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The northern half of Wood Street, near the west bank of Shoal Creek and extending to Henderson Street, was once home to a distinct enclave of African American and later Mexican American residents. As the frontier city's natural western boundary, Shoal Creek became a settling point for formerly enslaved people following the Civil War. The community along Shoal Creek was part of the African American settlements of West Austin which developed in the years after Reconstruction. As domestic servants, cooks, drivers, carpenters and laborers, residents influenced the lives and culture of Austin. Despite being surrounded by the homes of wealthier Anglos in the era of increasing racial prejudice, the African American community on Wood Street thrived into the 1920s. Two houses from the freedmen era endured several devastating floods and existed for over 100 years on the site before being demolished in 2014. As the 1928 city master plan pushed African American residents into a "Negro district" east of East Avenue, Hispanics (Mexican and Mexican American) began to occupy the houses along Shoal Creek, likely connected to the significant cultural enclave located just east of Shoal Creek dubbed "Mexico" at the time. While racial segregation concentrated most Tejanos in East Austin by the 1920s, the community at Shoal Creek persisted through the 1970s where it continued to contribute to the cultural and economic development of the downtown area. Although many of the physical reminders of this era in Austin's history have disappeared, residents of Wood Street at Shoal Creek were major contributors to the rich and diverse ethnic historical geography of Austin. (2016) |
