Junius Heights Neighborhood Gets Historical Marker Commemorating 1906 Land Rush

One can say the history of Dallas preservation runs deep and straight to Junius Heights.

Longtime resident Martha Heimberg purchased her home in the neighborhood in 1973 for $26,500. She was there when the historic columns welcoming people to the neighborhood were moved to Column Park on Abrams Road.

When she first moved to the East Dallas neighborhood, Heimburg said many of the homes built in the early 1900s were suffering from disrepair. When I asked her what the rehab process entails for these homes she was quick to correct me.

“It’s not rehab… it’s renovation,” she said. Renovation entails updating and improving a home, and that is the key to Junius Heights. Rather than changing or adding on, dedicated homeowners renovated what they had and kept the neighborhood as it looked so long ago. The residents of Junius Heights are intentional in celebrating their past by keeping their homes and the neighborhood they love the way its founders envisioned.

To that end, it was not surprising to see more than 40 Junius Heights residents attend (on what was a cold and wet Sunday afternoon) the dedication of the Texas Historic Commission marker commemorating the Junius Heights Land Rush of 1906. This is the second Texas historical marker to adorn Column Park.

Getting a Historical Marker Takes Work

Getting a historical marker isn’t just as simple as cutting a check. There is work that needs to be done and people willing to do that work.

“We’re so lucky René Schmidt moved into the neighborhood,” Heimberg said. “Homes were being torn down. We wouldn’t have this place without René.” Schmidt is the former president of the Junius Heights Historic District. He worked diligently to get the new marker in place.

To get a state historical marker, you start at the local level with the county historical district. They help applicants complete the application and give guidance and comments on how to improve it. Once the application gets to a point where it receives county approval, it then moves on to the state level.

“The most important section of a historical marker application is the narrative history. A narrative history is simply a research paper that documents the significance of the property or topic,” according to the Texas Historical Commission website. “This research paper must be complete, orderly, concise, and fully documented with endnotes or footnotes.”

It can take at minimum a year to go through the entire process, so getting that historical designation takes dedication.

More Recognition Sought for Junius Heights

Rain and cold aside, the dedication ceremony was a time to celebrate Junius Heights.

“We’re here celebrating the people of Junius Heights,” said Marcus Watson of the Dallas Office of Historic Preservation. “It’s been 19 years since the historic designation and we wanted to keep things going.”

Marcel Quimby of the Landmark Designation Committee said they are currently working on getting a national designation for the neighborhood.

“We have small homes, large homes… we are one of the most walkable communities in Dallas. It gives everyone the feeling of the small-town community from its inception,” he said.

Junius Heights is the largest preservation district in the Southwest.

“These parks and public spaces are storytellers,” said District 14 Park and Recreation Board Member Rudy Karimi. “These stories will always be worth telling.”

Renovation in Junius Heights will continue. The columns, for instance, will get a facelift later this year, said District 14 Councilman Paul Ridley.

“District 14 is fortunate to have some of the oldest and most vibrant historic neighborhoods in Dallas,” Ridley said. “Junius Heights is a great example of how far a community’s commitment to their neighborhood goes.”