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Located on the banks of the Trinity River, near the Great Trinity Forest, the community of Joppee is one of the few remaining freedman towns in Texas. Following emancipation, freed slaves from the nearby Miller Plantation established their own community here in 1872. The owner of the plantation, William B. Miller, hired former slave Henry Critz Hines to oversee his business, The Honey Springs Ferry Company. It was an important service to carry goods and passengers over the river. This also provided a lucrative entrepreneurial opportunity for Hines. He used his resources to take a major role in the establishment of Joppee. Over time, many freed slaves from East Texas settled in the community. They worked and lived alongside the rest of Dallas society as it developed into a larger commercial area. The 1870s saw the introduction of railroads into Dallas, and by 1890 the ferry service closed. Joppee continued to be an important place for African Americans following the civil war and reconstruction. The community offered refuge in times when Ku Klux Klan activities tried to push African Americans out of the area. Joppee had school and church structures, such as the New Zion Baptist church which still exists today. Joppee resident Laurabelle Foster chartered the South Central Civic League in 1948, under the auspices of the Dallas Negro Chamber of Commerce. Generations of African Americans have lived in Joppee and many descendants still do. Some of the earliest Juneteenth celebrations began in the Joppee community, and continue today. |
