A vanished neighborhood
STAR-TELEGRAM/DEWUAN X. DAVIS
Map: Rock Island Bottom neighborhood
At the turn of the 20th century, as many as 500 black families lived in Fort Worth's Rock Island Bottom neighborhood. The area was bounded by East Belknap Street to the north, the Trinity River to the east and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad to the south and west. Most residents were unskilled workers or downtown service workers, such as cooks, porters or maids. Greenway Park and the Fourth Street Baptist Church were important community focal points, and business activity centered on East Fourth Street. Many residents left after a 1949 flood. During the 1950s, Interstate 35W sliced through the middle of the Bottom, taking whole blocks and half the park. By the 1980s, the neighborhood had disappeared.
-- Compiled by news researcher Jodie Sanders
In 2002 the Fort Worth Weekly in its 'Best of the West-o-Plex' wrote the following about the same area.
Urban digs
Staff choice: Hillside Apartments, 300 Crump St, FW
These beautiful duplexes and triplexes stay rented up most of the time, and for good reason. Built with the help of major downtown powers in a public-private venture, they receive tax credits that allow them to offer below-market rents to many moderate-income residents, and a few Section 8 renters who meet certain guidelines. The 172 units, built to resemble a neighborhood of 1950s homes, replaced most of the residences in the deteriorating Rock Island neighborhood, while the area's churches and some other significant buildings were saved. Old-fashioned lampposts, modern conveniences, trees, green space, a fitness room, and pool make this an attractive address, especially for downtown workers who can walk to the office. Another "quaint" feature -- the sounds of nearby trains -- is a plus for some, and a minus for others.
2 comments:
My father was born in a house in Rock Island. I lived there myself and moved out of that neighborhood after my father was killed there. But i do have fond memories and stories. I now tell my kids and grandkids the stories of myself living there and stories my father shared with me. There is also a piece of Rock Island (which it was considered) La Corte. We drive through there every once in a while. My wife grew up there as well. Where her grandfathers house was is now a parking garage.
thanks for the post. it is nice to learn more about the area and its history.
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