On This Day In History: Texas Incorporates Houston

On this day in history: June 5, 1837 on 12seconds.tv

On this date in 1837, Houston was granted the right to incorporate as a city. Houston later became the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas.

John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen, speculators from New York City, purchased 6,642 acres of land along the Buffalo Bayou and named their tract in honor of Sam Houston, the President of the Republic of Texas.

The Allen brothers elected to purchase this land because of its proximity to the bayou. The men believed that the region had strong potential for economic growth because of its proximity to water.

According to this brief history of Houston found at the Houston Chonicle, Houston had about 2,000 citizens at the time of incorporation. From the fact gatherers at Houston’s Wikipedia page, Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest city in the US at about 2.2 million folks in 2007.

I spent about eight years of my early life in Houston, through hurricane Allen, which proved to be a dud, and hurricane Alicia, which devastated the city.

Those memorable weather events along with countless other life-shaping experiences from fifth grade at Frostwood Elementary to my graduation from Memorial High School seven years later will always keep Houston very close to my heart.

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