St. James A.M.E. Church

Founding

In 1875, a group of twenty-seven black families left the Dallas area seeking new opportunities outside of life on the plantation. They settled in Denton and called their new community Freedman Town. In the same year, members of the community formed a congregation for religious worship that would become St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The original charter members of the church were Jim Crawford, Dicy Crawford, Jerry Crawford, Ford Crawford, Jim Hall, Phyllis Hall, Giles Lawson, Ester Lawson, Arthur Cochram, Harriet Cochram, L.T. Lambert, Sallie Lambert, Henry Maddox, Charlotte Maddox, Jim Holt, Mattie Hold, Emly Russell, and C.R. Hembry. In the earliest years of the organization’s existence the congregation met in each others’ private homes. For the first year, Rev. L.T. Lambert lead the congregation as the St. James A.M.E. Church’s only minister at the time. In the following year, 1876, Rev. J.V.B. Goins became the new church’s pastor.

Building a Community

By 1880, most black residents now resided in a community called Quakertown. With the community becoming more established, the need for a church building was clear. In 1882, documents were submitted to reserve land to build a church building. Henry and Charlotte Maddox helped organize a group to plan and build the church. They collected the wood for church building themselves. The St. James A.M.E. Church became the first church in Quakertown.

In the early 1890s, the church was moved to Oakland Ave and the congregation’s leadership was transferred to Rev. D. Hill. In addition to the church being moved, a second smaller building was also erected. In 1899, Rev. J.S. Powe took leadership of the St. James A.M.E. Church. In this same year the church was rebuilt. A decade later in 1909, another building was built under Rev. A.J. Cooper.

In 1913, The only all-black school in Denton, the Frederick Douglass School, burned down. With no where else to go, classes were held in the basement of the St. James A.M.E. Church until the new school was built in the southeast side of Denton. In addition to temporarily housing the school, the church was involved in hosting various events and conferences. They hosted concerts and workshops and talks from prominent academic figures. In 1921, the church hosted the 15th Annual Session of the Texas Negro Business League. Black business men from all over the state attended the event to learn how to succeed in business, how to obtain their civil rights on a federal level, the importance of solidarity, the importance of fire insurance, and other important talks.

Clipping from the Denton Record-Chronicle

Displacement

In 1921, the City of Denton began purchasing lots from Quakertown residents with the intention of removing the community and building a park. The church’s plot of land was purchased by the city in 1922. Many Quakertown residents, like the Hill family, were able to move their houses to Solomon Hill. However, this wasn’t possible for the St. James A.M.E. Church. The building was wrecked and a new building was constructed on the corner of Oak and Crawford Streets. This location continues to serve as the church’s home.

Change and Growth for St. James A.M.E.

Through the 20th century, the church went through continued changes in leadership and updates to the church. Due to the age of the building, in 1962 the lot was cleared to construct a newer brick building. The church continued to modernize and was occasionally the Denton Christian Women’s Interracial Fellowship used the building for their meetings. The St. James A.M.E. Church welcomed its first female pastor, Rev. Robbie L. Slaughter in 1980. In 1985, during Rev. Slaughter’s time leading the church, they received a state historical marker on their 110th anniversary.

In 2021, it was discovered that the roof was sagging. Upon closer inspection they found out that the rafters were broken as well as the trusses, resulting in the roof needing to be replaced. The church was able to obtain a loan for $50,000 to help with repairs. A crowdsourcing campaign was set up to help them pay off the loan.

The St. James A.M.E. Church photo by Jeff Woo

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Sources Used:

1882 Land Documents for the A.M.E. Church. Document Copy, Denton, TX, 1882. Donated to the Denton County Office of History and Culture by Michele Glaze.

Breeding, Lucinda. “Sharing the Load: Partners Join Forces to Save Denton’s Oldest Black Church.” Denton Record-Chronicle. April 30, 2021. Found Here.

“The Frederick Douglass School.” Denton County Office of History and

“Interracial Meet Here Tuesday.” Denton Record-Chronicle 42, No. 138 (Denton, TX), January 22, 1945. p. 3. Found on the Portal to Texas History.

