Freeport East End Oral History Collection

Freeport, Texas, is a coastal town along the gulf in Brazoria County. Freeport’s economy is historically rooted in Dow Chemical Company, Freeport Sulphur Company, and the maritime industry. Established in the 1930s, Freeport’s East End neighborhood was designated as the city’s segregated negro district.

East End grew to be a vibrant community with churches, schools, and locally owned businesses. After decades of exposure to chemical and industrial manufacturing along with economic disinvestment in the community, many East End residents experienced forced displacement beginning in the early 2000s. Preservation Texas designated East End as endangered in 2021. In 2025, local courts rejected an eminent domain claim made by the Port of Freeport, signaling a legal milestone for East End property owners and community descendants.

Oral history interviews were conducted with East End community members is 2023 in collaboration with Jessie Parker of East End Family and author Allison Cobb. Interviewees discuss growing up in East End, family life, local businesses, churches, schooling, and the legacy of the East End community.