O n the northeastern edge of downtown, where 59 runs overhead on concrete columns, a state historical marker on a patch of grass tells the story of El Barrio del Alacrán, or the Neighborhood of the Scorpion.
It is one of the few pieces of physical evidence (at least above ground) that this community, a historic Mexican and Mexican American neighborhood, occupied this ground for roughly four decades in the 20th century before it was razed to make way for the freeway.
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, as part of our recurring neighborhood series (let us know what areas you want us to write about!), we’re diving into the history of this long-gone barrio, the people who built it and the decisions that erased it.
The Houston neighborhood called The Scorpion
It was first known as Frost Town, founded in the 1830s by Jonathan Frost around the same time the Allen brothers founded Houston, and it initially took in German and Irish immigrants. Later, after emancipation, it became home to Houston’s freedmen. And then, in the early 20th century, Mexican families fleeing north during the revolution (and Mexican Americans already here) found a haven in Houston as the ship channel expanded and the oil market boomed…