Long before the Katy Mills Mall bustled with customers, the Katy rice mills watched over the area. Earlier still, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) railroad traversed the fertile prairie near Cane Island Creek.
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From “Tom Brown” to Mykawa Road
In 2012, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University declared Houston to be the most diverse city in the nation, replacing Los Angeles and New York at the top of the list. Of the nearly 2.1 million people in the city, fewer than 130,000 were Asians according to the 2010 Census, with Japanese […]
Korean Americans in Houston
What do an oilman, a schoolteacher, a lawyer, a community advocate, and an energy guru have in common? They are among the 11,813 Korean Americans living in Harris County, although community leaders believe the number is twice as large.
Vietnamese and Chinese American Cultures
By Jessica Chew For many Vietnamese during the Vietnam War, an international refuge meant hope for survival. Other Asian ethnicities, including the Chinese, looked to the United States with optimism for a better future. Several Vietnamese and Chinese immigrants found their new home in Houston, raising first-generation, American-born children while trying to preserve a piece of their old society. Vietnam War refugees faced […]
Fragas: A Hundred Years in the East End
The decedents of Felix A. Fraga and Angela Zamarron became business owners, judges, and elected officials, all well known in the East End and the larger Houston area. Growing up, I had heard bits and pieces of our family’s history, but some of the stories seemed to be hearsay. It became my mission to paint […]
Houston’s New 8th Wonder
A battle rages today about tearing down the “8th Wonder of the World,” a nickname coined by Judge Roy Hofheinz for the Astrodome during its construction in the 1960s. But now another 8th Wonder stands in Old Chinatown east of downtown Houston in today’s EaDo (East Downtown) district.
Houston Brings Home a Shuttle for Everyone to Share
Space Center Houston plans to open the exhibit in the summer of 2015 that will feature the mock-up shuttle Independence sitting atop the Boeing 747, in the “ferry position.” Visitors here will have a far more tangible, hands-on educational experience than those who visit sites housing the formerly active shuttles. They can explore the insides […]
Donald Barthelme and the Adams Petroleum Center
One of Houston’s most important literary figures was the late writer and novelist Donald Barthelme (1931–1989). But for many years Barthelme labored in the shadow of his better-known father, Donald Barthelme, Sr. (1907–1996), a nationally prominent architect.
Dredged to Excellence, 100 Years on the Houston Ship Channel
Houston History celebrates the Houston Ship Channel’s centennial. The Fall 2014 issue explores the deep-water channel from its initial concept in the 1830s to one of the world’s largest ports today. The magazine also pays tribute to the men and women who make the Port of Houston a success, like lineman Bobby Kersey, shown on […]
Deep Water Houston: From the Laura to the Deep Water Jubilee
The Allen brothers’ mission to create a city where none had been before was fueled by the same philosophy that led to Houston’s long-term success: dream big, and do everything possible to realize your dreams. The realization of Houston and the Houston Ship Channel is a tale of promotion, ingenuity, and decades of dedicated effort […]