National Register Listing

Johnson, Morris and Mary, House

3818 Spencer St., Houston, TX

The Morris and Mary Johnson House (c.1920) is a representative example of a vernacular L-plan cottage built for an African-American family on a rural strip of land adjacent to the southern bank of White Oak Bayou near Houston, Harris County, Texas. The size and architecture of the house reflect the financial independence members of the African-American community were beginning to experience in the early part of the 20th century. In the neighborhoods surrounding the Morris and Mary Johnson House this growth and prosperity were closely tied to the rapidly expanding railroad industry. With the Houston Texas & Central Railroad and the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railroad in the immediate vicinity, skilled workers and laborers were in high demand. The Johnson house is named for Morris Johnson and his wife Mary, who purchased the property in 1914 and lived in the house until 1952. Other than the fact that Morris Johnson was an African-American who worked at the Southern Pacific Railroad shops, extensive research uncovered little else about him or his family. Most likely they were simply representative examples of the African-American middle class, skilled workers who were prospering along with the booming railroad industry. The Johnson property originally formed the southwestern corner of the Sessums Fourteen Acre Tract, a rural tract of land that never fully developed. The Morris and Mary Johnson House is noted primarily as a vernacular L-plan cottage. Architecturally the Morris and Mary Johnson House is an important example of the transition from the traditional building forms of the late 19th century and early 20th-century popular architectural trends.

The Morris and Mary Johnson House is part of the original Sessums Fourteen Acre Tract that is adjacent to the south bank of White Oak Bayou, just across the Bayou from the southern boundary of Houston Heights. Their land was situated just to the northeast of the Koehler First Addition, which was platted in 1894 and part of the City of Brunner. The Sessums Tract however always remained separated from the growing City of Brunner by the expansive railroad lines of the Houston & Texas Central and the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railroad yards. The Greater Houston City Directories indicated that between 1880-1900 the southern portion of the Koehler First Addition eventually developed into a residential area, but that the northern portion, along with the Sessums Tract, remained sparsely settled, with few city improvements. With White Oak Bayou creating a natural boundary, the Sessums Tract remained isolated from Houston Heights to the north which was developing at about the same time.

Little documentation is available regarding African-American communities in the Houston area that existed prior to or during the Civil War. After the Civil War, African-Americans tended to settle in areas that were usually on the outskirts of town. Most of these areas were unincorporated, and as such offered few city improvements. These areas were perceived by the majority of the population as much less desirable areas for living. With few paved streets, it was difficult to accurately locate street addresses in these sparsely settled areas. This can be seen most clearly in the early years of the Greater Houston City Directories which were often vague with respect to African-Americans listings. Often African-Americans were listed by their place of work, or by their employers' address, rather than by their actual home addresses. The Census Records during this time also contains large gaps and inconsistencies, especially concerning African-American families, which were not clarified or explained. The Tax Assessor's Records for Harris County are equally imprecise concerning African-American-owned properties. These records often used oral interviews conducted with a single resident of the area who would then account for all the families living in the area. However, between 1870-1890 African-Americans were encouraged to buy property and invest in real estate, and these deed records are able to provide some insights into the African-Americans culture of the late 19th century.

Most of the African-Americans who acquired land were skilled workers fairly self-sufficient in providing for themselves. Property owners often built their own houses or hired out as laborers around the community, especially at the railroad yards which were experiencing an explosive increase in construction due to the increase in railroad traffic. In the residential neighborhoods surrounding the Sessums Tract, many African-American workers were economically tied to the Houston & Texas Central Railway shops which were located off Center Street between Houston and Sawyer. There was also an additional band of industrial operations at Chaneyville, which was the end of the line for the Houston & Texas Central Railway and was located where Waugh Drive and Heights Boulevard intersect Washington Ave. This was also where the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railroad intersected the Houston & Texas Central. With the rapidly growing railroad industry, skilled workers and laborers could always find work. Working in the vicinity of the railroads, African-Americans soon began to settle and buy property close by.

