Charlotte Baldwin Allen, “Mother of Houston”
Historically, it is well known that the city of Houston was founded shortly after the Battle of San Jacinto in April 1836, by brothers John and Augustus Allen, often called those “young brash New York wheeler-dealers.”
The Allen brothers reportedly paid $5,000 for half of the John Austin league at the confluence of Buffalo and White Oak bayous, beyond Harrisburg that Santa Anna had burned to the ground enroute to face defeat by the Texians at San Jacinto.
Named after Sam Houston, one early visitor at the time called it “one of the muddiest and most disagreeable places on earth.” John James Audubon, naturalist and painter, arrived on the steamer Yellowstone in May of 1837. Audubon’s comments included that “he sloshed through ankle-deep water to the two-room dog run Republic’s capital to find the place filthy and cluttered with camp beds and trunks.”
Unfortunately, brother John died two years later in August of 1838 of a “bilious fever,” that was probably yellow fever or malaria.
In 1839, it is recorded that a yellow fever epidemic decimated the population, that possibly prompted newly elected President Mirabeau Lamar, to move the Republic’s capital to Austin.
Brother Augustus had married Charlotte Marie Baldwin in 1831 before thoughts of going to Texas had come into the brothers’ minds. Over time, Charlotte would become the city’s predominant builder.
Charlotte was born in Onondaga County, New York in 1805 and had married Augustus at the age of 26. He was then a young mathematics professor at Chittenango, New York.
It was well considered that the Allen brothers’ purchase of land for Houston had come from Charlotte’s wealthy family estate located near Baldwinsville, New York. Due to laws prohibiting wives from holding property, her name did not appear on the Houston property deed.
Upon John’s untimely death in 1838, four other surviving Allen brothers quarreled over settlement of the estate that was determined to be owned “conjointly” at a value that had escalated to close to a million dollars.
Charlotte stepped into the family dispute. The estate conflict continued into the late 1840s. It caused issues with the marriage of Augustus and Charlotte until their separation in 1850. Though never divorced, Augustus is said to have left Houston for Mexico after deeding everything he owned in Texas to Charlotte. They had four children with only a daughter living to adulthood.
Over the next near half century Charlotte lived as the developer of Houston as well as a philanthropist. She operated a ranch and raised cattle with her own registered brand. In 1857, she sold the site of the former Republic’s capital for a reported $12,000. At that time a structure was located on it known as the Capitol Hotel where President Anson Jones committed suicide. It would later become the Rice Hotel location.
As a philanthropist, Charlotte, over time, deeded property for Houston’s first City Hall where Market Square is now located. Honor after honor was heaped upon her. Public schools were named for her. A steamer on Buffalo Bayou carried her name.
Charlotte’s well lived life ended at her grand age of 90 in 1895. The “Mother of Houston” is buried at Glenwood Cemetery.
Written by Betty Dunn, Two Rivers Heritage Foundation. Visit www.tworivers heritagefoundation.org for more information and membership.