This Hidden Gem in Houston Hosts Several UNESCO Sites

On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a law making Juneteenth a federal holiday, celebrating the emancipation of enslaved Texans in Galveston on June 19, 1865—transforming a local jubilee into a national celebration. But what transpired for formerly enslaved Black Texans after their freedom? The answer lies in Houston's Fourth Ward, where most formerly enslaved Texans journeyed to Freedmen’s Town.

“You were suddenly free,” says Zion Escobar, executive director of the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy, a nonprofit founded in 2018 to safeguard the Fourth Ward. “But where could you go? What could you do? There was no safe haven for you. Freedmen’s Town represents what happened the day after Juneteenth. It’s the Mother Ward, the birthplace of Houston’s early Black leaders.”

In the early days, Houston lacked defined neighborhoods; instead, it was divided into six wards by city-planning brothers John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen in the 1840s. Back then, the land in the Fourth Ward was considered undesirable—swampy and prone to flooding due to its proximity to a bayou. Today, Freedmen’s Town is primarily home to formerly enslaved Black people who found themselves unwelcome in other parts of the city.

Due to restrictions that prevented many freedmen from accessing the same services and stores as white Texans, they established their own businesses. Consequently, Freedmen’s Town blossomed into a vibrant community filled with doctors, lawyers, and entrepreneurs, becoming the cradle of the city’s early Black leadership, with over 400 Black-owned businesses emerging. One of the community’s leaders, Reverend Ned Pullum, built his wealth through Pullum Standard Brick Work—today, visitors can still see the distinctive handmade red bricks lining the streets of the Fourth Ward. As Freedmen’s Town grew overcrowded, many Black Americans opted to relocate to the adjacent Fifth and Third Wards, the hometowns of notable figures like Beyoncé, DJ Screw, and George Floyd.

“Freedmen’s Town is a representation of what it looked like when people began to embrace their freedom,” Escobar notes.

Currently, the Fourth Ward is a tranquil neighborhood interspersed with modern homes and apartment buildings amid historic residences. Many of these historic homes are in need of restoration or are undergoing renovation (efforts supported by the Conservancy, the R.B.H. Yates Museum, and various community organizations), but they remain accessible to visitors and locals eager to learn about Houston’s Black heritage. A total of seven sites within the Freedmen’s Town Heritage District, a pioneering recognition for Houston, have been designated as part of UNESCO’s “Routes of Enslaved Peoples: Resistance, Liberty and Heritage” Project. Notable locations in the area include the elegant former residence of Reverend Jack Yates, a freedman who led Antioch Baptist Church and founded Bethel Baptist Church, as well as Reverend Ned Pullum’s home and the African American Library at the Gregory School—the first public school for free Black children in Houston. The library also features an exhibit on the history of Freedmen’s Town, open for visitors to explore.

Though the Fourth Ward's land was once deemed undesirable by city developers, that perception has shifted dramatically. Situated adjacent to downtown Houston, the neighborhood has become highly attractive to developers who prioritize new mixed-use high-rise projects over the preservation of historic buildings. Numerous old structures have been torn down to make room for new enterprises: the site of the Rainbow Theater, a historic Black theater that once stood on Freedmen’s Town’s main strip, has recently been transformed into a Best Western. Escobar views national and global recognition, such as from UNESCO, as a means to not only safeguard the Fourth Ward but also to honor and maintain the history of Black Texans for future generations.

“Freedmen’s Town will serve as an educator for both Houston and America,” Escobar states. “These treasures are unique, and a wealth of knowledge and cultural economic capital can be gained by honoring, respecting, and celebrating Black history in its entirety—not just for the city of Houston, but for Texas and the nation. We exemplify why Black history matters and why erasing it is a crime.”

For Escobar, her role at the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy is deeply personal. After earning a civil engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin, she dedicated around 15 years to water resource management, even launching her own firm. She was invited to consult on Houston’s I-45 expansion project, a contentious initiative that involved significant state investment into one of the city's main routes, resulting in the displacement of residents along the proposed path. During her involvement with the project, Escobar realized her desire to engage in work that would directly benefit her community, leading her to join the Conservancy at the end of 2019.

Through her efforts, Escobar aims to safeguard the legacy of Houston’s Black ancestors, as Freedmen’s Town is a vital chapter in the city’s history—sometimes in a literal sense. The site where Houston City Hall now stands was once part of Freedmen’s Town, home to multiple families, and was taken during the 1930s. In a rapidly evolving Houston, Escobar is determined to ensure that this living testament to the lives of freedmen is not forgotten.

“I hope that when people visit, they see the humanity in this story of freedom and feel inspired to support it in any way they can,” Escobar expresses.