The "Ghost Alleyways" of Bellaire. At one time, early on, there were 10-foot alleyways between East-West Streets such as Laurel and Linden, Huisache and Grand Lake, probably Beech and Palmetto, among others. They are evidenced today by opposing back fences with a "no-man's land in between, and/or in some cases a swamp-like ditch, created when opposing yards were raised unevenly with fill-soil when upscale housing replaced the original one-story houses. Sometimes the alleyway got no fill-soil, and that is how the “ditch or swamp” came to be.
Real problems develop - poor drainage, mosquitoes, habitat for rats, possums, etc., and resulting disputes between back fence neighbors ! Who owned them in the first place, how, and when they were “abandoned” by whom .. is not clearly understood to say the least.
If you have any knowledge or memories of these “ghost alleyways”, I would like to hear from you. Larry D. Jones, LDJones59@yahoo.com
We’ve taken possession of our 20 ft (split into 10 ftx2) alley through a city easement request.
That was our side alley where CenterPoint easement used the Bellaire ghost alleys.
The back easement had already been adjusted with the 2 properties behind us.. we have a double lot. Our neighbors had 5 ft dead space from us to 2nd via a chain link and wood combo. Everyone has taken over, and I assume legally requested ownership in our block of Bellaire Blvd.
The 1910 recorded plat of the Town of Bellaire showed alleys running down the middle of most of the blocks, evenly dividing a block's two tiers of lots. Alleys were important then because in 1910 there were less than 15,000 automobiles in the entire State of Texas. The alleys were public rights-of-way, but the public, as personified by the City of Bellaire, made no effort to pave or maintain the alleys. Gradually use of the alleys for ingress and egress to the back of lots ceased, and that is when the alleys were treated as sort of a no-man's land. That messy situation became a continuing problem for the lot owners and the City, to whom the lot owners complained about the alleys. The City decided to punt and in 1995 City quitclaimed all of its right, title, and interest in the alleys to the abutting lot owners. That essentially left it to those lot owners to deal fences, drainage, possums, etc. - But there were no ghosts involved.
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