The 1870 Reverend Jack Yates House was originally located at 1318 Andrews Street in Freedmen's Town. The simplified Greek Revival home was built by the Reverend John Henry “Jack” Yates, an emancipated slave who later served as the minister for Antioch Baptist Church and founder of Bethel Baptist Church. He also helped to organize the Houston Academy in 1894. Construction of this house a mere five years after Emancipation illustrates the indomitable spirit of a formerly enslaved population that was transitioning into a free society in Houston. 

Donated by the Yates family to The Heritage Society, the house was moved to Sam Houston Park in 1994. It is furnished to represent the family's lifestyle in the late 19th century, and includes some of the furniture that was in the house when the family still lived there. More about Jack Yates here.

On June 18, 2021, Senator John Cornyn, who had been a co-sponsor of the bill honoring Juneteenth since 2011, held media interviews about the bipartisan passing of Juneteenth as a federal holiday, at the 1870 Yates House. He also received a tour of the Yates House, by Yates’ great granddaughters Martha Whiting-Goddard and Jacqueline Bostic. Martha Whiting-Goddard is a board member of The Heritage Society.

HABS Drawings of the Jack Yates House.
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HABS No TX3542C 2 of 3
HABS No TX3542C 3 or 3

See the map below for the original location of the 1870 Yates House at 1318 Andrews Street.

UNESCO SITE OF MEMORY

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On Tuesday, January 18, 2022, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated three historic house sites located in Sam Houston Park as part of its “Slave Route Project”.  The three historic houses, owned by the City, located in Fourth Ward, a neighborhood including Freedmen’s Town that was settled by emancipated slaves after the Civil War.

“We applied for the UNESCO designation in 2017 to add the sites and stories of the 1847 Kellum-Noble House, the 1870 Reverend Jack Yates House, and the 1866 Fourth Ward Cottage,” The Heritage Society’s board member and Reverend Jack Yates’ great-granddaughter, Martha Whiting-Goddard said.  “The UNESCO designation enables us to continue telling African Americans stories in Houston, helps keep our history alive for new generations, and brings tourists to Houston.” 

UNESCO stated that the three houses are an important initiative in preserving the history related to enslaved African Americans in Texas.  The general public tours that The Heritage Society offers give a sense of the lives of African-Americans in Houston before and after the Civil War, enabling visitors to better understand the concrete effects that such historical events had on African-Americans’ lives.