Shoal Creek/West Austin

A freedom community developed on the eastern side of Shoal Creek primarily around Nueces, San Antonio and Guadalupe streets and north of East 4th Street. Though it lacked a name, the Shoal Creek community became well-established by the late nineteenth century. In the 1870s the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church was founded nearby in close proximity to West 9th and San Antonio Street, which is now the site of the Austin History Center. The church continues to thrive with an active congregation in East Austin at 1101 E. 10th Street and proudly holds an Official Texas Historical Marker. A school for African Americans was also established around the same time as the church. The 1920s brought about a lot of change in this community with the influx of a substantial number of Mexican immigrants to the area. 

When the church moved to East Austin in 1927 the freedom community dissipated. Until recently, a few remnants of this African American community persisted in the form of a small cluster of wood-frame houses on Wood Street adjacent to Shoal Creek. Unfortunately, these houses have now been demolished and any visual evidence of its existence virtually vanished among new development. A request for an Official Texas Historical Marker was submitted to the Texas Historical Commission in 2016 to commemorate the historical significance of the area.

Information provided by the African-American Settlement Survey Travis County, Texas prepared by prepared by Hicks & Company Elizabeth Porterfield, MSHP for Travis County Historical Commission.

This information was supplemented by archivist at the University of North Texas, Michelle Mears, from her book And Grace Will Lead Me Home African American Freedmen Communities of Austin, Texas, 1865-1928.

We recognize that this research is ongoing, drawing extensively from historical documents, archives, and oral histories passed down through generations.

Given the evolving nature of information, it is important to note that details may change. And while inaccuracies may arise, we actively strive to update our records as we acquire new knowledge.