The city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas was founded in 1837 after Augustus and John Allen had acquired land to establish a new town at the junction of Buffalo and White Oak bayous in 1836. Houston served as the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas. Meanwhile,the town developed as a regional transportation and commercial hub. Houston was part of an independent nation until 1846 when the United States formally annexed Texas. Railroad development began in the late 1850s but ceased during the American Civil War. Houston served the Confederacy as a regional military logistics center. The population increased during the war and blockade runners used the town as a center for their operations.
Charles Morgan was an American railroad and shipping magnate. He played a leading role in the development of transportation and commerce in the Southern United States through the mid- to late-19th century.
John Thomas Browne was an American merchant and politician. He served on the Houston City Council,two terms as Mayor of Houston,and three terms in the Texas House of Representatives.
Texas declared its secession from the Union on February 1,1861,and joined the Confederate States on March 2,1861,after it had replaced its governor,Sam Houston,who had refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy. As with those of other states,the Declaration of Secession was not recognized by the US government at Washington,DC. Some Texan military units fought in the Civil War east of the Mississippi River,but Texas was more useful for supplying soldiers and horses for the Confederate Army. Texas' supply role lasted until mid-1863,when Union gunboats started to control the Mississippi River,which prevented large transfers of men,horses,or cattle. Some cotton was sold in Mexico,but most of the crop became useless because of the Union's naval blockade of Galveston,Houston,and other ports.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is a governmental agency and its purpose is to "provide safe,effective,and efficient movement of people and goods" throughout the state. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with maintenance of the state's immense highway system,the agency is also responsible for aviation in the state and overseeing public transportation systems.
C.S. Army Gunboat Bayou City (1861-1865) was a 165-foot side-wheel steamboat built for commercial use at Jeffersonville,Indiana,in 1859.
James Addison Baker was an American attorney and banker in Houston,Texas. He was born James Addison Baker,Junior,and "Junior" appeared in his signature for many years. After the death of his father in 1897,he started signing his name "Captain James A. Baker," and from that point on people referred to him as Captain Baker.
Swante M. Swenson was the founder of the SMS ranches in West Texas. It was through his efforts that Swedish immigration to Texas was begun in 1848. In 1972,he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy &Western Heritage Museum.
William Lewis Moody Jr. was an American financier and entrepreneur from Galveston,Texas,who founded a private bank,an insurance company,and one of the largest charitable foundations in the United States. Moody was active in the day-to-day operations of his companies until two days before his death.
Shearn Moody Jr. was an American financier,entrepreneur,and philanthropist from Galveston,Texas. He was heir to a financial empire as well as a convicted felon and originator of the Moody Gardens resort complex. Moody was also the grandson of insurance and financial tycoon William Lewis Moody Jr.
Mary Elizabeth Moody Northen was an American financier and philanthropist from Galveston,Texas. She was the daughter of financial and insurance tycoon William Lewis Moody,Jr. and aunt of businessman Shearn Moody,Jr.
William J. Hutchins was a businessman and a Mayor of Houston.
Halls Bluff or Hall's Bluff is a ghost town in Houston County,Texas,United States.
Colonel William Lewis Moody Sr. was an American entrepreneur who founded the Moody dynasty in Galveston,Texas. He participated in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy. On January 19,1860,he married Pherabe Elizabeth (Lizzie) Bradley. He is noted for persuading federal and local government to dredge Galveston's harbor,which led to Galveston becoming a prominent shipping port of the 19th century. He was survived by his son,William Lewis Moody Jr.
Leonidas R. Smith was an American steamboat captain and soldier. In the American Civil War he served the Confederate States of America as a volunteer;he was named Commander of the Texas Marine Department under General John B. Magruder. Smith was involved in most major conflicts along the Texas coast during the war,and was described by war-time governor of Texas Francis Lubbock as "undoubtedly the ablest Confederate naval commander in the Gulf waters".
The Texas Transportation Company (1866–1896) was one of two railroads bearing the same name. The Texas Transportation Company gained its charter on September 6,1866. John Thomas Brady promoted the company and some work was completed,but it did not operate as a railroad in the late-1860s.
John H. Sterrett was a ship captain and investor.
Houston Direct Navigation Company operated ships on Buffalo Bayou between 1866 and 1927. It had had two antecedent companies with similar subscriber lists and management:the Houston and Galveston Navigation Company,and the Houston Navigation Company.
Paul Bremond was an American businessman. He was a hatter,doing business in New York City and Philadelphia,and from 1840,a commission merchant in Galveston,in the Republic of Texas.
Horace Dickinson Taylor (c.1821–1890) was a commission merchant and a mayor of Houston,Texas.
