By David Taylor / Managing Editor
A young, 15-year-old teenager who was bound by slavery in the mid-1800s and freed on Emancipation Day in Texas in about 1865 will be remembered and celebrated as the founder of the historic town Barrett, Texas on its 150th anniversary, June 14, 2025.
The day-long festivities begin at 10:30 a.m. with a parade through town that begins at Gulf Pump Road with lineup and proceeds south down FM 2100 to the Riley Chambers Community Center. The Grand Marshal is Roger Barrett (He is the great nephew of Harrison, the son of Frank Barrett who is Harrison’s brother) Roger is the oldest male Barrett living.
At noon, guest speakers commemorating the day include Wilbert Eagleton, Harris County Pct. 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, State Representative Harold Dutton, descendant Fred Barrett, and Ty Singleton.
Throughout the day there will be historical displays and exhibits chronicling the town’s rich history, live performances of local jazz talent and a headline performance by the Curtis Poullard Zydeco Band.
A youth fashion and talent show is planned and of course, food and beverages celebrating the flavors of African American culture.
All the activities are a celebration of young Harrison Barrett.
“His parents and siblings were sold off as slaves (to other owners) and got separated,” said his descendant and great grandson Fred Barrett.
With no cell phones, GPS, he was still able to find all but one sister when the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas in 1865.
“He found his mom and dad first in 1867, then he built a home on some property that he was staying at. He later married a young lady that was on the same plantation as he was, and then between 1870 and 1875, he traveled and found the rest of his brothers and sisters, all but one,” he said.
She was never found and was believed to still be in Louisiana.
The land he was living on was part of Stephen F. Austin’s old 300 owned by Reuben White who received the land from the Mexican government and told to settle it.
“The Mexican government had all this land, and they wanted to develop Texas. They gave it to 297 families, but they called it the old 300. Reuben White was a farmer and stock raiser.
White received approximately 2,214 acres. It was a descendent of White that sold some of the property to Harrison Barrett where he settled along the San Jacinto River.
His great grandson said he opened a sawmill and raised money breaking horses.
“He also worked as a laborer when they were building shell roads, and he would contract himself out as a laborer,” Barrett said.
“I grew up in the late 60s and I’m 72 now. Barrett was a black town when I was born. My first exposure to white people was when I went off to college at the University of Houston. I was kind of a duck out of water for a while, but it made me a better person,” he said.
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 caused some growth to Barrett with African Americans fleeing looking for jobs.
“Barrett was a safe haven and considered a freeman’s town so we had people of color moving here,” he said.
Another growth spurt occurred when the Houston Ship Channel was built and the industrial park that surrounded it.
“They provided much-needed jobs,” Barrett said. “They didn’t care what color you were; they needed laborers for the construction boom.”
Barrett said that contributed to the economic stability of Barrett and the petrochemical industry.
For Barrett, his family and siblings, living under the shadow of having a town named after your descendant came with both honor and pressure.
“I would tell my kids they were special. ‘You can’t go out here and misbehave because you’re not only representing the family, you represent the whole town. You have to be extra special in how you conduct yourself,’” he told them.
Barrett continues to grow with two large developments, one in the north and one in the south. The widening project of Main Street from I-10 through Crosby has changed the look and dynamics of the small town.
He’s only had one disappointment.
“We have petitioned the U.S. Postal Service to give us our own zip code, but it has never happened,” he said.
In 1945, the U.S. Postal Service System decided they wanted to put in a substation here in Barrett, and they called it the Barrett Station. Many residents quit calling it the original name of Barrett Settlement to Barrett Station. That name changed too.
“In about 2005, they closed it and built a multi-million-dollar post office in Crosby, and we were left without a post office,” he said.
With no zip code, and no post office, the town has adapted, and it remains Barrett, Texas after its founder.
For more information on the celebration, contact Dr. Shalonica Cluse or Tonya Eaglin at
sclusephd@gmail.com or tonya.benitez1@gmail.com.
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