The Heritage Park in Corpus Christi, home to the city’s Cultural Center, consists of twelve historical Corpus Christi homes, many with state historic designations and all of them restored. The oldest among them dates to 1851, the Britton-Evans Centennial House, considered the finest example of surviving masonry Classical Revival architecture on the Texas gulf coast.
The park and its homes serve as a tribute to the ethnic diversity and culture of the area. All of the homes have been carefully relocated to the park, including the two-story Galvan House, built by A. M. French in 1908 and purchased by Rafael Galvan in 1942. It remained in the Galvan family for forty years. Galvan, Corpus Christi’s first Mexican-American police officer and founding member of the League of United Latin American Citizens, arrived in Corpus Christ in 1896. The residence now serves at the park’s cultural center where a variety of programs showcase the artistic and cultural diversity of Corpus Christi and south Texas.
Also in Heritage Park is the Littles-Martin House—formerly home to Hattie Moore Littles—who is believed to have been one of the first African American natives of Corpus Christi. In 1986, the National Association of Colored People (NAACP) restored the Littles-Martin House for use as the NAACP Corpus Christi headquarters.
Watch the videos below to learn more about Hispanic Cultures in Texas, and Civil Rights in Texas. These videos were produced for inclusion in the Hispanic Texans mobile tour as well as the African Americans in Texas mobile tour found in our Texas Time Travel Tours mobile app. For more information about the Hispanic Texans tour and Hispanic heritage in Texas, visit the following link: http://texastimetravel.com/travel-themes/main-hispanic-heritage