“Make the Business League a Success.” The Dallas Express 28, No. 39 (Dallas, TX), July 2, 1921. p. 4. Found on the Portal to Texas History.

McAdams, Willie Frances. “Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church.” Research paper, Denton, TX, 1983. Found Here .

Moten, Edwin D. Letter to L.T. Lambert. Letter, Indianapolis, IN, 1943. Donated to the Denton County Office of History and Culture by the Historic Park Foundation of Denton County. It can also be found on the Portal to Texas History.

“Negro Educator Here.” Denton Record-Chronicle 16, No. 169 (Denton, TX), February 28, 1916. p. 6. Found on the Portal to Texas History.

“Negroes to Sing Folk Songs Here.” Denton Record-Chronicle 28, No. 51 (Denton, TX,) October 12, 1928. p. 6. Found on the Portal to Texas History.

“Prof. Kelly Miller, A.M.LL.D. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Howard University, Washington, D.C., Will Lecture.” Denton Record-Chronicle 19, No. 272 (Denton, TX), June 26, 1919. p. 5. Found on the Portal to Texas History.

“St. James A.M.E. Church: 125th Church Anniversary.” Pamphlet, Denton, TX, 1996. Donated to the Denton County Office of History and Culture by Kemp Caraway.

“State Business League Will Open Monday at St. James.” The Dallas Express 28, No. 39 (Dallas, TX), July 2, 1921. p.3. Found on the Portal to Texas History.

Woo, Jeff. Photo of the St. James A.M.E. Church. April 30, 2021. Found Here.

The Frederick Douglass School

From the late 1870’s to 1922, Quakertown was a lively African American community in Denton, TX, located only a short distance from the downtown square. This neighborhood was home to many businesses, restaurants, churches, and a school. The Frederick Douglass School and the access to educational opportunities for African American children played an important role in the establishment of the Quakertown community.

The Quakertown School

On August 20, 1876, the Denton Colored School was established and a school board was selected. Two years later, the County Judge officially recognized the school and issued funds to pay for the maintenance of the school building. Construction on the school building finished in 1878 and it stood on the corner of Terry and Holt streets. The school was one of the oldest buildings in the Quakertown community and played a major role in helping the community grow.

At the peak of the school’s activity in 1895, there were 168 students in attendance. During the same year, the school was renamed the Frederick Douglass School, after the abolitionist. In an oral history with Estella Garrett, she recounts how students were not broken up by grade, but by age group. Another element of the Frederick Douglass School that Garrett recounts is how all of the books and other furnishings were well-used.

One of the early principals for the school was Henry C. Bell. In addition to this role as principal, he was also the Grand Master of Quakertown’s Colored Oddfellows Lodge #9536. While on business for the Odd Fellows in Galveston, Henry Bell was approached by a young nurse who asked if he would help her young son, Marcellus. Marcellus’ father had died during the 1900 hurricane. Henry agreed to take Marcellus back to Denton to provide him with a proper education. Bell was an influential voice in his community and a well educated man who contributed to the school’s growth in its early years. Bell died on April 3, 1913.

Article from the September 8, 1913 edition of the Record and Chronicle

In early September of 1913, the school building burned down the night before classes were to start. The cause of the fire was never revealed. There are theories that the arsonists were white supremacists trying to send a message to the Quakertown community.

Relocating the Frederick Douglass School

After the Frederick Douglass School burned down, lessons were temporarily held in the basement of the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church. During this period of displacement, Fred Moore took the position of the school’s principal. In 1916, a new school building was rebuilt a mile away from its original location in the southeast part of Denton.

At the time of the relocation of the Fred Douglass School, city leaders were beginning to discuss their desire to create a city park and the possibility of relocating of the entire Quakertown community to make it happen. After the passage of a city bond election in April of 1921, city leaders moved ahead with the park plan and displaced the residents of Quakertown. Many of the residents decided to move closer to the school’s new location, and others chose to leave Denton.

Frederick Douglass School Panoramic

A New Age

In 1948, the Frederick Douglass school was renamed in honor of the former principal, Fred Moore.

