Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church was built in 1923 as a mission church for Hispanics in Houston TX. The church was located along US 90, called Navigation Street in this part of east Houston near downtown.
The state historic marker in front of the church provides more history as follows:
"OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC CHURCH
In 1911, Houston's Church of the Immaculate Conception sent four Oblate priests to establish a mission church to serve the city's Spanish-speaking population. At that time, Houston's Mexican community was growing rapidly, absorbing many refugees that were fleeing the Revolution of 1910. After purchasing this block, the Oblates built a wood-frame structure here and named it for Mexico's patron saint. The building served as both church and school, and services and classes were in Spanish. Sr. Benitia Vermeerch began a 23-year career as school principal in 1915, and later founded the Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence.
In 1921, when the mission was elevated to parish status, one of the four founding priests, Father Esteban de Anta, a native of Spain, became the first pastor. Construction on a second church building commenced that year, and it was dedicated two years later. In 1973 the Sacred Heart order assumed responsibility for the church, but its traditional role ministering to immigrant communities remained the same. Still a focal point for Houston's Mexican American community, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church became the home church to many Central American and Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s. (1991)"
The route of the Old Spanish Trail from Orange TX to Houston was designated the US 90 in 1926 when the Auto Trails were reclassified a federal highways and assigned numbers.
Once the US 90/OST entered Houston, it split into two routes: one (US 90) that went through downtown, and another (US 90 Alt) that bypassed downtown to the southwest.
The direct US 90 route through Houston was known also by the following street names (east to west) to the town of Katy:
McCarty Street (AKA Beaumont Hwy)
Wayside Street (AKA Beaumont Hwy)
Navigation Blvd
Washington Street
Katy Highway
In Houston, the US 90 Alt was known alternatively by these street names:
Old Spanish Trail
Main Street/South Main Street
The US 90 Alt part of the old OST winds though downtown to south Houston, and leaves town at the junction with the US 59. The 90 Alt continues west, south of the main US 90 route towards San Antonio, passing through six Texas counties to its terminus at the town of Seguin.
See here: (
visit link) for more on this part of the OST through South Texas.
"As the Old Spanish Trail Highway progressed from Houston to San Antonio the route never strayed too far from the main Southern Pacific railroad tracks. This was because a right of way was already established. Wagons and early cars had being following the line for years. Very significantly, it also allowed for the easy transportation of road materials and equipment. Most highways were still using Macadam construction, requiring successive layers of rocks of descending size with a top layer of gravel. Enormous quantities of rock were required. Early trucks could not carry heavy loads over great distances in large part due to lagging tire technology and the poor state of the roads themselves. However, they were well suited for short haul. They were loaded from trains at rail sidings along the route and in this way the road made good progress through the wealthier and more populated counties. Without a hard surface, the growing number of vehicles and the increasingly heavy trucks faced many problems along the way. Not all of these were accidental. For some reason, even in the height of summer, a wet spot on the road between Weimer and Schulenburg just would not go away. Drivers familiar with the road would gun their engines in an effort to get across, but frequently found themselves stuck yet again. A local farmer, who just happened to be nearby with a team of horses, was more than willing to tow them out for a mere $5.00. This at a time when a gallon of gas cost 25 cents. The OST did deviate from the railroads if counties along the way offered greater participation. Gonzales County did just that and so the OST swung south between Flatonia and Seguin, avoiding Luling at the southern tip of Caldwell County. Nearby Shiner, in Lavaca County, with its famous brewery, was not on the OST directly but its brew master, Kosmos Spoetzl, well known for marketing his beer personally from the back of a Ford Model T certainly took advantage of the improved road. Being near the new main highway brought an additional advantage to railroad access."