Who founded the City of Houston?
August 30, 1836 — Augustus Chapman Allen (July 4, 1806 – January 11, 1864), along with his younger brother, John Kirby Allen, founded the City of Houston in Texas today.
Born on July 4, 1806, in Canaseraga Village, New York, the brothers chose not to join the army when the Texas War of Independence started on October 2, 1835 (it ended April 21, 1836). Instead, the brothers worked to keep supply channels open, and at their own expense outfitted Brutus, a ship that protected the Texas coast, assisted troops, and ensured supplies arrived safely in Texas.
In January 1836, they sold Brutus to the Texas Navy, making it the second ship in the fledgling naval force. Augustus and John Allen continued to raise money and operate as receivers and dispensers of supplies and funds for the war effort without charge. Despite this, some members of the Texas provisional government objected to the Allen brothers’ activities, alleging they were engaged in privateering.
After the war, an inheritance received by Augustus’s wife, Charlotte, financed the $5,000 purchase of 6,600 acres along the Buffalo Bayou for the purpose of establishing a new city. Charlotte suggested they named their townsite for the hero of the time, General Sam Houston.
Sources: Texas Revolution, wikipedia, historicalcommission, tshaonline, Sam Houston
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