Joppee Community Plaque

Did you know that Joppee a name meaning beautiful new beginnings is one of Dallas’s few remaining freedmen’s towns? Stand here before the Joppee Community Plaque. This unassuming marker tells a powerful story a legacy etched in the very soil beneath our feet. Joppa sometimes spelled Joppee or Joppie was settled by formerly enslaved people primarily from the nearby Miller Plantation. After emancipation these resilient individuals established their own community. Henry Critz Hines a formerly enslaved person who had previously been held in either Missouri or Alabama played a significant role. He was given the Miller Ferry Company. This provided him with resources to help build the Joppee community. The arrival of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad in 1872 and the subsequent construction of the Missouri Kansas and Texas Railroad in 1886 brought further development. New Zion Missionary Baptist Church founded in 1882 moved to Joppa in 1888. It served as a school a clinic and even a voting place. The church became a vital community hub. Families like the Harrels the Pierces the Wests and others settled in Joppee. They built lives amidst challenges including Ku Klux Klan activity. Laura Belle Foster a powerful neighborhood organizer arrived in 1924. She played a pivotal role in the community. She fought tirelessly for better services improved infrastructure and civil rights. With her husband P H Foster she established the South Central Civic League in 1948. They worked for better bus services traffic signs mail service and city annexation. They even created Joppa’s first street signs. They were instrumental in securing voting rights for Joppee residents and ensuring that polling took place at New Zion Baptist Church. Joppee’s children faced obstacles in attending school. For many years there was no official school building. Melissa Pierce a formerly enslaved person donated land for a school. The Melissa Pierce School was dedicated in 1952. It was built to accommodate grades 1-12 but started in October to allow Black students to help with the cotton harvest. In 1955 Joppee was annexed into the City of Dallas. The fight for better infrastructure continued. Foster’s Crossing a street connecting the two halves of the neighborhood was finally built. The Freedman’s Town Memorial Bridge constructed in 2007 provided another crucial link to the community. The Joppee Community Plaque stands as a testament to resilience determination and the enduring spirit of this remarkable community. It is a reminder of the struggles overcome and the lasting legacy of Joppa a place of beautiful new beginnings.