After the end of the Civil War, many formally enslaved African Americans migrated to Austin and settled in local communities. These communities, known as Freedmen Communities, became established African-American neighborhoods and grew in population during the late 1800s. The 20th century saw them begin to decline, due to the 1928 City Plan for Austin, gentrification, city redevelopment, and other external forces. Some of these neighborhoods still exist today and have historical designation. This list is an attempt to summarize the history of Austin's freedmen communities, from creation to eventual disappearance. This is not an exhaustive list; the Austin History Center has many more resources, such as Austin Files (vertical files), that may be of interest.
This draft proposal presented to the Austin City Council offers a solution to the neighborhood's lack of low-income housing. Called the Self-Help Housing Project, the program intended to build section 8 housing using municipal granted funds. The…
This proposal calls for city funds to be allocated for the purpose of purchasing land and building low-income housing in the Clarksville and Blackshear neighborhoods, which would jointly share the funds. It gives an overview of the two communities…
This report goes over a proposed Self-Help housing program for a portion of the Clarksville neighborhood. The program's purpose was to prevent the displacement of low-income residents by acquiring city-owned properties and building low-income…
This report provides an overview of Clarksville's heritage, land use, housing, and displacement, as well as the neighborhood's preservation and work program objectives. Maps and tables give greater context and display more in-depth statistics and…
This booklet focuses on the Clarksville community and its response to the arrival and upheaval caused by the Tao/Ono development company. Black-and-white photographs of residents protesting accompany the summary of how the neighborhood fought to…
This report by the Clarksville Neighborhood Advisory Board discusses the then-current problems faced by the neighborhood. It then states intended goals and potential solutions to be put before the Austin City Council to fix these issues. Topics of…
This proposal by the Robertson Hill Neighborhood Organization was written in response to the redevelopment plan proposed by the Austin City Council in 1980. The majority of the proposal points out the various fallacies and inadequacies of the city's…
This is a redevelopment plan for the Robertson Hill neighborhood written by the neighborhood organization in 1981. It focuses on better housing for both homeowners and renters, paving and sidewalk improvements, and expansion of environmental…
This preliminary report by the City of Austin Engineering Department analyzes the conditions of Clarksville's transportation, drainage, and utilities that existed in 1976 and offers recommendations for improvements where needed. Included are maps,…
This report summarizes and discusses a proposed redevelopment plan for the Robertson Hill neighborhood. It looks at the scope of the plan, the estimated cost, and potential issues and concerns. Also included are alternatives and recommendations made…
As stated in the executive summary, this survey "provides mapping, data analyses, and explanatory text defining important characteristics and evidence of serious and persistent factors of urban blight and existing slum conditions within the East…
This is a proposal that lays out a plan to redevelop the Robertson Hill neighborhood, which would later face a great deal of resistance from the community. It includes area surveys, an analysis of socioeconomic conditions, planning and design…
This letter was written in response to the backlash from the Robertson Hill Neighborhood Organization concerning Austin's plans to redevelop the area (a copy of which is included with the letter). The author seeks to clarify certain points and…
This collection of historical markers in Travis County includes a reproduction of the marker established for Clarksville in 1973. It offers a summarized history of the neighborhood's founding, and lists some of the community's churches and…
This report presents the history of the Hancock property in Austin, Texas, which was surveyed by the Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transportation from 1984-1987. The report covers the years during which the Hancock family occupied…
This booklet covers the history of the Clarksville neighborhood, from before its establishment as a freedmen community to the middle of the 20th century. It discusses different aspects such as religion, education, and influential residents, and…
In 2006, the Travis County Historical Commission surveyed 24 properties in East Austin, specifically, the Robertson Hill neighborhood, to identity their historical significance. These properties included churches, businesses, homes, and…
a History of Its Past--a Proposal for Its Future, a Report
This report covers the history of the Haskell Homestead, built and run by a family of ex-slaves in Austin, Texas, from 1875 until the mid-1970s. It also offers recommendations for the house's preservation and includes black-and-white photographs of…
This booklet provides a tour and brief overview of some of the historic homes located in the Clarksville neighborhood, along with short histories of the people who lived in them. It is accompanied by a map of the community with which readers are…
This college paper looks at the history of the Clarksville neighborhood, including some of the significant persons and events that helped shape its identity, and the more recent forces (both internal and external) that disrupted the community and…
