Frank Bell, Jr.

Duane's take

The marker in front of us tells this one — and it's a story worth telling right. Frank Bell, Jr. was born in 1893, the son of Flavery and Frank Bell, Sr., early settlers of La Marque. He came up with little in the way of formal education, and yet — and here's where the story gets interesting — that didn't slow him down one bit.

He served in the U.S. Army during World War I, and later was stationed right here in this area. When he retired from the army, he stepped into the oil industry over in Texas City.

A man always moving toward the next thing. Then came 1938. Bell made a purchase of land in La Marque — a real estate move that would set the tone for the rest of his life.

He and his partner Will Mentor took that land and subdivided it into residential lots. That was the beginning. Through the 1940s, as a partner in the B A and P Realty Company, Bell helped develop a number of residential subdivisions serving La Marque's African American communities.

Now, what made Frank Bell stand apart wasn't just the deals — it was how he made them. He earned a reputation for fairness. As the owner of a neighborhood store and a gas station, he was present, known, trusted.

A behind-the-scenes force in local affairs, they called him. He served on Galveston County's Negro Chamber of Commerce, and folks around La Marque had another name for him too — the unofficial African American mayor of La Marque. Unofficial.

That word does a lot of work. It means the title was earned not by election, but by deeds. By showing up.

By being the man people turned to. And perhaps nothing speaks to that more than his role in the creation of Carver Park and in obtaining the funds needed to strengthen the religious, educational, and recreational opportunities for La Marque's African American community. Frank Bell, Jr. died in 1963.

He built subdivisions, but what he really built was possibility — lot by lot, deal by deal, park by park. Not bad for a man the world gave little formal education to. Not bad at all.

What the marker says

(1893-1963) was the son of early La Marque settlers Flavery and Frank Bell, Sr. Although he received little formal education, he was able to achieve business success and became a respected civic leader in La Marque's African American community. Bell served in the U. S. Army during World War I and later was stationed in this area. He retired from the army and began working in the oil industry in Texas City. In 1938 he began a real estate career with the purchase of land in La Marque which he and partner Will Mentor subdivided into residential lots. As a partner in the B A & P Realty Company Bell helped develop a number of residential subdivisions in La Marque's African American communities in the 1940s. Bell gained a reputation for fairness in his real estate dealings and as owner of a neighborhood store and gas station. A behind-the-scenes force in local affairs, he served on Galveston County's Negro Chamber of Commerce and was often referred to as La Marque's unofficial African American mayor. Bell played a vital role in the creation of Carver Park and in obtaining needed funds to enhance the religious, educational, and recreational opportunities for the city's African American community. Sesquicentennial of texas Statehood 1845 - 1995