by Jerry Riley, Hilshire Village Civic Club Historian

In 1954, Hilshire Village was a quiet and peaceful retreat located well outside of the limits of the City of Houston. Many residents of the Village were anxious for incorporation as they felt it to be the only way to avoid being overtaken by the City of Houston, the limits of which were intended to extend as far as Brittmore Road to the west. Additionally, the residents of nearby Ridgecrest and Hilshire Village desperately wanted to incorporate to escape the clutches of Mr. Norman, who owned the water system and levied excessive water rates on residents. Equally important was a desire to avoid hefty City of Houston taxation and a wish for control over zoning and speed limits.

On December 11, 1954, a general election was held to vote on the issue of incorporation. Of the 1,051 votes cast, 338 stood for incorporation and 707 votes opposed the incorporation (6 votes were improperly cast). The election was defeated. At that same time, the nearby areas of Hunters Creek, Spring Valley, Bunker Hill, Hedwig, and Piney Point attempted to incorporate for similar reasons, most importantly zoning control. Their elections were defeated as well.

On January 17, 1955, 37 individuals made an application to Judge Bob Casey for the incorporation of Hilshire Village through another election procedure. In response, sixty-nine residents who opposed incorporation responded by signing a petition to restrain the election procedure. Ultimately, the election order was signed. On February 8, 1955 none of the sixty-nine opposed petitioners appeared at a public hearing to discuss the pending election.

On April 9, 1955, an election overseen by Judge A.B.C. Johns was held to determine the outcome of Incorporation. Of the 119 votes cast, 65 stood for Incorporation, 51 against Incorporation and 3 improperly marked. At the same time, the six other villages incorporated separately.

In response to the approval to incorporate, a drive to de-incorporate occurred on May 3, 1955.

On July 9, 1955 an election was held to elect the leadership of Hilshire Village including a new mayor, five councilmen and a Marshall. Bill English won as mayor, and Harry H. Brown, Robert J. Hitchcock, Alwin J. Bruess, G. Robert Jordan and Lloyd B. Sheppard were elected to position of councilmen. Travis Riley was elected Marshall and L.C. Lockett was elected as Treasurer.

In response to the drive to de-incorporate, 110 votes were cast on July 23, 1955 to determine whether or not to uphold the election of April 1955. Of the 110 votes cast, 95 voted against abolishing the Corporation (Village) and 15 voted for abolishing the Corporation. The Incorporation was upheld! Quickly following, Village speed laws were written on October 13, 1955 and zoning laws were in effect by March 1956, authored by Paul Strong.

HilshireVillage zoning laws have been challenged in the courts several times. The case of Derrie Frost (who owned property on Wirt Road), went all of the way to the Supreme Court. She lost her case and later sold her property to the Mennonite Church.

During this time, the Hilshire Village Council uncovered a rarely-known law that required all male residents falling between the age of 21 and 45 to labor on road repairs. If they wished not to labor on the roads, they were required to donate the sum of five dollars. Each qualified man cheerfully donated five dollars!

As early as December 1956, a storm of dissention began to brew over sewer problems. Many residents had sewage in their yards and in retaliation, declared publicly that they would have Porta-Potties delivered for their yards. Four and a half years later discussions still raged over the method of obtaining water and sewage service from the City of Houston. A task force was appointed to do a feasibility study on improvements to the system, which would cost each home a fee of $1,550.00. The job commenced and was completed in 1966. Willard Hood was quoted as saying, "We could have fought a war in those 10 years!"

The Hilshire Village Civic Club was formed on April 18, 1961. Thelma Johnson was the first President. Officers included, Alice Floyd (First Vice President), Jane Dinkins (Second Vice President), Derrie Frost (Third Vice President), Eunice Lockett (Secretary), Joan Kloc (Treasurer), and Anna Mae Scott (Board of Directors). In 1962, the Civic Club donated money and clothes and relocation assistance to Mrs. Pat Parker, the mother of four children whose husband died in the only death from fire in Hilshire Village. The Civic Club has generously given to Valley Oaks Library, the County Library, and the Elizabeth Ring Library and provided the original street signage for the Village.

On June 29, 1966, Hilshire Village children returning home from school reported that they had spotted a ‘big cat’ living in a house on Westview. Further investigations supported the allegations of the children. The City Council was prompted to pass an ordinance prohibiting the residents from keeping wild animals in the Village!