In the early 1880s, Quakertown emerged as a thriving African American community in the heart of Denton and flourished through 1920, due in part to its location near the city square and the opportunities it provided African Americans. The community was bounded by Withers Street on the north, Oakland Avenue on the west, Bell Avenue on the east, and Cottonwood and Pecan Creeks on the south. Although many residents worked for businesses on the nearby city square, at the College of Industrial Arts, and as servants for white households, Quakertown prospered as a self-supporting community, with several churches, a physician’s office, lodges, restaurants, small businesses, and homes lining its streets. The Fred Douglass School burned in September 1913 and was rebuilt along Wye Street in southeast Denton in 1916, foreshadowing what followed. By 1920, Quakertown’s proximity to the growing College of Industrial Arts and the civic-minded interests of Denton’s white residents threatened its future, as many believed the area should be transformed into a city park. In April 1921, with little input from residents, the city voted 367 to 240 in favor of a bond to purchase Quakertown. More than 60 families lost their homes. Most of the displaced residents relocated to southeast Denton on 21 acres platted as Solomon Hill and sold to them by rancher Albert L. Miles, while others, including many community leaders, left Denton altogether. By February 1923, Quakertown had disappeared amid construction of the new park.