TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION AFRICAN AMERICANS IN TEXAS: A Lasting Legacy A GUIDE FOR HERITAGE TRAVELERS www.africanamericansintexas.com 1 Front cover: Stained-glass window by Jean Lacy, Trinity United Methodist Church, Houston (see page 49); Back cover: Isadore Yett, longtime member of Mt. Horeb Baptist Church, Blanco (see page 36). 2 AFRICAN AMERICANS IN TEXAS: A Lasting Legacy www.africanamericansintexas.com 3 REAL STORIES FOR THE ROAD Explore the vast richness of freedmen’s communities, Rosenwald schools, family cemeteries, civil rights archives, historic neighborhoods and stops along the “Chitlin’ Circuit” with this travel guide’s mobile companion. The “African Americans in Texas” mobile tour features audio, video, additional historic images and optional nearby points of interest based on your location. It's one of several thematic tours in our Texas Time Travel Tours mobile app, which is available at www.texastimetravel.com. TexasTimeTravel.com is your statewide resource for exploring Texas’ historic and cultural treasures. Use our Plan Your Adventure tool, travel themes, events calendar, maps and travel guides to find and learn about historic, cultural and natural attractions across the 10 heritage trail regions of the Texas Historical Commission’s Texas Heritage Trails Program. The "African Americans in Texas" mobile tour is available at www.texastimetravel.com. All photos are by Randy Mallory or Texas Historical Commission staff unless otherwise credited. © 2016 Texas Historical Commission 09/16—200K 4 TABLETABLE OF OF CONTENTS CONTENTS 5 I INTRODUCTION Journey through African American Culture and Heritage in Texas 10 I TIMELINE 14 I ABOUT THIS GUIDE Texas Heritage Trails Program and Map 16 I TEXAS BRAZOS TRAIL REGION 18 I Spotlight: Education 20 I Spotlight: Bessie Coleman 21 I TEXAS FOREST TRAIL REGION 24 I Spotlight: Freedmen’s Communities 25 I TEXAS FORTS TRAIL REGION 28 I Spotlight: The Buffalo Soldiers 30 I TEXAS HILL COUNTRY TRAIL REGION 39 I Spotlight: Agriculture 40 I TEXAS INDEPENDENCE TRAIL REGION 44 I Spotlight: Barbara Jordan 51 I Spotlight: Baseball 56 I Spotlight: Texas Jazz and Blues 57 I TEXAS LAKES TRAIL REGION 64 I TEXAS MOUNTAIN TRAIL REGION 67 I TEXAS PECOS TRAIL REGION 70 I TEXAS PLAINS TRAIL REGION 71 I Spotlight: Ranching 72 I TEXAS TROPICAL TRAIL REGION The cities and sites in this guide are organized by the 10 Texas Heritage Trail Regions. Learn more and download or order other travel guides at www.texastimetravel.com. www.africanamericansintexas.com 3 44 www.thc.texas.govwww.thc.texas.gov Journey through African American culture and heritage in Texas — an experience that includes hardships and triumphs, valor and determination, influence and change. Beginning in 1528 with Estevanico (Estevan), a Spanish slave who was the first documented African-born person to traverse Texas, people of African descent have greatly influenced our state’s development through numerous political, economic and ideological contributions. By the mid-1700s, Spanish settlement in what This travel guide would become the state of attempts to capture Texas included permanent the essence of this communities, a number of important story and missions and, less commonly, enrich lives through presidios (fortifications an exploration into providing protection for nearby African American missions). African heritage history in Texas. during the early part of the Spanish period was In 1821, under Mexican represented by biracial people rule, free individuals of African (typically of European and descent were more readily African descent), some of accepted and many prospered. whom were free, along with Mexico outlawed slavery in a relatively smaller number 1829, but exempted Texas of imported slaves. to encourage economic After 1803, when the U.S. development. By 1830, acquired Louisiana, some Mexican President Anastacio slaves fled across the border to Bustamante halted the Spanish Texas seeking freedom importation of slaves by and opportunity. These former Anglo settlers; however, slaves settled predominately in many settlers bypassed this East Texas and made the best decree by making their slaves living available to them, despite indentured servants for life. racial adversity. Background: A wall panel shows William B. Travis and his slave, Joe, running during the battle with Mexican forces, the Alamo, San Antonio (see page 52). www.africanamericansintexas.comwww.africanamericansintexas.com 5 Buffalo Soldier reenactors engaged in a firing exhibit for a school group, Fort Concho, San Angelo (see page 27). Although free individuals The status of African Americans of African heritage received deteriorated sharply during the liberties under Mexican law, many nine years of the Republic, when fought with the