V.   Hyde Park

Austin's first suburb

    If Mirabeau Lamar in 1838 had turned his back to the Colorado River and gazed north from the rise on which the Capitol now sits, he would have seen a dense forest of centuries-old oak trees covering an area rich in game. For generations Tonkawa, Lipan Apache, and Comanche Indians had occupied and hunted this land. That life ended when Austin's early inhabitants destroyed the forest and used the trees to construct their new town.

    Once the trees and Indians were gone, the large, smooth area which remained seemed ideal for racing horses. Following the Civil War the Capital Jockey Club Racecourse began drawing large crowds of spectators. This in turn enticed state fair organizers to purchase the land in 1872. The entire city turned out to the 80-acre site for the fair's opening November 10, 1875. Enclosed by an 8-foot fence, the fairgrounds included an exhibition hall, judges' stand, and 3,500-seat grandstand. In the fair's early years, attractions included cockfighting, a rifle gallery, and a trapshooting booth in which customers fired at live pigeons.

    Despite the encouraging attendance, this event in Austin never achieved consistent financial success. Heavy rain turned the 1883 fair into a muddy disaster, and after another year in central Texas the fair abandoned the state capital for Dallas. That final year in Austin was so poorly funded that the winner for the best bale of cotton had to go home without his $10 prize.

    Over the next few years the abandoned fairgrounds continued to host local entertainment. Horse racing, calf roping, and even University of Texas football games lured city residents to the site. The Texas Volunteer Guard held an annual encampment which attracted companies from across the state.

    Investors from Kansas City bought the old fairgrounds in 1890. When Monroe Shipe purchased the property in 1891, he initially intended to build a rail yard to serve the MKT rail line anticipated to arrive shortly. But Shipe grew impatient and changed his plans when rail construction lagged. His new idea included building a residential community called Hyde Park in this outlying area which would be connected to the city by a street rail line that he would also build.

    Shipe's task was enormous, but he successfully surmounted every challenge. Battling opposition from other streetcar operators, he had his own line in service by February 1891. He convinced the city to erect its first moonlight tower in Hyde Park. He installed water mains in the area as well as gas lines, electricity, and fire hydrants. He paid for construction of the Speedway as a connecting road between Hyde Park and downtown.

    The plan worked. Attracted by inexpensive land and the prospect of living in a healthful, wholesome neighborhood, people flocked to purchase Shipe's lots. But not all were welcome. Early advertisements for Hyde Park clearly stated that land would be sold only to whites.

    In Hyde Park's early decades, the neighborhood conveyed the feel of a town separate from Austin. Shipe originally numbered the east-west streets 1st Street through 8th Street, street names already in use in downtown Austin. As the area added churches, schools, and grocery stores, residents found less occasion to travel into town. The open, undeveloped nature of the landscape between Hyde Park and the city limits heightened the sensation of traveling between two separate communities.

    As Austin engulfed and surrounded Hyde Park, neighborhood identity remained strong. Even today residents display strong commitment to maintaining the unique flavor of their area of town. Recent battles with city government over the local fire station and with Hyde Park Baptist Church regarding church expansion have illustrated that Hyde Park residents understand and appreciate the historic value of Austin's first planned suburban community.

    (excerpted from Austin, Texas Then and Now, by Jeffrey Kerr)