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Houston is home to the state’s oldest public park, Emancipation Park.
In 1872, a group of formerly enslaved community members sought to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S. with a space to celebrate the anniversary of Juneteenth – when Texas slaves were finally informed of their freedom on June 19, 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Together they purchased 10-acres of land in Houston’s 3rd Ward for the park.
From 1922-1940, Emancipation Park was the only park in Houston open to African Americans.
Declared a historic landmark in 2006, the space became a UNESCO Slave Route Project site in 2019.