Dead Assets: Endangered Cemeteries, Sacred Spaces of African America

By Andrea Roberts* I spoke yesterday with Jeremy Nelloms, descendant of Nancy Bradshaw. Nancy Bradshaw was a former slave who attained an impressive 300 acres of land after emancipation located in today’s northeast Houston, Texas.  The land is located a few blocks off I-10 East. Her family still owns the land, and the historic African

Black Places That Matter: Historic and Architectural Resources of Prairie View A&M University, Waller County, Texas

I will be posting National Register of Historic Places Property Nominations from now through Black History Month (trying to get a full month in). These nominations are detailed descriptions of places of national, state, and cultural significance. Why does the National Register Matter? The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the

Black Places That Matter: Rosenwald School Building Program in Texas, 1920-1932

I will be posting National Register of Historic Places Property Nominations from now through Black History Month (trying to get a full month in). These nominations are detailed descriptions of places of national, state, and cultural significance. The nomination below was composed by Karen Riles, formerly of the Austin History Center. Why does the National

What’s this?

What’s this? Looks like a napkin doodle, right. Well its actually the community design sketch from last year’s workshop. The UT Project Team is working on turning this and a year and a half of feedback from Fifth Street stakeholders into a neighborhood plan. More to come…

Andrea’s Throw Back Thursday: My Family & Houston’s Long Forgotten All-Black Rodeo Arena

I grew up going to rodeos. Yes, this little black girl went to rodeos. They were all-Black  and held in Richmond and Rosenberg. Sometimes they had a little chittlin’ circuit show associated with them, but mostly, it was just lots of Black cowboys and cowgirls doing their thing. Apparently, the lowest and highest caliber of

Section 106, Integrity, & Eligiblity Determination for African American Historic Properties

This is an attempt to protect an African American cemetery and house in Charlottesville, VA threatened by a proposed transportation project. It is an example of a recent National Register determination of eligibility for a site that originally had its integrity challenged. The National Register traditionally recognizes a property’s integrity through seven aspects or qualities: location,