The Fred Moore School served the black students of Denton and the surrounding areas until the school board voted to begin integration of Denton ISD schools in 1963. Once black students had been completely integrated into the other formerly all-white schools in 1967, the city of Denton saw no need to keep the Fred Moore school open. The school officially closed in 1968.

Fred Moore

In 1992, the Denton school district reopened Fred Moore High School as an alternative high school for students looking for flexibility in their education.

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Sources Used:

Campbell, Randolph B. “Moore, Frederick Douglas (1875-1953).” Texas State Historical Association Handbook of Texas. March 5, 2018. Found Here.

Cole, Ruby. Portrait of Professor Fred Moore. Date Unknown. Found on the Portal to Texas History.

Denton County Historical Commission. Folklife Preservation, Quakertown. Denton, TX: Denton Historical Commission, 1991.

“Desegregating Denton County’s Schools.” Denton County Office of History and Culture: Blog. February 23, 2018. Found Here.

Douglas. Laura. “Quakertown.” Denton, TX: Texas Historical Commission THC, 2011. Found Here.

“Fred Douglass High School.” Uncovering St. John’s. Accessed January 28-February 9, 2022. Found Here.

“Fred Moore: An African-American Leader in Denton.” Denton History. Accessed February 2-9, 2022. Found Here.

Glaze, Michele Powers. Interview with Estella Garret. 1990. Found in the Denton Courthouse on the Square. Donated by Michele Glaze.

Glaze, Michele Powers. Handwritten Notes. 1990. Found in the Denton Courthouse on the Square. Donated by Michele Glaze.

Glaze, Michele Powers. The Quakertown Story. Denton, TX: Historical Society of Denton County, 1991.

“Our School’s History.” Fred Moore High School. Accessed January 28-February 9, 2022. Found Here.

Portal to Texas History. Multiple newspapers were used in this research. Found Here.

Shelton, Keith. “From Barber to Professor: Fred Moore Was a Key Force in Denton’s Black Community.” Denton Record-Chronicle. February 18, 2018. Found Here.

Smith, Mark. “Denton County to Dedicate Fred Moore Historical Marker.” The Cross Timbers Gazette. June 12, 2019. Found Here.

Treat, Shaun. “The Legacy of Denton’s Frederick Douglass School.” We Denton Do It. February 24, 2017. Found Here.

Voellinger, Chuck. “In the Weeds 2.8.17: Frederick Douglass School.” Denton Public Library: Genealogy and Denton History Features. February 8, 2017. Found Here.

Black History Month Spotlight: Henry Taylor

Henry Taylor and his wife Mary Ellen Taylor moved to Denton in 1895 from Decatur, where Taylor worked as a cowboy. They settled in the “city within a city” of Denton, called Quakertown, where he cleaned houses and gardens for the wealthy white folks on the west side of town. Quakertown was a thriving black community that was established in 1875 that had many successful black-owned businesses and a tight-knit community. After purchasing their property from Mary Ellen’s brother, Henry began planting many of the throwaways from his job as a gardener in his own yard, including rare white lilacs and a “magnificent” elm tree, and soon his yard looked like a beautiful park.

Henry Taylor

Like many cities during the Progressive Era, the civic groups of Denton decided that the city needed a park, and they set their sights on Quakertown. Along with the true need for a park was the underlying desire to minimize contact between the all-white all-women college and the black residents of Quakertown. The president at the time of the College of Industrial Arts (now called Texas Woman’s University), President F.M. Bralley spearheaded this movement, and in April of 1921, the City Commission passed a $75,000 bond issue to buy out the black business owners of Quakertown. A committee of concerned black citizens implored the Commission to pay full price for their property so that they may be able to afford a permanent settlement, but many feared that they would not receive fair compensation for their land.

Henry Taylor asked the Commission for $2,000, but they rejected that and countered with a lower offer. Despite best efforts from his daughter to highlight the value of the Taylor land, Henry Taylor only walked away with $1,038.55 and moved his house along with his prized lilac bush. When it came time to move their home, Mary Ellen refused to leave it. She sat inside in her rocking chair with all her beloved possessions as they moved the house from East Hickory to Solomon Hill.

