District US 181 Harbor Bridge Project Nueces County, Texas Senior Historian: C. Lynn Smith, HNTB Corporation 2017 This page intentionally left blank. Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................................1 Oral History Interviewees .............................................................................................................................2 Disclaimer .................................................................................................................................................3 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................5 Methodology .................................................................................................................................................7 Public Outreach .....................................................................................................................................7 Oral History Interviews ....................................................................................................................... 10 Archival Research ............................................................................................................................... 10 Overview of Northside Neighborhood History .......................................................................................... 11 Themes of Northside ................................................................................................................................. 22 Education ............................................................................................................................................... 22 Solomon M. Coles School ................................................................................................................... 23 Roy Miller High School (formerly Corpus Christi High School c. 1890–1949) .................................... 27 North Side Junior High School (Formerly Corpus Christi High School from 1912–1929) ................... 29 Cheston Heath Elementary School ..................................................................................................... 30 Holy Cross Catholic School ................................................................................................................. 31 Incarnate Word Academy ................................................................................................................... 33 Charles W. Crossley Elementary School ............................................................................................. 34 Robert Driscoll Junior High School ..................................................................................................... 36 Mary McLeod Bethune Day Nursery .................................................................................................. 36 Booker T. Washington Elementary School ......................................................................................... 38 Professionals and Leaders ................................................................................................................... 40 Business Leaders .............................................................................................................................. 40 Community Leaders .......................................................................................................................... 43 Dentists .............................................................................................................................................. 45 Physicians .......................................................................................................................................... 45 Educators ........................................................................................................................................... 46 Ministers/Religious Leaders ............................................................................................................. 47 Musicians and Club Owners ............................................................................................................. 49 Business ................................................................................................................................................. 51 Northside History Project Report f o r US 181 Harbor Bridge i | P a g e Suggestions for Using Figure 24 to Find Specific Businesses .............................................................. 52 Faith ....................................................................................................................................................... 64 First Congregational Church (Northside Dates: 1866–1962) ........................................................ 64 St. Matthew Missionary Baptist Church (Northside Dates: 1874–Present) .................................. 65 St. John Baptist Church (Northside Dates: 1875–1961) ............................................................... 66 St. Paul United Methodist Church (Northside Dates: 1884–Present) ........................................... 67 Holy Cross Catholic Church (Northside Dates: 1914–Present) ...................................................... 71 Brooks Chapel A.M.E. Church (now Brooks A.M.E. Worship Center) (Northside Dates: 1928–Present) .................................................................................................................................. 72 Athletics ................................................................................................................................................. 73 Cemeteries and Parks ........................................................................................................................... 78 Old Bayview and New Bayview Cemeteries ....................................................................................... 78 Parks ................................................................................................................................................... 82 Music ...................................................................................................................................................... 85 Strong Sense of Community ................................................................................................................. 91 Catalysts of Neighborhood Change .......................................................................................................... 92 Northside in the Early Days .................................................................................................................. 92 Arrival of Railroads and Establishment of La Colonia Mexicana ....................................................... 93 Development of Hillcrest ....................................................................................................................... 98 Construction of the Port of Corpus Christi ......................................................................................... 100 Development of the Oil and Gas Industry in Corpus Christi ............................................................. 106 World War II and Subsequent Housing Development ....................................................................... 108 Public Housing and Other Subsidized Housing ................................................................................. 108 Ethnic Population Shifts ...................................................................................................................... 116 Desegregation and the Civil Rights Movement ................................................................................. 121 Construction of the Harbor Bridge and I-37 ...................................................................................... 122 Merger of the African American and Anglo International Longshoremen Association (ILA) Local Unions ........................................................................................................................................ 127 Efforts to Revitalize Northside (1964–Present) ................................................................................ 131 HIALCO.............................................................................................................................................. 131 Leathers Community Center ........................................................................................................... 133 North Side Business Association .................................................................................................... 133 P a g e | ii C. Lynn Smith, HNTB Corporation Hands for Hillcrest ........................................................................................................................... 135 Relocation of North Side Manor Apartment Residents ................................................................. 135 Summary .................................................................................................................................................. 136 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................................. 137 List of Tables Table 1: Northside Timeline ......................................................................................................................