Freedmen’s Town Museums Houston
a part of Rutherford B.H. Yates Museum, Inc.
Archaeology, Education and Preservation
Our History
“The children need to know about the first doctors, lawyers, dentists, teachers, blacksmiths, and the inventors of the 19th and 20th centuries. All children need to walk into the homes and churches that the freedmen built and walk on the streets they paid for and installed.”
– Olee Yates McCullough
The Freedmen’s Town Museums Houston a part of Rutherford B.H. Yates Museum, Inc., founded in 1996, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is built on three pillars, preservation, education, and archaeology. While the need for such an organization has long been noted in the community, its creation directly responded to a plea from Olee Yates McCullough, M.A., the daughter of Rutherford B. H. Yates Sr.
Rutherford B.H Yates is the son of Jack Yates, a founding father of Freedmen’s Town and the first pastor of Antioch Baptist Church.
As an educator who had attended Spelman College and received a Master’s degree from Columbia University, Olee recognized the historical and cultural value of her family home and Freedmen’s Town. Our organization developed our mission and vision of historic Freedmen’s Town with her leadership and inspiration.
Since its development, the organization has entirely preserved one of six homes and is recognized as a protected landmark. Because all homes must maintain 80% of the original materials used, preservation can be extremely costly. Our organization depends on donations and volunteers to help continue our work.
Freedmen’s Town Museums Houston
Museum visits are by appointment only 713-739-0163 | information.ftm@gmail.com
Stay in the Know