TIMELINE 1860 - 1870
1860
Thomas W. Whitmarsh became mayor of Houston
Buffalo Bayou's steamboat era reaches its zenith
The richest man in the county was William Marsh Rice and he was believed to the second richest man in the state. Rice owned the biggest building in Houston. One of his several businesses was hauling ice to Houston from New England by ship
Knights of the Golden Circle, Southern Rights Association, and other organizations stimulate local sentiment in favor of secession
Houston's population was 4,845. That figure included about 1,068 slaves. Fourteen Texas counties had more people than Harris County
Over 115,000 bales of cotton passed through the city
Houston was a growing rail center with five short rail lines and over 350 miles of track leading to the city by the time the Civil War began
Industry still lagged far behind commerce, as Houston could claim only fifteen manufacturing establishments. The largest was a thirty-employee iron foundry, producing about $50,000 worth of goods a year
J. E. and J. W Schrimpf opened a large meat packing plant
At least nine Houston merchants reported taxable holdings of over $250,000
The city experienced two disastrous fires, one destroying $350,000 worth of property
Founding of King Ranch
January 31
The first telegraph connection established in 1853 proved temporary. On this day, the first news dispatch arrived over what would be a permanent connection. The telegraph line was kept operating all during the Civil War with sulphuric acid from Sour Lake
February
The first train crossed the causeway linking Galveston and the mainland, and soon daily runs between the Island and Houston were in operation
A telegraph link between the two cities had been completed a short time earlier
May
Wharfage fees at Houston were abolished, primarily because they increased freight rates and hurt the competitive position of Bayou shipping vis-a-vis rail service to Galveston
November 6
Independent Democratic Party candidate John C. Breckinridge received a majority of Houston's presidential votes
December
Now aged, General Sam Houston spoke to a large crowd urging maintenance of the Union, but he received sparse support
1861
William J. Hutchins became Houston's mayor
Still lacking municipal services, Houston had two fire engines, but had no paid firemen, no paved streets, no covered sewers, no street lighting, and no permanent health board
The Houston and Texas Central Railroad now extended eighty miles to the northwest
The Houston Baseball Club was founded
January 1
Houstonians fire a fifteen-gun salute in celebration of South Carolina's secession
January 14
Houstonians voted overwhelmingly for succession of Texas
February 20
About 500 eager volunteers reported for service in the Confederate Army under Col. John S. "Rip" Ford
March 2
Abraham Lincoln inaugurated as president of the United States of America
March 16
Sam Houston resigns as governor after refusing to take Confederate oath of allegiance
April 12
The Civil War began with Confederate forces attacking Fort Sumter, South Carolina
July
U. S. Navy blockades Texas Coast
Sam Houston is ousted from office for refusing to take the oath of allegiance to the confederacy
The city of Houston serves as military headquarters for the confederate district of Texas
Summer
Economic decline came to Houston with the Union blockade. With the ship channel getting limited use during the war, most of the pre-war improvements disappeared. Shoals and bars formed, and snags accumulated
September 9
Col. Benjamin F. Terry mustered into service his famed Texas Rangers, accepting Capt. J. G. Walker's Company as the 9th company from Harris County, the unit which would be the pride of Texas for its performance in the Civil War
November 16
A canon salute was fired in the Courthouse Square to celebrate the fall of Fort Sumter
1862
February
Confederate invasion of New Mexico from Texas foiled by volunteer Colorado miners
Thomas W. House became mayor of Houston
February 13
A Warehouse fire destroyed $12,000 worth of cotton and food supplies
April
The Weekly Telegraph estimated that 12 percent of Harris County's population had joined the Confederate Armed Forces
Massacre of pro-Union German Settlers
October 9
Federal troops occupy Galveston and Houston was inundated with Galveston refugees, many whom chose to remain after the end of the war
1863
William Anders took office as mayor.
January 1
The city got a first hand taste of military action with the Battle of Galveston. Houston troops under Gen. John B. Magruder drove the Union forces from Galveston Island
Prices soared, with flour now quoted at $50 for a 100 pound sack, milk costing $1 a quart, boots worth $100 a pair, and tea and coffee unavailable at any place
January 1
The "cotton clad" steamboats Bayou and Neptune, sailing from Houston, defeat Federal men-of-war in the Battle of Galveston
Some 1,600 Confederate forces under General John Blankhead Magruder are mobilized in Houston and recapture Galveston Island and kept the port open until the end of the Civil War
February
Houston becomes military headquarters for the Confederate District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
July 26
The death of Sam Houston. Many people were beginning to believe Houston's predictions about the outcome of the war at the time of his death.
