Houston: The Unknown City, 1836-1946 Volume 14

By Marguerite Johnston

Book Overview

In their willingness to leave home and country to create a new city and a new nation, the first Houstonians were a special breed. They were adventurers and builders; they were citizens of the world. This is the story of these people, their descendants and like-minded successors, and their city, up to the end of the Second World War. It is a history marked by murder, mutiny, and the ironies of war, by comedy and high jinks, by heroism and a remarkable generosity. This fascinating social history grew out of Marguerite Johnston's forty years of friendship with the city and its people. It traces Houston's first families through interlinking marriages, charitable associations, and business partnerships. In this book, Johnston brings to light unpublished letters and diaries from those who served with Perry in Japan, who helped Maximillian design Mexico City, who acted for Woodrow Wilson at Versailles, who helped Roosevelt restore the national economy, and who, by conceiving and negotiating the Marshall Plan, saved Western Europe from collapse. She also sketches in warm detail the gentle life of a Southern town and portrays a people of intellect and a natural elegance. Ima Hogg, Houston philanthropist and patron of the arts, once said that Houston was lucky because the first Houstonians who got rich gave their money for schools, parks, hospitals, and the arts. "This set the pattern," she said. "This is what Houstonians do once they get a little money." Since 1836, their continuing philanthropy has totaled more than a billion dollars, yet remains personal. It has created a lively cultural scene, a prestigious educational establishment, a pace-setting medical center, and a gracious life-style. Old Houstonians rarely speak of themselves as Texans--they are Houstonians. Their story--not without problems, challenges, and conflicts--is the story of people who have shaped a major American city and who from it, have influenced lives around the world.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1603445234
• ISBN13: 9781603445238
• Release Date: December 2011
• Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.0" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

HOUSTON

Uh, these reviews are really hard on this book, I mean get real, of course this book focuses on the powerful in Houston at the time and their impact on the city, it's a history of Houston's rise, people, not The Grapes of Wrath. I for one enjoyed this book, I found the history very interesting and got a real feel for why Houston has emerged at the dawn of the 21st Century as an economic jugernaut, this has always been a city of entrepenuers and alpha males...and alpha females for that matter, and that spirit enfuses the city to this day. I mean who would have thought a city founded on the edge of a mosquito infested big ditch, miles inland from the Gulf, would become one of the great world ports and the energy capitol of the world? Read this book and you get your answer.

enlightening

I found this book to be full of rich history. It helped me to understand not only the evolution of an oil town, but to relate to American history in a more detailed way.

Get to Know Houston's Roots

In an academic style, Margurite Johnson leads us through a description of Houston as a small Gulf Coast community to a thriving Port City backed by the oil investment. She does a great deal to enrich the readers knowledge of Texas metropolitan outlook on it's relationship to it's environment. It serves as a good primer for further research.