Rosewood Recreation Center in Austin, Texas, was originally the home of the Bertram family. The Bertram family ran a grocery store that is today the Clay Pit Restaurant. At that time the location of what is now the clay pit was far north and a neighborhood unto itself that was predominantly German. Another building that still remains in what was once called Germantown is the Scottish Rite Theater which was built by the German population as an Opera House. This is the Bertram family that also the town of Bertram, Texas is named for. They owned the land That is today Granite Mountain. They allowed the state of Texas to mine granite from the Granite Mountain to build the Texas capital And they let the train tracks run through their property as a donation to the state.
In nineteen twenty eight mayor Woolridge, the person who Woolridge Park is named after, decided to consolidate all of the African American population in Austin into one location, which was E Austin. Supporting that effort Emmie Huppertz Donated her ancestral home that was built in 1875 by Charles Bertram to the city of Austin. It would become a Recreation Center for African Americans who had been moved to that part of East Austin. Hey, Cortana.
This meant the end of many of the Friedmans colonies that were scattered in and around Austin, including Kincheonville, Wheatsville, Clarksville and the Red River Community to name a few.
”There has been considerable talk in Austin, as well as other cities, in regard to the race segregation problem. This problem cannot be solved legally under any zoning law known to us at present. Practically all attempts of such have been proven unconstitutional.
In our studies in Austin we have found that the Negroes are present in small numbers, in practically all sections of the city, excepting the area just east of East Avenue and south of the City Cemetery. This area seems to be all Negro population. It is our recommendation that the nearest approach to the solution of the race segregation problem will be the recommendation of this district as a Negro district.
This will eliminate the necessity of duplication of white and black schools, white and black parks, and other duplicate facilities.”
This is from Pease Park News click the link to read more.
In 1870, the population of Austin was 36.5% Black, with people living in at least 15 identified freedmen’s communities across the city. These included Wheatville (near 24th Street and Rio Grande), Pleasant Hill and Mason Town (both east of Waller Creek between East 3rd and East 11th Streets), Robertson Hill (near the French Legation and east of Pleasant Hill), Gregory Town (East 7th Street to Rosewood between Chicon and Comal Streets), Southside (between South 1st and South 5th Streets from Monroe to Oltorf Streets), the Barton Springs area (between Goodrich and Kinney Avenue south to near Oltorf Street), and Kincheonville (southwest near Brodie and Davis Lanes).
Enforcement of the City Plan included termination of city utilities in order to force Black residents to leave neighborhoods like Clarksville, and move east. The Plan also codified the segregation of Pease Park as “Whites Only”, with the city creating Rosewood Park in 1929 as the “Blacks Only” park.
Learn more about Freedman’s Colonies
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