Samuel Walker Houston

Samuel Walker Houston (1864-1945) was a prominent African-American pioneer in the field of education. He was born into slavery on February 12, 1864, in Huntsville, Texas, to Joshua Houston, a slave owned by Sam Houston.cite web | title=Houston, Samuel Walker | author=Paul M. Lucko | work=Handbook of Texas Online, The Texas State Historical Association (June 6, 2001) | url=http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/HH/fhobs.html | accessdate=2007-05-20]

Houston founded the Galilee Community School in 1907, which later became known as the Houstonian Normal and Industrial Institute, in Walker County. In 1930, Houston's school was consolidated into the Huntsville Independent School District. Samuel W. Houston was named supervising principal over nine Walker County schools, including the Samuel W. Houston High School for black students.

In 1995, on the grounds of the old Samuel W. Houston Elementary School, the Huntsville Independent School District, along with the Huntsville Arts Commissioncite web | title=Art Tour of Huntsville | work=Public Art, Huntville Arts Commission, wynnehomeartscenter.com | url=http://wynnehomeartscenter.com/art_tour.html | accessdate=2007-05-20] and the high school's Ex-Students Association, commissioned artists Larry Zink and Monica Taylor to create "The Dreamers", a monument to underscore the contributions made by the black community in the growth and development of Huntsville and Walker County.

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