DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Tenth Street Historic District Freedman's Town in Oak Cliff, Dallas County. Now, before Oak Cliff was Oak Cliff in any real sense, before the streets had names or the neighborhood had a story to tell, there were people here working the land. The first African Americans to live in Oak Cliff were slaves, brought here by settlers such as William H.
Hord in 1845. That is where this story begins — not with freedom, but with the absence of it. It was not until after the Civil War that Freedman's Town began to grow and thrive.
Records differ on exactly when and how quickly African Americans settled in, but by 1900, Oak Cliff counted more than five hundred African American residents — nearly a sixth of the town's entire population. That is not a footnote. That is a community.
Segregation, though — and here is the cruel arithmetic of that era — segregation forced the development of a separate commercial district. The white community of Oak Cliff would not share its commerce, so the Tenth Street District built its own. And out of that necessity grew something remarkable.
The community thrived. It produced famous entertainers, people whose names traveled far beyond Oak Cliff. The noted blues artist T-Bone Walker came out of this place.
So did Rafer Johnson, who stood on the podium at the 1960 Olympics with a gold medal in the decathlon. The physical bones of this neighborhood go back a long way. Residential buildings date to as early as 1910, and a good number of them are relatively unchanged — which, in a city that loves a wrecking ball, is saying something.
Oak Cliff Cemetery was established in 1846 by settler William Beaty, and it sits right in the heart of the district. Nearby stands the N. W.
Harllee School, built in 1928. The 1886 Greater El Bethel Baptist Church still stands. The 1889 Sunshine Elizabeth Chapel CME stood until it was demolished in 1999.
And then came the forces that neighborhoods like this one have always had to reckon with. The construction of IH-35 east in 1955 carved through the area. Integration in the 1960s, whatever its broader importance, meant that residents who had built something here began seeking opportunities elsewhere.
Around 175 original structures were demolished. The combination left its mark. But here is what the marker wants you to know, and it is worth sitting with: what remained, remained largely intact.
The Tenth Street Area is considered one of the more well-preserved African American communities of this time period in the entire Dallas Metropolitan Area. In 1994, Oak Cliff's Tenth Street Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, recognized for its cultural significance and its architectural value. Started in bondage in 1845.
Listed in the National Register by 1994. That is a story that deserves to be told out loud.
What the marker says
The first African Americans to live in Oak Cliff were slaves, brought here by settlers such as William H. Hord in 1845 to work the land. The neighborhood that grew here became known as the Tenth Street District, an important African American enclave within the historically white community of Oak Cliff. It was not until after the Civil War that the Freedman's Town began to grow and thrive. Records differ as to when and how quickly African Americans settled here, but by 1900, Oak Cliff contained more than 500 African American residents, almost a sixth of the town's population. Segregation forced the development of a separate commercial district. The community thrived, and even gave rise to famous entertainers like the noted blues artist, T-Bone Walker, and 1960 Olympic gold medal decathlete Rafer Johnson. Though the community continued to maintain a strong African American heritage, the construction of IH-35 east in 1955 and integration in the 1960s resulted in the demolition of around 175 original structures and influenced residents to seek opportunities elsewhere. Residential buildings date to as early as 1910 and are relatively unchanged. Oak Cliff Cemetery, established in 1846 by settler William Beaty, is within the heart of the district near the 1928 N. W. Harllee School. Other significant buildings include the 1889 Sunshine Elizabeth Chapel CME (demolished 1999) and the 1886 Greater El Bethel Baptist Church. The degree to which these historic buildings remain standing and in good repair marks the Tenth Street Area as one of the more well-preserved African American communities of this time period remaining in the Dallas Metropolitan Area. Oak Cliff's Tenth Street Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 in recognition of its cultural significance and architectural value. (2015)