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1955 Map of Park Place

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Park Place
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

Buffalo Bayou and the Houston Ship Channel dominate the industrial and residential expansion of southeast Houston during the mid-1950s. This survey captures a landscape of rapid transition, where the heavy rail infrastructure of the Port Terminal RR and Southern Pacific RR supports the shipping docks near Brady Island. Away from the industrial waterfront, neighborhoods like Park Place and Garden Villas are shown in full detail, alongside academic centers including the University of Houston and Texas Southern University.

The southern portion of the sheet reveals the extensive grounds of the Houston International Airport and the Municipal Prison Farm along Sims Bayou. For genealogists and local historians, the map preserves the locations of numerous community anchors, from the Evergreen Cem and Park Memorial Cem to parochial institutions like St Peters Sch and St James Sch. This era represents a peak moment for the city's river-and-rail economy before the full enclosure of the metropolitan loop.