Group shares rich history, legacy of Bellaire
Leaders of the Bellaire Historical Society believe civic pride and sound decisionmaking are enhanced by understanding history, which is why they’re committed to preserving Bellaire’s heritage and enlisting others to join them.
“If you know where your community has come from, and what it has been through, it can help you to avoid past mistakes. There is great benefit to understanding the legacy of your community. It provides a sense of identity. It makes us to realize what it cost to get what we have and makes us more likely to work to preserve it,” said Lyn McBee, Bellaire Historical Society secretary.
She has lived in the same location in Bellaire since 1966. She says Bellaire has a rich history.
The Bellaire Historical Society has existed since 1974. Membership in the Society is open to the public. The group’s website is bellairehistoricalsociety.org. “Our job is to find, preserve and promote the artifacts, documents, testimonies and photos which contain our history,” McBee said.
The society has had numerous accomplishments, she said.
In the early 1980s the Society worked with others to purchase and have transported a trolley car from Portugal. Bellaire founder William Baldwin implemented a trolley system
to carry commuters into Houston and it ran from around 1910 to 1929, McBee said. That replica trolley car now sits at Bellaire Boulevard and South Rice Avenue in Paseo Park.
The society has worked diligently in partnership with the University of North Texas and Rice University to digitize important area newspapers, such as the Bellaire Texan (1954 to 1990), along with thousands of documents donated by present and late Bellaire residents, McBee said.
Among her favorite donations is an original manuscript of the book “As the Meadowlarks Sang,” which is one of the few if only books that chronicles the early history of Bellaire.
McBee hopes future projects of the society can include reprinting that book along with the circa 1958 “Bellaire Historical Cookbook,” which contained recipes, photos and accounts of Bellaire’s history.
The society worked with others to create the “Bellaire Centennial Walk” which includes a pamphlet guided tour and markers indicating places of historical significance in Bellaire between 1908 and 2008. A PDF copy of the pamphlet is available at the society’s website.
The website also contains a listing of state historical markers located within Bellaire.
The society meets monthly and invites speakers and presenters who can enhance awareness of Bellaire and Houston area history.
“Many current Bellaire residents don’t realize the courageous efforts which helped build Bellaire. Many colorful things have happened here,” said society board member and program chair R.W. McKinney.
He said the area has thrived despite events such as devastating hurricanes. He said most current residents are not aware the entire Bellaire area was once a simple prairie and later farming area and that what exists today is the result of the efforts of “pioneering people.”
McKinney serves as the resident historian for KHOU’s “Great Day Houston” television program. He leads tours of Houston’s historical sites and also works in public affairs and marketing.
The Society will host Louise F. Aulbach and Linda C. Gorski, authors of the book, “History of Camp Logan: 1917-1919.” Houston’s Camp Logan, located in the area which now comprises Memorial Park, was the site of a mutiny by black United States Army infantrymen in 1917. The rioting claimed the lives of a number of soldiers and civilians and resulted in many executions and life sentences for the mutineers.
In addition to providing speakers such as those mentioned, McKinney hopes the Society can reengage with the youth of Bellaire by developing strategic partnerships with local high schools and middle schools and by conducting community service projects that involve teens.
Inquiries about membership, programs or supporting the Bellaire Historical Society may be made at the group’s website,