September 8
Battle of Sabine Pass
Lt. Dick "The Kid" Dowling lead a company of 42 men against a 15,000-man Union landing at Sabine Pass which prevented the Yankees from taking the strategic rail junction
1864
Deaths of Cynthia Ann Parker and her daughter Texanna, repatriated Comanches captives
January
There is a shortage of salt even at the extravagant price of 75 cents per pound
1865
April
Following the surrender of Gen. Lee, Houstonians held a public meeting where they declared "uncompromising resistance," but demoralization soon set in
April 9
Robert E. Lee surrenders Confederate forces at Appomattox, Virginia
Three black schools were established by the Freedman's Bureau
June 19
Maj. Gen. Gordon granger arrived in Galveston and proclaimed the emancipation of Texas slaves. The day would be known as "Juneteenth"
June 20
The U.S. Army occupied Houston with limited violence. One black man was killed. The city remained orderly, and the troops were withdrawn by November
Reconstruction begins locally
June 25
The Amnesty Office opened as Houstonians came forward to swear allegiance to the United States
October 19
An ordinance was passed authorizing the mayor to accept private loans for Buffalo Bayou ship channel improvements
Battle to Palmito Ranch, last conflict of Civil War, fought on Texas soil
1866
Horace D. Taylor became mayor of Houston
Harrisburg votes for incorporation
The Houston Gas and Fuel Company was established to make gas from coal
Formal banking institutions emerged with the First National Bank organized by B.A. Shepherd and T. M. Bagby. Popular prejudices and strictures in the state constitution prevented banks before the war
The Texas Transportation Company was chartered to construct New Houston near present-day Constitution Bend. It was planned as a transfer point where ocean-going ships could transfer cargo to railroads leading to Houston. Though the project failed, it evidenced quickening interest in ocean traffic among Houstonians
April
Lt. Dick Dowling reopens his Bank of Bacchus Saloon
June 19
Houston's first "Juneteenth" celebration included a banquet given by freedmen and their former mistresses and masters
October 9
The Houston Direct Navigation Company was chartered for the purpose of putting barges on the Bayou, which could load and unload ocean vessels in mid-channel and thereby eliminate docking in Galveston. The Company controlled traffic on the Bayou in the immediate post-war period
1867
Texas under Martial Law
Great Texas trails drives begin
An outbreak of Yellow Fever became the city's worst epidemic in history, killing Lt. Dick Dowling, occupation commander Charles Griffin in Galveston, and many others in both cities
January
Andrew McGowen again became mayor
March 2
First Reconstruction Act passed by U. S. Congress over presidential veto
Spring
Hugh Rice was commissioned by the city to survey a proposed ship channel from the foot of Main Street to Bolivar Roads
1868
Joseph R. Morris became mayor
Black Texans vote for the first time
The first horse car is placed in operation on the Tap Railroad
Comanches, Kiowas, and Apaches moved to Fort Still, OK, but raids into Texas continue
Spring
The Houston Direct Navigation advertised, for the first time, a through bill of lading from Houston to New York City
The first gas lighting was installed, using gas produced from oyster shells and coal
April
The Klu Klux Klan appeared in Houston
April 6
The Houston City Railway placed its first trolley car in operation on McKinney Avenue. They were pulled by mules
Summer
Houston was unable to pay its municipal employees, and the military authorities ordered the removal of the mayor, recorder, and city marshal. The ensuing appointment of a "carpetbagger" mayor aroused indignation
1869
The Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company is created to dredge the channel to a depth of nine feet
Thomas W. House, William Marsh Rice, and other important citizens founded the Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company with the intention of dredging a nine-foot channel from Houston to Bolivar Roads. City residents subscribed $100,000 for the project
The Houston City Mills textile factory opened in a three-story building. It employed eighty people and included fifty looms and 2,200 spindles
A new ice factory failed for lack of customers
Gus and Mollie Bailey Circus begins operations and tours the South until 1918
April
Construction began on the Church of the Annunciation, a beautiful Roman Catholic Romanesque structure
April 15
TEXAS vs. WHITE decision in U.S. Supreme Court repudiates the doctrine of states' rights
1870
The Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company succeeds in obtaining a Congressional designation of Houston as a port of delivery awarding it federal funds to finance an improvement project
Thomas H. Scanlan, the most famous of Houston's Reconstruction Radicals, was appointed mayor by Radical Governor Edmund J. Davis. Blacks held positions on the city council and in the police force during his four-year administration
Houston's population stood at 9,332. Harris County had a population of 17,375. Only Washington County had more people
Harris County had sixty-four manufacturing establishments, employing 583 laborers and adding $305,359 in value to manufactured items
Eureka Mills, a $125,000 textile factory, opened five miles northwest of the city
Congregation Beth Israel established the first synagogue in Houston, at Franklin and Crawford
The City Bank of Houston opened
The first 300 Chinese immigrant laborers arrived in Houston
The cornerstone was laid for the first synagogue
First Lt. H. M. Adams of the U. S. Army Engineers began the first federal survey of a ship channel for Houston
April 16
Martial law ends, and with it the formal Reconstruction
Texas is readmitted to the Union
Henry Journeay, the fiddler of Perote Castle, killed in Galveston by a mule drawn omnibus
May
The first Texas State Fair was held in Houston
May 23
The Texas Historical Society was organized with Ashbel Smith as president
July 14
Congress declared Houston a port of entry, authorized a customs house, and ordered a survey of the proposed channel from Houston to the Gulf
August
Houston recedes a new city charter establishing eight city wards
