07/29/2024
Notable people buried in Oak Park Cemetery are Henderson, wife of Nat Q. Henderson. Nathanial “Nat” Q. Henderson, educator and civic leader, was born on September 28, 1866, in Columbus, Texas. His father was a teacher so his educational leadership began long before moving to Houston. After graduating from Prairie View State Normal School (now Prairie View A&M University) in 1885, Nathaniel Henderson returned to his hometown of Columbus and served as principal of the Columbus Colored School for twelve years. He then served as principal of a school in Weimar, Texas. Henderson pursued further studies at Fisk University, the University of Chicago, Columbia University, and Tuskegee Institute.
He married Mamie L. Williams in Colorado County on September 4, 1893, and they became the parents of six children who all became teachers. Many of their descendants followed their lead as educators.
Nat Q. Henderson was the principal of Bruce Elementary School in Houston from 1909 to 1942. He was so engaged in civic, community, and educational affairs that he was known as the “Mayor of Fifth Ward.” In 1912 he helped victims of the Great Fifth Ward Fire, a major fire which destroyed some forty blocks in Houston’s central city and left hundreds homeless.
