The Drag: Huntsville's Black Business District

5 Locations | Curated by East Texas History

"The Drag" is a slang term given to Black business district, that existed primarily from the 20th-century Jim Crow Era to the 1980's (the Cox Funeral Home is the only one still standing). Located on Avenue M between 12th and 14th Street, behind the Downtown Square area of Huntsville, this area was the epicenter of the Black financial/economic life in Huntsville. A sort of mini-"Black Wall Street" of the South, Black-owned grocery stores, financial services, beauty shops, along with many other residences and businesses that primarily served the Black community before and after segregation. This tour will highlight just a very few of the most prominent people and businesses who not only served the Black community, but impacted the larger Huntsville, and even East Texas communities, and made their mark in local history.

Born in 1822, Joshua Houston was raised as a slave on the Lea plantation near Marion, Alabama. When his master, Temple Lea, died in 1834, ownership of Joshua was transferred to Temple's daughter, Margaret Lea. There seems to have been little change in Joshua's situation, however, until…
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While it's said that behind every great man is a great woman, with the Malone's, they both stood together, equally at the forefront of Black Huntsville/East Texas history. As with all the "great men" of Huntsville, their wives helped and worked with them in their achievements and endeavors.…
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Born in 1925, Willie Jerry Jones Sr. owned and managed the Willie Jerry Jones Insurance and Bonding Agency for over four decades. His businesses provided life insurance and bail bonding services to many in the Black Huntsville community. Growing up in Huntsville, TX, he attended the local high…
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Following the Civil War, African Americans in Huntsville established their own "Union Church" for worship services and community events. Local black leaders Joshua Houston Sr., William Baines, and Strother Green purchased a desirable downtown site for the church in April 1867 from…
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Felder Jones Sr. (1913-1995) was an important local business leader in Huntsville, Texas. After the death of his mother and father, he lived with his aunt, Emily Williams Hill, in the nearby Galilee community. Jones attended and completed his elementary education at Samuel Walker Houston Industrial…
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