Magnolia Park

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Magnolia Park. Now, every good story starts somewhere, and this one starts with a man named John Thomas Brady and a whole lot of magnolia trees. Back in 1890, Brady developed what the marker calls a sprawling excursion park — the kind of place you'd ride out to on a weekend and feel like you'd left the city behind.

He planted magnolias across the area, and the place took on the name those trees gave it: Magnolia Park. But excursion parks don't last forever. Come 1909, the Magnolia Park Land Company had other ideas.

They redeveloped the grounds into residential subdivisions — Magnolia Park itself in 1909, and then Central Park following in 1912. And then, in 1913, those two subdivisions were incorporated together as the City of Magnolia Park. Two square miles, sitting right where the waters meet — Buffalo Bayou and the Ship Channel forming the northern and eastern borders, Brays Bayou marking the south, and rail lines closing it off to the west.

Hemmed in on all sides, and proud of it. The city held its independent status for a little over a decade before the City of Houston annexed it in 1926. That's the kind of thing that happens to prosperous neighbors of a growing city, and Magnolia Park was nothing if not prosperous.

Now here's where the story takes a turn that's worth sitting with. The founders of Magnolia Park were of European descent — but persons of Mexican descent have dominated most of its history. And the marker is plain about why that population grew so dramatically: Mexican citizens left their country to escape the turmoil of the Mexican Revolution of the 1910s.

That's not a footnote. That's the shaping force of an entire community. The roots they put down ran deep and fast.

Two Roman Catholic churches rose to serve the Hispanic residents — Immaculate Conception in 1911, and Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1925 — and they've been serving the community for over eighty years. The area's oldest public schools — Franklin Elementary, De Závala Elementary, and Edison Junior High — all predate 1926. Think about that: the schoolhouses were standing before Houston ever formally claimed the city.

After annexation, the community kept building. Hidalgo Park opened in 1927. Magnolia Park Post 472 of the American Legion was chartered in 1928.

De Zavala Park came in 1945. And then in 1934, something happened here that echoed far beyond these two square miles: Council 60 of the League of United Latin American Citizens — LULAC — was formed right here in Magnolia Park. Houston's first LULAC council.

That's not a small thing to put on a neighborhood's résumé. From a weekend excursion park planted with magnolias, to an independent city, to one of Houston's first and most enduring Mexican American communities — Magnolia Park didn't just grow. It became something.

And according to the marker, it's still becoming it today.

What the marker says

Originally developed as a sprawling excursion park by John Thomas Brady in 1890, Magnolia Park earned its name from its abundance of magnolia trees planted in the area. Starting in 1909, the Magnolia Park Land Company redeveloped the park into two residential subdivisions, Magnolia Park (1909) and Central Park (1912), which were incorporated together in 1913 as the City of Magnolia Park. Covering two square miles, the city was bordered on the north and east by Buffalo Bayou and the Ship Channel, on the south by Brays Bayou and on the west by rail lines. Eventually, the City of Magnolia Park was annexed by the City of Houston in 1926. While the founders of Magnolia Park were of European descent, persons of Mexican descent have dominated most of its history, making it one of Houston's first Mexican American communities. The area experienced dramatic growth in its Mexican American population as Mexican citizens left their country to escape the turmoil of the Mexican Revolution of the 1910s. Magnolia Park's two Roman Catholic Churches, Immaculate Conception (1911) and Immaculate Heart of Mary (1925) have served its Hispanic residents for over 80 years. The area's oldest public schools - Franklin Elementary, De Závala Elementary and Edison Junior High - all predate 1926. Major community parks include Hidalgo Park (1927) and De Zavala Park (1945). Magnolia Park Post 472 of the American Legion was chartered in 1928 and continues to serve the community. Council 60 of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) - Houston's first - was formed here in 1934. Today, Magnolia Park continues as a thriving Hispanic community in Houston. (2009)