History

History of the Gregory School & Freedmen's Town

Built in 1926, the Gregory School stands as a monument honoring the memories and sacrifices of past generations of African Americans that thrived during a period in history where segregation, civil rights oppression, and educational disadvantages were the norm. The two-story, 20,000-square-foot former elementary school was named after Edgar M. Gregory, a Union officer and Assistant Commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau for the Texas area. It is located in Freedmen’s Town, a historic district in Houston’s Fourth Ward. This area is considered to be the city’s oldest established African American community.

After the Civil War, approximately 1,000 formerly enslaved African Americans developed this small community. Like other African American communities that existed at the time, Freedmen's Town was independent of nearby white American communities that did not accept them. They selected the area because land was cheap, and because white Americans did not want to live along the swampy southern edge of Buffalo Bayou, which was susceptible to flooding.

Freedmen’s Town grew rapidly. Many African Americans became self-sustaining businesspeople. Their establishments flourished, and they provided whatever the community needed to thrive. These Houstonians created their own utilities and services, and even paved the streets with bricks they made themselves.

Churches were vital to Freedmen's Town. During Reconstruction, the Freedmen’s Bureau and the American Mission Association opened schools within local churches to provide adults with literacy and basic math skills.

By 1870 the Texas Legislature created public schools for African Americans, and the Gregory Institute was opened. By 1872, after the Freedmen's Bureau schools closed, most students and teachers moved to the Gregory Institute. In 1876 the Gregory Institute became a part of the Houston Independent School District. It was one of the first official public education institutions for African-American children in Texas.

The Gregory Institute operated out of wooden buildings until the current brick structure opened in 1926. It served the community until 1984.

The State Historical Commission designated the Gregory School building as a State Archaeological Landmark. This designation is the highest historical landmark classification that can be placed on any building.