Fiery activists, concrete streets, and torn-down walls all are a part of Fort Worth’s history. The Tarrant County Black Historical & Genealogical Society presented a lecture highlighting historically Black neighborhoods such as Como, Garden of Eden, Stop Six, Riverside/Rock Island Bottom, and Terrell Heights. The pioneers of those neighborhoods helped shape their surroundings and Fort Worth’s history.
“They are all communities that were established as freedom settlement areas or established by African American community,” said Megan Coca, who serves as community outreach coordinator for the historical society. She served as the presenter for the library’s lecture.
“It was a good opportunity for people to pause and look around,” she said. “There’s more history than you’d know.”
Fort Worth’s Freedom Settlement Areas
Of course, that history is peppered with stories of strong leaders who knew what they wanted for their communities, and Black History Month highlights these stories.
For example, Amanda Davis of the Stop Six community was the first land-owning African-American woman. Born in 1865, she purchased an acre of land for $45 and deservedly has two neighborhood streets named for her.
Viola Pitts, known as the “unofficial mayor of Lake Como,” spearheaded the dismantling of a brick wall that separated her community from the rest of Fort Worth. Lenora Rolla established the Black historical society in 1977, and now her name graces the building housing that society.
Coca, who holds a degree in history from Texas State University, continues her work to preserve this history. In addition to partnering with the Fort Worth Public Library, which holds more than 200 boxes of historical material in its archives, Coca has collected many oral histories of the communities.
Making Neighborhood Connections
“The organization has a great network already established, and I’ve worked within that community and branched out,” she said. “I’m learning from toes in the community, really. A part of my learning process is to make connections through word of mouth.”
One of her sources has been “Miss Sarah,” as Sarah Walker is affectionally known. Walker currently serves as president emeritus of the Tarrant County Black Historical Society, and she provided Coca with first-hand knowledge of how her mother saw that the Rock Island Bottom area got concrete roads.
Projects Underway to Preserve Fort Worth Black History
The Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society, a non-profit created to preserve African-Americans’ historical contributions in the county, is located at 1020 E. Humbolt St. The location sits in the Terrell Heights Historic District, now among thriving business development projects in the Terrell Heights area.
Terrell Heights honors the legacy of Black educator I.M. Terrell and includes the planned construction of the National Juneteenth Museum, to be completed in 2025. Often credited with promoting Juneteenth as a federal holiday is Fort Worth activist Opal Lee, another of many Fort Worth residents who knows the city’s history.
“They have so much to say, and it’s been really great to hear the history of Fort Worth through their eyes,” Coca said.
