Barrett, Texas (also known as Barrett Station) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Harris County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,223.
History
Barrett was founded in 1889 by Harrison Barrett (1845–1917), a formerly enslaved person. Born into slavery in Texas around 1845 to parents Simon and Eliza Barrett, who had come to Texas from Louisiana, Harrison Barrett spent several years after emancipation in 1865 gathering his family together. He eventually settled his family on land east of the San Jacinto River. In 1889, he purchased the land for fifty cents per acre, acquiring one of the largest land holdings in Harris County obtained by a former slave. He named the area Barrett's Settlement.
The community began with seven houses, which Barrett helped build using lumber from his own land. He assisted family members in establishing farms and built a sawmill, a gristmill, and a coffee mill. He also granted open access to fish and crayfish in the spring and gully near his homestead. Barrett donated land for Shiloh Baptist Church, which also served as a school. In 1947, a high school and a post office branch known as Barrett Station opened. Harrison Barrett died in 1917 and was buried in Journey's End Cemetery in the settlement. A museum and park have been named in his honor.
Geography
Barrett is located in eastern Harris County at coordinates 29°52′19″N 95°3′43″W. U.S. Route 90 (Crosby Freeway) passes through the northwestern part of the community. US 90 leads southwest 22 miles (35 km) to downtown Houston and northeast 16 miles (26 km) to Dayton. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.62 square miles (17.14 km²), of which 6.39 square miles (16.55 km²) is land and 0.23 square miles (0.59 km²) (3.42%) is water. The western boundary extends to the San Jacinto River, a major tributary of Galveston Bay.
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | %± |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2,364 | — |
| 1970 | 2,750 | +16.3% |
| 1980 | 3,183 | +15.7% |
| 1990 | 3,052 | −4.1% |
| 2000 | 2,872 | −5.9% |
| 2010 | 3,199 | +11.4% |
| 2020 | 5,223 | +63.3% |
Barrett first appeared as an unincorporated community in the 1960 U.S. census and as a census-designated place in the 1980 census.
At the 2020 census, the racial and ethnic composition of Barrett was: 44.50% Black or African American alone (non-Hispanic), 41.93% Hispanic or Latino (any race), 10.61% White alone (non-Hispanic), 1.67% mixed or multiracial (non-Hispanic), 0.48% Asian alone (non-Hispanic), 0.44% other race alone (non-Hispanic), and 0.38% Native American or Alaska Native alone (non-Hispanic).
Education
Barrett residents are zoned to the Crosby Independent School District. The CDP is divided between the attendance boundaries of Barrett Elementary School and Drew Elementary School. Public schools serving all of Crosby ISD include the Crosby Kindergarten Center, Drew Intermediate, Crosby Middle School, and Crosby High School.
Notable features
The community celebrates its heritage every Juneteenth. The Barrett Historical Society, formed in 1998, works to preserve the original Barrett's Settlement Homestead and Farm and awards educational scholarships to high school graduates. Harrison Barrett's homestead, twice rebuilt by his descendants, still stands on its original location.
