Buffalo Bayou
Houston was founded in 1836 by John Kirby Allen, and Augustus Chapman Allen. When the Republic of Texas altered the Houston city charter in 1840, it divided the city into four wards. Their boundaries of each ward met at the intersection of Congress Street and Main Street, in downtown. Fourth Ward was situated southwest of the intersection. To accommodate the city's growth, Fifth Ward was added in 1866, and Sixth Ward in 1876.
Map drawn by Cecelia Cook Drew
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, simply known as the Freedmen's Bureau, was an agency of the United States Department of War. It was established March 3, 1865 by an act of Congress, to help former slaves in transitioning from slavery to freedom in the South.
During Reconstruction, many Freedmen's Towns were founded by freed blacks. Fourth Ward's boundaries extended east to Travis Street, west to Taft Street, north to Allen Parkway, and south to Sutton. Freedmen's Town is housed within those boundaries. Below is my hand drawn map...minus the pirates cruising up and down the bayou. I credit the internet for providing the map from which this is copied.