Joe and Alice Skinner, owners of the local shoe shop

In their new settlement on Solomon Hill, where many Quakertown residents relocated, Henry dug saplings from the creek bank that lined his new property and nurtured his beloved lilacs as he planted vines and flowers around his home’s new location. The relocation to Solomon Hill proved to be a problem for those without transportation. What had been a short walk to work at the College of Industrial Arts was now over a mile, and those who worked at the North Texas State Normal College now had to walk nearly two miles to work. Henry Taylor had to buy a horse and wagon to carry his tools, as he was no longer in walking distance to the houses he tended to.

Today, the memory of Quakertown is kept alive, through books, tours, and museums. Carolyn Meyer wrote a historical fiction called White Lilacs, which is based on Quakertown. Denton County Office of History and Culture gives the White Lilacs Tour to Denton schools. Additionally, an authentic Quakertown house was restored and is on display at Denton County’s Historical Park located at 317 West Mulberry St. Inside the house is a self-guided museum in which the real people and places of Quakertown are highlighted.

Quakertown General Store

Written by Whitney Smith

A Look Back at the Logan Family

Since the early 1900s, the Logan family has been an active part of the Denton community. The family’s connection to Denton started with John Logan Sr., born in 1869, and his wife, Laura, born in 1875. They moved to Denton when Quakertown was at its height, and the family remained in Denton after the community was forced to relocate in the early 1920s.

According to a 2002 article by Tom Reedy of the Denton Record-Chronicle, “the descendants of John Logan and Laura Taylor have been taking care of the physical and spiritual needs of Denton residents for almost a century.” Reedy wrote that the family raised doctors, barbers, cobblers, policemen and clergymen.

The Logan family has served in other ways as well, including active service in the military. According to Zelinda Pegram, great-great-granddaughter of John Sr. and Laura Logan and writer of the family’s history for their reunion in 2002, “we have had a Logan in a war since the Civil War.” To name a few, Arthur Logan served in WWI; Leonard and John Jr. served in WWII; Jack and Clydine served in the Korean War; and John, Ronnie, and Reggie served in the Vietnam War.

Over the years, members of the Logan family also served the community through their businesses. Leonard Sr. owned two businesses: a barbershop and a cafe. Leonard Sr.’s son, Raymond, said in a 2007 interview that he would often take his future wife, Burlyce, there for their dates. “That’s where you went to date…they had a jukebox and everything” says Raymond.

Will Logan and Steve Logan also owned successful businesses in Denton. Will Logan started his boot and shoe repair shop on Hickory St. in the early 1940s. Many Denton residents can recognize this shop by its unique shoe-shaped sign, located right next to the Campus Theater. The shop still operates today, although the ownership changed hands in 1998.

Steve Logan’s establishment was known as Steve’s Bar-B-Q Pit, and it served its popular meats for about 20 years before it burned down in 2003. While the business was running, its building was notable for being covered in bright read and yellow stripes. You can read about what grabbing a meal at Steve’s looked like here: https://mcgarity.me/personal/spicy-or-mild

Steven Logan as featured in the documentary, Barbecue: A Texas Love Story

Steve’s Bar-B-Q pit before it burned down in 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2002, the Logan family came together for a family reunion. The reunion was a remarkable event for the family, as it brought family members and friends around from all over the country. The three day event was organized by Raymond and Burlyce Logan. It included a tour of the Courthouse-on-the-Square’s exhibit on African-American families of Denton County, a Saturday banquet in Dallas, where Reverend W. L. Logan was keynote speaker, and a church service on Sunday morning at Galilee Baptist Church in Sanger, presided by Reverend Reginald Logan.  For the reunion, the family put together a book that included a family history, recipes, favorite poetry, and numerous family photographs. A few of these photographs are included below.

More information can be found research room in the Courthouse-on-the-Square.

Historical Park Highlights: The Quakertown House

The Denton County Historical Park is a place for visitors and Denton residents to grow and learn together. It sits at 317 West Mulberry Street, and hosts community events throughout the year. The park is home to a few of Denton County’s oldest treasures: the Bayless-Selby House, the Quakertown House, the Taylor Cabin, and coming soon, the Woods House.

