Dollhouse Barbershop
Roosevelt “Bubba” Stewart cut hair at the Dollhouse Barber Shop on Rosewood Avenue in East Austin. Bubba ran the Dollhouse Barbershop for more than forty years until rising rents and dwindling customers forced him to close.
Roosevelt “Bubba” Stewart (1933-2018), East Austin native and lifelong owner of Stewart’s Doll House Barber Shop at 1811 Rosewood Ave
The Austin City Council proclaimed October 19, 2017 as Roosevelt “Bubba” Stewart Day in honor of Stewart’s 60+ year service as one of East Austin’s most prestigious and longest-serving barbers.
Hillside Drugstore
Headed by Ulysses Young, known cordially as Doc Young, the Hillside Drugstore began providing various medicines and remedies to East Austin residents in 1949. Young relocated his home just behind the phramacy with the intention of continuing his work with the city’s few Black pharamcists. It now stands as a restaurant under the same name, with many of the smae fixtures, hoping to keep the original pharmacy’s legacy alive.
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Blackshear Fine Arts Academy: History of Blackshear
From a wooden shack in the 19th century, to a modernized school in the 21st century, the Austin Digital Heritage Project collaborates with Creative Action to provide an abridged history of Blackshear Elementary School, also known as Blackshear Fine Arts Academy.
Blackshear Fine Arts Academy: Principal Friendly Rice
In this special report, the Austin Digital Heritage Project collaborates with Creative Action to showcase the life and legacy of Mr. Friendly R. Rice, who led this historical school in East Austin between 1931 and 1972 during Austin’s discriminatory laws under Jim Crow.
Interviews include alumnae, such as Betty Ussery and Arlene Youngblood, and Vonnye Rice Gardner, Mr. Rice’s daughter.
Blackshear Fine Arts Academy: Today and Tomorrow
In this special report, the Austin Digital Heritage Project collaborates with Creative Action to showcase Blackshear Fine Arts Academy, a historical school in East Austin, which is also near Huston-Tillotson University.
This school grew from a wooden shack to educate children of newly freed slaves, to a segregated school for Black students, and finally, a fine arts academy to serve all students.
This short film covers Blackshear in the present and future; and includes interviews with Principal Rick Garner, teachers, and students.
Oakwood Cemetery
The Oakwood Cemetery is Austin’s oldest cemetery and is home to Austin’s founding population. The cemetery is divided into 4 quarters and stands near the heart of downtown Austin. The cemetery symbolizes the diverse cultures present in Austin in its founding years as it was the primary cemetery in the city for years. Oakwood cemetery also provides physical evidence of inequity in Austin when it was founded with its more affluent residents containing large statues and structures while residents of lower socioeconomic status were often buried with no headstone.
The Oakwood Cemetery Chapel currently stands to educate Austin residents of the city’s and its inhabitant’s histories. This robust set of resources can be found at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/oakwood-cemetery-chapel-resources.
Furthermore, a virtual tour of Oakwood Cemetery is available at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/oakwood-cemetery-chapel-tours-maps
Full Interview with Jennifer Chenoweth, Museum Site Coordinator of Oakwood Cemetery Chapel is available at: https://youtu.be/hiToZDyR-LU
Waterloo Greenway
For a detailed history of Waterloo Greenway, ADHP member Darnell Wilson interviewed the Conservancy’s Community Engagement and Government Relations Director, Melissa Ayala.
Rosewood Park
For a detailed history of Rosewood Park, ADHP member Darnell Wilson interviewed the City of Austin’s Program Manager, Kim McKnight, and Program Coordinator and Historian, Sarah Marshall.
Huston-Tillotson University
Tillotson College (1875) and Sam Huston College (1878) were established as private institutions to provide Black people with formal education. For most, this would be the first time they learned to read and write. The two institutions shared friendly competition through sports and corresponding core values. After being met with a financial burden, the institutions united and became what we know it as today, Huston-Tillotson University.
Huston-Tillotson University has provided the locals of East Austin with knowledge and education for over a century and counting. HTU is also 1/107 HBCU’s in the country that still stands, providing students a private education. The university strives to keep its classes small, providing a unique collegial experience.
They also provide various resources and learning programs for individuals to immerse themselves. Courses for middle and high school grade students and adults who wish to continue their education All programming aims to help participants reach their maximum potential.
Pflugerville Colored Addition
The Pflugerville Colored Addition is a community located on Farm Road 1825 in West Pflugerville. In 1910, Black workers that worked in the Pflugerville cotton industry and ice factory weren’t allowed to move to Pflugerville or live in city limits. In response to this, La Rue Norton, a farmer who owned 1200 acres of land west of Pflugerville, set aside an acre of his land, split it into lots, and sold the lots of land to Black workers. This page will highlight the Pflugerville Colored Addition’s history and significance in the Austin community.