Texians (the their lives were defined by slave term used to describe residents codes and a constitution that of Texas before annexation) did not grant them full rights as against Mexico during the Texas citizens—a situation that did not Revolution. Many historians change drastically when Texas believe these free persons of joined the Union in 1845. African descent joined the cause In 1861, Texas joined the to protect their status among the Confederacy and slavery Anglo settlers. Amid the growing continued as a backbone of the number of slaves held by the state’s war economy. Many Texians, some resisted captivity African Americans served on in passive ways, such as retaining the battlefield and helped build aspects of former African cultures. forts. Union soldiers of the Others escaped to freedom. 62nd U.S. Colored Infantry fought Samuel McCullough, Jr., a free Confederate soldiers near individual of African heritage, was Brownsville in May 1865 among the first Texians wounded at the Battle of Palmito Ranch— in the conflict during the seizure one month after the surrender of Goliad in 1835. People of of Robert E. Lee’s army at African descent also fought at Appomattox. Freedom from San Jacinto, helping Texas earn slavery came with Lincoln’s its freedom from Mexico in 1836. Emancipation Proclamation in 6 www.thc.texas.gov ratify the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which provided equal protection under the law for all citizens. The state legislature and several cities limited the civil rights and economic options of newly freed men and women by adopting restrictions known as the Black Codes that included the prohibition of office-holding, jury service and racial intermarriage. Several organizations, including the federal Freedmen’s Bureau and many religious organizations, Texas has many Buffalo attempted to provide education, Soldier-related sites. Look agricultural training and other for the Buffalo Soldier symbol in the assistance, but were met with site descriptions to follow the Buffalo much resistance from white Soldier trail of history through Texas. Texans. Racist, vigilante groups like the Ku Klux Klan were very active during this period. Federal intervention, including the imposition of military rule in 1867, eliminated the Black Codes and ushered in an era of substantial contributions by African Americans. Texas was With emancipation, officially readmitted to the U.S. freed slaves established in March 1870, one of the last of settlements throughout the former Confederate states to the state, as freedmen reenter the Union. At the 1868–69 and their families sought state constitutional convention, to start new lives. where 10 African Americans served as delegates, the adopted 1863, but African Americans in constitution (later replaced Texas were not made aware of by the current 1876 constitution) their freedom until June 19, protected civil rights, established 1865—now commemorated as the state’s first public education Juneteenth. Immediately, freed system and extended voting slaves established settlements rights to all men. Photographs throughout the state, as the of most of the 52 African freedmen and their families Americans who served in sought to start new lives. the Texas Senate, House The Reconstruction Era of Representatives and two (1865–1874) following the Civil constitutional conventions War was particularly challenging between 1868 and 1900 can for African Americans in Texas. An be seen in the south lobby of all-white constitutional convention the Texas Capitol. in 1866 denied suffrage even for literate African Americans, and the state legislature refused to www.africanamericansintexas.com 7 Meanwhile, both before for bravery “above and beyond and after the Civil War, the U.S. the call of duty.” government constructed a series Churches have played a of fortifications to protect settlers significant role in Texas’ African in the West from American American culture, with many Indians and others who resisted serving as anchors for the their advance. Many of these neighborhoods that developed frontier forts were protected by around them. These churches African Americans known as were often forces for positive Buffalo Soldiers, a name given change by adopting and by American Indians because persistently advocating social of the similarity of the curly hair causes. This was evident in of both the buffalo and African the struggle for education as American troopers. Some of these churches established some of far-flung and isolated posts were the first schools and colleges also home to the Black Seminole for African Americans in Texas. Scouts, descendants of early Colleges, such as Wiley College African Americans who joined in Marshall, were established by Seminole Indian tribes in Florida churches to advance