The Quakertown House, built in 1904, now holds Denton County’s African American Museum. Before finding its current home at the Historical Park, the structure was located in a few different places, including its original location in the historic African American community of Quakertown. The reasons behind the house’s moves are part of the larger history of the city of Denton.

The Quakertown House at the Denton County Historical Park.

The Quakertown Story

Quakertown was a “town within a town,” the center of several African American communities located in the city of Denton. Its earliest beginnings were in the 1870’s, and over the next few decades Quakertown grew into a thriving community that held a school, churches, restaurants, businesses, and more.

The land that Quakertown occupied was in a flood plain, halfway between the College of Industrial Arts (now Texas Woman’s University) and the Denton Square. In 1920, Denton women’s clubs and other civic groups began searching for a place to put a city park and fairgrounds. It was declared that Quakertown would be the perfect location… though the actual residents of Quakertown hadn’t been given much say in the matter.

So, in January of 1921, a petition went out calling for a bond election to purchase the Quakertown property for the city park. In March of that year, the petition was presented to the City Council with 150 signatures, and the election, held in April 1921, passed with a vote of 367 to 240. The residents of Quakertown had lost their neighborhood.

Some of the homes from Quakertown were moved to Solomon Hill, an area about a mile away that became the new center of community life for Denton’s African American families. But, many of the former Quakertown residents chose to leave the city, and many of their houses did not survive the move or were destroyed.

For many years after that, the story of Quakertown was excluded from Denton history, but local historians have since “rediscovered” it and painted a clearer picture of the community. If you would like to read more about Quakertown, check out one of our past blogs, “Remembering Quakertown: A Look Into The Community That Once Was.”

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A Historic Structure

The Denton County Historical Park’s Quakertown House was one of the few homes that survived the move from its original location in Quakertown to Solomon Hill. It was built in 1904 by a man named H. F. Davidson for Arthur E. and Docia Brewer.

The three-room house, built at 607 Bell Avenue, had several different residents after it was purchased and used as a rental property by M. B. Whitlock from 1905 to 1916. In 1919, Quakertown resident C. Ross Hembry bought the property and continued to rent it out until he sold the land to the City of Denton for $2,700 in 1922 and moved the structure to 1113 E Hickory Street, in Solomon Hill.

Once in Solomon Hill, Hembry continued to use the Quakertown House as a rental property until 1955, when ownership passed to his brother, Leon Hembry. From 1956 to 1971, renters continued to live in the property until it was purchased by Mattie Campbell in 1973.

In 2003, the city made plans to remove the historic home and make way for a new house at this address. The Historical Park Foundation of Denton County took this opportunity to purchase the Quakertown House, with the goal of preserving the home as a museum to tell the stories of Denton County’s African American communities.

The Historical Park Foundation completed the purchase in 2004 and moved the house to the Denton County Historical Park, restoring it to its original condition. Restoration included removing some earlier remodeling that had taken place in 1922, restoring the roof’s original wood shingles, and retaining the integrity of the structure itself.

In addition, historical restoration specialist Bill Marquis uncovered some of the home’s original design elements, including the fact that the house only had two doors leading outside (a front and back door), and that a chimney once used for a fireplace in the front room had been removed.

The Quakertown House at its Solomon Hill location, circa 1945.

A Piece of History

The Denton County African American Museum opened on February 16, 2008. It won the 2008 County Best Practices Award, sponsored by the Texas Association of Counties Leadership Foundation, for “Outstanding Achievement in Community Improvement,” due to the restoration and use of the Quakertown House as the museum.

That same year, the home was officially dedicated with a Denton County Historical Marker. Since then, it has served as place of learning for countless visitors and students, and continues to stand as a reminder of the lost Quakertown community.

In upcoming months, the Quakertown House will be joined in the Historical Park by another historic Quakertown structure: the Woods House. If you would like to visit the museum and tour the homes for yourself, we would love for you to stop by! Denton County Historical Park hours can be found on our website at dentoncounty.gov/chos.

If you would like to donate to the continued expansion and revitalization of the Denton County Historical Park, please click here for more information.

Office of History & Culture volunteer Billie Mohair gives a tour of the Quakertown House.

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All information in this blog was pulled from Historical Commission and Office of History & Culture records. 

