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Charlotte Baldwin Allen (July 14, 1805 – August 3, 1895) is known in Texan history as the "mother of Houston". She was the wife of
When John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen bought land for the town site of Houston, they had been investing some of Charlotte Allen's inheritance.Johnston, Marguerite (1991). Houston: the unknown city, 1836-1846. Texas A&M Press: College Station, Texas, p.9. As Houston was surveyed in 1836 and settled beginning early in 1837, Charlotte and Augustus Allen built a house on Prairie Street at Caroline in Houston. Their next door neighbor would be the President of Texas, Sam Houston. One of Charlotte Allen's house guests was Mary Austin Holley, who kept a journal of her experiences of early Houston and drew a sketch of the Capitol. Many sources credit her for naming the City of Houston.
Her brother-in-law, John Allen died in 1838. Augustus Allen left Houston for Mexico. Charlotte remained in Houston and continued to manage the Allens' business interests. They separated in 1850. The Old Capitol Hotel passed on to Charlotte and it was run as a hotel until she sold the property in 1857.
Charlotte Baldwin Allen (July 14, 1805 – August 3, 1895) is known in Texan history as the "mother of Houston". She was the wife of Augustus Chapman Allen
Augustus Chapman Allen (July 4, 1806 – January 11, 1864), along with his younger brother, John Kirby Allen, founded the City of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. He was born on July 4, 1806, in Canaseraga Village, New York (the present day h ...
, who used her inheritance to finance the founding of this city.
Early life
Charlotte (Mary) Baldwin Allen was born July 14, 1805 in Baldwinsville, Onondaga County, New York to Eliza and Jonas Cutler Baldwin. She marriedAugustus Chapman Allen
Augustus Chapman Allen (July 4, 1806 – January 11, 1864), along with his younger brother, John Kirby Allen, founded the City of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. He was born on July 4, 1806, in Canaseraga Village, New York (the present day h ...
on May 3, 1831. In 1832, her husband and his brother John Kirby Allen left New York state for Texas, settling temporarily in San Augustine, Texas
San Augustine is the county seat city of San Augustine County, Texas, in East Texas, United States. The population was at the 2020 census.
History
The first European settlement in the area began in 1717 with the establishment of Mission Nues ...
(Mexico). Charlotte Allen probably rejoined her husband in Texas in 1834, and established a residence in Nacogdoches, Texas (Mexico).Nancy Baker Jones, "ALLEN, CHARLOTTE M. BALDWIN," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fal84), accessed October 23, 2014. Uploaded on June 9, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.Brooks, Elizabeth (1896). Prominent Women of Texas, Akron, OH: Werner, p.36.McComb, David G. (1969, revised 1981). Houston: a history, Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, p.12.
Founding of Houston
When John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen bought land for the town site of Houston, they had been investing some of Charlotte Allen's inheritance.Johnston, Marguerite (1991). Houston: the unknown city, 1836-1846. Texas A&M Press: College Station, Texas, p.9. As Houston was surveyed in 1836 and settled beginning early in 1837, Charlotte and Augustus Allen built a house on Prairie Street at Caroline in Houston. Their next door neighbor would be the President of Texas, Sam Houston. One of Charlotte Allen's house guests was Mary Austin Holley, who kept a journal of her experiences of early Houston and drew a sketch of the Capitol. Many sources credit her for naming the City of Houston.
Her brother-in-law, John Allen died in 1838. Augustus Allen left Houston for Mexico. Charlotte remained in Houston and continued to manage the Allens' business interests. They separated in 1850. The Old Capitol Hotel passed on to Charlotte and it was run as a hotel until she sold the property in 1857.
Death
Allen died in Houston on August 3, 1895 at the age of ninety. She was buried at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston. The Texas State Historical Association sponsored a historical plaque at her grave site in 2009.Legacy
In 2019 a former DoubleTree hotel in Downtown Houston was renamed the C. Baldwin Hotel.See also
*Charlotte Allen Fountain
The Charlotte Allen Fountain is a 1912 limestone fountain by an unknown artist, installed in Elizabeth Baldwin Park, Houston, in the U.S. state of Texas. The fountain commemorates Charlotte Baldwin Allen, the wife of the city's founder, Augus ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin, Charlotte Baldwin History of Houston 1803 births 1895 deaths People from Baldwinsville, New York Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas) People of the Republic of Texas Hoteliers