Hamilton Park Community
Historical marker location:Located ten miles north of downtown Dallas, the African American community of
Hamilton Park began as the White Rock Farming Settlement. In the 1940s and
1950s, racial violence in the South Dallas community of Queen City and the
discriminatory displacement of African American residents for the new Love
Field Municipal Airport resulted in the need for many of these families to move
outside of the downtown area. In response, Jerome Crossman, a local oilman,
compelled the Dallas Citizens' Interracial Association (DCIA) to locate land in
North Dallas for the project and consulted philanthropist Karl S.J. Hoblitzelle
for funding. On February 13, 1953, the Hoblitzelle Foundation lent DCIA funds
to purchase acreage to address the housing shortage of African Americans.
Named for Dr. Richard Theodore Hamilton, an influential voice in the African
American Equality movement in Dallas, the Hamilton Park Community was the first
African American suburban development in Dallas. Intentionally planned in two
phases with the segregated twelve-grade school at the center and each street
named for prominent African American individuals and institutions, the
community officially opened in 1954. By 1958, many homes built near the school
were complete and middle-class families began to move in with the community
complete by 1961 with 741 single-family homes. In addition to the school, the
community included three churches, a shopping center, and park, complete with a
swimming pool, tennis court, basketball court, pavilion and playground. Since
the 1950s, the Hamilton Park Civic League has served the community residents,
connecting them with City of Dallas resources, encouraging voter registration
and turnout, and planning community events. This sense of community and pride
among residents helps preserve the Heritage and Legacy of the original
homeowners. (2016).