What Is A Historical Marker?

A historical marker or historic marker is an indicator such as a plaque or sign to commemorate an event or person of historic interest and to associate that point of interest with a specific locale one can visit.

How Do I Get One For My House?

Contact the Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Fort

Worth’s Historic & Cultural Landmarks Commission.

 The Commission administers the city’s Certified Local Government Program; increases public awareness of the value of the historic, cultural, architectural and archaeological preservation.

Conducts ongoing surveys to identify and list significant historical, cultural, architectural and archaeological resources; holds hearings and recommends to the Fort Worth City Council that certain structures and property be designated as Historic Structures.

The ceremony was held at the former home of Dr. R. A. Ransom, Sr., the Founder of Booker T. Washington Hospital, which opened in 1918, the first Fort Worth hospital for African Americans.

This home was built by Dr. Riley Andrew Ransom, Sr., in 1921. It is the first of three Terrell Avenue homes to have a Historical Marker placed on them.

Dr. Ransom moved with his wife Ethel Blanche Wilson of Gainesville, and son Riley Andrew Ransom, Jr. to Fort Worth from Gainesville, Texas, to open a new Hospital he built, which included a Nurse’s Training School. Booker T.

Washington Hospital was the first 20-bed facility for African-Americans in Texas. It was also one of only three African-American owned hospitals in the U.S. accredited by the American Medical Association. It was well-known for its state-of-the-art medical equipment, fully equipped laboratory, on-site food preparation with a dining room, and Nurse’s quarters. The hospital went through several name changes before it was renamed to honor his late wife Ethel Blanche Wilson of Gainesville until it closed in 1949.

Dr. Ransom was a member of the Fort Worth branch of NAACP, the YMCA, Chair of the committee on Health and Sanitation, Chair of the Social Disease Committee of the Volunteer Health League, First-Aid Instructor for the American Red Cross of Tarrant County, and member of the Lone Star Medical Association and Masonic Lodge.

Dr. Ransom died in 1951 at the age of 64.  

 He founded Beta Tau Lambda and Alpha Phi Alpha

Fraternity chapters in Fort Worth.

For more than 40 years, the Flints owned the Flint Drug Store, the Hotel Flint, the Doll House and the Aquarium Supper Club.

 Mae Pearl Flint later married Bill “Gooseneck” MacDonald (1866 – 1950), an African-American politician, businessman, banker and the first black millionaire in Texas.

This historic house is now owned and occupied by the Jayn Higgins family.

This house was owned by Mr. Harold Hardee, born March 13, 1896, who was the co-owner of Brown & Hardee Funeral Home, located on “Baptist Hill” in downtown Fort Worth.

Mr. Hardee was well-known for wearing tuxedos during the funeral services, and directing traffic when police officers were not present.

His was one of the first funeral homes to use new Cadillac hearses and family cars for their services.

Upon the death of Harold Hardee at age 71 in 1968,

Lenora Rolla continued operating the funeral home for a

few years, until it closed and she devoted her time to establishing her genealogical organization.