The Wood Street Historic Settlement along Shoal Creek is a unique historic site located in downtown Austin. The settlement originated as a community where formerly enslaved peoples made their homes in Austin after the end of the Civil War. Later, working class Mexican American families built their lives here in the early 20th century. The settlement is located on the west bank of Shoal Creek off of Wood Street near the intersection of Lamar Boulevard and West 6th Street.
Shoal Creek Conservancy and a team of volunteers successfully applied for an Undertold Marker from the Texas Historical Commission for the Wood Street Settlement, which was granted in the fall of 2016. The marker, unveiled and dedicated February 2018, is located along 6th Street just west of the 6th Street Bridge over Shoal Creek.
In December 2020, the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department acquired and dedicated the land as Wood Street Settlement Button Park noting that “this acquisition will allow for historical and cultural programming of this historic site, as well as expand access to Shoal Creek north of W 6th Street.”
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