Between 1904-1918 the Sessums family began selling off portions of property out of their Fourteen Acre Tract. In 1912 Ann Sessums, together with her son William, sold a tract of land to Simon Rosenberg (Deed. No. 21172, Vol. 196, Pg. 493). Two years later in 1914, Simon Rosenberg sold the property to Morris Johnson (Deed No. 221067, Vol. 403, P. 311). The Morris Johnson Tract is described as being 96 feet by 166 3/4th feet, Tract 43 of the Sessums Fourteen Acre Tract. This property was located on the southwest corner of the Sessums Tract adjacent to Michigan which later became Montana (See maps). The Tax Assessor's City Lots and Block Records, which begin in 1915 for this area, show some small improvements already existing on this property. This appears to be a small house because as early as 1910-1911 the Greater Houston City Directory listed a Lizzie Washington (c) living at 3818 Spencer. In 1917 the Tax Assessor's City Lots and Block Records indicate some significant improvements ($275.00) were made to the property. This appears to be noting the construction of a rear house behind 3818 Spencer which would then show up as an improvement to the property on the Tax Assessors Records the following year. In 1918 the Greater Houston City Directory listed Lizzie Washington (c) at 3818 Spencer with Bert Furch (c) living in the rear. In 1918, the improvement values on the property decreased by about half ($125.00). Possibly a fire destroyed most of the front house, leaving only the rear residence still standing. In 1920, a large improvement to the property was made ($500.00) and the Greater Houston City Directory lists Mary Johnson (c) at 3818 Spencer with Lizzie Washington (c) living in the rear. In 1921 another significant improvement ($ 1,675) was recorded on this property which most likely corresponded to this entire tract of land being annexed into the City of Houston.

In 1921 the Greater Houston City Directory listed Morris Johnson (c) with his wife Mary living at 3818 Spencer with Bert Furch (c) living in the rear. Morris and Mary Johnson lived in the house until 1941. After that, the Greater Houston City Directory listed only Mary Johnson living at 3818 Spencer. Mary Johnson continued to live in the house until 1952. At that time the Greater Houston City Directory listing changed, indicating a Charles and Mary Goodwill at that address.

Possibly the property was sold or Mary Johnson remarried.

The Morris and Mary Johnson House is architecturally significant as a prominent residence for an African- American of this time period. In 1925 this house, along with the two other houses located on the Sessums Tract, were among the most substantial in the area. As can be seen from the 1944-45 amended version of the 1925 Sanborn Map (see Map) many more, much smaller shotgun houses had been built in the surrounding area, most likely associated with the lower income working-class African-Americans who were living in this area. By the 1944-45 Sanborn Map (see Map), the Morris and Mary Johnson House is one of the largest houses in the area, second only to the Sessums-James House on the neighboring property. Morris Johnson worked at the Southern Pacific Railroad shops and therefore this house is indirectly reflective of the prosperity of the expanding railroads and of those that worked or were associated with the railroad industry. African-Americans working for the railroad companies were carried along by the prosperity of the transportation industry. For this location and ethnic group, the Johnson House would have been considered a very substantial dwelling.

The Morris and Mary Johnson House is a representative example of the transition in domestic architecture from the late 19th century and the early 20th century. The vernacular L-plan form indicates that the property was most likely built by a skilled carpenter familiar with not only the standard methods of construction of that time but one who knew his skill and could apply his knowledge to the execution and attention to detail on both the interior and exterior of the house. The intricate detailing around the doors and window surrounds reiterate that this was the work of a skilled craftsman. Since the Johnson House contains many typical domestic architectural elements of the late 19th century, it is possible that this carpenter learned his carpentry skills at an earlier time when other architectural influences were popular like Queen Anne or Classical Revival styles. The carpenter might also have been aware of the growing popularity of the bungalow giving a slight influence to the work around the porch.

Since its construction, the Morris and Mary Johnson House has remained an architecturally prominent element in this African-American residential community, noted primarily for its size and unique architectural features for this area. It has remained a residence since its construction and is currently vacant. The current owners plan for this house and another much older house, the Sessums-James House on the adjacent property, to be part of a larger redevelopment and revitalization plan which encompasses the entire area. A landscaped park setting will be created by converting the original gully on the property that runs into White Oak Bayou into a lake with a waterfall. The owners are also hoping to relocate the Allen Paul House (NR 1980) to the northern portion of the property in order to save it from demolition. Their plans are to do needed repairs and maintenance to the exterior where needed, such as carpentry repairs and painting in order to leave the architectural integrity of the house intact. Needed rehabilitation work will be done on the interior. The restoration and rehabilitation of the Morris and Mary Johnson House would enable this property to be retained and preserved not only for the African- American community but for the City of Houston as well.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1997.