Remembering Quakertown: A Look Into The Community That Once Was

For many years, the community of Quakertown was excluded from local history. The only trace of evidence that could be found of the community’s displacement was in a book from 1978 titled History of Denton, Texas: From Its Beginning to 1960. The three sentences that touched base on this event simply said, “One of the first necessary steps was that of buying the several pieces of property from the owners. The project required several months, but the most of the former residents of the area soon had new and better homes about a half mile east of the railroad depot. This newly settled area was called Solomon Hill.” Unfortunately, this was a sugar coated, not-entirely-accurate telling of true events. Though the community’s history may have been neglected by the city, it remained with former residents and their descendants.

It wasn’t until the 1980s that local historians “rediscovered” the story of Quakertown. A Texas Woman’s University student began finding more information about the lost community and made it the topic of her thesis. The Quakertown Story went on to become a published booklet. Additionally, the revival of Quakertown’s history led local historians to connect with former residents and their family members. They collected oral histories, painting a clearer picture of what the community once was and how it came to an end. Denton began to acknowledge its decisions from the past.

The story of Quakertown begins in 1875 when 27 families from the White Rock area of Dallas moved two miles south of the Denton Square to a new settlement they called Freedman Town. Harvesting logs from the surrounding woods, they built their own log cabins and created the first community that truly belonged to them.

The growth of Freedman Town and the opening of Fred Douglass School, Denton’s first public school for African-Americans, led the community to relocate along Pecan Creek. Moving there was cheap as it was a flood zone, but the land was good and water was abundant. Rather than log cabins, most lived in well-built, wood-paneled houses and enjoyed a higher standard of living than before. The new community dubbed itself Quakertown, after the Quakers of the northeast who helped escaped slaves along the Underground Railroad. By 1900, Quakertown was tight-knit and thriving.

The community functioned as a town within a town. Though the white citizens of Denton had all of their necessary commodities, it goes without saying that black townspeople were not given the same resources. To fix this, Quakertown residents opened a multitude of businesses within their community, allowing it to function as a self-supporting town. Within its borders one could find a doctors office, cafe, grocery store, funeral home, confectionary, school, churches, lodges, restaurants and more.

Ford Crawford’s General Store

The business owners of Quakertown were lucky enough to work within the community’s borders. Ford Crawford, an original Freedman Town settler, owned a general store that also served as a community center where people bought and traded goods. People in his shop were often seen playing checkers or swapping news. Upstairs was a meeting room for the Black Odd Fellows. His shop was located in the current parking lot of the Emily Fowler Library.

Joe and Alice Skinner, local business owners

Others were also able to monetarily sustain themselves within the borders of Quakertown. Joe and Alice Skinner were a couple who operated their own businesses.  Joe owned a shoe shop and Alice ran a day care out of their home. On the side, Joe would also repair toys for the many children of Quakertown. Dr. Edwin Moten, Denton’s only black doctor at the time, operated his practice out of his home as well. Ford Crawford’s son was the community’s mortician. Plenty of others would take in laundry as a way to work from home.

Jack Cook working as a stable hand at CIA

Those who didn’t own their own businesses or work within Quakertown often found jobs with the white families or universities in Denton. Many worked as cooks, bakers, and gardeners for the residents along Hickory and Oak Streets. Additionally, North Texas State Normal College (NTSNC) and the College of Industrial Arts (CIA) would hire them as stable workers or janitors, including Jack Cook, who worked at CIA as a stable hand.  Angeline Burr was a nurse who delivered both black and white babies throughout Denton, and Henry Taylor, known for his beautiful garden and rare white lilac bush, did landscaping for local white families. Whether they worked in or outside of Quakertown’s borders, residents contributed greatly and offered many talents to the Denton community.

Some of the most significant buildings in the neighborhood included the Frederick Douglass School and St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church. Many Quakertown residents moved to the area after the school was built, as they wanted their children to receive an education. It was the first African-American school in Denton. When it opened, 25 students were enrolled, a number that grew over time. The school burned down in 1913. In the period of rebuilding, children were still taught in the second story of the Crawford Store and inside of St. James AME. The school was rebuilt outside of Quakertown and eventually renamed Fred Moore school,  after the long-time principal.

