The 1936 bronzes of Robert E. Lee and his guide at Lee Park in Dallas. Photo by Scott Dorn
A few things in Oak Cliff bear the names of Confederates.
One is Kidd Springs Park. The park is named for James W. Kidd, a colonel in the Confederate army who in 1870 purchased 200 acres surrounding what is now Kidd Springs Park.
Another is Reagan Elementary School. It’s named for John H. Reagan, who served as postmaster general under Confederate president Jefferson Davis. After the war, Reagan was imprisoned in Boston, and he renounced the Confederate states. Reagan, who had stepped down from the United States Senate before Texas seceded, wrote an open letter to Texans from prison calling for an end to slavery and allowing freed slaves to vote.
Two things not named for a Confederate are our neighborhood’s parallel drags: Jefferson Boulevard and Davis Street.
According to “The WPA Dallas Guide and History,” which is available online through the University of North Texas Digital Library, Jefferson is named for U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, and Davis is named for an Oak Cliff landowner and developer, A.E. Davis.
