Havana stands on land known as Porcion 46, ceded by the crown of Spain to Don Jose Matias Tijerina in 1767, and the community took its name from Havana, Cuba, where Tijerina had stopped on his journey from Europe. Among the early settlers were the families of Josefa de la Garza Salinas and Civil War Union soldier Patricio Perez. A frame church named for St. Joseph was built in 1891, descendants of early settlers still live in the area, and many Havana pioneers are buried in the Havana Cemetery.