St. James AME in Quakertown

St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) was founded in the days of Freedman Town and was one of Quakertown’s first installments. It served as a gathering place for the community where holidays were spent and celebrations were hosted. The playground outside was a popular spot for children and women often held fundraisers on the lawn by selling fried fish dinners, ice cream, and pies. Every Sunday was marked by ringing church bells.

Ultimately, Quakertown provided a comfortable life for its residents. Researcher Letitia DeBurgos wrote that “most of the residents owned their own homes. Everyone had a vegetable garden. Chickens, cows, goats and pigs lived here too. Hunger was not known. Water came from wells and plumbing was an outhouse and a No. 2 washtub, while light was furnished by a kerosene lamp. The streets were dirt and playground for the children. The churches were a strong influence on the citizens and there was very little crime.”

Trouble began around 1920, when the president of the College of Industrial Arts, F.M. Bralley, began advocating the removal of Quakertown. The university and the black community were only a short distance apart and Bralley believed that the university could receive accreditation by getting rid of the neighborhood. He claimed that Denton “could rid the college of the menace of the negro quarters in close proximity to the college and thereby remove the danger that is always present so long as the situation remains as it is, and that could be done in a business way without friction.” In November of 1920, Bralley presented his idea to replace Quakertown with a city park to the Denton Rotary Club.

The residents of Quakertown began receiving word of their potential uprooting. Many worked for white families in Denton and would hear rumors regarding their displacement. Unfortunately, most could not argue against what they were hearing, as good relations with the white community were necessary to make a living. Before long, it was announced that a bond election would be held, allowing the city to vote on the removal of the community in order to build a new park. The news was brought to Quakertown residents in December of 1920 during a meeting on the second floor of Crawford’s shop.

Over the next months, the Chamber of Commerce began petitioning for the new park and the residents of Quakertown responded with a variety of emotion. Many worried that not abiding with the city would cause bad relations with white employers and thought it would be best to stay quiet. Opinions were divided by those who thought it was necessary to stand up for the community and those who found it logical to follow the path of least resistance.

In March of 1921, the petition was presented to the City Commission advocating a bond election that would determine Quakertown’s fate. A vote would be held on whether or not all of the Quakertown land would be purchased in order to create a new park. Women had just received the right to vote and the Denton Women’s Club was promised a brand new residence on the land if the bond passed – this secured many of their votes. However, there were still many barriers that kept blacks from voting, such as poll taxes and literacy tests. The residents of Quakertown could not participate in the election, leaving them without any say in their own futures.

The day before the bond election, the Denton Record-Chronicle campaigned for the park vote.  Their article “Vote For the Good Order” explained how it would help the community. The decision was soon made. Those in favor of the park won by a narrow margin of 127 votes. By May of the next year, the City of Denton left Quakertown residents with an ultimatum: have your property bought by the city and find a new home, or move your current home to land that has been allocated for you in Southeast Denton on Solomon Hill.

Many of the residents who were frustrated with their treatment abandoned Denton altogether. Moten, the doctor, and his family relocated to Indiana. Angeline Burr followed her family to California – her departing was the only one mentioned in the Denton Record-Chronicle. A few residents put together a “Back to Liberia” fund where they planned to pool the proceeds from selling their land in order to establish a new colony in Africa. Unfortunately, the City of Denton did not pay a high dollar for the land they were purchasing. One man, Will Hill, publicly sued the city for under-compensation. He eventually dropped it, as those who resisted the move were threatened and the KKK had started encroaching on the community.

Unfortunately, those looking for property in Denton also faced hardship. Many neighborhoods posted signs warning them not to buy land in the vicinity. They were eventually offered land in Southeast Denton that they could move their homes to. The land was undeveloped and the amenities and comforts that Quakertown offered were lost. Comparing the living standards, moving to Solomon Hill was like traveling back in time. They were left without electricity, water, roads and many homes were damaged during the moves. One of the first houses that was moved to Solomon Hill was mysteriously burned down.

By 1923, all of the Quakertown residents had relocated. CIA received it’s sought-after accreditation. The City began construction on the new park.

