Sims Grove Kept Juneteenth Rooted in East Huntsville

One 1931 photograph keeps Sims Grove's organizers in view. It shows the Band Park Association, with David "Dave" Williams behind the musicians in a dark suit. The group had a long formal name: the Band and Park Association for Colored People of Huntsville, Texas. Williams led its work to build a park for Huntsville's Black community.

The gathering place came before the organization. Black residents had held Juneteenth celebrations on the nine-acre East Huntsville site since about 1914 or 1915. By the time the association formed in 1931, Sims Grove already carried more than 15 years of community use and memory. The group gave that familiar ground a name, a band, and a plan for a park.

At Sims Grove, Juneteenth did not arrive after a city dedication. Celebration came before it. Neighbors then organized around land they already used. The photograph catches those two parts of local history together: a band ready to play and a leader standing behind it, working to turn nine acres into public space for his community.