Civic Center park was eventually renamed Quakertown Park and the city began seeking ways to pay respect to the events of the past.

Today, Denton honors the people of Quakertown. You can visit the park and see the historical markers remembering the community; go to the Civic Center and look at the murals that were made in honor of the former residents; visit the Quakertown House at the Denton County Historical Park; or read White Lilacs, a historical fiction novel written by Carolyn Meyer based on the Quakertown story.

Another Quakertown house, currently located in Southeast Denton, will also be moved to the Historical Park by the end of the year. The home of William Evenlyn and Alberta Woods will soon serve as another historical remembrance of the community.

Archaeology Day at The Woods House

A morning of uncertainties turned into an afternoon of success last Friday when we held our Archaeology Day at The Woods House.

The Woods House, located at 1015 Hill St. in Denton doesn’t boast its historic significance. The red home with the long porch and boarded-up windows is tucked away in Southeast Denton and isn’t glamorous at first glance. However, its story sets it apart.

It is believed that the home of William Evelyn Woods is the last remaining Quakertown home that remains in Southeast Denton. Quakertown was once home to over 50 African-American families in Denton and sat between Texas Woman’s University and the Downtown Square. The bustling community was considered a town within a town, as it housed businesses, restaurants, schools, churches, and even a doctor’s office. In 1921, with little say from the Quakertown community, the City of Denton voted to build a park on their land. This left residents with no option but to be displaced.

Woods moved his house to the Solomon Hill area, where he lived on 8 acres until he passed at the age of 100. The land was divided among his children and the house was eventually left empty.

Recently, The Woods House came into the possession of the Denton County Office of History and Culture (DCOHC) by way of a donation from Habitat for Humanity. With plans to move it to Denton’s growing Historical Park, the home first needed to be worked on. That brings us to February 24, when the DCOHC hosted an open house and archaeology day that encouraged the public to uncover local history.

We at the DCOHC were unsure about how the day would pan out. Would people show? Would we dig anything up with the help of our archaeologists? Was the house ready for people to tour?

We approached the house ready to work. We took a drill to the board covering the door, removed it, and took our first steps in.

The house was musky and dark, but at the same time, fascinating. The age of all the fixtures told tales of the past. A folder taped to a window read “Wendell’s Spelling Book”, adding personal touches of those who once lived there (Wendell was a descendant of W.E. Woods). The history buffs in all of us were pleased.

We got to work on sweeping up and cleaning as much as we could. The house had been abandoned for some years, a fact it did not care to hide. We took at the residual mess with brooms, sweeping aside broken glass and moving large miscellaneous objects to back rooms. Outside, trash bags were toted to pick up litter. Lights were set up inside for visibility and photos of the Woods Family were displayed to allow visitors to dig deeper into their story. We worked fast and hard all the while wondering how all of this was going to work out.

People sprinkled in shortly before 1. What was originally a few volunteers looking around the premises turned into about 30 people touring the home and attempting to dig up artifacts.

Kelsey Jistel and Kim Cupit of the DCOHC worked inside, giving visitors a brief history of Quakertown and the Woods Family. Local archaeologist Brad Dougher and paleontologist Murray Cohen guided guests outside, teaching them how to sift for, map and label artifacts.

A friend of Ethel Woods, youngest daughter of W.E. Woods, came to the house, one she had visited often in her youth. She and Ethel attended school together and she often found herself at the Woods House on Sunday nights to watch the Ed Sullivan Show. Additionally, Wood’s granddaughter, Colette, attended and was able to offer more information on the family who once inhabited the home.

The back of the house bustled with people interested in participating in the archaeology dig. At least 100 flags were planted around the yard where metal detectors had gone off, promising potential finds. At the end of the day the crowd had found bullets, a key, chicken bones (the Woods once had a small farm) and a mysterious pile of buried bricks.

The day left both the DCOHC and guests of the archeology day feeling both satisfied and exhausted. However, the biggest feeling that resonated was a sense of community. People of all ages and backgrounds had come together to learn more about their local history and had an entertaining, hands-on way of doing so.

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Written by Marissa Hunt

Photos by Marissa Hunt